Wednesday, May 19, 2010

TI Chronicles: Cr@p

Crap.  It's finally come to this:  6 weeks off. 

Just as I'd started to gain some fitness and log some decent miles in hopes of a late season pairing of White River and Cascade Crest, the knee took a bad turn, and it was nasty about it.  It'd be fine one day.  Ornery the next.  Not only would it not let me get in the miles I needed but it also started to sap my love for running.  I stopped feeling that freedom and release that goes with time on the trail when more often than not I had to be thinking about the state of the knee.  "Is that stiffness?"  "Is that pain?"  "Will the pitch of this section of trail make it feel better or worse?"  "Can I run today?"  "Should I run today?"

Really, it all became too much.  Time to try something new.

Originally, I was scheduled to get a cortisone shot the middle of next week, but decided to cancel.  Even if the needle magically cured whatever is going on with the miasma of scar tissue and IT band where I struck my knee this fall, my time goals for the season would still be compromised. I've just missed too many months, and too many miles. So, despite being an advocate of western medicine and its related corticosteroid injections, I decided I might as well try one last non-medicalized approach to things.   Six weeks of largely inactive rest.  I'll swim a bit.  I'll go on some easy hikes.  I'll stretch and roll and ice.  But it'll all be pretty nominal, with the main goal simply being time to heal. 

If all goes as planned I'll be back to a slow build up at the end of June.  And even though it'll be one halting mile at a time, I'm already looking forward to those short runs on dusty trails.

7 comments:

Brad Mitchell said...

Tough choice but a smart one. As you are aware, find an activity that will help keep your current fitness and help keep you from going nuts!
Be sure to come to the track, you can still do the core work and if you feel this is an ITB issue there is some strength work to be done:)

Hank Dart said...

Thanks, Brad. I think swimming will be the ticket, then some easy hiking. Fitness will take a hit, but I won't completely dissolve. On to day 4; only 38 more to go...

Daryl Fauth said...

You can come swim or bike with me anytime! Sorry for the injury, but the layoff will be worth it.

Stacy said...

Oh man, sorry to hear about the setback. I had the impression things were very much on the uptick. Hang in there.

Unknown said...

Heal up. The point of all of this is to be healthy, to be able to contine to run.

I definitely have had periods when I burnt out on running (thankfully these days I am starting to get the love back from the road. I am not as fast from the time off, but I am enjoying it more).

Make another nutty goal. See if you can do a 2,000 yard set with only butterfly stroke. The secret is to extend your glide. Everyone will still think you are nuts.

Hank Dart said...

Thanks, All. Appreciate the comments and the cross-training recommendations. Here's to not going stir crazy...

Laurie said...

Bummer. Is it time to develop a new love for the road bike?