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I’m still running… not as long of a distance as I used to, but I’m still running

Disclaimer: small self indulgent rant.

I’ve been struggling over the last several weeks to find my running groove. Vacation lead to a disruption in my routine, and then I was feeling ill, and then I had a wedding to go to, and then I could easily come up with a plethora of excuses to justify not running. I have been determined not to stop running. It goes back to the mental aspect of not letting myself quit.

As a teenager, I despised running. I would seek out positions on sports teams that would require less running because I hated it so much. Note to self: being a goalie is a dumb idea if your agility is more in line with blocking and hitting type positions.My newly found desire to run started when I decided that I needed to do the couch to 5k training for at least four weeks without stopping in order to fully push myself mentally and physically. I needed to get in shape, and I needed to not make excuses. Running doesn’t cost much, and because I had moved to a beautiful new area, I had a perfect setting to take the dive.

Back in April, when I began the program, I couldn’t even jog a mile without stopping. I was excited and motivated when I notice that after only a few short weeks of sticking to the plan (rain or shine), I was able to complete a 2 mile run. That distance quickly moved to a 5k distance, and then I found myself wondering how far I could actually run. Would I be able to run a half marathon this fall?I continued running, using some training programs through the Nike+ system (a great way to stay motivated is to publicly display your progress).

I came across a marathon training program that had a half way point that coincided with a ½ marathon in my area scheduled for September. What a great goal.This past week, while doing a quick morning 3 mile jog, I was hit with a pain in my right knee. Now, my right knee is my good knee… I’ve always had issues with my left knee, but never my right. Anyway… I continued to jog for about 30 seconds when I realized that this pain wasn’t going to go away. For the first time since April 1, I had to quit a run before the end.

I walked back to my house in awkward pain, listening to my iPod and thinking to myself how stupid I was for what I thought was over training. A couple hours later, as I sat on the train going to work, my knee began to spasm. Twitching and spasms, swelling, and real pain. Crap.

For 2 days, I could not walk down steps without pain and my knee locking up. It hurt to walk. I came home from work, laid in bed, and just watched TV till I fell asleep. I didn’t even feel like eating.

I’ve come to grips with the fact that long distance running and my body are not compatible.  My knees both have some cartilage issues, and my IT band causes some issues as well.

Over the next few weeks, I am going to continue to build back strength in my knee.  I’m going to focus on cleaning out my system and taking some time to go on some walks and hit up some yoga.

I’m looking forward to keeping my body in check and not giving up on fitness… just taking a new road.