The Outdoor Runner

Lessons learned from a habitual outdoor runner

Tag: recovery Page 1 of 2

Rehab Mid-year ’23

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On June 1, 2023

In Blog

I figured I best place a date in the title as there will likely be other rehabilitation efforts in the future.

So I go to the Sports Ortho to discuss my knee issues and get professional advice. The team was great, the X-rays were helpful, and I will visit a Physical Therapist for some coaching.

The short version is that my ligaments are pretty beaten up, and we will focus on strengthening other leg muscles to help with the additional support needed. Cool, let’s do it!

The current routine is to slow-run twice a week for 2-3 miles, then cycle 8+ miles on the other days. If the weather doesn’t cooperate, those will likely turn into walking days.

The Sports Ortho did provide a knee brace that can be used while running. I’ve tried it twice and am not a fan, but I like it as an option! I also have some of those compression-style knee support sleeves, which are comfortable enough and provide some support.

Summer is upon us, and let’s make the most of the longer and warmer days!

March 2020, COVID-19, Stayin’ healthy

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On April 11, 2020

In Blog

If you’re on planet earth you already know what’s happening in the world, so I’ll only share my March updates.

As I mentioned in an earlier post I was able to run a little again and how wonderful that is. I’m still taking it easy and trying different routine alterations to see how my knees react. I found three contiguous days of running about 5 miles, even at a slow pace, was a bit much for the knees, so whenever possible, I’m alternating running and cycling.

Yes, I am calling what I do as running, even though it’s slow and likely looks like a character Tim Conway used to play on the Carol Burnett show. It’s still dark in the morning when I run so at least I’ve got that going for me. Not that there are many people out in the fields where I’m running, or even in the town segments.

The March activity report shows that I’m still moving! I’ve learned a lot about recovery the last 6 months and continue to learn what works and what was a bad idea. If I can look for benefits from this period, it would include additional stretching (Yoga/Pilates) and strength exercises that I’ve incorporated. Also, just how amazing our bodies are at healing if we give them the proper help along the way.

It was a great thing this morning…

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On March 24, 2020

In Blog

… I ran. Like most of the 5 mile route.

My Quads ache. This is great! This means my knees can actually support a multi-mile run again. The average was a 10.21 min/mi which would have been sad to report previously, yet now, it’s exciting! A few of the miles were under 10 minutes, woo-hoo!

In case you’re wondering, I’ve been nursing knee issues for six-months now. Doing all the rehab I could and trying my patience more than it probably should. Yes, I’ve made some over zealous mistakes along the way, but things have been improving during the short and slow runs, so today I just kept going.

I did stop frequently to examine the knee and leg situation, just to be cautious.

I must say that it was so freeing to complete an actual run!

With our current social restrictions it’s great to have my country run time back. And yes, I’ll take it one day at a time plus I’ve gotten used to the bicycle now, so that will remain in the mix.

January/February 2020

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On March 2, 2020

In Blog

Here are the January and February 2020 stats. I will qualify these months as continual improvement yet rather plain. It’s still winter here and that changes the outdoor activities. I don’t even attempt to ride the bike when there is the high probability of ice, especially in the dark. Call me wimpy or overly cautious, I just don’t like the idea of crashing the bike in freezing temperatures a few miles from home.

This means there has been a lot of foot-on-the-ground time, which is alright as I’ve been slowly getting a little jogging blended into my walks. My knee recovery continues and I’m very cautious on that as well. After the “blow-out” in 2019, I really don’t want to risk that again. So when I “run”, I probably look like a duck or a hundred year old and I sort of envision those old Tim Conway skits playing the old-timer, but I press forward with the desire to run again. Like most things, you don’t appreciate them as much until you lose them and I miss the freedom of being on a long run in the country.

Here are the numbers for January and February, I am so grateful for the mobility to exercise!

  • Jan
  • Feb

Knee status – 12/1/19

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On December 1, 2019

In Blog

I keep saying… it’s getting better and it is. Normal movement pain is down to 1-2% range, flexibility is +90%, strength is over 90% as well. Yet, I cannot run without significant discomfort and fear of re-injury.

The picture above helps with my explanation of this injury. All of the soft tissue items were impacted by this injury event.

The meniscus was the original damage back in July, then when I overdid it by running 6 miles in September everything else was damaged.

The ligaments on both sides and the patella have caused the most pain throughout this recovery. We take our working knees for granted way too much, well, at least I have not been as grateful as I should have been for working joints.

After the 6 mile mistake, kneeling and bending that knee included extreme pain. Mobility, range, and pressure were very limited. There were even periods where pain would shoot through the knee just sitting still.

The weeks following have been a series of mat exercises, yoga, Pilates, and any other gradual stretching it allowed me. Daily bike rides and walks have been instrumental in the healing process.

I’m not going to press it. Now that we’re into December we’ll continue to adjust to whatever winter brings and I’m hopeful this may be the month I can attempt to run again.

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