[in]sufficiently healed

"Now that I'm sufficiently healed it's time to lace up my running shoes and get back in shape."

I was wrong. Shortly after my post on Monday I decided that there's no better time than the present to get started on those 2011 goals than now. Why put off to tomorrow what you can do today, right?

Well, no. Not always. I layered on running clothes, charged my Garmin 405, made a fun new playlist on itunes, laced up my running shoes and headed out the door for my first run of 2011. And for the two miles or so I felt GREAT. I literally couldn't stop smiling (except, of course, when I was avoiding large puddles of ice and mounts of snow). It was cold, but not unbearable. My lungs felt great. Mentally I was totally in it.

Then it hit me. A little more than two miles from home I experienced a pain in my left knee that I've become all too familiar with. Seriously, why me?! Needless to say, it was a long 2+ miles back to my house. I ran, but incredibly slowly. I can't even tell you how disappointed I am. I've run only a handful of times since the race in October and I felt certain that I could get through a few miles pain-free three months later. It's really, really frustrating.

When I went for the MRI in November the Orthopedist offered a script for physical therapy but I declined because of my ridiculous work schedule. I'm seriously reconsidering. I think I'd rather give up a few hours of work each week to be able to get back into the shape that I want to be in so badly. According to the doctor, the muscles and ligaments around my knee, particularly the IT band, are the source of the problem and led to the tear in my meniscus. The stretches and exercises I do at home clearly aren't enough, so I think I'm going to have to take it a step further and take him up on that PT script.

In the meantime, it's back to the eliptical.