Monday, March 05, 2007

Re: Running.

I want to update my last post with a "four days post-run" physiological update.

Here's the update: Running is from the devil and kills your body.

What's my proof?

Since running on Thursday, I have been having dull pain in my right knee and rather uncomfortable, spastic pain up my entire right leg up through my hip. At first, I was blaming this on the "Surgical removal of the meniscus in Heather's right knee, circa 1996," which often results in post-run knee pain during the first few weeks of running. Once my muscle tone builds up, the joint pain usually stops.

This time around, however, the knee has decided to rally my entire leg to its cause, which frustrates me immensely. Two nights ago, it was keeping me awake, so at 1:30 in the am, I crawled out of bed, downed three ibruprofen, and wrapped my knee in two ace bandages. I fell asleep within twenty minutes...which was pretty fantastic.

So last night, I decided to repeat what worked so well, and I woke up with a swollen right ankle.
It was so swollen that my foot was swelling uncomfortably out of my new black flats. And--when I removed the shoe, it was not evident-at-first that I was no longer wearing the shoe, since it was permanently imprinted on my swollen foot.

I could blame this inconvenient/horrifying circumstance on a birth defect, eleven years of ballet, the violation of my orthopedic surgeon's recommendation that I "never go running," or...the liklihood that I wrapped the Ace bandage a wee bit too tight.

Instead, I will be narrow minded and blame it all on running: the sport I love to hate.

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

yeah...i started swimming :)

Anonymous said...

who started swimming??? i think it is one of the best alternatives. i say this as if i used to run. the only time i have run and enjoyed it was when i played basketball, and then it was great, but it was not about the running. it was about the game. otherwise i feel like i am going to die when i run. back to swimming. you should do it.
~pam

Hope said...

I do better if my short stints with running happen in the middle of a long (4-5 mile) fast 'Judy' walk ;)

If you've ever had the true joy of 'walking' with Judy you'd understand it's just a sneeze slower than running without the bounce.

There's something more tolerable about running if you're already scooting along at a fast pace.

Hey Heather... great map! I'd love to make my mark, but I'm solidly refusing to sign into myspace. Is there any other way to put a pin in?

As Always, LOVE hearing about your adventures.

Tina

hmb said...

pam, the problem with swimming is i hate taking showers...like, seriously...i'd have to wash my hair after i went swimming...and rewash my face and reapply my makeup...and i'm not really compelled to do any of that when i go swimming.

i think the root problem in all of this is that i'm too lazy...

Pastor Paul said...

Biking's not as easy on the knees as swimming, but I've found it to be more enjoyable, and it's cheaper once you get the bike paid for. Of course, the damage to the body depends on whether you bike on nice, level paths, or go crazy like Dave Oliver in the mountains.
Mark E. once said that he sees no sense in running if somebody, or something, isn't chasing you. I tend to agree with him.