Tuesday morning, I decided that it was high time I got off my rear, so I went for a run. More accurately, I took Cody and Hans took one of our fosters (Lollie was not built for running), and we went for a run together. We jogged down a local fitness trail, did some strength exercises, and jogged / walked back home. Some things were good. Others...not so much.
My last run was back in October. Fitness-wise, I was not in a good place. So, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could run as much as I did. Granted, my pace wasn't great (very slow), but I didn't become too winded, and for the most part things went fairly well. This is good! All that said, there was one concerning part of my run.
When I stopped running last October, there were two main reasons. 1) I had thrown my neck out, and simply lifting my head was painful. 2) I got very, very sick. Once both of those things passed, I just wasn't motivated anymore. However, I never really discussed the third reason with people: running just wasn't feeling good. I don't mean that I couldn't get into a groove. I mean that it hurt. It started by hurting in my left knee. Usually it would go away, but the more often I ran and the farther I ran, the more it started to hurt. I suppose this ended up changing my stride (I was probably limping a little), because shortly there-after it started to hurt in my hips and neck and back. Instead of coming home happy and devoid of stress, I'd come home in pain. I actually wonder if that's not why my neck started hurting so bad.
So, I decided to take some time off. I missed running the entire time, and I know Cody missed it too. I walked a little, and I could have spent more time at the gym, but I really wanted to go for a run. Tuesday's was a trial run.
It felt good at first, but it didn't take long for that left knee to start acting up again. That knee is the reason I walked a good portion of the way back home. It hurt during, and it still hurt yesterday (and a little today). So, I'm still taking a break from running. I do not, however, want to take a break from physical activity altogether, though. So, I have a plan:
1) Walk with the dogs every other day. This is more for the dogs than for me. They need the extra exercise.
2) On mornings that Hans and I don't go on walk, we'll go to the gym. This generally means time in the pool or on a bike. There will also be the occasional morning where we'll take the dogs for a bike ride around town instead of going to they gym.
3) Go to the doctor. I already have an appointment with my GP for an annual checkup, and I'm hoping for a referral to an orthopedist. Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but I'd rather catch it and fix it than just let it get worse. That said, if anyone in RVA or the surrounding areas has an orthopedist they recommend, let me know. I'm more than happy to speak with anyone.
Anyway, that's the update for now. I'm hoping things get better soon!
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