Do over?

If at first you don't succeed try, try again.

Yesterday I was getting pain in my knee that I haven't experienced for 20 years.  It was so bad it close to immobilized me.  I started with heat and that made it worse, I had the TENS machine on for most of the day and that helped immensely.  By the end of the night there was no pain except when I did stairs.

This morning it felt okay until I brought my leg up to put on my socks.  I decided to go for my run anyway and listen to my knee, I don't want to do harm and be out for longer than necessary.  Today was a 5 walk, 10 run, 5 walk, 10 run, 5 walk and I was nervous about that mentally.  The first 10 minute stint my knee was good, by 8.5 - 9 minutes it took a lot of convincing to keep running and at 9.5 minutes I started walking, mentally I had no desire to keep running.  I walked for 5.5 minutes and started into my second 10 minute stint.  This time it was my body that was revolting.  First it was my hamstrings so I refocused my breathing to ensure I was getting in lots of oxygen for my hard working muscles.  Next I felt a twinge in my knee, I kept breathing to see if that would improve and it did.  I stumbled on a branch and that torqued the knee, a proverbial stumbling block could I overcome it, for about 20 seconds then I started walking.  But I didn't give up.  I walked for about 30 seconds and started running again for 1.5 then back to walking, ran for another 30 seconds but now my knee was saying not to push further.

So I here is my plan.  Today I have a physio appointment at 10:45 am.  There is a combo swim at 2 pm at Tansley Woods, I am going to go there and do my running in the water, that will better support the joints.  If mentally I cannot do the 10 minutes I will go back to last weeks routine.  I hope to get my strength training in before the water running.

I have just registered Juliet and I for yoga once a week and that starts next Tuesday.  It is one week sooner than I planned to add yoga but I think I can hack it.

Overall I am disappointed but not discouraged.  6 weeks ago I wasn't running at all and now I can run for 9 minutes comfortably.  I had no intentions of duration when I started out.  In fact I would be very happy to do interval training of 9 minute runs with body weight strength training in between the runs.  I want to maintain what I have achieved and possibly build my speed.  I still want to push for 10 minutes to overcome the mental challenge but for now I think the physical challenge is more of what I need.