Running, my knees and new shoes!

I've been meaning to blog about my running. About a month into the program, we started to add running into our workouts. For those of you that know me, know that I HATE RUNNING! But the bottom line is that running is probably the best full body workout out there! I have bad knees and had ACL reconstructive surgery on my right knee in 1993. Since then, my knee has performed wonderfully. Now it seems like my left knee is the problem. I started having pains in my knee and stiffness before I started the workout program. I wondered if it were arthritis? I talked with a friend's husband, who is a orthopedic resident, and he seems to think that strength training, icing (not the frosting type-real ice) and ante-inflammatory meds would help. So, I push on with the pain.

We ran a timed mile on Feb. 4th. My time was 10:58. Not too bad considering that I did have to walk during parts. We hope to improve this time before the end of the contest.

The next day, Feb. 5th, I ran/walked the Climb for Cancer 5K. My time was a respectable 40:47. And I'm happy to report that I came in 9th place in my age division (out of 11) :) :) At least I wasn't last!

Since the running started, I've been having really sore knees (both). After talking with Dan at Sweat Life, he recommend that I visit The Gainesville Running/Walking Store in Tioga Town Center. I'm not sure why I didn't think of it sooner, but my shoes might be the problem. I wasn't sure how old they were, but I know that I hadn't really used them for any type of running since I owned them. When I visited the store, I found out that my shoes were 3 years old. A typical running shoe should only last around 6 months.....ooops! So he looked at the tread on my shoes, observed my stride, and fitted me for a new pair of Brooks running shoes.

I tested the new shoes out the next day on the elliptical machine and then again the next day on the treadmill. It is amazing how much better my knees feel. While I'm not totally pain free, the results really remind me that I need to have a good pair of shoes that are supporting my arches because arches tend to roll in without the appropriate support.

So, I advise everyone who is running to go to the Gainesville Running Store and get yourself properly fitted for the right pair of shoes for you. Everyone is different!!!!

The pain is still in my left knee and I'm still icing and doing the cold plunge at GHFC when I can to help with the inflammation. The next step is the Dr. and I'm trying to avoid that if possible. I'll keep you updated!