Last December I started the First Day to 5k program through Podrunner Intervals. I'd completed it once before, in 2007, but due to weather and asthma I didn't keep up with it after that. This past time I got halfway through week 3 and decided that since my knee pain had me about in tears by the end of the run, it was time to quit. Considering I'd been running on an indoor track (and was on concrete sidewalks in 2007), this sudden problem was unexpected, to say the least.
I have several theories as to what happened. The first may be that my form was off during the first week, causing minor injury that never healed properly, worsening every time I ran. The second is that I've exceeded the weight limit for my joints, and I need to just lose weight before I can run again.
I've always wanted to be a runner, not just for the fitness benefits but because I like the freedom of it. You can do it just about anywhere, no special equipment required. The best part of the Podrunner Intervals podcasts is that you don't have to constantly check your watch or your distance: the speed of the music changes when you need to change your pace, with a little chime in between so you know it's coming. And you know, a lot of the time running really sucks, but when it doesn't, it's awesome. And either way, at the end of each run I feel like I really accomplished something.
So I've decided to try again. I have an appointment to pick up new custom orthotics this coming Tuesday. After giving myself a couple weeks to fully break them in, I will begin the First Day to 5k program again, on February 21.
I told my coworker this, who then wrote it on his calendar. I'm not sure how I feel about such accountability, but I guess I'm in it for real now. Here's hoping my knee doesn't fail me again. I'll take it super slow, which isn't saying much considering I was never what you might call fast, but one thing I've learned about going to the gym: nobody's looking at you.
