Compared to just one month ago, I have some notable changes recently!
I can run on TRAILS! Like actual singletrack trails! Of course it has to be pretty moderate, nothing crazy steep. But to be able to run on real dirt with scenery and hills and rocks is just glorious. I feel a sense of normalcy just being able to do this! I have to do a lot of "prep" - 15 minutes of neuro work, followed by skipping, then single leg agility, then agility t-test - then I can go for a run. It is programmed like this intentionally. I was also upping my running interval times 9% each week, but that proved to be too much change for the knee (increased times AND new running surface). I've decided to stop the increasing and just stick with 10 min running intervals, walk for 2 minutes and repeat for an hour or so, maybe for a few weeks just to get adapted to trail demands, and to just have fun and not make it so rehab-ish. I imagine I'll try for continuous running eventually. PT asks, "So what are the running goals?" I have no specific goals at the moment, I just want to run for enjoyment in the mountains and not end up in a pile of hurt! I imagine one day I'll train for a trail half marathon. I think that is off the table for this year. That would be a crazy amount of adaptation required in a few months and I'm still dealing with low level plantar heel pain. Biking - my favorite! This is the first real season (starting in March) of mountain biking I've had had in 2.5 years. Things are adapting! For my 45th birthday, I did a big ride with my husband in a new to us area. Thanks to a wrong turn, it ended up being over 45 km. I wanted to do something with "45" for my birthday, but 45 mountain miles or 4500 feet of climbing are still a bit out of reach for me right now. So I turned the wrong turn (which added a lot more climb) into a positive! My knee and body can handle 2 trail runs, 2 hikes, 2 bikes, 2 lift days, 2 agility days all in a week! I love it. PT says we have to do an activity 2x a week for things to adapt to it.
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AuthorA 45 year old active female who tore her ACL in January 2017 (at the age of 40). Reconstructive surgery in February 2017 with bone-patellar tendon-bone autograft. Archives
November 2022
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