HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!
The deeper I get into the sports world, the more complex it gets… and the more I LOVE it. While yesterday was a pretty big disappointment in my book, it was a huge lesson in patience. Honestly, I would have been more upset if I had gotten even farther to only have the same problem at mile 15 or 20. I’m lucky that it happened quick and it appears that I didn’t do any further injury to myself. Don’t get me wrong… I’m sure it wasn’t the best thing to run on my knee to begin with, but honestly I had no idea if it had healed or not at that point. Since I had a relatively pain-free two weeks since hurting it, I was hoping whatever it was had already fixed itself. But I was very wrong.
Today I have an appointment with Dr. Kim Fagan at Fagan Sports Medicine here in Birmingham. She came highly recommended by some running friends and she is even an accomplished runner herself. I hope she can help me identify my knee problem today so I can be on the road to recovery. I will keep you guys posted on what she says!
Over the past few months I’ve become aware & familiar with the many facets of sports health. Here are just a few: sports medicine, sports nutrition, sports massage, conditioning & strength, physical therapy, training, and professional coaching. That’s a pretty intimidating list if you’re not accustomed to hearing about those types of things. But what’s cool is that each of these areas is attainable, either by yourself or through the help of a professional. Sure, you can run a marathon without most of these if you have a healthy body & mind. But to make it to the next level you will need access to the knowledge bank. My goal is to qualify for Boston in 2011 & finish my Ironman in August like a champ. So I’m going to need allll the help I can get.
Here is a breakdown for the help I’m receiving so far:
Sports Nutrition: Spectrum Nutrition (Alison & Stephanie)
Sports Medicine: Fagan Sports Medicine
Conditioning & Strength: Crossfit Scars (Justin Scarsella)
Sports Massage: I haven’t done this yet, but Hal Richardson comes highly recommended and he is on my list.
Physical Therapy: I have multiple sources for this since my sister & brother-in-law both practice. Also, I’m sure that Fagan Sports Medicine has their own team of specialists as well.
Professional Running Coach: I can’t disclose this source yet, but the plan is to start receiving help in March or April in preparation for my Ironman in August.
As for my day off of work, I am going to edit our pics from the Ghost Ghirls photo shoot on Saturday. I am also hoping that Justin can fit me in last-minute for a Crossfit session, but if he can’t then I’ll hit the gym for a swim session focusing on my upper body (or who knows… maybe I’ll do both!). I am staying far, far away from my knee until I get permission & instructions on how to use it again. On a different note, when I woke up this morning Mike gave me my Valentine’s gift (pictured below). I have the best husband ever!!! We will probably eat mexican tonight in celebration of the holiday. :)
My Valentines present from Mike! :)
