Kerry's Running Blog

I skipped Saturday's long run because of lingering soreness in my right knee. Even though I really need to get the mileage in, I know from past experience that pushing through that kind of pain results in long-term damage. This morning's run went fairly well. It was dark with a clear starry sky and a crescent moon. When I left the house around 6:00 a.m., temperatures were in the low 30's. I didn't notice any pain or stiffness for the first four miles, but then I felt a little stiffness creeping in. It wouldn't have even been worth mentioning on another day, but I iced it and took some Motrin when I got home just to make sure that it didn't get inflammed. This is a critical time for me. I need to put in a lot of mileage, but I can't afford to make things worse. I've had to walk/limp the last five or so miles of a marathon before and it's definitely not something I want to repeat. Since I'm fairly sure I could do the distance right now (at a slower pace), I'll probably take a day off if I notice any significant soreness.

A little warmer this morning. Temperatures were in the high 30's or low 40's. A crescent moon was out, but it was too low in the sky to provide much light. Over all I felt pretty good this morning and pushed it a little harder. My right knee started to stiffen up after about two miles, ached a little off and on between two and four and was more constant from four to the end. I'll probably put in my daily miles if it doesn't get much worse. The 20 miler on Saturday is another matter.

Today was pretty much a repeat of yesterday. I think I got a little farther into the run before my knee started to stiffen up, but it was probably just as sore (if not a little more) in the last mile. At least it doesn't seem to be getting any worse. It's most sore late in the morning after I've been sitting at my desk for a while. At bedtime there's little, if any, soreness.

Not much change from yesterday. The knee starts stiffening after about two and a half miles and is fairly sore from four on.

Stiffness in my knee didn't start until I had passed the three mile mark, but I think it was just as sore towards the end. It's pretty clear that I'm not going to be able to get in 20 tomorrow, but I should at least be able to get in five or more with some cross-training. I didn't ice my knee this morning on the way to work and didn't take any Motrin either. If anything, my knee was slightly less stiff when I got out of the car. As near as I can tell, the pain results from quadriceps tendonitis. It could be cartilage damage under the patella, but the fact that it disappears overnight and takes a while to reappear would suggest microtears in the tendon instead of more permanent damage.

Ran in the afternoon with Laureen and Amelia part of the way. While they headed straight west on Cedar Hills Drive, I ran along the creek and met up with them just west of the pond in Highland Glen Park. I took it fairly easy for the most part and think that my knee seems to be showing signs of improvement. It was a little stiff at the end, but not sore. I elevated it for a half hour or so and didn't notice any signs of soreness until later that night when I got up from sitting for a while. I think I'll rest it Monday and Tuesday and see if I can't get it healed up for a long run (hopefully a 20 miler) on Saturday.