Worried

My marathon is on Saturday. As in, just four days away! I'm nervous and excited, sure, but mostly worried. My last three long runs have not gone well, and there is something wrong with my knee. On August 13th, I ran the Provo River Trail Half, and at mile three, the knee started to throb again. It felt like a repeat of the Utah Valley Half, as I had to adjust my goals and work on just doing the best I could to manage the throbbing (only this time the pain was in my right knee instead of the left!). I pushed through the pain and finished only five minutes behind my time in June.
(excuse the fuzzy phone picture -- but don't I look great for 14 weeks along?)
I was hoping the knee would heal and I'd be fine for the Hobble Creek Half last week (since I'm tapering for the marathon, I only ran 8 miles of it, then walked the last 5), but right on schedule, at mile three, despite the knee brace I was wearing, I had the same pain. This is not good! On the bright side, after Saturday's 26.2 miles, I can take a long rest from running and let myself heal. On the down side, that's still 26.2 more miles of running I've got to get through, and I'm worried about handling the pain if/when it happens again. It's so discouraging to feel strong and ready to run, and then be required to take walk breaks not to keep my heart-rate down or my breathing steady, but because of some dumb knee pain! I saw a physical therapist yesterday who gave me some hope. He worked my knee thoroughly, says the pain is caused by swelling in the joints and the muscles (so nothing's broken, thank goodness!), showed me how my right IT band is much tighter than my left and assured me there is time to work on that before Saturday's run. After twisting my feet and legs this way and that and having me show him when and where it hurt, he said it's likely I'm over-pronating when I run, which means my feet turn to the inside, causing extra stress on the knees and building up as swelling and pain in those muscles. A runner himself who works with runners, he said it's too late to change my stride by Saturday, but that I should consider shoe inserts in the future. I feel much more hopeful after yesterday's session and I'm working on the stretches he's given me, but still . . . Saturday is only a few days away! Pray for me, okay? (Another bright note: after Saturday's run, however it goes, I'll have run over 500 miles this year, 250 of which have been since I've been pregnant. I've also completed the equivalent of a half marathon or more ten times, nine of those since I've been pregnant. I'm proud of myself for seeing this through.)

Comments

Julie said…
You DO look great for 14 weeks! And you really impress me!
Catey said…
Hi! I keep meaning to email you to catch up and just never make the time to sit down and do it. Thank goodness for blogs, huh? :)
I am so excited for you and your big 26.2 this weekend!! Thinking happy thoughts for you and rooting (and praying) for you from back home. I am so antsy now for THE long run, I wish I hadn't committed to this other event so that I could be running with you in a few days!
You are looking fabulous!
Can't wait to hear all about it! Good luck!
Angie said…
I was just thinking about you this morning wondering how close you were to the big day! So glad you were able to see a PT with running experience and that your knee problems are something that can be dealt with. Good luck! You're doing so well.

My goal this summer is the Triathamom in Herriman in September. It's very low key for a triathlon and it's helping me to cross train better and still work toward a race goal. Maybe when your body is footloose and baby free, you might want to look into a triathlon (300m swim, 12 mile bike, 5k run) to still train but let your joints heal.
Jacki said…
That's pretty incredible! Good luck!
Unknown said…
Yeah! I promised you did inspire me ... I'm doing my walk-run program and I'm up to about 3mls/session (this week, I'm running 3 minutes at a 5 or 6, walking 1 minute at a 4). I'll be thinking of you this weekend.
Claire said…
I'll be praying for you! Stay safe and good luck!
Tiffany Wacaser said…
Christine, you look so beautiful in that picture, glowing with health, fit and strong. I am so proud of you. Hugs to you on your struggles. While my current struggles aren't the same, I can so relate on having to adjust plans.
Caroline said…
You look fantastic! Wishing you all the best for today marathon. You amaze me.
Rachel said…
Christina-you do look good!! I'm not kidding....I bet you you'll feel much better after this pregnancy just because you worked so hard before hand.