After a week of my left knee feeling “not right” I finally decided to wrap it and see what happens. I really ought to go to the doctor and have it looked at, but I’ve done it twice before and every time, the recommend x-rays, which I go do, and then the x-rays come back all normal and shit.
My one sports doctor guy (who fixed my shinsplints) says that an MRI would really get a good look at what’s going on there with the knee but the insurance is all “hahaha, no we’re not covering that.” So the only thing I can really do is be nice to it, wrap it when necessary, ice it pretty much constantly, throw some Ben-Gay up on there and take Aleve. It’s not ideal, but there we are.
Aside from the first-aid sorts of things, I am doing what I can to strengthen the muscles in my legs. Hilariously, this contributes to the problem somewhat, according to Dr. SportsMedicine. He says it will equalize at some point but that I should be careful in the meantime.
All of this makes me grumpy. I’m grumpy that running – something that used to be so easy and effortless – is now so incredibly fucking hard. I can’t believe my body changed THAT much in 20 years. I mean, aside from the weight issue, I can’t imagine that my biomechanics are all that different. But maybe they are. I know carrying that giant baby had an effect, and who knows what kind of effect a c-section had on my core stability? Eh, I’m just guessing but I’d be surprised if I were really far off-base with that.
So, until such a time when I get my fairy godmother or three wishes or a lottery win or some shit, I will continue to do what I’ve been doing. 1 minute running followed by 4 minutes walking, increasing incredibly slowly until I can run for a good long while without things falling off of me. That’s how I used to run those barrels, and I used to do that ALL DAY EVERY DAY ALL SUMMER. Maybe I should write a book about it.