honestly I do not see why you take risks, while it would be better to go cycling for 4-5 days...
Roberto, as always, is absolutely right. My knee hurts every day and still I keep running day after day after day, when I could either rest or go cycling, which is entirely pain free. Well, I am cycling - from home to work and back, 50 miles a week, but that's commuting, not training or fun.
My knee is perfectly ok most of the time, there are only two things that make it hurt: when getting up from a chair (occasionally, not always) and after running more than 3 miles or so.
It's not getting any worse, and once the pain starts after a few miles of running (usually after running up an incline), it never gets any worse and I can take that level of discomfort.
It's not about the level of fitness. I have no goal race in mind, and I don't think I will for the rest of the year. I'll be running for fun over the summer.
Why do I run? I like the fact that I can get out of the door and go running for an hour or more and not have a single conscious thought for the entire time. It's a form of meditation. That simply does not happen on the bike where I have to concentrate on the road at all times. The level of discomfort from my knee is not high enough to disrupt that process and that's why I'm not too bothered about it. As long as it stays like this I am 100% sure I'm not doing any damage. It will go away eventually.
Call me hopelessly addicted if you like. That's ok. One of the other reasons why I run is that I prefer to be addicted to endorphins rather than other stuff I have experimented with in my past.
Call me an idiot if you like. That's ok, too.
Monday to Friday I ran the same 8 mile course along Caragh Lake at roughly the same pace and the same perceived level of effort, five times in a row. The heart rate was not the same, which is something I can't quite explain, but since it has come down to its normal level by now, I, again, am not too bothered about it. As the coach told me on more than one occasion, heart rate is not that reliable a marker.
Having found some confidence in my knee I went a bit longer again on Saturday, and then added a few more miles on Sunday. On Saturday I did not check the Garmin until more than 6 miles had passed, at which point I realised that I had averaged 7:14 pace up to now. I took it a bit easier on the way home. Apart from that there's not much to report. I got reasonably lucky with the rain and mostly escaped the frequent showers but it was windy every day, which I could have done without. No matter, I'll just keep on running.
- 5 May
- 8 miles, 1:01:43, 7:43 pace, HR 152
- 6 May
- 8 miles, 1:01:15, 7:39 pace, HR 147
- 7 May
- 10 miles, 1:14:07, 7:25 pace, HR 151
- 8 May
- 13 miles, 1:41:20, 7:48 pace, HR 146
Weekly Mileage: 63
I would listen to the words of wisdom from Roberto, you need to be very careful with knee injuries, go see a sports physio as soon as possible.
ReplyDeleteIt might be a simple muscle imbalance thats pulling your knee out of alignment,get it sorted before you become an ex runner!
Be sensible man!
So you're a hopelessly addicted idiot like the rest of us although I'd have to add in the word "honest" after "hopelessly". All you need to do now is run 2 to 4 2.9 milers a day, and you should be ok.
ReplyDeleteI too am a "fun runner" who get's competitive once in a while.
Belated congrats on the sub 3. Only catching up on your great news now. Well done.
ReplyDeleteI have the exact same knee pain and I have realised that it has nothing to do with running!
ReplyDeleteYou'll probably find that your dominant knee is the one you kneel down on to tie shoe laces, wipe snot, put on clothes, tidy-up jigsaws and so on - the worn out knee on your jeans will confirm this.
That is the knee with the pain. I thought mine was from running until last summer when I noticed that after a few months of wearing shorts I had a massive callous of hard skin on my dominantand sore knee.
Rick is probably right though.
I'd call you an idiot but if we ever met in person your "dominant knee" might try to finish the job my sportswatch started!
ReplyDeleteHi Thomas, congrats on the sub 3. Super running! I was just wondering for your opinion on how influential or beneficial your decision to get an online running coach was in achieving your goal. What did you learn most from his input and what are your views on proper, structured coaching?
ReplyDelete