Wow, it has been a busy month. How can it be the end of August already. The time just flies these days and I can’t keep up!

Running Update

I was given the okay to go from the treadmill to running on any terrain by my PT. And I did just that. I went from where I was on the treadmill straight to the same pace and run/walk intervals on pavement. That did not go over very well. My knees started hurting??? My knees were not the problem so what is going on??

According to my PT, what is going on has something to do with how I am running and overloading specific areas that can no longer handle the load. She put me through several tests to evaluate for injury and concluded that I do not have an injury. I have been working on form, and I have increased my cadence during the run to 170-175. I am also working on strengthening, but I could be doing more. So why are my knees achy during the run now? I suggested that maybe it was my shoes.

I am running in Altra Escalante and I love them. They are soooo comfortable. So were a pair of Hokas that I tried a few years ago. The common denominator in these two pairs of shoes is that my knees started hurting during the run. With the Hokas, it was immediate and I did not continue to run in them. But, I have continued to run in the Altras. I didn’t have any problems during the treadmill runs, its just on pavement. My PT says it isn’t the shoes.

So, I was in NC for a week and ran indoors on the treadmill being that I am not use to the heat and humidity. But, once I got back to Alaska, I wanted to run outside. I warmed up for about 20 minutes and then planned on taking it easy with a 2:1 run/walk ratio x 8. The minute I started running my knees began to hurt. I couldn’t do it.

I left the trails and went straight to my favorite running store, Skinny Raven, and bought a new pair of running shoes. I’m not insane, I just want to run! Okay, maybe I am going a little crazy. I went back to my favorite shoe brand, Saucony, and after trying a few different pairs, I chose the Saucony Freedom ISO 2. They are not the prettiest pair of shoes that I have owned, but they definitely felt good while running on the treadmill. But, how were they going to work out on the trails.

I did not waste any time in finding out. I went straight from Skinny Raven to the Tony Knowles Coastal Trail to try out my new shoes (Skinny Raven has a great return policy).  After a warm-up, I tried running 2 minutes walking 1 minute x8 and I did it! My knees did ache a little, but they didn’t get progressively worse plus I was able to run. I couldn’t even run earlier in the day with the Altras.

So, today I went out again and did a 3:1 run/walk ratio.  With temperatures only around the mid 50s and a feeling of fall in the air, the run felt soooo good. Just so nice to be able to run at all.

I have a little over a month before I start marathon training so I am hoping I will be running more by then.  The Phoenix Marathon is quickly approaching….

I will get another post out in the next couple of days of all the exciting things that have been happening this month (besides running)…don’t miss it 🙂

 

Happy Running!