Disaster Strikes and Even Advil Can't Help Me Now

I never saw this one coming though in retrospect, I probably should have.

Sunday’s long run started in a lovely way.  I drove to Balboa Park – a local haven for runners.  I was looking forward to being in the company of others who share my mania…and to the soft but compacted trails that form the perimeter of this fast and flat 5-mile course.  My scheduled goal was just 9 miles and I felt great as I started off in the cool fall morning weather.

Everything was fine.  I was keeping up a good pace and rounded my first lap of the park with ease.  Then, while entering mile 7, I felt something I’d never felt before.  The back of my left heel was experiencing sharp bullets of pain.  I slowed my gait and it stopped.  “Mmm – a little bit of nothing,” I thought, and I continued on, a bit more cautious nonetheless.

And then…disaster.  About 10 minutes later unbelievable, excruciating pain overtook me – in fact, took my breath away. My left knee and what felt like my quad were screaming in burning pain.  Yet, I continued, grimacing.  I was on the far side of the park by this time…the absolute farthest I could possibly be from my car.

I don’t think I made it 500 feet more when I admitted that I just couldn’t continue.  My left leg could no longer bear my weight and my knee felt like it was frozen in a single position.  I screamed obscenities to the heavens. “NOOOOOOOO!  This can’t be happening to me!  I am training for the LA marathon!  I am on schedule!  I did everything right!”

I looked around me.  Runners were passing me by gliding with ease, happy, pain free.  Suddenly I felt alone, cheated, wronged by the universe.

I hobbled (literally) the 2.5 miles back to the car, walking like Igor trying to move without bending my left knee at all. It took me 45 minutes.

It’s been more than 24 hours now since this misfortune occurred.  I have been doing 20-minute ice packs and elevation and I have been wearing my knee compression thingy to keep my leg from bending no matter what.  I’m taking Advil to reduce swelling.  It just doesn’t seem like anything is helping.  When I extend my knee, I can hear popping.  This is bad.

Ever helpful, my husband suggests a doctor’s visit.  I refuse.  I just can’t admit that this has happened to me. Me!  The careful one.  No excess mileage.  Stretch and warm up before I run every time, 15+- years-without-any-problems me. But I guess the doctor’s visit is inevitable.  They just better not tell me I can never run again because I’ll take that as a challenge.

At a minimum, this means several weeks of “rest.”  I can’t even think about it.  How will I deal with the emotional effects of not running? How can I not do what I love?  How can I not join my friends in the marathon?  Will I be able to catch up in my training after “rest?”  AUAUAGH!

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