I'm back...

running again of course! It's wonderful to be able to run without worrying about how my knee is going to feel later. I'd say I'm 90% healthy, which is pretty healthy considering it's winter and how horribly I felt just a couple months ago.

Of course my body decides it has healed at the coldest time of the year. The time of year where it takes 10 minutes just to put on the layers on, including insulated tights, warm socks, 1 or 2 layers of gloves, thermal shirts, a jacket (a bright yellow one with a red light even..I am the biggest running nerd thanks to my mom), and two ear bands (one for my ears, one for my mouth.....I look hot). Don't worry about me, I'm not going to freeze out there.

I have seen people that are freezing. Like the couple playing with their dogs in the park (seriously people don't you realize it's negative wind chills?) Or the people playing disk golf... I know it's possible to get a work out playing disk golf, but really these people were standing in the too-cold-for-a-sane-person-to-be-outside temperatures in snow watching each other throw Frisbees. Seriously people, you are crazy.

Speaking of crazy I'm thinking people see me running down the road complete with my red flashing light on my super cool jacket (yep my mom worries about me) and feel sorry for me. People in their cars wave me across the street when they have green arrows. Seriously besides the stupid lady that didn't feel the need to um look at the road or stop at the STOP sign I have encountered nothing but super courteous drivers this winter. My theory is they don't want to be the reason I caught hypothermia so they help me get on my way faster. Purely selfish reasons, you know? Could drivers please find selfish reasons to treat me like this year round?

Injured

I hurt my knee two weeks ago tomorrow. Anyone that's known me for any period of time probably isn't surprised. I've been beating up my knees for years. I've been relatively injury free for awhile now. Nothing has sidelined me for more than a day or two since 2003. But two weeks ago tomorrow...

Two weeks ago tomorrow my knees started hurting so badly I was afraid I'd have to actually go to a doctor again. Before anyone else asks no, I didn't fall or run into anything. I wasn't even running in the cold (as had been planned for that night) or on a hard surface. I was running on a treadmill, I really don't know what went wrong. I only ran 4 miles.

But when I was done with those measly 4 miles on the dreadmill(seriously who runs on a treadmill for fun? Running outside=fun and relaxing, Treadmill=painful) I couldn't walk right. I stretched, iced my knee and went to sleep hoping it'd be better in the morning. I didn't sleep well that night. Stupid knee hurt to be touched, the next day I hobbled around work, stairs were the devil. Slowly, slowly I've been able to walk without limping. I couple days ago I started taking the stairs without thinking about the pain.

The worse part of this is I haven't been able to do any sort of exercise. Without my exercise I'm a sad little girl. I've read up on my symptoms and I think I have Patellar tendinitis sound advice says stay off it. Don't run. I even read that I should rest for 3 weeks. 3 weeks! and from what I've read that's for an injury that isn't as debilitating as mine, I don't want to go another week. I want to run again asap. I think I can do it, I mean I can walk without pain now so that means I can run, right? But of course now the weather's getting icky. Seriously last week the weather was wonderful and now winter decides to come. Is the weather trying to tell me to take more time off? I am going to choose to ignore it and run as soon as I get time (holidays and work are trying to get in the way of my running time) I guess I really am a crazy runner...