My bipolar knee.

I ran 21 miles on Saturday. 21 pain-free miles. At least as pain-free as 21 miles can be. And at my normal training pace. The Monday before that, I went for a 5 mile run, which was pain-free, but I thought it might be a fluke. I mean, a week ago, I had non-stop pain during my 10 miler, and suddenly my knee stops hurting altogether? I was thrilled and relieved at how well the run on Saturday went. Then I couldn't even make it through 3 miles yesterday. What is going on?? My knee is moody, it is happy then angry then happy again, without any advance warning. According to Google, "bipolar" involves periods of excitability (mania) alternating with periods of depression. The "mood swings" between mania and depression can be very abrupt. Yep, that's my knee. My bipolar knee.

So, I'm trying to keep my knee in the happy state. I kid you not when I say I am going to all extremes...aromatherapy, chakra bells playing while I sleep (thanks iPhone! and no, I have no idea what chakra really is), tendon gel, a magnet knee brace, Tiger Balm which keeps me smelling like menthol, yoga stretches...basically, I'm trying anything right now. Just get me through Boston. Please, knee gods, I beg you. So glad I'm in the taper mode now, and I'll just keep on relaxing and icing and doing chants or whatever for the next three weeks.

Non-running fun: I have tackled two major cleaning projects at my house recently...my garage and my attic. If my garage wasn't so hot and prone to visitors of the roach kind, I'd spend more time in there, it is that nice and organized now. And I finally cleared enough space in my attic to store some stuff up there. But the best part is, when I was going through some boxes, I found my diary from 1983-1984. So during my taper period while not much is going on with my running, I will post some entries. Keep in mind I was in the 7th grade or something...

Tuesday, 12-27-83
Today we went shopping. I got a pair of blue slacks. We had soccer practice today which was stupid. Its freezing here! On All My Children, Greg and Jenny ran off and then came back to get married. On General Hospital, Luke and Laura left for the mountains. GH won't be the same without them! I ♥ Chris!!!!!!!!!!!!

Arthritis Cream Drama...

Hola! Yes, I've been gone from the blogging world for a while. Didn't have much to report nor did I have the energy to write. But, yes, I'm back and I'll just jump right back into it...

Mom update: Mom has been dealing with more health issues and was finally released from her latest stay at MD Anderson a couple of weeks ago to a nursing home in Bryan where she will be for a couple more weeks. The problem continues to be an ongoing infection that is not going away, even with a drain. And surgery to scoop out the area is not an option. Its been a very very trying and tiring time for my whole family, and to say that my personal life has suffered would be an understatement. I'm a person who deals with drama by withdrawing and handling things on my own. This is my personality; I've always been this way. I don't want to burden anyone else. Its how I roll in tough times and this has been difficult to communicate and help other people understand. There's nothing wrong with wanting to be alone instead of sharing my issues with others. I'm not making any excuses or apologies. Some people like and need the company and comfort of others, especially during hard times, others don't. Doesn't mean that I'm lonely or alone, as some people are concerned. I'm okay and gosh darnit, I like myself! :)

Running update: I'm still getting my long runs in, even if at a very slow pace for me. I don't care anymore. My knee (ITBS and bursitis) continues to be a problem, some runs are better than others. Today's 13 miler, which turned into a 10 miler, was not one of my better days. In the past few weeks, I've run an 18 miler, a half marathon, and a couple other 10-12 mile runs. Next week, I will attempt another 18-21 miler, then I taper until Boston. I continue to do physical therapy on my own, but this is clearly an injury that is going to require some plain old rest. Although right now I would not turn down a surgical procedure just to get that damn bursa thing out. On April 20th of course.

Arthritis Cream: So, as I was researching things to at least somewhat numb my knee area for my runs, I thought I'd try some arthritis cream, even though I don't have that in my knee, but apparently it works wonders for pain. Yippee! So I put a little on my knee last night. A couple of hours later, the area really started to warm up and felt pretty good. So if a little feels good, alot should feel better, right? Before, bed, I put some more on my knee, my other knee, and my lower back. Why not? It had been aching lately too.

By 1:30 am, I was wide awake and felt like my knees and back were on fire. Really, I'm shocked I wasn't actually on fire. It felt like I was burning alive, or at least got my pasty self burned really badly at the beach. It looked like a terrible sunburn, all red and blotchy, and I envisioned giant blisters and scars, but my skin wasn't warm to the touch. Nevertheless, the thought of going to the ER crossed my mind at least once. I thought maybe I was having an allergic reaction. I washed off the areas with a cold wash cloth...didn't work. Got in a cold shower...didn't work. Mixed baking soda with cold water to make a compress...worked some, since I remembered that baking soda is a neutralizer for things. I didn't know what I was doing...ice, baking soda, wet towels, anything to cool the areas off. Something worked because I fell back to sleep and when I woke up, I was fine. Apparently, arthritis cream has cayenne pepper in it. Aha!! And a little further research revealed that yes, a burning "sensation" is normal so use the cream sparingly. Well, my sensation was a "burning alive" sensation, so I think I used too much. Lesson learned. Be warned!