Project Exercise

I got up early to do a test run this morning.  I did 6 miles, however, at about 5.5 miles I got that sharp pain and my knee buckled.  I walked it out for a bit then ran off the rest of the run.

I also had PT today.  Man, my legs got a killer workout.  You know I am learning a lot at PT.  I am definitely going to combine the exercises that I am learning with my own leg routines.

I was watching a guy at PT doing plyometrics type exercises today.  He was rehabing a bad knee.  So I tried to do plyo when I got home, just to see if my knee could handle it.  I really tried to concentrate on landing squarely to keep my knee from buckling.  I was actually able to get through the workout.

Ok, so here is the deal.  I told my PT about my runs and having my knee buckling.  One of the problems with chondromalacia is that once you have it, you always have it.  When I was in the service, my knee colapsed while running an obstacle course.  This was about a hundred years ago when I was a very young man.  Anyway, I was diagnosed with chondromalacia back then.  However, I did not have an further incidents.  I thought I beat the injury.  I didn’t know chondromalacia is a permanent injury.  Looks like it came back to haunt me.

The PT asked me when the last time I did leg training.  I had to admit that I stopped training legs since I began marathon training.  She gave me a look of total disgust.  She told me that the only way to keep my knee cap in its track with chondromalacia is to have strong quads.  She further told me that I can run a few miles while concentrating on running straight and true, however, once I get fatigued and lose concentration, the knee cap can come of its track and cause the sharp pain and buckling.  She said that some folks with chondromalacia can continue running if they strengthen their legs.  Strong quads helps keep the knee cap aligned.  She also said that my goals of doing an Oly distance triathlon is within reason with this knee injury.  Of course, long endurance runs are another story.  She didn’t say it couldn’t be done, but she wasn’t sure we could get my legs strong enough by the time I the marathon comes up.  The marathon is becoming increasingly unlikely.

I am wondering if it would not be wiser to just take time to strengthen my legs and prepare myself for the LavaMan Triathlon.

Oh, btw, I was able to secure a brand new “Insanity” workout still in the box.  A friend of mine bought 2ea “Insanity” dvd workouts, one for himself and one for his sister.  His sister decided that she couldn’t do it so I bought it for $75.  The box was still sealed.  Am I going to do it?  I don’t know, I have to see if my knee can handle it.  One good thing is that, unlike my long runs, the workouts are only one hour long.

I woke up early and did a shoulder workout.  Because I am a bit frustrated with the way my knee is affecting my running, I took it out on the deltoids.  I hammered them until I could barely lift my arms.

At 11am I had an appt with Phyiscal Therapy.  I have never been to physical therapy.  Holy cow, that therapist worked me out hard.  First she massaged my quads.  Man, that hurt like a big dog.  After that she had me warm up on the cycle then we did leg exercises for the remaining 40 minutes.  Most of it was static, body weight isometric exercises.  I was sweating like a big dog.  My quads were burning.  She said that since I was an athlete (I reminded her that I am an old broken down athlete), she was going to work me hard.  I saw other folks in there doing hardly anything tough at all.  In the meantime I was getting pounded.  It was good though.

You may be wondering why they have me doing so much that involves my quads.  Well, to work the knee the quads get involved.  Further, she was telling me that chondromalacia occurs in runners because the quad muscles are not firing correctly.  When that happens the knee cap does no slide in its track correctly.  That is why I get a sharp pain and then go down.  The knee cap falls off its track and does not hold me upright.  She was showing me how to control my quad muscles and the IT band in particular.  She had me fire the quad muscle located on the inner thigh wear it connects just above the knee, then she wanted me to fire the upper, outer quad muslce.  She wanted me to fire them independently of each other.  She asked me to fire the lower inner quad then the upper outer quad.  It is not that easy.  She said that my knee should track better once I get my quad muscles firing correctly.

When I got home I did an hour on my indoor cycle trainer.