Comfort

Sometimes things don't go as planned. My last blog I talked about my excitement about running this summer with the We Run Huntsville weekday morning groups along with the Ainsley's Angels to keep me motivated. Unfortunately, the first weekend in the June, I fell (well, flew) off of an inter-tube at the lake, and I ended up straining/spraining my MCL. This is my first knee injury. OWWW.

I haven't been able to walk correctly or run since. I start my physical therapy next week, and I am still finding ways to stay active by exercising and challenging myself where I don't have to put stress or pressure on my knee. I have found so many helpful videos/workouts on youtube that have been challenging, but not painful for my knee.

Looking back on that day at the lake, I feel guilty about what happened. I feel guilty about making a choice to ride on an inter tube that obviously was getting pulled way too fast by a boat. I even had fallen off the tube multiple times before I even got truly injured. When I hurt my knee, I remember surfacing to the top of the lake, and the minute my head was out of the water, I felt that it was something serious. I was scared. Oddly enough, the first word that came to my mind was "comfort."

Comfort?

I definitely wasn't feeling comfort at that moment. My knee had this weird, fuzzy feeling to it along with the sharp pain the minute I resurfaced from the water. I embarrassingly had to limp home that day along with limping into a clinic the next day. I have not felt comfort while walking. I have not felt comfort sleeping, since it hurts to lay on that leg/knee. I haven't even felt comfort sitting, because if I sit for too long without elevating my leg, I began to feel pain in my knee along with a headache. I have not felt comfort standing.

I don't say all this for sympathy or anything like that, you know me. That word...comfort.

Do you know what I am thankful that I have comfort in? JESUS. And I couldn't be more thankful for that. I'm thankful that I wasn't more seriously injured than I could have/should have been. I was choosing to goof off on that lake, and I felt guilt for that the day after, but I know that God has forgiven me. I never want to take His comfort & protection for granted, and looking back, I know that I did that day by my "I'm invincible" choices. Am I saying be paranoid? Of course not. However, I am saying that SAFETY is important, and I know sometimes people, especially us "young'uns", tend to forget that at times.

This injury has reminded me of all those painful times, whether it was physical, mental, or emotional pain, God has given me comfort, even when I didn't feel deserving of it. In this crazy world with crazy people that we live in, I am thankful for God, my faith, and my Bible. I'm thankful for friends & family that believe in that, and I'm thankful for their encouragement & love as well. :) I am thankful this injury has given me time to reflect on God's love & forgiveness along with the peace & comfort that only He can provide. Am I saying I am happy that I am injured? Of course not! I'm ready the run the minute that physical therapy is over! HAHA!

It's been two weeks since I have ran, or walked, for that matter. I thought I would be somewhat depressed, but honestly, I am not! Not only have I still been exercising like I have mentioned above with circuit training that's easy on my knees, my fantastic running family keeps me motivated with their running/cycling successes! They also have been very kind and encouraging to me, which that helps a lot too! Today, at the Big Brothers Big Sisters 5k, I was able to help out the Ainsley's Angels Teams by taking pictures, and I also was able to see a few of my running friends from the We Run Huntsville Madison group runs. Seriously, today put me in such happy spirits, and I forgot for a while that my knee was even hurting! These people have gotten me through sooooooo many races and have been there for me for personal bests, bad runs/races, to challenge me, everything. I'm so thankful for them! :)

 

Some of the awesome WRH Panera Pounders crew! 

Awwwww...we match! ;-)

I talked about the Ainsley's Angels in my last blog (linked here), but seriously, if you are a runner, you are truly missing out on something special! This was my first event with them, and Mitch & Connie, the ambassadors for the Northeast Alabama team, are FANTASTIC! Their love and enthusiasm shows for the riders (captains) and the runners (angels)! If you want to be a runner, or if you know someone that would love to race & cross that finish line with a little help, sign up here. Again, you can look at my last blog for more details too! Here are just a few pictures from today! :) Way to go, Team Jake & Team MJ!!!! 

So, as of yesterday, the doctor says I could have anywhere from 3 to 6 weeks of possibly recovery time. I'm praying it's only three, but I will listen & learn at physical therapy along with taking it easy, which is difficult for a marathoner to do...it's easier said than done, but the last two weeks, I have done a wonderful job of icing, elevating, stretching, etc if I do say so myself! Hopefully my next blog will be about my comeback race...we shall see! I miss running, but I am enjoying being a spectator and volunteer for now!


Until next time, find YOUR active...hey, you might even be a runner! You can DO IT!!!!  :) :) :) As always, I'm a message away if you have any questions!

Runkeeper.com---get the free app today and find your Couch to 5k Plan!

Hal Higdon's Training Plans...do you want to walk or run for your first 5k?  

 A great list of what beginning runners need to know/do...a humorous/informative Runner's World post for beginners

Get the RIGHT running shoes for YOU. It's a BIG deal! 

-Holly