Then I iced it.
Then I put on a patellar strap.
Then I stretched it and did yoga.
It seemed like my knee was just staying the same: I could run on it, but it ached later and I could definitely feel that distinct under-the-knee-cap pain.
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| New shoes: back to the Kinvara 5 |
Then I changed my shoes. Ta-da! For some reason, I forgot that very key step. I'm doing much better now, and I guess I have to reassess how long I keep shoes. I used to get 800-1000 miles per pair, but it seems that the conventional wisdom of 500 miles is more accurate: in fact, my shoes were closer to 450 when my knee started hurting. That's frustrating, but I'd rather buy four pairs of shoes a year and protect my knees than buy two pairs and be limping!
800-1000 miles?! GURRRRL. Once I go over 400, my shoes get retired to short/easy and easy treadmill runs. I can always tell when I've taken them too far.
ReplyDeleteGlad it's feeling better! I keep track of miles on my shoes but never really pay attention, and then I always have a couple of days where I'm like 'man my legs feel TERRIBLE!' and it turns out I'm at 450 miles. I'm amazed you got 800 miles out of a pair!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm not that bright... but I swear, the old Kinvara 1's had a lot more mileage in them. I ran Boston on a pair with 800+ miles!
ReplyDeleteGood to hear that it was just a shoe issue. Try to stock up at the end of the season when the go on clearance.
ReplyDeleteYes, I would stick to the guidelines of 400-500 miles max... it's just not worth it to save money if it's going to put your body at risk! I am glad that swapping out your shoes helped!
ReplyDeleteGlad you figured it out. As soon as my legs feel anything odd, shoes are my first move -- I tend to move running shoes into my commuting shoes pile, which is slow, easy, and relatively short miles.
ReplyDeleteEasy fix! I'm glad it was something really simple to sort out. You've had enough leg issues to deal with.
ReplyDelete1,000 miles on a pair of shoes?? That's impressive. I usually switch mine closer to 400-ish, and it's amazing how awesome a new pair can feel. Sometimes you don't realize you feel bad until you remember how good GOOD can feel.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes forget the importance of shoes - I need to rotate to different types of shoes more, but get stuck on my old favorites all the time. Just ordered a pair with a different rise, so I'm hoping that will mix it up a bit and keep my body strong.