In which Roy accounts his athletic decline.
Tuesday I stopped by my physician's office and had him look at my left knee.
On Thanksgiving I ran in the Atlanta Marathon, my first race of such a distance, and though I completed with the respectable time of 3H38M, it was well short of the 3H20M I had been training for. Around the 13.1 mile mark (ie, "The Half") my left hip acted up, as if it had fallen out of joint. I went off the course and stretched it out, and continued running. It worsened as I reached the 3/4 mark. And I barely trotted - at times I walked - for the final leg. (Of course, per my custom, I sprinted as fast I could -- somehow it was fast -- across the finish line.)
I did a training run on Dec. 16, but barely completed it. I haven't run since.
X-rays were performed, and scary potential diagonses was discussed. "Obliterated meniscus" had me nearly falling off the patient-throne in the doctor's office. I received a referral to a physical therapist, to whom I went on Thursday. Luckily, my x-rays returned, and nothing was out of order.
The therapist, herself a dedicated runner, and I set a goal of therapy: 5k with no pain. She measured my range of motion. The verdict? I have none. We think my Entire Left Side is tensed up and tight. The knee pain is muscles and tendons and ligaments all saying, "FUCK YOU." Finally my knee was given an ultra-sound. The waves warm the tissue and reduce swelling.
And now I feel amazing.
I will see my PT twice a week, in addition to performing a 30 minute stretch regimen thrice daily (I nearly cried the first time I worked on my left hamstring).
(Current thinking for the "Cause:" Insufficient stretching this summer of my calve muscles. This gave me a bout of plantar's fasciitis in my left foot. Though I treated it and it "healed," it hadn't. During the race, my body compensated for my awkward left foot by adding extra pressure to my hip and knee.)
I hope we're right.
On Thanksgiving I ran in the Atlanta Marathon, my first race of such a distance, and though I completed with the respectable time of 3H38M, it was well short of the 3H20M I had been training for. Around the 13.1 mile mark (ie, "The Half") my left hip acted up, as if it had fallen out of joint. I went off the course and stretched it out, and continued running. It worsened as I reached the 3/4 mark. And I barely trotted - at times I walked - for the final leg. (Of course, per my custom, I sprinted as fast I could -- somehow it was fast -- across the finish line.)
I did a training run on Dec. 16, but barely completed it. I haven't run since.
X-rays were performed, and scary potential diagonses was discussed. "Obliterated meniscus" had me nearly falling off the patient-throne in the doctor's office. I received a referral to a physical therapist, to whom I went on Thursday. Luckily, my x-rays returned, and nothing was out of order.
The therapist, herself a dedicated runner, and I set a goal of therapy: 5k with no pain. She measured my range of motion. The verdict? I have none. We think my Entire Left Side is tensed up and tight. The knee pain is muscles and tendons and ligaments all saying, "FUCK YOU." Finally my knee was given an ultra-sound. The waves warm the tissue and reduce swelling.
And now I feel amazing.
I will see my PT twice a week, in addition to performing a 30 minute stretch regimen thrice daily (I nearly cried the first time I worked on my left hamstring).
(Current thinking for the "Cause:" Insufficient stretching this summer of my calve muscles. This gave me a bout of plantar's fasciitis in my left foot. Though I treated it and it "healed," it hadn't. During the race, my body compensated for my awkward left foot by adding extra pressure to my hip and knee.)
I hope we're right.