Ouchie! My Knee Hurts!

It started with a little twinge earlier in the week. I ignored it.

I found the compression sleeve I wore on my left knee after I under trained and overused it a couple years back at the Seattle Rock-N-Roll Marathon.

I stuck that sleeve on my right knee on Wednesday. My knee did not hurt at all during an hour weight lifting sessionand then another hour swim lesson.

The twinge was back Thursday morning, so I quickly put the compression sleeve back on, but took it off to preview ride the 12-mile hilly Steelman Reverse Triathlon course with some friends. The triathlon is in a little over a week and we wanted to see if the course was as brutal as advertised. The course is NOT as horrific as advertised, but could be brutal if the winds kick up. I am laying bets a couple of people will be walking their bikes in some places and many cyclists will be seeing how slow they can ride without falling over.
Steelman is one of those events I added at the last minute so that I can torture myself with two sprint triathlons and one Olympic in the course of 15 days. My coach says the sprints are for training. Uhm, it all may be for training because I may be hobbling.

I went to spin class Thursday night and my knee wasn't hurting me. Then I ran the neighborhood with my husband and 19-year-old son. I think my knee was having sympathy pains for my son's knees. He was running with a pair of 5 pound weights strapped on his ankles. By mile 2, I could feel the slow ache in my knee so we stopped and walked. I think our knees were grateful. My husband sprinted on home.

Friday I lifted weights. Then I had a fabulous time with friends that did not include sweating, huffing or elevated heart rate. My knee felt fabulous.

Today I saddled up with several of my Triathlon Connection friends and we rode the Santa Ana River Trail. Of course, as always, I was immediately dropped, but that didn't matter because I had my husband with me.

This wasn't today. Today was cold and rainy. But this is how Robert and I look when we ride together.

We rode 19 miles from San Bernardino to Hidden Valley in Norco and I could feel a little ache in my knee, but it didn't hurt too much. At mile 19 we turned around to head back. MY KNEE HURT! Every little uphill was torture on my knee. I concentrated on pulling up and not pushing down at all with my right leg. I downshifted to my lowest gear and spun the entire 19 miles back. Low gears, high cadence! A couple of times I felt a throb.

Back at the car all my TC friends were already laced up and running.

Sorry, I told my guy. I AM NOT RUNNING! I put the compression sleeve back on my knee and we walked down the trail for about 10 minutes and turned and walked the 10 minutes back.

My knee felt a little stiff.

I didn't notice my knee at all during recovery breakfast with my TC friends.

My workout schedule tomorrow calls for a 3-4 mile run. I am skipping it. I am going on an easy bike ride with friends instead.

I will slather my knee with Bio-Freeze before bed and pray a good night's sleep with heal it. I just don't have time to be a hobbler. I need to be/want to be/am a runner.

Going to bed with this image in my mind.