My left knee is beginning to feel the strain. After Tuesdays run I started to feel tenderness and a small ache on the outside of my knee cap and decided to ice it as a precaution. The next morning it was throbbing for the first few hours of the day. But it didn’t last. I suspect the pain was caused either by the shoes I wore to work the previous day or the way I slept. I will be keeping close attention to this. I am only one full week in and have six left until the 5K race - so far as I can help it, my knee will not hold me back.
Interestingly, I also started the Tuesday run stressed out. I knew that I was frustrated and in a sour mood but ran anyway hoping that running would cheer me up. Instead, I ran with the weight of my frustration on my shoulders and it slowed me down. My shoulders were tight and my heals pounded the pavement harder than they needed to. At one point I remember running on a sharp turn while trying to massage out a pinch in my shoulder.
The next morning I saw an article posted with the caption “If you’re stressed out on the run, your injury risk increases.” Lesson learned. Even though the run ultimately did change my mood around, it would have been best if I had tried to put the stress aside before I went out. So, today I tried to continually keep my thoughts on my running in the moment and I left my worries at home. Not surprisingly, I came home not needing to ice my knee.
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