09 January 2011

A big stick and a sore knee


Fleet with a stick that's too big!
 I've got a sore knee, any advice other than don't run on it (i.e. the most sensible advice) please let me know.

Woke up this morning, resting heart rate was down (good sign, as long as it's not too far down!).  Knee was sore but I thought I'd at least try a morning run.


There are some swans in that field

What a beautiful day, frosty morning with a glorious blue sky.  My wife and I set out for our planned run/walk with Fleet our dog.  First we did a half mile walk and then we set off running along the trail.  My wife set the pace and we walked whenever she wanted to.  I very carefully switched on my Garmin for each of the sections we ran.  Good fun it was.

 I feel better ... buggy thingy seems to be going, aching has pretty much gone but my knee, sore! I know that it's just a bit inflamed but it's not happy.
  
Less than a mile from home


Took some photos, played with dog.  Morning run with wife was about 2.75 miles running and a further 1.5 miles walking.  Knee warmed up so said goodbye to wife a start of trail and off I went for a few more miles with Fleet.
 

 

Yachts on Summerleaze Lake

Fleet and I did another 6.5 miles and I returned just in time to take my youngest to his last day at the Panto.  


They were having a party and my son made two cakes as he wanted enough cake for the cast and crew. The left cake lists Tic and Toc with all the other cast and crew below, with the 'Celebs' at the bottom.  Tic and Toc were names of the two groups of kids who were performing - he's loved it.  My wife has a seat for the final performance, my son doesn't know.

Talking of cakes, here is a picture of the Christmas Cake that my middle son made (I mentioned this in an earlier post).  It's delicious and completely homemade :-)

But back to running ...

I was going to go out for another run later, and I would have, had my wife not helped me see reason - my knee is just too sore - any suggestions?  Does hopping count as running?  I might have to switch sports for a while, do a bit of swimming ... maybe.  Sigh!

Janathon mileage:  122 miles

12 comments:

Chris said...

gorgeous photos. especially your son's cake and the dew on the grass.

about knees: ice afterwards. take some anti-inflammatories, including fish oil. Stop eating grains. (I won't mention rest). While running, consider reducing pace. And start with a good warm up and take periodic walk breaks. In other words, lighten up a bit.

swimming can irritate knees too, depending on how fast you're trying to swim and your kicking technique.

MamaWorm said...

If the pain is on the outside edge of your knee cap, it's probably ITB syndrome. Try using a foam roller after a run. (Something that's good to do anyway.)

Jenks said...

Thanks Chris.
I've not tried stopping eating the grains, I'm eating loads of fish and fish oil - I've really fishy breath at the moment.

I've been working on my stroke for over a year now. I'm not a natural swimmer (the fish oil might help) but I have improved. I have been reading 'Total Immersion' and the techniques resonate with me. My swim coach is very good but she drills us for an hour and by the end I know all my bad habits start creeping back. I've stopped the class this term and plan to start the Total Immersion program by myself and try to improve my swimming efficiency. I do try to swim too fast but the course does not encourage it.

Unknown said...

If you don't already, consider taking supplments to help also: glucosamine and condroitin and cod liver oil are all good.

Unknown said...

Ps... just realised you'd said fish oil... probably don't need cod-liver oil then as that's the same thing!! first combo is good though!

Cakey said...

Beautiful pictures and delicious-looking cake. I hope the knee settles down soon.

Chris said...

I found eliminating grains took away the joint pain I was having in the morning in my shoulders and fingers, and stronger quads helped my knees.

I love TI. My swim coach teaches it. But by the end of an hour, nearly all my bad habits come back. I've found my knees will hurt sometimes after swim practice.

wishing you success.

Anonymous said...

Cake - the best reason for running!

Jenks said...

maggiee: Thanks, I do take glucosamine and condroitin.
K, like in caKe: Thanks
Chris: Have you read the TI book? It says that as soon as you feel tired you should stop so that you only use the TI methods. It seems hard to do in a fixed length lesson. I realised my coach taught TI methods but my technique went as I grew tired.

Jenks said...

januaryrunning: Agreed :-) And we have two to choose from ;-)

Chris said...

I've got Terry's book for triathletes and a couple of his videos. I want to swim drills on Sunday mornings, but mostly I manage just to catch up on sleep. (open lap swim hours are rather limited here). so when I swim with my club, I rest as needed to try to maintain my form.

Gary Vallance said...

Knee pain could be any number of things, which will inevitably be antagonised by a sudden increase in mileage, and the elimination of rest days. At some point, I'd recommend privately seeing a sports physiotherapist, to discuss any previous, or recurring lower joint niggles and weaknesses, so they can discuss some curative/preventative exercises, for when your totals return to somewhere near normal. For now, as much sleep as possible, non-steroid anti-inflammatories, and periodic icing before warming up & after cooling down :)

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