After my last post and my concerns over the knee pain, I decided to pass on further running until I'd had the chance to meet with a doctor and consult on my options. A very nice doctor at Sitka Medical Center advised me to take advantage of the miracles of modern neoprene and was willing to write me a scrip for physical therapy as well. I haven't been able to arrange the therapy appointment yet (looking after kids, traveling for a week, and not having a solid hour for an initial appointment at a convenient time have conspired...), but I did get to the local pharmacy to pick up a pair of knee braces.
I was diagnosed with Patella Tracking Disorder, which basically means that when my thigh muscles contract, my kneecap is pulled to the outer side of my joint and it creates stress on the tendons and cartilage inside. This is pretty common in people who aren't in great shape, but still damned unpleasant. I'm using neoprene braces with kneecap holes, but biasing the hole to the inside of my knee in order to push the patella to where it's supposed to stay. I'm still trying to figure out how to get the braces to stay exactly where I want them to be, but today's run seemed to vindicate their use. My left knee has no pain or discomfort and my right has only minimal discomfort, some of which may have to do with torquing it on the uneven surfaces I hit a few times.
The run: I ran out Halibut Point Rd about 1.5 miles (just shy of Harbor Mountain Rd) and probably took it way too fast. My leg muscles were initially stiff from the tightness of the braces and this may be part of why I started so quickly. I was focused on my legs and discovered about halfway through that I'd created some tension in my upper arm that was causing stiffness in my left shoulder. Some quick arm shakes and really relaxing it worked that out fast. Near the end, my lungs were starting to get angry with me, but I experienced the least foot* and leg pain I've felt yet and also got a bit of runner's high!
Details:
2.9ish miles on flat, hard surfaces
27:30 (about a 9:30 mile pace, which wasn't bad for me at this point)
*Vibram KSOs with Injinji NuWool hiking socks gave a great cushion on this run.
