Over the last couple of months, I have had some pain in my knee. I wish I could say that I knew what triggered it (like a dramatic story that I was rescuing Anna and Taylor from a wolf chasing them in the woods), but it is a mystery. I just went for a run one time in January and I felt a twinge in my knee. I don't think it was from overuse because I really was just running with Anna for her training for her 5K during that time so it was pretty mellow. It's not like it was after a 20 mile training run last year while getting ready for Boston or Portland. It was just another day with a reminder that I am not 16 anymore. :) I asked my best friend Elizabeth to look at it a couple of times as she is a family practice doctor with a specialty in sports medicine. It does not hurt that she is also my favorite running partner and that she has a vested interest in my being healthy so we don't miss some of our running time together. She noticed that there was some slight swelling and gave me the instruction to ice it after running and to begin to do some strengthening exercises. She also recommended that I go see a physical therapist, and I jumped on that before our insurance ran out at the end of February. (We will have to go to the self-insured option next month since we are still in transition with employment these days.)
Anyway, I've never been to physical therapy before, and the woman who was assigned to help me was so surprised that I'd never been in to see a PT before with a running injury - especially after I told her that I've been running since I was 10. A reminder to count my blessings for sure!
Let me just say that this was one of the best experiences that I have had in a long time. She did a full evaluation and figured out that the reason that I am having the knee pain is that my hamstrings are super tight and that my glute muscles are really weak. She gave me a bunch of strengthening exercises to work on to address these issues. One of the things that was so encouraging to me was that she wrote on the sheet, "8-10 lbs of weight added by marathon" (for some leg lifts I am supposed to do with ankle weights). Her confidence that I can go ahead with my training has given me confidence, and I think I am on the road to recovery (thought it may be slow). Over the last week, I've had 3 easy paced runs on my schedule, and I'd been encouraged that things seemed to be feeling a bit better. Today was the first day I needed to bump up the pace to more of a race pace. It felt good for a while but then I felt the pain in my knee by mile 7 & 8 and was bummed that it was flaring up today. On top of that, what started as a sunny spring run ended with rain coming down in buckets. By the end as I was coming up the big hill to get home, my knee was hurting and I was cold and tired. I could not go as fast as I had been able to go at the first half and that was a bummer. But it was an obvious connection to you all and the road ahead.
I've thought a lot about you with this small injury. It seems like an easy thing to do to remember to pray for strength for you when I feel some pain in my knee knowing that you are dealing with so much more. It reminds me of how fasting is such a simple yet powerful discipline in that the hunger pains can be a reminder to pray. So, I'm trying to accept the limitations that I have with this injury now. I may need to bike on some days instead to give my knee a break. I may need to ice it more. I may need to learn even more strengthening exercises. I may need to listen more carefully to my body.
I've thought about how awesome our bodies are and how intricately we are made. I am amazed that if I work on making one area of my body stronger that it will help the other area that is weak right now. I am thinking about that with you too. What is it that we need to pray for you, Jens, that needs to be stronger to compensate for the weakness in your lungs right now?
soaked to the bone today...
and so this is my small offering of prayer today:
God, give Abby and Jens strength when the road seems too long,
give them perseverance when the pain is acute,
give them laughter when the rain is coming down in buckets and just won't seem to stop,
give them just the right words for each other when discouragement is at their door,
give them a green hope as they enter into this new chapter in Pittsburg,
strengthen them in areas that are weak,
help them to remember to put on their flexible pants each day :)
help them to love each other well...
and teach me to pray and to listen and to love them well too through the miles...
standing strong (weaknesses and all)
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