running: the dawn

It is amazing how different I can feel from one day to the next.  Yesterday a coworker asked me how the running has been going and it was all I could to to keep from crying.  I still felt hopeless.  I mean, I have think I have been doing everything right: stretching, varying my running surface, keeping my mileage reasonable, babying my legs.  Basically any remedies that have been suggested I’ve been doing.  I couldn’t pinpoint the reason why my knee would start acting up so abruptly seemingly out of no where.

Then I read Katye’s blog from yesterday where she shared some of her recent knee issues and how they may have been caused by the shoes she’s been wearing.  Well, since I bought my new shoes only three weeks ago, I hadn’t considered the possibility that they might somehow be involved.  When I looked back through my blog posts I did notice that once I started wearing my new shoes I also started complaining about leg trouble.  Almost down to the first day I started wearing them.  At first I was heartbroken because the shoe I’d bought were expensive and there was no way I could afford another pair so soon.  And there was no way I was going to go back to my previous pair that cause so many blisters.  Kayte suggested that I take the shoes back to the store where I purchased them and see what they could do for me.

While I was glad to have a plan and probable cause, I wasn’t so sure that would really work for me.  I am not a person who likes to make a fuss.  I eat whatever is in front of me.  I don’t call phone companies to complain.  I hate to return gifts people give.  I just like to smooth it out and deal with the consequences.  But in this situation, I can’t deal with the pain.  I had to do something.  So, I climbed in my car and headed down to Metro Run & Walk.

To tell the truth, even while I was driving down there I was worried about what I was going to say, what they were going to say, what would happen if they couldn’t fix it….just over and over in my head.  I decided to call my mom to see if I was crazy and to practice my lines.  I pulled into the parking lot, took a deep breath, and pieced together my courage before heading in.

Let me tell you.  Those two women in that store are angels!  I’m sure they could see my struggle written all across my face.  I explained to them the problems that I’ve been having with my IT Band and all about my history of shoes.  They wanted to see me run in the Brooks, so I laced them up and took them for a spin.  They discussed my gait amongst themselves in shoe-speak that I couldn’t understand which is probably much like the math-speak I sometimes use.  After explaining to me what they were observing, they decided to have me try out the Mizuno Nirvanas (which is what I’ve run in before).  Apparently my feet look amazing in Mizunos, because the two angels decided that I needed them and would take my old (three-week-old) shoes as an exchange!!!!  I’m sure that some might think, “Well, yeah, they should give you shoes!”  But I was not expecting such supportive wonderful women who cared for me as though I was their own daughter.  It was so gracious of them.

Here are the beauties

I got to chat with one of the ladies about our fear of injuries interrupting our training schedules.  She’s actually training for a half-ironman which is AMAZING!!!  She gave me all kinds of advice and was so understanding.  Just knowing that there are other people who have experienced these moments of panic, worked through it, and triumphed on the other side gives me such hope and peace.

I feel like a different person now.  Yesterday, in the valley, I feel directionless.  There was a problem that I couldn’t identify and therefore there was nothing that I could do.  Today, as I head back up toward the summit, I feel like I have found a path that will get me back on track.  Now, I know that this might not be a cure-all.  In fact, one thing that I’m realizing is that with every set back that I encounter (blisters, IT Band Syndrome) I become more aware of how to treat my body.  Since my 18-miler with the feet issues, I have taken special care of my feet.  And since Sunday, I have been doing everything possible to protect my knees from further injury: yoga, stretching, strengthening my hips/quads.  I’m much more aware of the abuse that my feet and legs deal with, and now I feel like I can cater to their needs.