Knee Issues

This journey of half marathoning began with a successfully healed knee reconstruction that was completed in 2011.  Prior to that, my left knee would chronically dislocate.  How bad?  Every time I bent my knee, my knee cap would slide out of place.  Most of the time it would go back in place but there were the special moments, such as the one that landed me flat on my back in the mall and being loaded into an ambulance that proved to be much more severe.  For the most part, the last three years have been uneventful.  I had occasional annoyance from something hitting my shin where my hardware was imbedded in the bone, or my running limitations due to the hardware (why I run such small amounts), yet otherwise, I have been living a normal life.

Here is the bad news...

Sunday's race in Everett was not uneventful.  My knee began to ache in a spot I knew all too well.  I attributed some of it to the sloping of the ground as I know from past experiences that side sloping ground is horrible for me to walk on comfortably.  I also thought that some of it might be my shoes.  I bought some new shoes in August.  These are New Balance shoes, and while they are great and comfortable, I do not find them as supportive for my needs as I do the Saucony shoe I have typically bought.  So I thought some of it might be that the New Balance shoe was good for a 5K but not a half.  But then the weird instability began.  Anyone who has had knee instability can tell you that this is a horrible and scary feeling.  I finished the race on Sunday, and as you know, I ended up running a lot towards the end.  No issues other than the initial knee pain that seemed to go away, or so I thought.

I was at school today when I had some more instability.  My knee is visibly inflamed and a bit tender.  As I was shopping in the University bookstore, I felt my knee wiggle that all familiar "I'm going to think about going out on you" wiggle.  NO!!!  Not now!  Or ever!  I have another race in 6 weeks, and this is not going to be something I want in my way.  As stubborn as I am, I can also be realistic.  I scheduled an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon.  He knows my knee inside and out.  I suspect that some could be an overuse injury.  I suspect that it is just a weak VMO muscle which is common and easy to rehab.  But no matter what, I refuse to be stupid about this.  I look up at my six medals and know that #7 is on its way.  It is time to talk to my surgeon though before this gets out of hand and I land back on his table for a third surgery on this knee. 

As I wait for next week, I am doing my VMO strengthening exercises that I learned in physical therapy; resting as much as possible; and wearing good supportive shoes.  I will not be letting this end my half marathon experience.