Knee pain, armpits, Park Run, Rumination...

[ktsok]

My left knee is making itself felt. There is heat, which means trouble. Running carefully in a straight line doesn’t hurt, but walking around the house (with all the twists and turns that we don’t usually think about) can make me yelp, suck in air sharply and limp so extravagantly it looks like I’m faking it.

So it’s time for ice packs and a bit of gloomy horizontal contemplation on the effects of ageing.

Bizarrely, I managed to run 5k today at a reasonably good clip. The knee twinged once when I had to zig zag uphill through a gate but felt ok for the rest.

Pacing is something I have struggled with from day 1 of C25k. I did get better at it, but my recent sporadic running practice has meant a return to the bad old days of going out too fast (for my fitness levels; it ain’t fast by conventional standards!) and burning out. I did that three days ago and although I managed to run 6k, was forced to take half a dozen walking breaks. I was determined today to stick to a pace just shy of 7’ per km.

What a difference! I wouldn’t say it was easy, but I did manage to stay in control of my breathing and keep running through the difficult moments. The splits showed a gradual increase in pace through the kilometres; always pleasing.

In an effort to reduce waste and be a bit more environment conscious, I have recently taken the plunge and not only cut almost all meat out of my diet, but have started using a natural deodorant balm. After I ordered the stuff I had an email from the company warning me it might take a week or two for my body to adjust - in other words, I might have B.O. for a fortnight. Great. But I am pleased to say that my armpits smelled like lemons from the first use, even after a run. It’s amazing! The charcoal soaks up the sweat, I think, and the natural ingredients work to kill the bacteria that cause odours. Anyway - I would thoroughly recommend giving this a go as an alternative to the single use plastics and cans and aerosols we use that block our pores, make holes in the ozone and end up in landfill sites. My boyfriend makes his own deodorant balm... I was a bit dubious at first but am coming round to the idea; I like his smell!

Speaking of the boyfriend - I have persuaded him to do a Park Run this weekend. The poor, brave man has never run before so this, his debut, will be 5k in front of several hundred strangers. He must be really in love. I told him about my knee on a video call and he couldn’t quite hide the hope in his eye or the small smile that crept in, but to his credit, he managed to maintain a polite level of sympathy. I have told him he will be fine - we will walk run at conversational pace. I have never been able to converse whilst running, even slowly, but hey ho - in the land of the blind, the one-eyed man (or woman, in this case) is King.

Happy running chaps x

[Couchpotato2]

Haha, lovely! He's now officially your bf, how exciting

Re your knee, I would get it checked out if you haven't already (chiropractor / ostheo); sounds a bit like what I had and after a crack pop all was back to normal...

I also have had to go slower on pace when I run irregularly so roughly 7.30-8'. Today I was sure I was much faster than usual but was slower, so strange...

Anyway thanks for the deodorant tip, I've been trying the stone crystal one, which I found did take a couple of days to kick in properly but I'm interested in the idea of smelling of lemons...

[Jell6 Graduate10 in reply to Couchpotato2]

My sister used to use the rock crystal one, until we had to tell her gently that it wasn't working!!

[Couchpotato2 in reply to Jell6]

I think it works a limited amount of time. I filed down the external bit and seems to work... well I think so!

[Jell6 Graduate10 in reply to Couchpotato2]

👍, knowing my sister I doubt she followed any guidance!

[ktsok in reply to Couchpotato2]

Yeah... he asked me on date 2 and we announced it to his friends at the party we were at lol. There may have been booze involved.

I’m sure the knee will be ok. They both got badly sprained while trampolining a few years ago. I had just discovered the joys of putting a half twist into a back somersault aged 40, without questioning whether it was a good idea. When I got off the trampoline my legs collapsed. Months of heavy strapping and physio got me going again but sometimes they get tweaked and go into spasm. Ice and careful use seems to do the trick.

Have a fab weekend!

[Couchpotato2 in reply to ktsok]

Yes I know what that's like, I always seem to injure the same knee and occasionally get a bit of heat which means problems as you say. Hopefully it passes quickly!

If it's announced, then it must be true! Looking forward to the PR report!!

[Jell6 Graduate10]

So much going on in this post ktsok.

Interesting about the charcoal balm, how do you apply it?

Is it sticky?

Lovely that all is still going so well on the romantic front. 💝💖

I love the photo.

Don't run on a bloody sore knee!!

Take care 😘

[ktsok in reply to Jell6]

Morning Gaj(elle)!

The charcoal balm is a grey, thick paste, firmer than peanut butter. The grey doesn’t sound appealing, but when you scoop a pea-sized amount and rub it into your skin it quickly absorbs. Good spreadability. I am gobsmacked it works - I camped last weekend and barely washed in between two days of rock climbing, just rubbed another bit of balm in the morning and didn’t smell bad. What I really like (apart from the eco side) is the fact my pores aren’t being clogged up with chemicals. I feel freer.

There is always something hurting somewhere Jell. I’ll see how it feels over the next 24 hours before the Park Run. The plan is to gently jeff our way round anyway, so he has a chance of enjoying it!

😘