No Running for Ten Days

I sprained my knees last night trying new exercises and run techniques. I knew it IN the run and went back to my old stride as it was more comfortable....but it was too late. I iced my knees last night and this morning there was a popping going on under the skin with a popping sound on my right knee. SCARY!!! There was light burning but no real pain. I could walk on it. Bending it though was stiff.

I went to the urgent care and saw a doctor who was a runner. I told him my history, and what I did differently last night. Then he examined my knees. He said the right one had some swelling, though light. Then he played with, manipulated, fingered my knee from above, below, the left, the right.

He explained I had a swollen Patella tendon. He suspected that it was a sprain from a combination of both the exercise and the portion of running where I was applying it in my run last night. My typical gait is never that far off the ground and I was feeling jarring impact during both. I never feel jarring impact in my typical gait.

He then said - "No Running."

He paused. I started crying. "No running?! Ever?!?!"

Then he felt really bad and added, "No, no. Just no running for ten days."

He also said NO stairs, NO hopping, NO jumping. No motions that would simulate any of these actions.

He gave me some scripts for inflammation and relaxing the muscles too. He had me fitted for a knee brace (*insert sad face here*) and told me  that obviously the exercises and changes I added last night 'didn't work' for me. He suggested I don't do them again and if I must, not at least for awhile. Maybe do them with my coach instead of alone.

Here is an example of the exercise I did Wednesday and Thursday: Video  Note how high off the ground the legs get. Add my body weight and you have high impact. You get BOTH feet off the ground at once and you land straight down.

Every photo of me running with typical gait will have one or both touching ground at the same time. I don't bounce at all. I don't get high off the ground. I glide. I am literally just a few inches away from race walking when I run. In fact, I can easily transition between the two with minimal changes to my gait.

I am including photos I have found of me running below this blog. See what I mean?

If this knee issue does not resolve itself, I will transition to race walking permanently.

AND NOW!!! Images below are of one of my favorite runners - the #1 WOMAN'S RECORD HOLDER for speed at the Boston Marathon as of 2011 (she beat Joan Benoits long time record last year). I cheered watching her take 2nd place in Houston last weekend at the Olympic marathon trials. YESSS!

If that extended 'check mark' forestride works for her, and she beat the time records of every single American woman runner EVER at the 2011 Boston Marathon, then there is no need for me to hurt myself trying to run in a manner that doesn't feel comfortable to me.

Here are some more world class atheletes

I do NOT believe that any one type of running stride (Chi, Pose, Mid, heel) is best for every one, every time.