So Mad I'm Blogging

I am not a swimmer.

There. I said it. I don't like swimming, I don't want to swim, and I hate that it is the only form of exercise my knee will allow me to do.

Let me take you back to a wonderful time known as Fall of 2007. You see, the Fall of 2007 was when I finally said 'goodbye' to pavement, tied on my first pair of trail shoes, and fell deeply and madly in love with trail ultrarunning. Life was great. I ran all fall and into the snowy Michigan winter. January 2008 brought the Winter Wolf 15 Miler - a rough and tough roads and trails course through Omer, Michigan...in the winter...in the dark...on a full moon...through haunted fields...oh yeah, and it was -15. Spring came and it was the Trail Marathon - my first age-group win in such a big race. Next was my first ultra, a 50K in Gnaw Bone, Indiana where believe it or not - I WON! Granted the first half dozen people got lost, but that's part of the ultra game. Fall brought my second ultra and my second (and this time legit) win! My last race of the 2008 season was a 50 miler in northern lower Michigan. It was a beautiful course that I described to my husband as "really easy compared to what we've been doing!". I've never had knee problems or IT band problems until that day. And now I've had them ever since. That was the last time I really ran.

Runners love to give advice. We'll give advice about running, training, stretching, strengthening, shoes, sweat-wicking materials, and which gel/lotion/cream/wax will prevent your crotch and nipples from chafing. So in case anyone reading this is thinking "oh! I have a suggestion for her!" let me go ahead and list what I have done so far to fix my knee. I have tried: rest, ice, heat, stretching, strengthening, swimming, biking, elliptical machine, 2 months of physical therapy, iontophoresis, flector patches, ibuprofin, yoga, as well as x-rays, MRIs, and one cortisone shot. Thus far, I'm the strongest, most flexible, least inflamed person you've ever heard of that is too injured to run. Back to my story...

They say you are allowed to brag about a race in a manner directly proportional to the distance you ran. Once your time is up, that's it - you have to switch from bragging back to training. Apparently the same holds true for injuries. You're alotted a set amount of time to "woe is me" and then after that, you're supposed to get better. My husband, dear sweet wonderful man that he is, is sick of me complaining that I can't run. He says it will get better and complaining won't help. Meanwhile, it is sunny and 20 degrees above freezing for the first time in months and I can barely go for a walk!

When you're healthy you don't realize there is this entire subculture of injured people. Check the forums on Runner's World - there's even a "daily injured" thread. My thoughts are two-fold about this blog. Maybe typing out all the things I'm feeling that I can't tell other people (again, due to my woe-factor being expired) will be therapeutic somehow. More than that though, maybe someone else out there is looking to know that they aren't alone and hopefully as I heal (c'mon knee - don't make a liar outta me) people can understand that it won't be forever like it seems to be now.

Hang in there injured people out there! We are in this together, and we do not have to pretend to be happy about it. We will not be injured passively and contently! We will swim, but swim angrily! WE WILL SPIT IN THE POOL! Wait, no I'm kidding! Definitely don't do that...