After my first two consecutive 40+ mile weeks, and running hard in a race, I still have a little pain and stiffness around my right knee area. I feel it just left of my right kneecap, and on the back of my right leg, opposite the kneecap. My waking heart rate Tuesday morning was 57 instead of the typical 47 to 51. Maybe I overtrained a little. I took it easy Monday and Tuesday, only running two and 4 miles respectively, and didn't run at all today. I'll continue to be cautious for a few days, rest as appropriate, and see how it feels.
Have you ever had these symptoms? Does this sound like Runner's Knee?
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9 comments:
I have never had runner's knee, although I did have an injury this year (IT band) that caused me to miss several weeks of running. Your knee discomfort and elevated resting heart rate are probable telling you to take it easy for a few days - I say that like it is obvious, but I also struggle with the ‘to run or not run’ debate when my own body is sending me messages of fatigue. You did run a hard 10K last week, which may be contributing to your knee discomfort. Also, were any of your recent runs over terrain you are not accustomed to? My IT band injury was a result of a drastic change in terrain (trail vs road) for a 50K more so than too much running. You won’t lose your cardiovascular capacity after a few days or even a week of rest. And then you’ll have plenty of time to adjust your training and focus on your spring marathon. Wishing you a speedy recovery.
I'm sold on monitoring wakeup heart rate; I faithfully record it every morning as a gauge of whether I need more rest. I was a little stiff and sore Monday morning, but that's not unusual after doing more miles on the weekend. When I run long on Sunday, I do a very easy recovery-pace run on Monday morning; it usually helps the aches subside more quickly. It wasn't until the soreness remained after another short easy run on Tuesday that I wondered what was going on and decided to take a day or so off.
This is interesting-- after my original post, I came across this description of Runner's Knee on Coolrunning.com: "Pain around and sometimes behind the kneecap. One of the most common injuries among runners, runner's knee most often strikes as runners approach forty miles per week for the first time."
Anyway, I'll just take it easy a few more days, and see what happens. Thanks for the reply and the well-wishes!
Yikes! I hope that things get better with a the rest.
Thanks for this post - it brings up a lot of things I need to consider and had not been thinking about - though I'm sorry for you pain.
Brian,
I forgot to mention, no recent surface changes, all on concrete or asphalt.
Kathryn,
Thanks for the kind words.
So far, whenever I've pushed to the point of hurting, rest has taken care of it. Just never forget-- Rule 1 is always listen to your body! I state that rule confidently, and totally believe in it, even though I'm sometimes guilty of not listening closely enough. It actually feels a lot better this afternoon after 2 days rest; I may test it with a short and extremely easy run in the morning, depending on how it feels then.
Hey Vern,
I'm sorry its taken me a couple days to write you back. Thanks for the comments on my blog and I appreciate your encouragement. I have a long road ahead of me! Good luck with your marathon training and I hope it turns out to be an awesome experience for you. Which one are you running? Just watch out - it can become addicting :)
And I love all the green tips and info on your blog! I'm glad to see a lot more races are stepping up and going green - if we all take responsibility it would really make a difference.
Dana
Hi Dana,
I'm registered to run in the first-ever marathon in the city I live in, Beaumont, Texas, on May 1. I'm really looking forward to doing this! So far, I've gone just over 18 on a training run.
This started out as a simple running blog with an occasional green posting. Then, I posted the "I Live Green By" list on the sidebar to kind of keep track of the green activities I engage in. I got a good response from other bloggers, and decided to start doing a weekly post on Tuesdays on one of the listed activities. Since then, my weekly hits peak every Tuesday, so it's becoming a fun thing and a way to exchange thoughts and ideas on eco-topics.
Thanks for visiting Running Green!
Vern, there are injuries and there will be injuries. Learn to know which ones to nurture and which ones to waive at.
Damn, I am still having a hard time posting a commment!
Myriam, It'll be a challenge for a while; I don't yet have a really good feel for how seriously to take each type of hurt! I guess I can't go too far wrong, if in doubt to err of the side of caution...
Update-- the knee is feeling 90% normal. I tested it with a very easy, cautious 2 miles Friday morning @ 11.5 pace. It felt OK afterward, so I went 6 miles @ 10 minute pace Saturday morning. It feels like it should be good to go a little farther Sunday morning.
Thanks, all, for your comments and good wishes.
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