Feb 28, 2008

i did the unthinkable

it was a gorgeous day out. and i mean gorgeous. sunny, 38 degrees. an absolutely perfect day for a nice long run. i have a great new playlist that is just begging to be taken on a run, and i felt so great from yesterdays' very promising 4 mile pain free run and i was so optimistic about my knee not screaming at me anymore, that i was just dying to get outside.

and here's where i did the unthinkable. for me, anyway. you see, it would be just like me to be feeling so great and be so eager to try to run farther, faster, longer and potentially hose myself with another week of knee issues. i mean, i would totally do that. but on this stunning day, i went to the gym and cranked out 3.5 miles on the elliptical. then,

wait for it.
wait for it.

i. got. on. the. treadmill.

all those days of running in 11 degree weather, torrential downpours, 35 mph winds and being very proud of the fact that there is no weather that would force me onto a treadmill -- there i was, cranking out 1 measly mile on a gorgeous sunny day - inside. what had become of me?

here's what i think happened: somewhere along the way, and i don't know where or when it happened, it could just be a fluke - i got a weensy bit smarter. i thought: sure - yesterdays run was without a doubt, the best since the marathon, no knee issues whatsoever. lets not rush into this zanne. i know you are dying to run more than 4 miles so you can feel normal again. hell, i know you're dying to just run two days in a row. but how about if you just do one more day of cross training, and maybe a short stint on the treadmill to see how the knee goes? just to be really sure yesterday wasn't a fluke and it really is all good. then, after your magic mojo massage at physical therapy tomorrow, you could see what she says & go for 5 miles tomorrow afternoon. how does that sound?

i actually listened to myself. despite the gorgeous day, the new tunes, and the fact that my heart was just begging me to go run and soak it all in; i really wanted to make sure the deal was sealed. so i worked up a good sweat, got my heartrate way up on the elliptical - did 3.5 miles, then cranked out a good mile on treadmill - i felt great, but time constraints kept me from going longer, which is just as well i guess. but my knee never said a thing. beauty. i fully expect to be back in the game by monday. three weeks after the marathon. that's not so bad. as far as injuries go, this was way minor & pretty short lived. phew!

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Hooray for smart training! Hooray for fast recoveries! Hooray for Zanne! :)

Nancy said...

You are really coming along :D

I just did an "unthinkable" post too. How weird is that? Mine was that I got on a bike!

house on hill road said...

you smart cookie, you.

RunToTheFinish said...

you got on the treadmill...I think this is the twilight zone

mindy said...

So glad to hear the knee is feeling better, what a relief! Sometimes the treadmill ain't so bad (we're getting dumped on with snow as I write)! Spring will be here soon...

Amy@RunnersLounge said...

That takes a lot of maturity - congrats! The hardest part of an injury is finding an unlimited well of patience.

This means you are on the road (mentally and physically) to 100%.