Stretch, Squat, Run and Roll

Yesterday I had my first appointment with Jared at Orthopedic Associates Physical Therapy Center to finally have an evaluation for this knee pain. I figured after 25 days it was time to bring in the professionals!

I have heard great things about Jared from fellow runners and athletes. I was impressed. He was very pleasant and being a runner turned triathlete himself, I trusted what he had to say. As a bonus we even had a very engaging conversation about bikes and his new Cervelo P3!!

OA Performance Center

Now I am not a doctor, but I play one on TV. 
Or is that I played doctor??
Or is it I have played with doctors? 
Hmmm. It's one of those.
Anyway, my diagnosis of patellofemoral pain syndrome was spot on.

The good news? Jared said that this is an easy fix. The PFPS could have been caused by numerous issues-running in the Kinvara's (not a great shoe for me because of my pronation), running facing traffic constantly with the slope of the road and/or my own form issues.

Some causes of PFPS are weak quads and this is certainly not the case here; he said my quads were really strong and my VMO's were strong as well but we are going to work on building strength in the glutes and hips to bring balance.

I have some stretching & strengthening exercises to do, I need to do some marathon stick rolling on my quads and just above the patella, and I have some running drills to work on. I should be good as new soon!

Then it was time to hop on the treadmill and run. Jared brought out the camera and took some wonderful footage of my running.

The not so good news? I have some biomechanical issues to correct. I am heel striking and this is making me bounce UP and not move forward-which is also wasted energy.
I need to shorten my stride and increase my cadence. So I am going to be running with a metronome to get my cadence up to 184. No rockin' tunes for a bit until I can retrain myself.

Inside the PT office

We did some stretching, squatting, rolling and then it was time to run with the new info he armed me with!

Then Jared hooked me up to this funky looking treadmill and strapped me into a belt suspended from a pole. And yes- I got a little nervous. He then asked me to lean forward and once the belt started moving to start running. He then got the metronome going and I just ran. Then once I got the proper body position down it was off to the indoor track with my metronome and more running.

I am actually quite pleased with how the visit went. I have never had a gait analyses or even any kind of run coaching; it is wonderful to get some feedback on how I can improve as a runner! Jared also said that with these changes, we can easily shave a couple minutes off my 5k time. Combine that with losing 10lbs or so, I am hoping to beat the snot out of my Dad's PR (21:40) this summer.

So the next couple weeks will be focused on changing my run form and running pain free!

When life hands you lemons...

...make lemonade, but don't pee in the pool.
(I promise this will make sense later)

Happy New Year!! Here we are, 4 days into 2011 and this is my first post.

Running into the New Year!

The Holidays were fun for us and it was really nice to have hubby around for a few days. It was also really nice to have my buddy Dawn around-she was on vacation so we were able to get a couple training days in together.

Dawn and I actually got in a beautiful New Years Day 6 mile run together. It was in the 50's!! That is rare in Maine in January!!
I got to run in my favorite things! My pink Kinvara's, my Punk Rock Racing tech tee, my beautiful argyle arm warmers that Dawn gave me for Christmas!!
Dawn got to run in some of her new gear too! Arm warmers and compression socks with shorts! Yes, shorts! That is how nice it was here in Maine in New Years Day!







Sunday I got out for my scheduled long run. The Rx was Base Building 101: 10 miles in Zone 2, keep the pace between 8:45 and 9:15. I was psyched to get out on another "balmy" day in Maine (43 degrees when I left) and I was feeling great on this run. I ran one of my regular routes all along the beach and through some beautiful, quite neighborhoods with gently rolling hills and winding roads. I was feeling so good, I decided to up the mileage just a wee bit and go for 12ish. At mile 7.35- while climbing one of these gently rolling hills - I felt this quick, stabbing pain directly under the top part of my right kneecap.
Stop.
Deep breath.
Walk for a moment...

Alright, it's ok.

Start running again~slowly easing into a steady pace and after a few minutes all is well. I backed off the pace for a bit and all was well with the world again. At this point I know I am about 3 miles from home if I loop it back towards the house vs. heading towards Kennebunkport so this is in the back of my mind. I'm feeling good so it's back to normal. Run.Run.Run. Ahhhh-look, a bunch of turkeys on the side of the road. How cool is that? Then at mile 9 another small hill.

Wham!

That pain.

Again.

Stop.

This time it really stopped me. I walked for a bit. Feeling scared, worried, anxious. I was in more mental pain than physical pain. Questions swirling through my head. What?? Oh no. But then, just as sudden as the pain came on, it was gone. Start jogging slowly, slowly...12 minute pace, 11 minute pace. Alright, I'm feeling good again but I think it's time to head back home and call it 10 miles today. But I am feeling good,  SO good that I pick up the pace for the last leg of the run finishing the last 1/2 mile in the low 7's.

I'm feeling good~and then about an hour or so later, I am walking up the stairs at the house and

Wham!

pain again. Now I am really concerned and do a little Internet research.

My self diagnosis??

Patellofemoral pain syndrome (PFPS), or simply "runner's knee," is the most common overuse injury among runners. It occurs when a mistracking kneecap (patella) irritates the femoral groove in which it rests on the thighbone (femur)... Tight hamstring and calf muscles put pressure on the knee, and weak quadriceps muscles can cause the patella to track out of alignment. Just the repetitive force of a normal running stride alone can be enough to provoke an attack. Symptoms include tenderness behind or around the patella, usually toward its center. You may feel pain toward the back of the knee, a sense of cracking or that the knee's giving out. Steps, hills, and uneven terrain can aggravate PFPS.

~RunnersWorld.com

 

So far all that I am reading falls in line with the symptoms I am having so my plan is to actually rest. No running or biking for at least a week and I will evaluate the situation once again and see if real medical professionals need to be involved. In hind site, I wish I had iced the knee immediately upon my return home.

 

I am going to keep a positive outlook and chalk this up to the Universe once again speaking to me~

 

Jen, get your butt in the pool!!

 

I have been wanting to get more time in the pool but somehow running, biking, kettlebells, weight training all seem to fall above SWIMMING on my workout priority list...even though swimming is my weakest discipline and therefore, should be sitting right at the top!!

 

So here's my lemonade.

All week I am going to focus on my swim.

And next week too if need be. and the week after that...

 

 

 

So bottom's up! I'm drinking this big ole glass of lemonade and I promise not to pee in the pool.

 

ps-I still have to announce the winner of my SPIbelt giveaway! Coming soon!!