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Run Run Run as Fast You Can... J/K


By setting a goal, you risk a setback. While it is tough to accept, setbacks will happen and usually occur when you are revving up at the start of a new goal.  My new goal is to run a consistent average of 6 miles a day per month, which for the month of December equals running a total of 186 miles or the distance from Houston to Waco. I am not even 4 days in and my knee is already acting up.  Here I go fighting the good fight against Runner's Knee, my self-diagnosis.  According to Runner’s World, Runner’s Knee or Patellofemoral Pain Syndrome (PFPS), is common among runners and hence the name.  Usually the symptoms develop when you increase mileage in your training program and your poorly conditioned quadriceps and/or tight hamstrings are challenged to support the knee cap. If you are a woman, it happens more since we tend to have wider hips that exasperate the problem.  Runner’s World also sites additional causes as worn cartilage, high-arches, flat feet, and turned in knees.  While all this is informative and helpful, the information I am stressing out on the most is the treatment for Runner Knees. Runner’s World recommends reducing your mileage to lessen the knee’s workload to promote faster healing; along with trying different shoes, softer surfaces, and smaller strides, and orthotics. Did I mention to less your mileage?

My new goal surrounds increasing mileage so to lessen it is not what I want to be told or read.  This past Saturday’s run was brutal for me. I had to stop more than I am used to doing especially for such a short long run of 10 miles. I had set out to do 20 miles that day, but since I slept in and didn’t go running with my group, I just decided to run 10 miles to round out my goal. It was the hardest long run for me to date and all because of the runner’s knee and hip discomfort. Mentally that run was exhausting as well because I had to force myself to think of all kinds of inspiration to not quit mile after mile.  I even stopped at my house to change shoes!

My mind finally settled on a story that I had heard on the MTA (Marathon Training Academy) podcast about the runner, Rod Jones, who lost both legs in Afghanistan and is now running for the Wounded Warrior Project. He recently ran 31 marathons in 31 days for the cause. On the podcast, he described his challenging journey to learn to walk and run on prosthetic legs. That challenge is tougher than anything I have known to date.  So I finished my 10 miles with his journey in mind.

That’s why running is great mental endurance training for life as well as a fitness tool.  The best laid out plans often get wrenches thrown at them. Running helps train up your resilience to accept these obstacles and get through them. Sometimes, the occasion calls for running harder; other times, the occasion calls for knowing when to ease up (which is hard to do for seasoned runners, as most will tell you that tapering (decreasing mileage before a race) is the hardest thing to do).

So my goal will be adjusted to help promote the healing of my knee and make sure I can run safely and with respect to what my body is telling me.  My adjusted goal until my knee heals is 124 miles for December and that is if my body is ok with it. The rest I will make up with low impact cardio bicycling.

Trust me when I write that running less will be harder to do than adding more miles. In fact, I expect to be a little grouchy in the upcoming days but will use mantras and focused breathing to shake it off.

Miles to date for December: 18
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