Running Week 3

So injury issues persist. Last Monday, I skipped the run, but did an extra long stretch, hoping to ease ankle and knee tenderness. Same for Tuesday. Wednesday, I woke up and the pain had subsided considerably, so I decided to go ahead and run, and to move up to the new interval (three mins run/three mins walk; 30 mins total). Energy-wise, the run was great. It felt really good to move and the change from running 1/3 of the time to running 1/2 of the time was easy.

But boy oh boy did I pay for it in my ankles and knees. I iced, especially on the left, immediately after the run and before bed that night, and walking was uncomfortable and stiff for several days. So no more running last week.

I did some careful examination of all the sore joints, trying to diagnose the issue, applied ice and rest and stretching. And got frustrated, of course.

But. I may have made a discovery about shoes.

Yesterday, I ventured out on foot for the first time since last week. Wearing some old sneakers (I’ve only been wearing my Running shoes during “official” exercise. ha.), I walked to the park with my two little guys on their bike/trike.

It was a short walk, just about ten minutes or so each way. I had no pain or discomfort, either during or after the walk. These old sneakers are running shoes, the kind with a sort of wide footprint, and a slightly wedge-shaped sole. They are rather old, and the inside of the back of both shoes has enough fabric worn away that a funky piece of plastic rubs at the back of both of my heels now. Not good for running, and probably not really good for anything but mud now.

I woke up today still pain free, so when a friend called to see if we wanted to come play, I was ready. This friend lives about 3/4 of a mile away, along my running route, so I thought it would be a good test of my knee and ankle fitness. The boys strapped on helmets and hopped on bike/trike, and I donned my Running shoes.

These shoes have a slim footprint, underlying only the outline of my foot, and the sole is flat from front to back. The arch support is medium. I had noticed in my first couple of weeks of running, that I have a tendency to roll to the outside of these shoes, which is easy to do because of their narrow profile. I think this may indicate that I’m an Underpronator, which sounds vaguely suggestive, but has to do with how I roll my foot in my regular gait. It also means that I should be running in shoes that are more like my crappy old sneakers, with a thick cushion and a wide footprint.

Walking this morning, I felt a difference within a few minutes. The knee pain, though mild, was there again during the walk. When I returned home, and rested for a little bit after a wee stretch, the ankle pain, again mild, settled in.

So, maybe part of the problem is the shoes? (Glad I got them half-off) And maybe I need to concentrate some additional stretching and rehab on my knees and ankles to build up joint strength.

I think I’m going to let this morning’s play walk count for today’s workout, rest and stretch tomorrow, and try to do a light run with a lower interval on Friday. See how it goes. I am determined not to quit, so I really have to listen to my body.

But oh, it’s so hard to be patient.