Goodbye Running, I'll Miss You

Today was the first official training run led by the Pittsburgh Marathon. Today should have been my first official training run as well - a chilly three-mile run through the streets of Morningside and around the Highland Park Reservoir.

That was not the case however, because according to my surgeon (who did not even operate on my knee but provided a consultation of non-surgical treatments) I will never complete a training run again, let alone a half-marathon.

My orthopedic doctor at UPMC Sports Medicine was confident that I would run in May but her colleague, my knee surgeon, unfortunately did not share those opinions.

And so for the moment, as I would normally be posting my first half-marathon training post, I am writing to announce my retirement from a sport that I have grown to love so much in the last few years.

I was never fast but I loved running in Highland Park and at Lakeside and around the Navy Stadium in Annapolis. I loved those last 1-2 miles of adrenaline that pulled you through the Great Race or the half-marathon. I loved that amazing feeling of accomplishment at the finish line.

There is always the chance that I may run around the reservoir but I'll never see that finish line again. My surgeon said that running would only further irritate my knee injury and result in more treatments or possibly surgery in the future.

Right now my knee is almost pain-free after a cortisone shot and another draining. The surgeon said I did not need to return to physical therapy and am finally without my brace after almost five months. He also wanted me to receive shots to lubricate my knee joint but my orthopedic doctor and some friends with knee problems said that was not a good solution.

So, its just a waiting game right now. How long will the cortisone shot last? Will a workout routine of low-impact exercises (swimming, cycling, elliptical, etc). combined with weight training help strengthen the work done in physical therapy? If the problems persist, do I see a third doctor?

Those questions remain unanswered right now. It has taken a few weeks for me to grasp the realization that I won't be running in my fourth half-marathon in May or that I won't be spending the majority of my afternoons this summer running at the park.

It hasn't been easy but I'm young and healthy (other than my knee and my sinuses) and I want to preserve my knee as much as can so that I can still play tennis, walk another Avon Walk for Breast Cancer and live my life knee pain free and without the brace.

Life goes on and even though running has been such a presence in my life these last few years, I'll find a new hobby, a new workout to replace it. I already have one in mind...swim to Kelley's Island!!! I've wanted to do it since I was little. Who's with me?

And one last thing, save your knees! They aren't as strong as you think!