I WAS RUNNING, AND THEN NOT SO MUCH.

    Whelp....my dreams of becoming an Olympic marathon runner have been crushed, y'all. CRUSHED!  Ok, yeah,stop laughing. My actual, real-life dreams were way more modest than that. :)  Actually, all I really wanted to do was get to a place physically where I could run.  Not even long distance running or competitive running, but, you know...just running for exercise and funzies. 

Both a nutritionist and a nurse told me that I had to change my workout pattern, since my regular workout was no longer doing anything, so I took their advice and started using the treadmill.  At first I was just walking, but I started turning up the speed and I found out that I actually liked running!  I know, I'm just as shocked as you are.  Actually, it was sort of a love/hate feeling with it because I've never really ran before, unless someone was making me, of course.  But, it was not as bad as I thought it would be and I found that when I was done walking/running, I felt more accomplished.  I *gasp!* liked to run.  I knew I'd have to work up some tolerance and stamina before I could do any real running, and so I was just doing short periods of jogging in between walking to build up to it.

Unfortunately, it wasn't too long before my left knee started to hurt.  Not just an ache, but actually, really hurt.  Even on the days I didn't go to the gym, I could only just hobble around. I thought maybe I'd pulled something (but can you really pull your knee?) or that maybe it was just the regular pains of starting to do something that I wasn't used to.  I iced it, I elevated it, I sang "Eye of the Tiger" to it, but nothing seemed to help.  It just hurt all the freaking time.  I kept on trying to run, but it got so bad that I couldn't even run or walk evenly anymore.  I had to hold on to the rail to keep from tripping over myself.   I finally took some advice from friends (who are far more athletic than I'll ever be) and I started doing some research on running.  Was I doing it wrong?  Apparently, you actually can run the wrong way.  Who knew?  Everything I read, though, said that I was doing the right stuff.  The only thing I was doing wrong was continuing to run on a knee that hurt.

I was on the verge of trying to find a place that specialized in running shoes (I've been told on good authority that these places exist) to see if my shoes were wrong, when time came for a physical with my doctor.  I told him what was going on, and asked what I should do.  He started flexing my knee and got this kind of  "Eeesh" look on his face.  He said I shouldn't run anymore!  He said walking was fine, but I guess anything high impact is a no-go.  He said I probably had arthritis and something else that I can't remember (in my head it sounds like decrepit, but that's not it.  It starts with a "C" and it sounds like decrepit, though.)  He told me to put my hand on my knee and move my leg, and I did and felt little crunchy movements in there, and I wasn't even putting weight on it, so...gross.  Anyways, no more running for me. 

You know, that really sucks!  I've never actually found an exercise thing that I liked until now and I've been told not to do it anymore. 

I'm riddled with old. Get off my lawn.