I haven't posted in awhile! Last time I posted, I had decided to try to run a 5k in 24 minutes. Then a couple things happened.
I got really busy. My summer class for graduate school and my regular work were both ramping up at the same time. I had very little free time, and what I had was in short stretches here and there. I was still finding time to run, but not time to write about it.
Then my left knee started hurting when I was doing hill sprints. I brushed it off the first time, but the next time it happened, I realized it was my IT band (iliotibial tract). Injuries to the IT band are bad news for runners. They can take you out of commission for months. For some people it becomes a recurring problem. It can even end your running career permanently.
So I wasn't interested in messing around or "pushing through" this pain. I took a whole week off of both running and walking. I gradually started easing back into walking, and finally back into running. After the week or two off, my knee has felt great.
This break from running most likely means waving goodbye to my 2,022 miles for the year since I'll now need an average of 6.5 miles per day to reach the goal rather than the average of 5.5 that I needed on January 1. I had been falling gradually behind since January, but before my break it was a manageable amount to make up. Even if I don't make it to 2,022 I can still try to beat my previous record of 1,765. And no matter what, it's still good motivation to keep moving.
The time off running was exactly what I needed in a couple ways. Of course I needed to let my knee recover, but I also had too much to balance between work, school, exercising, and general life stuff. Something had to give, and I wasn't interested in letting that "something" be my mental or physical health.
Now that my summer class is over, I'm looking forward to more free time for running and walking. I'm going to focus on running for fun and enjoyment, not a time goal. I'll still do the half marathon I'm signed up for, but completely for fun. I'm also going to start writing about some other topics that interest me in addition to running. The next series will be about Plastic Free July.
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