When I reflect back on this year there are clearly defined challenges, but not all of them relate to my knee, but maybe in a way they do, because I learned so much this year.
Obviously, the first month after surgery was difficult, and I did manage to write some blog posts about it - you can find them {HERE}, {HERE}, and {HERE}. Looking back at that month, the biggest take away is that while I was physically ready for this endeavor, my mental preparedness was less than stellar. I don't know how one would prepare mentally for this kind of thing, and I imagine that it's a very personal thing for everyone, so there wouldn't be a one-size-fits-all piece of advice. The biggest turning point for me was probably 6 weeks after surgery while taking a bath and I forgave myself for breaking my knee. I know this sounds a little wonky, but I was angry at myself, because my legs are probably my most favorite feature, and I messed the one up so forgiving myself was a huge step. There were tears and I came to terms with the new me. This was not a fast process. I might actually still be working on this, but it's gotten much better.
I made it through July and August, I went back to work in September but then ended up quitting in October. I felt like I had to make a choice between working and getting better, and I picked getting better. I wanted to get back to where I was, and standing on concrete for hours at a time was not going to help get me there. So I focused on me and improving my leg function. This is something I still work on, but I have clear goals, I do focus on minor things, like my stride length, but I have a much better idea of my performance now.
This carries us through until February, and when we went on vacation and ran the ACL 5k on the boat. My husband is still the very best man in the world for everything he did to celebrate this milestone. You can read about the ACL 5k {HERE}.
March and April were spent gearing up for the Rock 'N Roll Nashville Half and I totally rushed this training plan, but I also learned so much from this race. You can read about this trial by fire {HERE}.
The accomplishment of finishing this half, despite the pain and agony bolstered my self-confidence to finally start working on another dream. 5th Gen Apparel is a direct result of my knee. I never would have had the confidence or the courage to strike out on my own with the fervor and drive that I've done without having gone through this. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't do things by half measures. I don't believe in doing something unless you're going to do it to the best of your ability. You do it right or you go back and do the way you should have done. I have no shame in admitting that I drive some of my friends and most of my family a little crazy with this attitude. Dana is very adept at reminding me to take breaks and not over schedule myself in both my running and working.
So here we are in the here and now, and I'm currently 6 weeks into a 20 week half marathon training program that will hopefully help me lower average pace time from 17:08 m:m (my pace from Nashville) to 16:38 m:m so that I can run the Prince William Half at the end of September. I have been seeing consistent improvements in my times and my hips and knees. I tailor my workouts to trouble areas and remember to rest when needed - sometimes.
Thanks for reading!
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