Ok first let me share some fun pictures from last weekend....
Our good friends, Joty and Cris Rodriguez (with their son, Aiden), treated us to a lovely Japanese Ramen lunch. We ate at Daikokuya and I tell you, it doesn't get any more authentic than this. Their ramen was superb! Would've been perfect to have on a rainy day, but the sun decided to come out that day even if it was in hiding the rest of the week! Still, it was a fantastic experience. Perfect timing too since I needed to carbo-load for my long run the next day.
I didn't finish this on my own. Shared This ginormous bowl w/ my daughter.
For dessert we had some Strawberry mochi ice cream. I love plain mochi, ice cream mochi, any kind of mochi!!!
Mochi is a traditional food popular in Japanese cuisine, made from specially treated rice. But this one was stuffed with creamy ice cream! Mmmmm....
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So that same night I prepared everything I needed for the next morning's long run: 19 miles! I was scared and excited at the same time. I put aside what I was gonna wear, put 6 GU gels in my hydration belt pouch, KT Taped my ankles and feet and wrapped some sport tape around my toes. I slept 2 hours earlier than usual.
Fast forward to the next morning...
Started my run at 7:30am. Everything was a-ok until I hit mile 13. The right side of my knee started to hurt riiiight here...
It's on the side of my right knee. In between the two joints which I think is the patella and the bone on the outer right side of my knee. Sorry not familiar with anatomy! I didn't twist it or anything. I just felt it. Never ever felt pain in my knee area before. =(
When I would take walk breaks, it hurt even more but would disappear whenever I'm running. So I had to forego the whole 5:1 Galloway plan and just ran the whole time until I finished.
And how in the world did I manage to injure myself? Well, I read my calendar wrong! I was just suppose to do 17 miles (27K) today but ended up doing 19 miles (31k) instead which was supposed to be for next week! STOOOOOPID! I was so pissed at myself! I can't afford to get injured 6 weeks prior to THE DAY (my first full marathon)!
I was assured by bloggie friend, Jason, that this seemed like nothing more than pure soreness because of the big mileage jump. I R.I.C.E.-d it and took ibuprofen and it's feeling a little better now. Though I don't know if that's coz of the meds or if I'm actually healing. Hoping for the latter!
Thanks also to Mark for giving advice on treatment and strengthening exercises.
Ugh! I still can't believe what I have done to myself. Though I'm pretty proud and happy that I was able to finish the 19 miles. My farthest distance, so far. =)
I'm scheduled to run 6 miles (10K) tomorrow and 5 miles (8K) on Friday. Both are easy runs. I'm going to listen to my body and see if I can do it. God knows I need to.
Any suggestions to speed up my recovery?
Ice may help speed up recovery. But listen to your body.
ReplyDeleteOne of the ladies in my running group has a similar issue. I think it is odd that it hurts more walking, but that is what she said too. Not sure what that is all about...
i go by "MICE" (slight) movement, ice, compression, elevation. but i think that ice is the biggest key there. sending healing vibes your way!
ReplyDeleteI agree that knee pain probably due to increase in mileage and that you did best thing by RICE and ibuprofen.
ReplyDeleteYou can also alternate cold therapy with heat therapy to further increase the healing of soft tissue damage.
Hope this helps
Sorry about your knee. I hope the pain goes away soon! Congrats on 19 miles though! That is awesome!
ReplyDeleteice and rest. That's always best for me.
ReplyDeletemmmmm, I've always wanted to try real ramen, those pics look so yum.
Read up on IT Band injuries ... you might want to see if you are experiencing similar symptoms.
ReplyDeleteYou have a world of knowledge at your fingertips through your blog so we will get you better and be able to complete that marathon in 6 weeks with a smile on your face (Like EMZ)
ReplyDeleteMake sure to listen to your body. It truly has all the answers.
Your friend seems to have put you on the right path. Way to go on 19 miles and make sure and rest, rest, rest!
ReplyDeleteYummy yummy yummy. That looks delicous!
ReplyDeleteRICE is the best way to recover but I doubt you'll be able to do the "R" part. Maybe an extra day or two off?
Stupid Runner just doesn't roll off the tongue very well. I could be convinced, however, to go with STOOOOOPID! Speedy recovery.
ReplyDeleteFirst, congratulations on your run! Even though it was longer than you needed it's nice to know that you can go that far, isn't it? I found when I ran 21 miles instead of 20 it got me over that psychological barrier about running a whole marathon. :)
ReplyDeleteSecond, sounds like your ITB to me. My husband has (among other knee/hip alignment issues) ITB problems - it's really common for it to come about when you up your mileage. RICE is good, as is using a foam/stick roller. Best to get on it right away so that it doesn't become too much of an issue!
ice ice Julie!!
ReplyDeleteI'd take tomorrow off or walk - I agree movement is needed too. You've got this Julie. :)
Julie - If this helps you feel any better, when I did my 21 this past Saturday I started to get a lot of pain in my achilles. I have never ever had achilles pain before. I was mortified that it was an injury. I rested it the rest of the day Saturday and iced it. On Sunday, it was still hurting, ugh. So I did the same - rest and ice. Totally convinced I was hurt. I woke up Monday morning and was FINE. Like super ok... no noticeable pain. Put in a great easy recovery run and all is well. Hope it's the same for you!!!
ReplyDeleteHi, Julie, hope you'll feel better soon. I guess you just need to take it easy and rest.
ReplyDeleteThanks for dropping by again.:-)
binibining mainit na hita,
ReplyDeleteikinalulugod ko kayong batiin sa inyong masigasig na pag ensayo para sa iyong unang buong maraton (hindi ko alam paano isalin sa wikang Tagalog ang Marathon). sa aking palagay, hindi naman po stoopid ang pag sobra ng 2 milya (tama ba?) sa iyong pag takbo. ang aking hinala, maaaring iyan ay mild itbs? (meron bang ganon?) baka marahil ay nasobrahan ka sa bilis (yes naman! mamaw pace na!) kaya nabigla ang iyong katawan/hita/tuhod, etc. tama nga naman ang mga nabanggit nilang suhestyon na lagyan ng yelo at mag pahinga panandali.
ilangoy mo nalang muna habang may kirot kang nararamdaman sa tuhod mo :) tutal, masaya din namang mag cross training sa pag langoy :)
sa isang bahagi, ikaw ay aming na alaala nuong kaming nag tipon tipon nuong nakaraang lunes. sayang talaga. pero wag ka mag alala, hindi ka namin na limot ;) abangan :)
galingan mo pa mag ensayo, alam mo namang kami todo suporta sayo :)
nagmamahal,
ang iyong manedyer :)
Be careful! Sounds like you may have injured your ITB. Really stretch the ITB and hip. A foam roller will really help and we are big fans of the pigeon pose. Do take it easy though. ITB injury can take you out for 6-8 weeks if it gets bad!
ReplyDeleteI X20 on the taking a day off or even taking a couple easy. You gotta know that if you keep pushing it you may compound the injury, especially if it is an ITB. Try stretching out the ITB and see if that helps.
ReplyDeleteMike
I don't believe that the knee pain is due to over mileage. 2 more miles rather than the planned 17 miles is not that big of a jump up to do this, especially since you seem to be in pretty good shape already fitness wise. However, what I would advise, is that with having 6 weeks left, you really CAN afford to have a period of 5 consecutive days off due to an injury or a niggle. Don't beat yourself up over it. With running, anything is bound to happen, and I think that is what makes it an awesome sport. Also, with your upcoming runs, what you must ask yourself is "How is this run making me better?". If it is just an easy run then def forgo it. All in all, You are NOT a stupid runner, ........Shit Happens! Remember, a person that has never made any mistakes or got injured, most likely, is still sitting on the couch!
ReplyDeletehave you ever used Arnica gel? I've been putting it on my hammy, and I think it's been helping.
ReplyDeleteon the plus side, 19 miles is great!!!!
Thank you everyone for the concern and advice! For the past two days I've been R.I.C.E.-ing it and doing some mild stretches. Decided to skip my easy 6 miles today and just rest until Friday. It's definitely feeling better everyday but want to full recover before I start running again. You guys are the best support system there is. Thank you all for your kind words =)
ReplyDeleteHi Julie, heal well. Wishing you a great first marathon experience! Take care... - Mariel :)
ReplyDeleteOh does it hurt right on the joint line, or just below the joint line? The swelling from the pic looks like pes anserine bursitis which is an inflammation of a fluid sac called a bursa - totally related to a major increase in distance. If it's pain on the joint line, then it could be more a problem with the cartilage of your femoral head rubbing with the cartilage of your tibial head (those are the two bones). The patella actually "floats" embedded in tendon above the knee joint. No matter what the injury is, you need to treat the cause (which sounds like too much too soon). Your primary goal will be to reduce the pain and inflammation, then ease back into running to prevent the injury from reoccurring. Time for some good old fashioned PRICE (P stands for Protect - in addition to rest, ice, compression and elevation, you also need to protect the injured area). Good luck!
ReplyDeletePS - I love your blog and am glad I found it!