My left knee

Not an inspirational drama featuring Daniel Day-Lewis.

After my 10K run on Monday, I waited to see how my troublesome knees would respond, especially the right one, which has been the worst of the two.

Yesterday, things actually seemed to be…okay! Both knees were feeling pretty normal. But then I did something and my left knee became Very Sore.

What horrible thing did I do to my left knee?

I sat down.

Yes.

Specifically, most of the time when I’m working at the computer or drawing on the iPad, I am sitting in my high-backed IKEA Markus chair, which has served me well enough, especially for the price. I sit with both feet on the floor, as most humans do. But sometimes I will get all contemplative and when that happens, I will pull up my left leg and rest it on top of my right leg.

This apparently creates pressure and strain on the left knee that I normally would not notice, but because of the 10K run on Monday, I did notice. A lot.

But by the time I noticed, the left knee was stiff and achy. I stopped sitting all fancy-like. I had a good night’s sleep and this morning as I type this (both feet down) the left knee is still sore, but the soreness is down considerably. All the same, I will not be running today, which will allow me extra time to buy toilet paper, which is a super fun thing to do.

And that’s the story of my left knee for today. Exciting additional chapters will be added as needed.

Run 573: A jiggly body part

Run 573
Average pace: 5:27/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 5:25 pm
Distance: 5:05 km
Time: 27:34
Weather: Cloudy
Temp: 6ºC
Humidity: 75%
Wind: light
BPM: 162
Weight: 166.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4450 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

I had another weird glitch with the music before starting my run. I told Siri, though my watch, “Hey Siri, shuffle R.E.M.” It processed the command and then…no music. I look and instead of R.E.M. it’s showing…Supertramp? I bring out the phone and there’s a pop-up that says something like “Ruh roh, where’s the internet??”, which was odd because I had a couple bars on my cell signal. I make sure the AirPods are connected and they are, so that’s good. The music app doesn’t show the Supertramp song, although the watch does. Instead it just says “Music”. No song title, nothing else. When I press play it actually plays. But it’s Supertramp.

So I just issue the command through the phone again and then…it works. No other issues after that.

Technology is weird. I wonder if the iPhone is hinky. Or maybe it’s cosmic rays.

It was also chilly out, so maybe it was that. The chill was making the phone cold and afraid to work properly.

It rained hard in the morning and I was not enthused about running, so I waited and all of a sudden it was 4:45 p.m. and I’m thinking I should go or I’m just going to slump on the couch, getting up only to use the bathroom and to fill my face with food (not from the bathroom). I wore my long-sleeve shirt, which was a wise move, but shorts were fine. It wasn’t windy, so that helped to keep it from feeling as unseasonably cool as it was.

I ran the river trail, again by first walking to the far end, then starting from the end. The left knee was fine, the right knee was a bit sore but not too bad and for the second half of the run it settled down much more than in the last run. But I did notice that at times it seemed to jiggle a bit–the actual kneecap. I’m thinking more than a compression sleeve is worth getting.

I tried not to push on the run, but did at one point when I was catching up on another jogger. She was on the left so I moved to the right. She had a giant phone strapped to her left arm. I don’t think I could ever do that, it just looks so awkward. Plus I’d feel like I was constantly tipping very slightly to the left. As I caught up to pass she suddenly looked over her shoulder, as if she intended to move over to the right. This created an awkward moment because I was in the space she wanted to move into. I turned on the afterburners and increased my pace for a few hundred meters. My lungs felt the fire. I mostly eased up after that and was pleasantly surprised by the final result, a 5:27/km pace, with the BPM at 162, no different than my much slower previous runs. Yay.

Here’s how the last three have gone:

5:57 > 5:38 > 5:27

So it’s a good trend. I should note that the river trail is not really a trail at all, but a very compacted gravel road. As such it’s a lot wider and smoother than the trail at Burnaby Lake, so I always tend to be faster on it. Still, an improvement is an improvement and I’ll take it.

I will once again promise myself to run during the week now that there is daylight to do so. We’ll see how it goes.

Run 572: Bugs, living and electronic

Run 572
Average pace: 5:38/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Start: 12:56 pm
Distance: 5:04 km
Time: 29:37
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 11-12ºC
Humidity: 56%
Wind: light
BPM: 163
Weight: 167.8 pounds
Total distance to date: 4445 km
Devices: Apple Watch, iPhone 8

So close to having a total of 4444 km.

Today’s run had me filled with trepidation before heading out. The weather was gorgeous, with mild temperatures and sun, so it wasn’t that. It was those pesky knees.

My trepidation grew when I got to the lake. I could feel where the knees had gotten sore on last Saturday’s run. I put that aside and started up some jogging music…only to find the right AirPod was not playing. I did a few things to no avail. The right AirPod was running in a virtual cone of silence. I finally decided to try unpairing the AirPods. Just as I did this I remembered that pairing requires the charging case, which was sitting at home 4 km away. Oops.

And so began a rare music-free run. I could feel the knees almost immediately. Not good.

The left knee quickly settled down, though. I felt some of the usual stiffness toward the end, but it was fine otherwise. The right knee was definitely sore–not enough to stop or slow me down, but enough to notice. Then it spread down my shin and for a few minutes my whole lower right leg ached. This passed quickly and eventually even the right knee hit a point where it didn’t feel that bad. A bit sore, but no more.

I finished feeling less dread than when I started. I may try a compression sleeve on the right knee on the next run, as I’m fairly certain the soreness will persist unless I take a good long break from running. If it doesn’t get worse than it is now, I may be okay.

For the run itself, it again felt hard, but not as hard as last week. The start and end I pushed and felt the ol’ lung burn, but during the middle section my breathing settled (I kept the AirPods in my ears since that was the logical place for them, but could still hear my own rasping until the breeze picked up). Overall, it was a mix of struggle and Zen. Zuggle.

A sure sign of spring was in the air today, too. Specifically, clouds of bugs as I approached the bridge at Deer Lake Brook. I’d forgotten what fun it is to run into huge swarms of horrible little insects. I’ll be better prepared next time.

My BPM was the same as last week at 163, which was good. My time improved noticeably, going from 5:57/km to 5:38/km. Still on the slow side but under the circumstances pretty good.

I counted six people on bikes, but since I’ve forsaken complaining I will say nothing else about that, except to note there were no bike-related incidents.

In the end I am left a bit nonplussed. The improved performance was nice, the fact that my knees didn’t explode was good, but that fact that they hurt at all when they haven’t in over 4,000 km of running is concerning, because it’s unclear if this is the start of a trend or something temporary. I also wonder if my weight is a factor, since I’m not as svelte as I would normally be (167.8 now but finally starting to trend back down. This is still 14 pounds more than last October, before The Fattening began.)

With Daylight Saving Time underway, I may aim for a post-dinner run on Tuesday. We’ll see if the flatter, friendlier Brunette River trail is more forgiving on the knees.

Run 493: Clone run

Run 493
Average pace: 5:33/km
Location: Brunette River trail
Start: 6:19 pm
Distance: 5.03 km
Time: 27:58
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 22ºC
Wind: moderate to strong
BPM: 158
Weight: 164.7 pounds
Total distance to date: 3855 km
Devices/apps: Apple Watch, iPhone

Tonight’s run was a virtual replay of Tuesday’s except without hurricane winds to add excitement, though it was breezy.

With most of the debris on the trail cleared, I was able to focus less on tripping/getting clobbered by rogue branches and more on the actual run. And yet my performance was nearly identical, with the pace of 5:33/km only one second faster than Tuesday’s pace. My total time of 27:58 was all of three seconds faster. I’m not complaining, as I was expecting similar performance as I come back from both the extended break and the cold, but it’s always a little weird when I so closely match one run to the next.

One improvement, though, was my BPM, down from 164 to 158, the lowest it’s been on a run in a good while. It probably helped that I fairly plodded the first km.

A complication, though it didn’t result in any difference in actual pace, was the right heel, which was aching a bit before the run, ached during the run and is still aching now. It actually felt better during the run than after.

I also had a weird ten seconds or so as I neared the far gate around the 3 km mark where my left knee suddenly felt funny, but not haha funny. Every time I stepped forward it felt like my left leg might buckle because the knee suddenly didn’t want to support it. It cleared up quickly but was a bit disconcerting. Knee issues for me have been very rare, fortunately. And should remain so, dang it.

Overall, the best part of the run was simply getting out and doing it, to help get back to my regular routine as swiftly as possible.

Plus no trees fell on me.

The sunny and hot recovery run

Average pace: 5:04/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.5 km
Weather: Sunny, warm and humid
Temp: 25ºC
Wind: light to moderate
Calories burned: 816
Total distance to date: 1614 km

Nothing like a 10º jump in temperature to make you say, ‘Yep, it sure is warm!’

Last night I felt a bit of creakiness in the right knee that concerned me as I head out for today’s run under a clear sky and slightly warmer than normal temperatures. By the time the run started it was 25ºC and felt warmer due to the humidity. I again chose to run clockwise.

Just as I was preparing to start another jogger ran by. This automatically triggered my incipient competitive streak and I knew that I would have to keep it in check for at least the rest of the week, not wanting to risk pushing things while I’m still sussing out how my knee and right leg are feeling.

The other jogger began pulling ahead and established a comfortable lead on me through the detour part of the route. Because the section is fairly straight and has excellent LOS it was easy enough to keep an eye on him. I kept resisting the urge to pick up the pace. My goal today was to simply take it slower than normal and if possible to beat Monday’s pace by some modest amount.

Once the other jogger reached the regular part of the trail he disappeared around a corner and I assumed I had lost sight of him for good. And it was good, as he’d no longer distract and tempt me.

However, just as I was crossing the zigzag bridge I spotted him on the path up ahead. It seemed his pace had flagged enough to close the distance by a good margin. But as we headed toward the parking lot for the rowing pavilion, he turned right into the parking lot. As far as I know there are no trails leading out from it, so perhaps he had parked there, around the corner. In any case, I declared myself the victor and kept running on.

I opted to take the Piper Mill Trail. It would add length to the run but it would also provide better cover that the main trail. I came in at 11.5 km, roughly 300m more than Monday and an average pace of 4:54/km, three seconds better than Monday’s outing. Mission accomplished.

The better news is the knee held up fine and even the right thigh that bothered me on Monday behaved itself. I felt some minor twinges in my right calf and ankle but nothing more than that.

My plan for Friday is much the same — improve my time slightly but otherwise take it easy. 25ºC is probably the highest temperature I can run at where it doesn’t feel too hot. It’s still pretty dang warm, though. The current forecast for Friday calls for a high of 20. We shall see.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 25 5:04
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

The more than slightly damp recovery run

Average pace: 5:07/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CW
Distance: 11.18 km
Weather: Overcast, drizzle
Temp: 15ºC
Wind: light
Calories burned: 793
Total distance to date: 1602 km

A change in the weather as I prepared for my first run since Wounded Knee Wednesday. With the temperature an unseasonably cool 15ºC and the sky threatening rain, I set off, nervous but cautiously hopeful, as my knee had not experienced any pain or discomfort since Wednesday, perhaps due to my diligent and quick icing.

The walk to the lake went fine and the rain held off. I opted to go clockwise and started out on a deliberately slower pace — the first km coming in at 4:39 then tapering way off to 4:56 by the second km. My knee wasn’t bothering me but I did start to feel some soreness in my right thigh, perhaps due to a slightly shifted gait due to my slower than normal pace. That was a minor inconvenience, though and I pushed on. By the 4K mark it started to drizzle and it kept up for the remainder of the run but that’s all it was, drizzle.

I still got soaked but it was a gentle soaking rather than a complete drenching.

There were several times during the run where I wanted to pick up the pace. With the cooler conditions and slower speed I was feeling comfortable and felt like I had room to spare. But I was not going to push harder and risk anything. I finished with my slowest run in a few months with an average of 5:07/km but the important thing is the knee held up fine.

I’ll continue to keep to a more deliberate pace for the rest of the week, although my times are bound to naturally improve and hopefully all will be well at week’s end.

One thing I noted is that the planks for the new boardwalk currently under construction have all been moved from their resting place to the boardwalk area itself. I wonder if that project is ahead of schedule. Part of me wants to sneak in there one day and have a look but the more sensible part of me knows I’d a) get yelled at and b) probably twist my ankle or have something else equally stupid happen.

All in all, I was pleased by today’s run. The knee seems to have recovered and if I don’t push too hard I should be able to get back to my usual pace soon.

I also hit another new milestone, passing the 1600 km mark, woo.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 23 5:07
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47

Stupid knee update #1: Less stupid

The day after my weird knee issue and it is not hurting so yay! If I flex it I can feel where it was hurt but it’s now more of s stiffness so I am hoping this is a muscle bruise and nothing too serious.

I am regretfully planning on skipping the usual Friday run but planning a tentative return on Monday. That will give me five days to heal and rest. If this is insufficient I am ordering a replacement bionic knee from the Internet.

The stupid right knee run

Average pace: 4:55/km

Location: Burnaby Lake, CCW
Distance: 11.03 km
Weather: Hazy sun, high cloud
Temp: 20-22ºC
Wind: moderate
Calories burned: 782
Total distance to date: 1591 km

The day started overcast but as run time approached the sky continued to brighten, so I knew conditions would be improving rather than deteriorating. On the plus side the temperature was noticeably lower, even slightly below seasonal and this made for a much more comfortable run, despite it being perhaps even more humid than Monday. The sun started breaking through the clouds but for the most part all I got was hazy sun and cloud until the final km or so when the cloud cover finally burned off completely. And by then I had other things to be concerned with.

My pace started out decently and I felt pretty good. I was confident I could knock at least a few seconds off Monday’s Africa hot pace. Somewhere between 7 and 8 km I felt an odd twinge on the side of my right knee. Other than noting it was odd (I had done nothing to the knee or leg that might have caused some kind of strain) I did nothing and kept running. The twinge grew more prominent and turned to what I would describe as discomfort. Something was clearly not right. By the 10 km point it was just plain old-fashioned pain and I mustered along to the 11 km mark and ended my run there through sheer will, even picking the pace up slightly as I hobbled through the final 400m or so. My pace bottomed out at 5:20 at one point and the final km was a sluggish 5:14. Considering how the knee felt by then that was actually pretty good.

It hurt on the walk home — not a good sign. Once home I iced it 15 minutes on/off for 1 hour and 45 minutes. An hour after the last pack the side of the knee is still cool to the touch.

My best guess is I pulled one or more tendons. How this happened is a mystery as it happened without any warning. before or during the run. I went from twinge to OW MY KNEE.

I’m going to see how it feels when I get up tomorrow and go from there, possibly having the doc check it out or just rest it for the remainder of the week.

I seem to be jinxed. Whenever I hit a new milestone something always happens. I’m hoping this is fairly minor and although I probably won’t be running Friday I still hope to be back out there ASAP.

I ended up tying monday’s pace, which is decent considering how I felt for the last couple of km. If the knee had behaved I would have beaten it, I’m sure.

Chart

Date Average Pace
July 18 4:55
July 16 4:55
July 13 4:59
July 11 4:55
July 9 4:54
July 6 4:58
July 4 4:54
July 2 4:47