It’s 5:55 a.m. and already I feel like I’m behind. Someone tell me why I thought it’d be easier to come back on a Tuesday rather than a Monday? Other than the fact that I’ll always take advantage of a day off, that is. There is always that.
Thanksgiving and the days that followed did not disappoint. And yes, I had my leftovers and they were wonderful. It does help to be house-guesting at the same time as people that have great ideas like turkey omelettes and potato pancakes. Not that anyone was, but no one should look to me as the proper example of how to handle the spectacle that is holiday food and not gain weight. Oh, I handled it, that’s for sure.
There was one saving factor, though, and that of course was running. Living at about 6,000 feet does have it’s advantages even for the recreational athlete. I have lived and run at almost sea level for the past five days and there is nothing better than that. Thanksgiving morning was my first run and not twenty steps into the run I was reminded how great a feeling it is to use your 6,000 feet lung capacity at somewhere near 500 feet. I don’t know if that made sense but for a slow, non-spectacular runner like myself, any chance I get to feel like some kind of athletic superstar I will take. To run and be able to breathe easily at the same time is almost as good as pie for breakfast. Almost.
The one thing I wanted to talk about before I left but didn’t get a chance to, however, was my knee problem. Which is probably a good thing because before I left I was a little depressed by it (or couldn’t anyone tell?) and wouldn’t have had anything nice to say. In the meantime, though, I’ve talked with my doctors (yes, plural. Doesn’t that sound all kinds of important and higher-caliber than it should?) and we’ve decided to go a more experimental route. Over the past year the knee-pain-that-just-won’t-die has been intermittent at best but never completely goes away. This makes for unpredictable running—well, more so than usual anyway—and a pretty unhappy runner. I’ve watched my training time dwindle and a lot of goals get pushed away because my body wasn’t up to what I knew it could be.
So, over the next few weeks, hopefully, I’ll be getting injections of a special solution into my knee that will esentially do the job the missing cartiledge should be doing. I know that sounds very weird to some people but it’s actually barely invasive and mostly painless. I know a guy that can give me a bullet to bite, so I should be fine. Ha. I’m looking forward to it, though, because it will be nice to get the chance to get my body back to what I know it’s capable of doing. That should make the next thirty days a lot easier too, because I know there’s going to be more pie. Yes, balance.
jc says:
Good luck with your knee health., nothing worse than not knowing I think. Hope this gets you back at it stronger than ever.
alos, mmmmmm pie.
jc
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:39 am
robb says:
Pie for breakfast is tops. I’m glad you had the opportunity to get close to sea level. Sounds like the hectic trip was more than worth it. Good news too about your knee.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:21 am
sizzle says:
I hope the injections help. Because life without pie is just no kind of life.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:34 am
The Exception says:
It sounds like you had a lovely Thanksgiving - and having those mountain lungs helps! I hope that the shots help your knee and your body work to its potential - there is nothing quite like the feeling when it is performing like that!
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:12 am
Mel Heth says:
I’m totally having lung capacity envy right now. I die when I hike at 2000 feet!
I hope your knee starts feeling better after the shots. There’s nothing more frustrating than some random uncontrollable body dysfunction impeding your goals!
December 2nd, 2008 at 11:14 am
Database Diva says:
Life doesn’t get much better than pie for breakfast, but running without oxygen deprivation has got to be a close second. I’m so happy that you got to enjoy both, as well as the love and companionship of your family (which is nice, but not quite pie for breakfast
). I’m so sorry to hear that the knee problems are persisting. I hope the injections do the trick!
Have a drink for me this weekend!
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:25 pm
Girlgoyle says:
OUCH!!!! OUCH!!! The thought of a needle being inserted in your knee….OUCH!!! Can you eat pie while they do it??
December 2nd, 2008 at 12:53 pm
k says:
yummmm - i love pie (or anything sweet for that matter) for breakfast!
i hope this experiemental route is the answer to you knee problems! i know how frustrating it is not to be able to do something you enjoy so much. good luck!
December 2nd, 2008 at 1:21 pm
Dingo says:
I am glad you enjoyed Thanksgiving leftovers! Did you have to pay extra for added weight when you boarded the flight home? I wanted to buy a whole row of seats on the train because I didn’t want anyone near me. I was so stuffed I thought I would explode if anyone touched me.
Sorry about the persistent knee problems. I know how frustrating it is. I hope this experimental route works.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:04 pm
backofpack says:
I hope, hope, hope it works! Here’s wishing you a pain-free knee for the New Year!
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:17 pm
nicole says:
Hmm. Have you seen a PT? A good PT? Maybe its your mechanics and not really your knee. I think I know a good PT out by you if you are interested.
good luck with the injections - you just seem too young for injections.
Anyway, I hope they work though.
Sorry, I’m trying to be supportive, but the PT in me wants to fix you.
i’m making no sense.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:15 pm
Josh says:
Good luck with needles and bullets…
December 2nd, 2008 at 9:51 pm
Essentially Me says:
I hope this works out for you!
December 3rd, 2008 at 4:40 am
Danielle says:
I wonder if that’s the same thing my dad considered…it was that or cortisone and for now he has done neither. Hopefully it helps a lot though. I’m jealous of your training at altitude too.
December 4th, 2008 at 2:54 pm