Trails!

I was not sure whether to stop running to let the leg heal or continue to take it easy.  I seem to err on the non-cautious side so I ended up running this morning.  I ran an easy 5 on the TM.  My leg felt ok until about 4 miles into it then I could feel the muscles tightening and pulling on the knee.  It wasn't too bad though.  I found a new game to entertain me on the treadmill.  I started out at 7mph and would bump it up .1mph every min until 2.5 miles then back down to 8mph and hold it there.  It helped pass the time.  Well, that and "who's line is it anyway" playing on the TV.  I am still optimistic that the leg is improving, but it will probably be another week before I can up the mileage at all.

T-37:10 ( 7:26) .5% incline

PM: Ran with Bethany on the Planet Walk (2 miles) in the evening.  It was a nice run.  She was moving pretty good.  It got me all warmed up and I ran home (1.5 miles the long way) to satisfy the urge. My lungs and heart were just itching to go fast.  So I started playing around with different speeds to see which pulled the worst on the knee.  The slower the better, it seemed.  Anything faster than 7 min pace was too much.

Easy 5 on the treadmill in the morning.  I have decided to rate the pain to show progress (or lack thereof).  On a scale of 0-10 where 10 is how bad it was last saturday (day of injury) and 0 is perfect.  Today was a 5.  I could feel the inflamation but it didn't slow me down.  If I can't get down to a 1-2 within about a week or if I get up to an 8 or 9 then I will be taking time off running completely.  At least that is the plan today.

I played the speed up/down game again today with some tweaks on the incline too.  The best thing about the run was watching 24 on the console.  That is the perfect show for the treadmill.  Time passes quickly as I get into the show.

T-37:10 (7:26) ~.5% incline

PM: Slow 3 miles in the evening on the treadmill.  I wanted to watch another episode of 24 so to not be a total couch potato I visited the TM.  First mile in 10 min, the next two were faster, but still easy.  The pain scale read a 2!  Probably due to the slower pace.  It did appear when I started playing with the incline.  Note to self...Don't do that again for a while.

T-24:50 (8:17)

The pain hit an 8 at around mile 2.5 so I quit at 3.  Bummer.  Otherwise an uneventful few minutes of 24.  It feels great now after 200mg of Ibprofin and lots of stretching.

T- 23:10 (7:43) ~148 ave HR

So, after flip-flopping and just plain worrying and fretting over what to do, I decided to take the rest of the week off (decision made easier by all the feedback I have received). It won't kill me (contrary to what I believe) and it might actually help. I have been stretching and using the stick non-stop but I don't think it is enough. I think I need to give it a rest and be more patient. So, at least 4 days with no running. Monday, I will go easy on the TM and stop as soon as it hurts, or hopefully make it 5 miles. That will be my limit on how much I will run at once for a while (subject to change). Bummer...

Does walking on the TM help or hurt?  Because I already have too much energy, but no access to a swimming pool or some other form of x-training.  Walking may be the only way to vent the energy. 

Still no running.  I feel like I am missing something in my day without it.  I am addicted.