3.22.2011

a jog to blog about

some of you may know, i have crappy knees. they crack and hurt and are just lame.

well last night at the gym, i decided i would be brave and run on the treadmill rather than do the usual elliptical. normally when i get on the treadmill, i have to run for a few (and by few, i mean like only 5 minutes), then my knees start to hurt, so i slow to a speed walk, then when i feel ok again, i go back to running, and so on. it's no bueno. i just want to be able to run.

anyway, so i got on the treadmill last night half-expecting to have to just incline like crazy and speed walk my life away, since i knew my knees would be hurting soon if i tried to run for too long.

i started off with a speed walk to warm up for a few minutes, and then just started a (slow) jog. i found if i just kept this slower pace, then i really didn't feel too bad. previous times, i'd go straight into more of a faster run, and only last a short time, but i was feeling really good about this slower jog i had going.

long story, a bit longer, my left knee didn't start hurting until about the 12:30 min mark! that's pretty stinkin good. it hurt, but i felt i needed to keep going. yes, it almost gave out on me once. that would've been a pretty sight - me at the bottom of the treadmill cuz i fell down. BUT I KEPT GOING. at about the 20:00 min mark, my right knee joined in the fun. now both knees were full force burning and felt they needed to break and then they'd feel better. BUT I KEPT GOING. finally at 25 minutes, i decided i should probably stop, and already knew i'd be sore today.

for all you runners out there, i know 25 minutes at a slower jogging pace is something you can do in your sleep! but i was super pumped that i made it that long without stopping AT ALL. worked through the pain.

i am a bit sore today. maybe not the smartest, but it sure felt good. i was happy.

8 comments:

  1. High fives to you for working through the pain! My husband use to have bad knee pain but since he's switched to Vibram Five Fingers shoes his pain has almost vanished entirely. The shoes are suppose to be like running barefoot (but with protection for your feet)so you use the muscles the way nature intended it to. Maybe they would help you too?

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  2. You should try "Barefoot running." Get the toe shoes and run forefoot. First couple times are difficult (makes your gastrocs hurt like crazy!) but overall, it's SO much easier on your knees. I have notices it also helped my hips not hurt so badly, too.

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  3. Good job! That is an accomplishment and you should be very proud of yourself! In regards to your post below, those are my favorite kind of Sundays, one's just spent at home doing nothing.

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  4. good job mara!!! i don't care who you are...25 minutes of running without stopping is an accomplishment, and it's even bigger when you have knee problems!! proud of you darling!

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  5. Any amount of running is an accomplishment. It took me about 9 months of walking to get up to running and now I can't not run. Twenty-five minutes is great!

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  6. Yeah, I agree with all the rest--25 minutes is pretty good for all of us normal people out there. I'm proud of you, Mara! You've inspired me to go and work out more this week.

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  7. thanks everyone. i was feeling great about things, but after my run-in with the scale, i'm not feeling so awesome. numbers went up, not down. ugh. just gotta keep on keepin on i guess.

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  8. good work, friend! running can be a tricky business sometimes. but i'm proud you stuck it out!!

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