Almost two weeks ago, my left knee started hurting. At first, it wasn't too bad: just the downhills. I could massage it a bit and shake it around and it still got me where I wanted to go. Then, it got worse and worse and worse. It started to affect me on the uphills and then eventually on the flat parts too. When it got really bad, I just had to stop b/c I couldn't take another step without a sharp pain radiating out of my knee.
I thought it would go away, that it was just part of getting into hiking shape - but it didn't go away. After a couple days, I started decreasing my mileage and when that didn't work, I took a day off. The next day, I felt better, but I could tell it was still there. I was guessing that the pain was happening b/c I had been sleeping in shelters for a few days, on the hard floor - which was causing my knee to bend at awkward angles during the night. So, after some nights back in my hammock and even a night in a hotel bed, when the pain came back, I was truly depressed. How could this still be happening?!
I started to think worst-case scenarios. Maybe I've got some sort of arthritis-style joint issue and by gritting my teeth and hiking through the pain, I am causing permanent damage. This is so foolish! I should be in a doctor's office right now, getting this looked at. But my stubbornness wouldn't let me go there yet. I told myself I had three days to fix this before I took some serious time off from hiking and got some advice from someone who knew what they were talking about.
So, that first day was pretty awful - I barely made it to my intended destination for the night. The second night was no better - worse, in fact. I couldn't even make it to the shelter I was aiming for. I just stopped halfway up the mountain, sat down and limped over to the nearest tree I could hang a hammock on. I was truly dejected and was planning my escape from the trail for the following day.
The next day, however, went differently than I expected. I did two things different. First, I did NOT stretch my legs. I normally do this to make the walking easier and help avoid injuries (so I thought). Second, I walked much slower than I normally do. I got caught walking behind some slower hikers and instead of passing them like I normally would, I matched their pace. And I felt great. No pain at all - for the entire day. I felt so happy. Maybe I will make it after all.
The day after that, I did the same thing. I forced myself to walk slower than I wanted to. I told myself it didn't matter how far I made it - with a hammock, I can camp anywhere that there are trees. The most important thing to do is walk "correctly." And even with this slower pace, I still did one of my longest days on the trail: 22 miles. And, what's more, forcing myself to walk slower gave me the freedom to enjoy what I was walking through instead of just pounding out the miles. It was a revelation.
So, yeah, I think I'm back on track again. And I'm also enjoying the experience more too. Yay!
I thought it would go away, that it was just part of getting into hiking shape - but it didn't go away. After a couple days, I started decreasing my mileage and when that didn't work, I took a day off. The next day, I felt better, but I could tell it was still there. I was guessing that the pain was happening b/c I had been sleeping in shelters for a few days, on the hard floor - which was causing my knee to bend at awkward angles during the night. So, after some nights back in my hammock and even a night in a hotel bed, when the pain came back, I was truly depressed. How could this still be happening?!
I started to think worst-case scenarios. Maybe I've got some sort of arthritis-style joint issue and by gritting my teeth and hiking through the pain, I am causing permanent damage. This is so foolish! I should be in a doctor's office right now, getting this looked at. But my stubbornness wouldn't let me go there yet. I told myself I had three days to fix this before I took some serious time off from hiking and got some advice from someone who knew what they were talking about.
So, that first day was pretty awful - I barely made it to my intended destination for the night. The second night was no better - worse, in fact. I couldn't even make it to the shelter I was aiming for. I just stopped halfway up the mountain, sat down and limped over to the nearest tree I could hang a hammock on. I was truly dejected and was planning my escape from the trail for the following day.
The next day, however, went differently than I expected. I did two things different. First, I did NOT stretch my legs. I normally do this to make the walking easier and help avoid injuries (so I thought). Second, I walked much slower than I normally do. I got caught walking behind some slower hikers and instead of passing them like I normally would, I matched their pace. And I felt great. No pain at all - for the entire day. I felt so happy. Maybe I will make it after all.
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| From AT 2012 |
The day after that, I did the same thing. I forced myself to walk slower than I wanted to. I told myself it didn't matter how far I made it - with a hammock, I can camp anywhere that there are trees. The most important thing to do is walk "correctly." And even with this slower pace, I still did one of my longest days on the trail: 22 miles. And, what's more, forcing myself to walk slower gave me the freedom to enjoy what I was walking through instead of just pounding out the miles. It was a revelation.
So, yeah, I think I'm back on track again. And I'm also enjoying the experience more too. Yay!
Whew, I'm happy to hear you got your knee figured out. Happy knees = happy trails :)
ReplyDeleteLove those revelations!
ReplyDelete