Archive for January, 2008

This will be quick because I am just too overjoyed to sit still.

Are you ready?

Wait, will you take a deep breath and let out a loud “Yipeeee!” for me please?

I came from another doctor yesterday (Dr. Canlas) to get a 2nd opinion on my meniscus problem and to have my right shin checked and he basically told me this:

1) My knee and shin pain are common running injuries. I only need to strengthen and stretch my leg muscles to avoid them.
2) I never had a meniscus problem. (Can you believe it?!)
3) I can continue running all I want.

Woooah, I was definitely not ready to receive such great news! I was resigned to running with my broken knee and getting arthroscopic surgery in the long run. Lo and behold, I won’t even need it after all.

Dr. Canlas put me on 3x a week rehab (which started today) for two weeks and hopefully things will be better for me.

For now, this is all I can say: Hi ho, Hi ho, it’s off to Clark I go. See you there!

It was a Saturday so I was all set for my long run, 22km to be exact. Things were going smoothly—quite perfectly in fact—as I kept a steady pace below 6:30 and maintained my heart rate in Zone 3. The cool weather gave me an extra reason to smile (and a good excuse to keep on wearing my favorite mizuno leggings). Yup, I could definitely cover the distance on my own (Annie passed this week)—and I was going to enjoy it. Had you been there, you would’ve witnessed me rolling down the roads of Ayala Alabang singing “The hills are alive…” sans the little apron, of course.

A little after 5 km, I felt a slight pain below my right knee (different from my other meniscus problem on the left knee). This had been troubling me for the past weeks after my runs, but never had it attacked during the actual run. Ouch. I plodded on. Ouch again. I shifted to brisk walking. After a few minutes, I tried running again only to feel the pain return instantly. After a few more futile attempts at running, I gave up. Crap, I was over 4 km away from my car.

What followed was—without any ounce of exaggeration—the longest 20 minutes of my entire running life. Walking back that distance was like dying a slow death…in slow motion. Groups of cyclists were passing me by every so often and I contemplated on grabbing one cyclist from behind and hopping over on his bike to ride back home. Since they were all burly men, I decided against it. The whole walking thing was making me sleepy…and worse, it didn’t make me sweat!

I made good use of that time though: soul searching, evaluating of the year that passed, and planning for the year ahead. Then, I did a couple of memory enhancing exercises, recited the alphabet backwards followed by all prime numbers under 1,000 and many many more. I even thought of new inventions for runners that I’ll tell you more about in a future post.

Then, as always, I started worrying. What is this? Can I run again on Monday? God, not another major injury, pleeeease.

As soon as I got home, I covered my injury with ice and elevated it. Then, I repeated my plea with more fervor: God, not another major injury, please!

My guess is that the little devil is this: Anterior Compartment Syndrome (another way of saying shin splints that make you sound awfully smart). How do I know? Well, that’s what my inner doctor told me after a few minutes of meditating. And yeah, I also looked up my symptoms on the web.

Just to be sure though, I’ll visit a new doctor this week. Time to get a second opinion on my meniscus (left knee) and have my shin problem (right leg) checked. What a great way to start the New Year, don’t you think?

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THIS YEAR, I resolve to:

… run easy when it is an “easy run.”

… incorporate more hill runs into my training.

… find a “softer” running route away from the concrete roads of Alabang. (Aaaw, I’ll miss my playground terribly.)

… listen to the beeping of my HRM—like when I breach Zone 4 on a long, slow run. I’m bad.

… master laughing and running simultaneously. Many a times I’ve had to pause in the middle of a run when Annie and I share a good chuckle. Such a waste of precious time! There must be a technique for one to enjoy both.

… rest when I feel pain or soreness. Denial didn’t seem to help last year.

… sacrifice a race for a long run. I can’t have my banana and eat it too.

… practice proper warm up before a race. (Thanks Ben for always reminding me about this.)

… go to the gym 2x a week for cross training and weights. Disclaimer: this resolution is effective only upon enrollment in a gym.

… cut back on mentos and choc-nut

… eat more veggies. I’m a good girl already when it comes to my fruits quota.

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2008 GOALS:

1) Run a marathon

2) Learn more about swimming and cycling (need I tell you where I am headed with this?)

3) Subtly try to convince hubby to run with me

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When I am old and gray, I will look back fondly at 2007 as a pivotal point in my life, way up there with 1997 when I graduated from college, 1999 when I met the hubby on a blind date and got engaged a couple of months after, 2000 when we married, and 2001 and 2004 when my two kids were born.

2007 changed my life, or rather the way I viewed it, undeniably and largely because of running.

THANKS TO RUNNING…

… I pay less attention to the numbers on the scale and focus on getting leaner, building strength and speed, and improving my health. It’s a pleasant surprise that in my 30’s I finally feel comfortable in my own skin.

… I was taught (the hard way) about the limitations of my body: discoid lateral meniscus in my knee and vasovagal syncope that caused me to faint. Now I know that subtle symptoms such as soreness in the knee, overall feeling of weakness, or thirst are loud warning bells that require rest, better nutrition, or (knock on wood) a visit to the doctor.

… I eat less junk.

… I finally understand how sports in general can make such a positive impact in one’s life. As a non-athlete all my life, I always read about how sports can “develop confidence”, “keep children off the streets”, or “help you maintain your health” but these words never meant anything to me. Now I can say: I finally get it!

… I feel empowered. It must be the long runs that have given me this “No Fear” attitude. There’s something about pushing yourself to the limits and subsequently realizing that you have gone further than you thought possible that makes you believe more in yourself.

… I forged new friendships both in the real and virtual worlds. (I’ve made so many friends in running that I’m afraid to list them here lest I forget someone, which is likely the case with my terrible memory. You know who you are, guys!)

… I discovered the capabilities of my body and mind. As a runner, I learned how fast (46.57 mins for 10k) and how long (2 hours so far) my legs could carry me. My mind, on the other hand, knows no boundaries. As far as its concerned, it can outrun Paula and Haile on any day.

… I have learned humility and patience. It was my goal to join the Pasig Marathon on February, but at this point, I’m not even sure if I’m pushing through as the meniscus problem has set me back by a month in my training program. Surprisingly, I’m not being bull headed about it. Nope, I have welcomed it with a calm, happy surrender. If it isn’t my time this Feb, then there shall be another marathon for me. Uhm, hopefully within this year? And I’m praying my first is abroad? Lord, maybe New York? If not, perhaps Singapore? May I add without any injuries? Er, did I mention “surrender”?

How about you? What did running teach you last year or the years before?