Last week while putting together our Balance events calendar, I was making plans to walk – maybe even run – some 5Ks this fall. The thought of walking through a neon course at McGrath Amphitheatre or ending up at a post-race party in NewBo was intriguing.
But the next morning reality quickly set in at boot camp. My knees had been bothering me for the past week as I put them through more than they had been accustomed to in years. Jogging on the high school track, mixed in with exercises such as plank jacks, started the aggravation. The weekend’s pulling of a 757 jet as part of the CBJ’s Pulling for Honor team, followed by helping relatives move in the heat, certainly didn’t help.
The nail in my knees’ coffin was last Monday’s boot camp workout, which included sprints up and down the bleachers at the Benton County Fairgrounds’ grandstand interspersed with jumping jacks, push-ups and dips. While I did a modified version – walking up and down the steps rather than running – it was still a challenge, although I was determined to finish.
That night my whole body was in more pain than I’ve even been in as the result of exercising. By the next night, I was feeling a little better and was mapping out my grandiose 5K race plans – while sitting in a recliner with my legs up, of course.
After a painful warm-up lap around the fairgrounds at boot camp Wednesday morning, my left knee locked up during stretching exercises. If I hadn’t been listening to my body before, it was now impossible to ignore the obscenities it was screaming at me. I immediately told our instructor, Julie, that something was wrong.
The remainder of the hour I did a modified version of my already-modified workout. Julie said it was important for me to keep moving, even if at a very light pace. I worked my arms and walked as much as I could. It actually did feel better to stretch my knee out without pounding impact.
To top off my morning, I realized my car had a flat tire when I got home. Last week when I talked to fellow boot camper Jen Smith, she used the analogy of testing out her new and improved body like driving a shiny, new car. My situation couldn’t have been more opposite.
As I sat there in the garage in my run-down car with my bum knee, I wondered if reaching my goal of getting back in shape was physically – or mentally – possible. I iced both of my knees several times during the day and stretched to keep them loose.
I continued to listen to my body and skipped Friday morning’s boot camp. I might have been able to trudge up and down those bleacher steps, but I’m sure I would have paid for it.
While I would like to be further along in my fitness journey, I have accepted that there won’t be a magical moment when all my aches and pains disappear. But now I know that overdoing it won’t get me there any faster.
Angela Holmes, editor of Balance, is a middle-aged working mom trying to maintain a healthy work-life balance. Email her at angela@corridorbusiness.com.
