Hey, I can swim (almost back ((on my feet))

I return to running either this Sunday 1/29 or Monday 1/30. It has been since New Year's Eve that I last ran and two weeks since I last biked. My knee has been off and on, what I can't believe is that I don't feel GREAT. I would have thought one month off from running would have cleared up any lagging running problems. My hamstrings still feel tight and my knee still has moments of pain. This has been one of the most frustrating things ever. I am sure other injured folks feel this way but I feel like I will never return to running/biking. I know I have been a pain in the butt to live with as well. Poor Beth is so sick of hearing about this.

Here's what I have been doing:

lifting two days a week, including leg workouts and strength work focused on my knee and hips.
Stretching, stretching and more stretching. I am not really sold on this yet, I'm curious to see what happens when I return to running. I almost feel like I am stretched beyond what is normal.

Swimming two days a week, that's right, I've actually been swimming. I am trying to build my way up to one mile of continuous swimming, not very easy I'm learning. Here is the plan I have been following for two weeks, so far so good. Zero to 1650 in 6 weeks (for me 9 b/c I'm not doing this 3 days a week)

Being on the bench sucks

Thursday 1/12/06, I'm about half way through my planned one month break from running. It sucks, and the good weather makes the non-running aspect much worse. The bad news is my knee still hurts. I have a really bad feeling that after this month of no running I will return to the same knee problem I had when I started. I haven't exactly taken a full break and have probably overdone it with the biking. After Friday's scheduled ride (I can't pass the opportunity to ride with a professional mtn biker, Jamie Whitmore, who arrives today to run our little river race.

After Friday I will be taking 2 more weeks off and only lift and possibly take up some swimming, something I am not really looking forward to, talk about another world with its own set of rules, etiquette and inconveniences. I want to make sure that this break actually gives my knee a rest.

The good news, I am doing some walking and hiking, what better way to learn the trails than to walk them? It's been quite nice.

On the Bench

It appears I have Plica Syndrome and need to rest my knee, I will be returning to running Feb 1.

Little River New Years Run

Little River Run, 9 miles, great run, knee was killing me. I have decided to take a month off of running, will continue to bike etc, but no running until Feb 1.