Blog: Training for her FIRST marathon!

By: Alexandra Hackett

6/18/2007

"You are the handicap you must face. You are the one who must chose your place."

-James Lane Allen, novelist

Blog: My knee is killing me. If you’ve been following along with my marathon training, you may remember my painful and embarrassing tumble I took on Bayshore Boulevard two weeks ago while running.

The wound was nasty. As you can see, it is healing. However a new, related problem has cropped up. I stopped running for a week after the fall. I went on two 8-mile runs and a 4-mile run last week, eager to get back into my training. The scrape stung, but everything else felt fine. However, when I headed out for the 4^th time last Friday I felt dull pain inside and around my knee-cap. Uh-oh. I hadn’t even gone one block.

Since then, my knee has felt strange. It’s not a sharp pain, rather achy and a dull pain in the joint surrounding my knee cap. It gets stiff after I stand on it for too long and as the day progresses. I have been taking advil, keeping it elevated and alternating cold and hot compresses.

I am so frustrated. Injuries always happen to “someone else”. I want to get out and run again so badly.

I did some research on the internet, as reporters do, and I think I know what’s wrong. All the symptoms point to bursitis. According to the Mayo Clinic’s website you have more than 150 bursae in your body. They are small, fluid filled sacs that lubricate and cushion pressure points between your bones and tendons near your joints. When these bursae become inflamed it can be quite painful. There are a number of ways you can get bursistis, one of them is a hard-direct impact to your knee.

The treatment includes ibuprofin, hot and cold compresses at home. If it doesn’t feel better in a week, experts say the doctor may have to give you a cortisone shot in your knee. Keep in mind I am far from being a doctor. My family told me, a.k.a Dr. Hackett, to make an appointment with a real doctor instead. So I am not taking any chances. I found an orthopedic specialist today and made an appointment for next week.

In the meantime, I am popping my advil as well as glucosamine, a natural compound found in healthy cartilage, which may help my knee help faster. I miss wearing my sneakers. I am sick of taking pills, sick of ice packs and sick of dressing my wound. I even went so far as to buy a knee brace to wear when I get back to my training (hopefully soon).

The Marine Corps Marathon isn’t until October. The rational part of me knows I have plenty of time to heal and get back to my training. But there is that part of me that is in panic mode, the clock is ticking.

Thank you to those who have emailed me your support and advice already!

ahackett@tampabays10.com