If I was on thin ice last week, this week we are seeing cracks start to form. Freezing water is choking through, a quick splash before the cold plunge. Potential energy is creeping toward kinetic energy; potential danger is becoming actual danger.
I finally started skipping runs this week, and I ended up skipping a lot. This is probably because of the one run I chose not to skip—Wednesday morning’s 14-mile medium long run. With the help of a friend, I kept churning mile after mile after my right knee stopped working, ignoring the pain because it was “not that bad.”
When my knee was still hurting walking around the office that day, I knew it was, in fact, that bad. I made an appointment with a physical therapist and got evaluated on Friday night.
The evaluation was inconclusive. It wasn’t my ITB, or any of the other load-bearing ligaments in my knee. That’s good news, in a way, because it means there’s nothing catastrophically wrong, but it’s also bad news because there’s no obvious fix aside from strengthening the area and backing off on my training for a while.
So, with tremendous impatience, that’s what I’m doing. Thanks to my PT, I have a few more exercises in my arsenal:
- Knee extensions with a squeeze ball
- Wall sits
The theory is that I must have slipped just ever-so-slightly while running in the snow a few weeks ago and tweaked my quad (or one of its tendons). I need to strengthen the muscle and wait for the inflammation to resolve. The first part is easy—just do the exercises. The second part is easier said than done.
I’ve been excited lately that my training has seemed to be working, so having to give up that progress feels terrible. Sure, it’s a long way to Jersey City yet (14 weeks), but obviously it’s better to do more training than less, and to get fitter sooner rather than just in time for the race. I feel like I’ve been watching my future finish time tick downwards over the last couple weeks, and now it’s sliding back up again. With how close I’ve been to a BQ in the past, and with how increasingly fierce the competition has become every single year, every second is going to count.
Those seconds still matter to me.
So I’m doing my wall sits and my other exercises and I’m starting my runs with skips and leg swings and I’m foam rolling and stretching and I’m—God forbid—running less. It sucks.
Here’s hoping I have a better update next week.
Monday: Off, completely.
Tuesday: Got horrible sleep and didn’t want to push my luck, so I skipped my run. Core in the afternoon.
Wednesday: Pushed my luck. 14 miles, with pain for the last 8 or 9 and limping for the last 4 or 5. It was nice to see my friend. Rehab exercises in the afternoon.
Thursday: Quad felt weak going down the stairs. No run. Strength in the afternoon, though I maybe should have skipped the lunges, which were uncomfortable.
Friday: Tried to run and realized my knee wasn’t going to make it so I cut it to 1 mile. PT in the evening.
Saturday: 4 miles, and my knee held up until the last half mile. Activation and stretching before, rehab exercises after.
Sunday: Took my son for a stroller run that turned into a nap, so I stretched it to 5 miles. The last mile was a little uncomfortable at parts, but there was no limping. Activation and stretching before, foam rolling and rehab in the evening.
This Week: 24 miles. Next week is likely to take a hit too, but I’m hoping I can be back up by the week after if I take care of myself.
Baby: My son had his first jogging stroller nap on Sunday, which was nice for everyone—including my wife. Before he was born, I thought I’d have done more running with him by now, but most of my runs are too early and too long for him. It’s nice to run with him when I can.
His front teeth have broken through the gums, which has been a huge relief. He is in a better mood most of the time compared to last week. He’s been especially chatty too! The front teeth are extremely important for speech, so maybe we’ll see more verbal milestones now that he’s got the proper hardware. Already he is showing more and more understanding around us; when my wife told him to “say Hi” the other day, he waved! It’s amazing to watch him learn.
There are so many milestones coming up: first words, first steps, and also his first birthday in about two weeks. I can’t believe it’s nearly here already. Looking back at his newborn days, I can’t believe he was ever so small, either. Time stops making sense when you become a parent. It is full of paradoxes and contradictions and mysteries. But it’s worth it, and worth celebrating.
theDNF 
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