Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 3)

With the new confidence my knee was starting to loosen up, I hit rehab with even more focus. I knew I could get my knee back to running condition again. I had to still be really smart about how I did it though.

At the gym, I was still riding the exercise bike for 10-15 miles. I changed up the speed and distance to not only help keep my mind engaged (riding a bike indoors is more challenging for me than running on a treadmill), I also wanted to throw different things at my body. Some days I would ride to see if I could keep a consistent mile pace going. Other days I would do intervals and see how many fast miles I could do. 

After each ride, I would finish up the workout with stretching and using my buddy Mr. Foam Roller. There were at least 5-10 different stretches I would do, all with different focus on my legs and lower back. I knew just targeting one area wouldn't really be beneficial. Using the foam roller was a bit painful (it almost always is). I made sure to roll slow and multiple times over the front, side and back of my legs. It wasn't easy, but I know it helped.

Not being able to run was starting to get to me. I hadn't run in a few weeks and my knee was slowly making a recovery. Was I greedy to consider running again? Should I be content with being able to walk normally again and be thankful I didn't have to have extensive physical therapy or surgery? I told myself to focus on getting through each day and keep working on getting my knee back to 100%. The answer to these questions will get figured out soon.

The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge

"Disclaimer: I received free entry to The Great Pumpkin Run 5K Tough Pumpkin Challenge as part of being a BibRave Pro. Learn more about becoming a BibRave Pro (ambassador), and checkout BibRave.comBibRave.com to review, find, and write race reviews!"

This fall, I will be running a different kind of 5K race. I'll be running a 5K race while carrying a pumpkin with me throughout the race! I rarely run any "non-traditional" races, but when I heard of the unique challenge as part of The Great Pumpkin Run 5K, I knew I had to be part of it! I love the idea of having to carry a pumpkin with me and trying to still run a race.

The race will be on 9/8 at Uncle John's Cider Mill in St. Johns Michigan (20 minutes north of Lansing). 

Register today! The Great Pumpkin Run 5K - Lansing, Michigan

Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 2)

Next up, I started going to the gym and riding the bike to help keep my cardio up, get the blood flowing and help bend/flex my injured leg. I know from previous physical therapy experiences, riding a bike is generally ok when dealing with a knee injury. I hit the bike on the days I would be running to help keep up my routine and really be focused on getting my knee better. After each bike ride, I would take some time and stretch. Another thing I learned from physical therapy, though one area may be injured you may need to target areas around the injury to help with recovery. I made sure to stretch my quad, IT band, hamstring, and Achilles. It was a bit tough because at this point I couldn't get my leg to fully straighten. It was discouraging to have this problem, but I knew I had to keep working at it in hopes to loosen things up and help my knee.

Since I couldn't run and was biking it, I did take advantage of this opportunity and participated in my first ever bike event. I was part of this year's Ability Tour in Lansing. I rode the 30 mile route. This would be the farthest I've rode before. I knew I could do it, if I was smart. I had the same mind set as taking on a new running distance - focus on finishing and not on the finish time. I did finish and it was a lot of fun. There were some challenging hills along the way, but I was able to make it up them without having to walk my bike up. My knee was doing really well during and after this event. I could tell it was starting to loosen up and play nice. It was just being really stubborn! 

Coming Back From My Recent Injury (part 1)

I believe I'm back at getting some miles in again. I was out for all of July due to a knee injury. It wasn't my left knee, thankfully. This was my right knee. I injured it while playing with my lilgirl. I knew something was up with my knee when I woke up and I couldn't straighten my leg and it felt like there was a vice around my knee.

First logical step - no more running miles. I've tried to follow the 'if you can't walk normal, you aren't running' logic. I don't want to cause further injury, so that first week I didn't do any running or go to the gym. During the day, I would take an extra walk around work or walk during my lunch to try helping my knee. After a few days of this, I wasn't seeing any improvements and was concerned there might be something more going on with my knee. I went to Urgent Care to get an x-ray done. I know an MRI would have been the most optimal, but at least an x-ray will help. The x-ray didn't show anything and they sent me home with a knee brace. The results from Urgent Care helped jump start my rehab plan. I was going to throw everything I learned about rehabbing a knee at it and see what happens.

Next up...(to be continued)