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So it seems I'm going to wait a while before I can start running again. At least, I hope it's only a while, and not forever.

I think my biggest problem was being on pain medication for my back while I started becoming a bit of a runner. Naproxen sodium masked the pain of my back, and most likely my knees. And then the prescription ran out, and I didn't feel like being on pain medication anymore, so I stopped taking them. And then the knee pain starts. But instead of being just gradual, it hits me like a ton of bricks. And the knee "damage" probably just started because like with most things exercise related, I did too much too fast.

C'est la vie.

My physical therapist seems to be helping me work through the recovery, but it still seems slow.

But that certainly leaves my upper body free for abuse.

So I started doing a little something inspired by P90X, and a fairly decent follow on to my recent spate of push ups and chin ups. I can't really launch into the full P90X program due to my knee issues. For now.

It's been a few weeks (already?!) since I even did my pyramids, so I took it a little easy and did a few each of standard push ups, military push ups (narrower hand position with elbows tucked in next to the body), wide push ups, decline push ups, diamond push ups, and dive bomber push ups. Everything but the standard was a nice challenge, because I had never done them - and honestly I wasn't sure if I'd be able to do them, because I knew that a few of them were tougher than the standard. Yet another reason why I didn't do very many.

I also did a few each of wide grip, overhand pull ups, regular chin ups, and close grip overhand pull ups. Again a fun challenge - I had never done the overhand variety, and thought they'd be substantially harder and possibly out of my reach. But they weren't :)

I also did a few latissimus dorsi, rhomboid, and rear deltoid lifts with light dumbbells.

I'll probably be a little sore from this for the next few days. But maybe not too bad.

As far as my knees, I'll be taking it really easy, alternating compression (from cho-pat straps) and icing, and some easy stretching and very light leg extensions and leg curls.

So I ran again last night, hoping that my physical therapist was right - that I ought to be able to continue my run/walk routine without doing anything Bad to my knees.

But sadly, it seems that is not the case.

Or perhaps I'll feel better tomorrow or the day after.

Regardless, I'm having a lot of trouble walking around today, especially descending stairs.

Not good.

At any rate, I had been having fun charting new routes for running.

Here's where I ran last night:

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It's about 2.56 miles according to Google maps, but my Timex GPS says 2.698 miles. Of course, my Timex GPS suggested that I was running at 11 mph, too. So I'm still not sure how much faith to put in its measurements.

I was concentrating on widening my gait/stride/stance/whatever. So I was also jogging a little slower. All of which seemed to really fire up my tibialis anterior muscles. The ones near the front, but to the outside, of my shins. Which is fine - normally at physical therapists, if I get a really good fast pace going on the treadmill, I feel some lactic acid buildup in those. Fine, I'm probably just hitting some muscles I don't hit that often.

I got home and stretched, and then iced my knees. You know, as a preventative measure.

But then I woke up today, and I'm just having a lot of trouble moving around.

So I think I'll hold off on additional running for a little while. Because I need to be able to walk.

:(