he three elements of a triathlon are swimming, cycling, and running. Two of these I enjoy and am decent at. The third will take the most of my dedication and effort to think about. Throw in a knee that historically is uncooperative and we’ve a real recipe for non-success.My loathe for running has been with me as long as I can remember. My parents were both runners, which, even as a child, I never understood. I was a pretty athletic kid, but I still hated running laps around the field during PE in school. Running as part of soccer, basketball, or any other sport was just fine, but as a end unto itself, forget it.
Fast forward to 2006. I really got my act together and lost a good bit of weight (30 lbs). I figured, just for kicks, that I might give running or jogging another shot just to see what the fuss was all about. It turned out, the being 30 lbs. lighter made quite the difference. It wasn’t a barrel of monkeys exactly, but it was approaching fun. So I went out for a second shot a few days later. That’s when the knee pain started. Since then, after any activity that puts stress on the knee I feel it the next day.
As physiological problems go, this is pretty minor. It is merely irritating; it does not even rank as inconvenient. That being said, it would seem to serve as a warning that going further down this road may be potentially damaging.
Action Item: See a doctor about the knee and make sure this is a good idea not the worst idea ever.