Two Steps Forward, Three Steps Back

I suppose it shouldn't come as a great shock that not bothering to do my physical therapy exercises in many weeks has led to a completely frustrating pattern: I have a few good runs, push things too far, then end up with a swollen knee and have to back off again. What I do find shocking, though, is that what was basically a bad bruise has taken this long to heal. I still don't have full range of motion in my knee 100 percent of the time. I still can't run even three measly miles without a walk break or two or three.

So I did what any sensible, self-respecting runner would do: I signed up for a high-intensity interval class that is clearly meant for people with good knees. Then I signed up for a fall half-marathon. I run and don't stretch afterward. I continue to have the best of intentions when it comes to the PT exercises, but 15 minutes seems kind of hard to come by these days. And I continue to ice an injury that clearly should have healed three months ago. The half-marathon is so totally in the bag.

In the meantime, though, I got to run with one of my favorite people yesterday: the eight-year-old. It was really more walk than run, which was just fine by my gimpy knee (which had actually been fine through a run, followed by interval class, followed by two more running days in a row, but it decided to kick up a protest after a few rest days). The opportunity to run alone with my oldest will be as hard to come by as those 15 minutes I need daily for physical therapy, but hopefully we'll get to do it a few more times before she gets much, much faster than me and way too cool to be seen running with her mom.