A bad ouch, not a good ouch

My best friend J is in town, so this morning we went running on the trail. (She hated to run in college, but I dragged her out; now she drags me!) And after about a quarter mile, my right knee flared up again. I stuck it out for a little while longer but finally got to the point where I could hardly walk. Ow ow ow ow ow ow!

J wanted to talk and walk, and I don’t get to see her nearly enough, so we walked a while further and then turned back. Every step was so painful. It still hurts now, hours later.

My knee feels like someone took a 2×4 to the outside of it. One good whack. It feels worst when going down stairs and best when folded up. The last time this happened, I found this article on patellofemoral syndrome, which sounds a lot like what I’ve got. I know, self-diagnosis probably isn’t a good idea, but I don’t want to go to a doctor, especially if he’s just going to tell me it’s patellofemoral syndrome.

I hope I can walk by Monday. Step one, watch form on squats. (Well, Monday is deads, so I’ll get a break.) Step two, focus on step-ups. (Already part of the workout… Hmmm.) Step three, stop running. (Wait, I already did. Ha!) Seriously, though, I think I’ll stop wearing my heels (gah!) for a few weeks; I might need to replace my running shoes, too.

I picked up a foam roller today, too. I’ve heard good things about them, though I admit I’m mostly skeptical. I don’t know if that will help with my knee, but I’ll try just about anything to get this knee working again.

Weekends are harder for me to eat right; my schedule is less set, and there are more chances that I won’t be home or near food at feeding time. I took the makings for protein shakes with me today, but still ran out so I’m behind on my nutrients. No sweat, though–I’ll just be sure to hit everything again tomorrow.