I’m Back! Training for Half Marathon 2

FINALLY, I can get a few miles in on foot without finishing the run in tears and frustration! It’s still not easy, but I am just happy to be back out there. I’m also happy because I finally got an answer to what’s going on – – plica syndrome. It’s not something I have ever heard of before, but after some indepth (maybe a little too much WebMD) research, I get a little uneasy every time I think about it. According to the doctor who broke my little heart, this is something that can end in surgery but does not 100% of the time, so he highly suggested physical therapy. I politely told him that is far from the budget of a 24yr old, who just moved, bought a new bike way out of her price range and doesn’t know how to stop shoe shopping. So, I opted for some “on my own” type physical therapy, some good ice packs, endless amounts of icy hot & IBUProfen and my favorite part, the mandatory new running shoes (wahoo!) Also, my favorite part of his diagnosis, running is not out of the question, as long as I’m smart about it and listen to my knees when they are screaming at me to just stop already!

However, there are a few things I wish people would have told me when all of this began that did not involve the phrases “You’re stupid” “Why are you still running” “Stop running”. In my opinion, it’s pretty fair to say that most anyone who is passionate and/or serious about whatever activity or sport it may be, it is not an easy task to just – -stop. You go through the training and push through the pain to see it pay off in the end, when you finish a race you never thought possible, or you get that PR you’ve been working so hard for. The list of things I wish I would have known is just as long as the list of things I wanted people to stop saying. I painfully regret not taking it a little easier a little sooner than I did. Looking back, the day it started I should have educated myself on what it could have been and how to treat it the best I could, without becoming a couch potato. After all the pain this stupid thing has caused me and all of the pain that I know is yet to come, the one thing I would want to hear if I had to do it again would be someone telling me (and yes it may need to be in a loudish tone) “HEY, be smart moron!” Moron gets me every time. But seriously, all I did was aggravate the injury further and by overcompensating on my – – what was then – – good knee, I injured that one as well. I’m now working with two bad knees, both with plica syndrome and one with a knee cap that is no longer straight and in it’s place.

My wonderful doctor also did not rule out running another race at the end of July as long as I feel like it won’t cause any further injury. So that is my goal, to run Race #2 on July 27. That is about 7 weeks away. It’s more training time than I gave myself for Race #1, one of these days I’ll fit the normal 12 week training schedule in…maybe.

Up to this point, the furthest I have run since the Dino Half is about 7.5 miles, and that was just 2 days ago. Yikes. I am still just as determined as I was the first time around, maybe even a little more. As I mentioned in a previous post, I have also been mountain biking in my off time, which keeps me positive that I didn’t lose the leg muscle and endurance I would have by just sitting around. As of right now, I am trying to only run every other day and mountain bike on the off days. I am also trying to do as little road running as possible and stay on the dirt trails where the impact of my foot strike is a little less harsh on my knees. With the exception of my run this morning (ow), I’ve had little issues with my current training plan. Next weekend is the big Color Me Rad 5K with Aleck, so I’m feeling the need to be in my best shape that day. I don’t know if I could move past it if he beats me…

Anyway, I’ll be sure to post the results of that race, if they’re in my favor of course, and for now here are some pretty pictures of PC from some of my mountain biking adventures.