My Left Knee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Why why why???
Dear Left Knee:
You've always been good to me. While the right leg had nerve issues, tendinitis issues, and all sorts of other pain, you've been steady. You've been sturdy. And strong. I liked you. You liked me.
So why....?
Why do you have to give me so much pain? The marathon is only 28 days away! Why couldn't you wait a few more weeks! grrrrrr! I don't know if I like you anymore....
Ever since the 20-miler, my left knee/shin has been giving me trouble. At first, it was just some soreness in the inner shin area. 4 days later when I tried running on the treadmill, my left calf was so tight and funky I could only manage 4 miles. Then last weekend at the Half Marathon, my left knee started to buckle after mile 7, and I basically spent the entire run nursing my left leg.
On Saturday, James and I set out for another 16 miler. I've run 16+ miles three times before, and I was actually looking forward to this run. I had great hopes. My mind was in the right place.
But 1.5 miles in.... Boom!
Sharp pain in the outside of my left knee. wtf? It only lasts a couple of seconds so I keep going. If I go slow enough, (9:30-10:20 pace), my knee doesn't hurt. But by mile 10, my knee's buckled once, a dull pain is ever present, and every 0.5-1 mile, I get sharp pains. At mile 11 I have a super sharp pain I have to walk. After a minute or so it disappears. But it comes back. I somehow manage to super slowly jog all the way to 16 miles. All in all, I had about three times when I had to basically walk from the pain. (I was too far away from my car to just stop and walk)
WTF is going on? I've NEVER had outside knee pain before, and never on my left leg! At least I know it's not a bone that hurts, so I know its not a stress fracture or anything. But still! Running 10 miles isn't supposed to hurt this much! It's never hurt this much! I am getting kind of nervous about the upcoming 22-miler and the actual marathon. Is my left leg going to hold up? Why is it even hurting in the first place?
I am guessing it has something to do with my ITB band. James has had ITB issues in the past, and he said my pain sounds a lot like the pain he used to have.
Could it be ITB issues? If so, is it something I can fix quickly enough in 28 days? I think stretching would help, because I can tell my muscles are really tense. I am going to take the week off from any running and any ellipticalling, and any intense knee bends in yoga. I just can't afford to have this sort of debilitating pain right now. No Bueno.
Come on left knee! I need you to last just 28 more days! If you're gonna have issues, come back to me in 30 days and then I will deal with you. Just not now! please!!!! :(
If any knowledgeable runner can help me with some sage advice (but please don't tell me not to run the marathon) about what this pain may be and how to deal with it/stretch it, please do chime in! I am keeping my fingers crossed that some ibuprofen, stretching, and resting will do the trick..... I am a sad little panda. :(
I had to run with left knee pain for the past year and what has helped me after long runs is an ice bath. Put cold water in your tub and then dump 1 or 2 (2 is better) bags of ice in the tub. Then, sit in there for about 15-20 mins. Seems to help more than direct ice on the knee. A form roller also helps for the IT band.
ReplyDeleteTalk about crummy timing. :( My first thought was ITB as well. Can you get your hands on a foam roller? If not, have James use a rolling pin or something to roll from your hip down to just above the knee. It should and will hurt but will help loosen things up.
ReplyDeleteI suffered from ITBS last April after a 10-miler. I had another 10-miler coming up and I was determined to run it.
ReplyDeleteI went to a sports medicine doctor and told her what was going on. She told me to get an ITBS strap and gave me a cortisone shot. My knee hurt for 2 days but then all the pain went away.
I cannot stress it enough: go to a sports medicine doc and tell him/her what's going on. If it IS ITBS, ask about getting the cortisone shot. Or as I call it, my "miracle shot".
Good luck.
Get yourself a Cho-Pat (ITB strap) found in the back of RW and wear it. It'll take the stress off of that part of the IT.
ReplyDeleteOr see a sports doc and have them kinesiotape it for you.
And yes foam roll your heart out!
I get knee pain here and there - but I mostly attribute it to my soccer days, ice it a little bit, and I'm fine. :/ not much help!!! Foam roll, ice, schedule an appt with a PT?? hope it starts to feel better!!!
ReplyDeleteIce ice ice and roll it out girl!!! a foam roller or rolling pin should be your BEST friend!!!! i hope it gets better soon! xoxoxoxo
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to hear about the leg! I hope it heals quickly.
ReplyDeleteYikes. It might be patella femoral syndrome. (PFS). I've had it before and your symptoms sound familiar. If so recipe will be no exercise with knee movement for a while. Encourage you to get checked out, because if it is PFS, some physical therapy will do wonders and with marathon coming...
ReplyDeleteGood luck!
That's no fun! The outter side of my left knee started bothering me the more mileage I got under my belt. I got an ITB band and it has helped a TON! (Just don't get it too tight, because sometimes that makes it hurt as well. Good luck and happy training!
ReplyDelete