Thursday, May 29, 2008

Hospital Hill / Runner's knee

Next week's dinner menu is now posted on the sidebar. I'm trying 3 new recipes next week, so I'll let you know if any of them are particularly wonderful. There are a few of the tried and true dinners on there as well. Tuesday night is ALWAYS corn dog night. It's the law.

You might wonder what the sweet potato mania is all about; it's in preparation for the Hospital Hill 10K on June 7th. I'm gonna get my carb on. WOOT!

The Hospital Hill Run is the oldest organized race in Kansas City, and from what I hear, it's very difficult. The word "hill" is in there for a reason, I guess. Now that I think about it, the word "hospital" is probably significant too. Hmmm. There is a half marathon portion, a 10K, and a 5K. Since I've done several 5Ks, and I'm not quite ready for a half marathon, I thought the 10K would be a good fit at this point in my training.

I have a serious concern about participating in this race. My left knee has been hurting since Saturday. After much online research, I'm convinced it's runner's knee, or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome. I'm supposed to rest, ice the area, stretch and strengthen the muscles that support the knee joint, and not run until the knee is pain free. Whatwasthat?
Um, not run?

The idea of not running is depressing. I never thought I'd be the girl saying "please oh please, let me go for a run." In fact, through all the embarrassing years of physical education, I was the girl saying "please oh please, don't make me run." I was the girl who failed her P.E. exam because she couldn't run a mile. I was the one who couldn't jump over the hurdles and collapsed in a humiliated heap on the track.

Okay, that's all somewhat dramatic, but I just wanted to illustrate how much things have changed for me. Not to brag, but I'm proud of my running accomplishments. I want to do more, not less.

Against my better judgement, I ran 3 miles on the treadmill last night. I was stiff, but pain free, thanks to Tylenol. Afterward, I did some stretching, then I put a bag of frozen corn on my knee. It still hurts today, but the pain is more muted than yesterday.

The Hospital Hill folks already have my registration money, so I have every intention of going through with it. I'm not a religious girl, but today I found myself praying to the running gods to fix me as soon as possible. Not only do I have this race coming up, but I already paid quite a chunk of change to a local running group, which starts next month. Then, there's the marathon to consider. I don't want to panic, but these are the things that are going through my mind.

1 comment:

abby suzanne said...

My roommate just took the week off before her first 10K due to shin splints. She then proceeded to run it in under 50 min!
I pulled a hammy after that same 10K (also my first) and not running this week is bumming me out too. I decided to "jog out the pain" yesterday. Turns out that was a royally bad idea.
Biking is the best way to strengthen those knee muscles and keep you in shape while your knee heals.
Good luck with it!

ps you have inspired me to start my own "getting into running" blog. I hope you'll check it out!