Ok, I am starting to worry now.
As you know, I didn’t run all week to give my legs a break. Well, today I hopped on the treadmill for an easy 2-3 slow miles and I was shocked to find that my legs are STILL tired and slightly sore/uncomfortable. What the heck!?
I ran about 0.4 miles and I decided to stop and walk slowly for about 16-17 minutes because I started to worry.
I really don’t understand why my legs are feeling this way, but this is kind of freaking me out considering that my half is just 1 day away. My guess is that I have come down with something because my muscles in my back have been really stiff for no reason too.
I ended up getting off the treadmill after 20 minutes of light walking.
I am not sure what to think. I guess I will just keep resting until Sunday and hope that this just passes and I feel refreshed come race day.
I hate feeling stressed right before a race. :( I really don’t want to go into this half marathon feeling like I’m not loosened up!
In other non-running aspects, I have been trying to help my body with healthy eats.
Including lots of Green Monsters!
They always make me GLOW!
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Knee Sleeve Rash Update:
The other day Eric says to me, ‘You know you should really get that rash checked out, it is getting worse.” This is coming from a guy who never goes to the doctor when he is feeling sick. But, he was right. I needed to make the time to visit my doctor to get it checked out. I am the type of person that tends to put off doctor visits until I absolutely have to go!
Before I go to the Dr’s office, I always Google my symptoms first so I am prepared.
This is what the Internet told me it could be:
- Eczema
- Ring Worm (NOT an actual worm, just a type of fungal infection)
- Skin Cancer
Don’t you hate Googling things on the internet and you always get one really SCARY result? It makes me so paranoid! I had swollen glands under my arms once and I was convinced it was cancer. I was on edge for 3 days until I could see the doctor!
So anyways, I had my appointment this morning.
One quick look at it Doc said it is eczema!
Apparently my Knee Sleeves have caused the eczema and I now have these red, scaly, highly itchy circles about the size of a dime to a quarter around my knee sleeve zone. It has been driving me crazy the past 1-2 months.
Apparently this steroid cream that he gave me is supposed to clear it up in 10 days (3x daily application!!).
I would have loved to go the Project Natural Glow route with my treatment, but unfortunately the Coconut Oil did NOT help my condition. I was using it for a good two weeks with no relief. Sometimes a prescription is necessary. I can already tell that the cream is helping which is a good sign.
Doc actually suggested that I start taping my knees instead of wearing the sleeves.
As soon as I get some time I am going to make an appointment with a Physical Therapist. I’d like to learn how to tape my knees and hopefully not have to wear the sleeves anymore. Or better yet, strengthen my leg muscles so I don’t have knee pain at all!
He also reminded me not to over-train. He was happy with me when I told him that I haven’t been running more than 3 days a week most weeks. He said that is the way to go because running is hard on the body as we all know.
Cotton Knee Sleeves:
By the way, I ordered some DONJOY all cotton knee sleeves and they arrived this week. I was sooooo disappointed with them though. They are not even close to supportive enough like my current knee sleeves. In fact, I can barely tell that they are on because they do NOTHING! I have to send these back and get my money back. Which totally sucks because I had to order these from the US and they were NOT cheap!
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I’m off to work on the online shopping cart for a bit. Friday night will be spent cuddled up with Sketchie, Eric, and some TLC’s Say Yes To The Dress. Addicted to that show!!
Tomorrow will be another segment of my grad school saga as well as showing you my pre-race eats, outfit, and race-kit stuff.
By the way, you can follow me during my half marathon LIVE on Sunday! Go to the homepage on Sunday and look for the link. My race bib number “5443”. :) Oh and Race Time = 7:30am EST. Anyone going to be awake?? haha.
2 more sleeps, let’s hope these legs snap back into action!
Enjoy your night! :)
Love the sweater! :)
Go Gryphons!
I’m Guelph Alum too!
sometimes doctors are a good thing! i almost never go… and then last year i got a giant lump on my face out of nowhere! the doctor told me it was a blocked salivary gland (wayyyy better than any diagnoses i’d googled) and prescribed painkillers and… lemon drops!
i trust doctors who prescribe candy (the citrus helped make me salivate to force the gland to work, it really had a reason)
i hope your knees feel better soon!
Hey Ang, I know it sounds totally contradictory…but sometimes after not running for a few days my legs actually feel much worse. Once I get running again about a mile in they start to feel better. I would make sure you run just a bit before the race, as it should help…unless it’s actually truly painful.
I’m sure you’ll be great on race day!! I never google my symptoms just for that very reason. I’ll freak out forever that I have some ridiculous illness when really, it’s just a cold. :-)
Hi Ange,
I think that’s probably quite common? You’ve had a few heavy weeks with building up your training, and your body is probably also conscious of what’s coming and feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. But, on the day, adrenalin should kick in and all your hard work in the lead up will carry you through! I hope you do start to feel better though…I’d find it stressful too I know.
Also, I just caught up on about a weeks worth of your posts (lol)…I love the evolutionary psych stuff about set point and why diets don’t work, and your musings on psychology in general and some of the downsides of academia. So very true. I especially disliked the divison between different areas when I was studying clin. psych. at a graduate level. Luckily I had a great supervisor and a PhD topic I was passionate about, which made a difference for me.
Lots of luck for the half tomorrow – I’m very aware of all the changes you’ve made over the past few years, and very proud and impressed of you getting to this point in health and fitness and everything else :) No matter how the race goes, the lead up to it is amazing in and of itself.
‘I am strong’ ‘I am capable of doing this’ ‘I feel no pain’ ‘I am a machine that is enjoying this run’ ‘The challenge is the prize, enjoy’ ‘I can and will endure whatever I have to because I am capable’ ‘This is amazing, because I have come so far’ ‘I am washed over with nothing but positive thoughts’
Let go of the worry and start replacing it with affirmations. visualise success.
Angela,
I don’t mean to scare you but please listen to your body. I ran my first race 2 weeks ago and last Friday I popped my knee cap. I was diagnosed with patellofemoral syndrome about 2 years ago and continued running while using knee braces. Dr. just diagnosed me with trochanteric bursitis on both hips, he thinks this may have caused my knee problems (this is extremely common among women runners) About 2 to 3 weeks before my race I worked on my speed and that really messed me up. I felt really uncomfortable with my knees up until the day before the race. The day of the race I didn’t feel any pain whatsoever (due to excitement). But just 4 days after I turned and popped my knee cap. Right now I’m in a lot of pain and walking/sitting and laying seems too uncomfortable. I’m starting PT on Wednesday but my Dr. has recommended I stay away from running until I regain my strength.
http://www.drpribut.com/sports/spknees.html
Check out the article on most common injuries!
Hope you feel better!
You are totally going to rock this half marathon. I bet a lot of the discomfort you are feeling relates to your nerves. Whenever I am nervous I always psych myself out. Try to just take some deep breaths, maybe do some yoga/stretching tomorrow.
Also, get a good nights sleep :) But don’t worry, you can do it!
Like I said on Twitter, just make sure to get rest and stretch as much as possible, stay hydrated and fueled – and don’t let it get mental! I often find myself feeling “injured” a few days before a race because I’m really freaking out mentally. Might just be me though, I’m weird. ;-)
Good luck, I know you will do great!
hey angela…. best of luck with the race!! i can honestly say now, if i can do it, anyone can do it! :) i’m sure you will be fine. look up “phantom taper pains” online, they say a lot of marathoners will have all sorts of phantom pains during their taper weeks, because they just don’t feel “right” when they aren’t running.
i know someone recommended bringing some pain killer with you to the race, but i hope you don’t take any before the race. it can mess with your blood, thin it out, and cause lots of problems, at least that’s what i’ve been told. better safe than sorry in my opinion, but do what you think is best. :) don’t worry, you will be fine!! chin up soldier!!! hehe
Good luck with your race! I hope that you have fun and enjoy the experience. I am so sorry to learn of the knee irritation from your knee sleeves, that sounds really uncomfortable. I hope the cream clears up the itchies quickly!
Since I’m in Japan your race will make it 8:30 at night my time, so I will try to check in on you. Good luck!
Oh my god, I used to yell at my roommate in college all the time because she would google her illnesses and they would always come back either 1) Cancer 2) AIDS 3) Endopic pregnancy. I was like you have a headache!! Stop with the googling! Really, it just stresses you out. I’m glad you went to the doctor though.
You will have an amazing race experience this weekend! Even if you crawl across the finish line on your hands and cotton knee sleeves, you will give it your very best effort because that’s who you are and what you do Angela! And that’s why we love you :)
Good luck! The cotton knee sleeve news is such a bummer! Any
you really glow in your pic today! thanks for helping let out the glow inside of all of us!
Nerves can have SO much to do with how your body is feeling! Try your best to relax and just know that you have done the training and you will totally rock it on Sunday!
Wishing you tons of luck on your run and here’s hoping that that darn rash clears up QUICK! As for the muscle soreness, don’t worry, I think your adrenaline will be pumping so hard that you probably won’t even notice on race day.
Knock ’em dead!
:)
Best of luck with the race and know that you are fabulous no matter what the outcome! ;)
Holy glow in that photo though, seriously, your skin is GORGEOUS! I want your skincare regime!
-K
I used to get horrible rashes from my knee braces as well. I think mine was just a heat rash though because I only get it in the summer. My chiropractor actually recommended that I stop wearing knee braces to run because it puts extra pressure on the surrounding muscles, etc. and can cause other problems. I use a foam roller and although I still get knee pain after I run I’m usually able to run with no braces just fine (except in soccer, because of all the quick turns). I’d still like to look into taping, as well.
Anyway, I wouldn’t worry about your legs too much. I always get a bit of random stiffness the days before I race, I think it’s partly nerves or something, but come race day my legs usually feel just fine. You’ll be great!
good luck on your race!! have a few long hot baths the day before to help your muscles relax.
i was getting a rash under my sports bra that sounds like your, what i did was smear sportsglide over the rash before putting on my bra, it helped clear it up right away!