So, yeah, it has been, what?, seventeen days (Nov. 16) since
my-day-before-Halloween knee injury. The closest I’ve come to running – outside
of twice at the Y pool – has been an ill-advised hustle across Broadway after a
dance party on Saturday night (Nov. 14). And, yes, I did dance … Although the knee didn’t
twinge exactly when I crossed the street, it didn’t feel at all right either.
And, of course, all this is written after the Brooklyn
Marathon (Nov. 15), which I trained for but did not compete in.
Which brings me to stretching. Heretofore stretching to me
meant a half-hearted half-hour every other day – and less during heavy running weeks. Now,
with the help of one full session with an athlete-focused physical therapist, I’m
on it with the long, hot stretch. What’s required is to loosen overly tight
muscles from the calves (all that foot pain) to the IT bands (which my physical
therapist has re-diagnosed as the cause of this race-ending injury), and that
means doing the stretches for longer periods of time than I’m used to, and to
doing a lot more stretches than I’ve led myself to believe would be enough so
that I could continue with my plan to run for the rest of my life.
And I scrupulously set aside time for the long, hot stretch. Each day at a minimum of 45 minutes, with
two hours per week (Tuesdays and Thursdays) devoted to work with my therapist
one-on-one so he can assess my strength – and readiness for return to the
road and the treadmill.
So my advice to runners after injury or feeling too much tightness: Be patient. Don’t skimp with the floor routines. Love the
long, hot stretch, the latest and currently greatest tip I have for those a
little older – and yes, even those a decade or two or three younger than me – who
are determined to run, to get on with reversing that age …. !
Next: Running for
Your Life: Leaf Envy
