Knowing when to take a break

I screwed up my knee. I’m pretty sure I did it from over training. I ramped up my weekly mileage too much too fast. This, I know from experience, is something that can happen from love affairs.

Can anyone really explain how they can love running? You love sunrises and dirt and being alone among the boulders and trees in the middle of a metropolis before you sit at a meeting and people give you the crazy look when you tell them that you ran nine miles in the hills before you took a cold shower, ate a banana and some oatmeal, and thought about the salt on your skin before you hopped in your car and drove to the office to sit down for a weekly state of the union. It gives you perspective and takes it away.

Anyway, too much too soon gave me a bum knee. If you’re also in this situation, here’s the best advice I’ve found. Follow it, and you could be good to go in a week or two:

1. Take a break from running. This part of it stinks, but there’s no way around it. You’ve got to stop long enough for it to heal.
2. Ice your knee. If it’s like mine, I have to ice right below the knee cap. Elevate your knee when you do it. Read a book.
3. Work your core. Most runners I know get so in love with running, they don’t do any of those other fancy-shmancy workout things. Use the opportunity to strengthen your core. Your body will thank you when you’re back on your feet.
4. Swim. No biking, no walking, no elliptical machines. Avoid activities where you bend your knees a lot. Thing is: to swim properly you shouldn’t bend your knees all that much. Swimming will feed your endurance/cardio craving.
5. Write haikus. It’ll help give you perspective.
6. Stretch. Now is the time to take up some yoga. When you’re not icing, stretch. Before you go to bed, stretch. After your swim, stretch. Make sure you do the funky cross-your-legs-touch-your-toes ITB stretch.

I’m giving it a week. I have a race next weekend and we’ll see how it goes. I think I caught it early. Which, I think, is the most important lesson:

Be big enough and wise enough to take a break when you’re supposed to. You’re still a runner. It’ll be there then you finish your haikus and get out of the water.