I completed the physical therapy for my knee a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, when I tried to run afterward, my knee pain kept returning. It felt like all the time, money, and effort I’d invested in the PT had done nothing. As a last resort before buying a pair of Rollerblades as an alternative, I tried an experiment: running in my old shoes, the ones I’d gotten on recommendation from the saleman at the speciality running store.

I’d run for many miles in those shoes with little to no problems at lower distances. They were comfortable, reasonably attractive, and provided good cushioning. Once their useful life had run out, I’d bought a different brand of shoe that I thought was similar, but my knee problem got much worse at some point after I started wearing them. I wondered if the new shoes might have been the problem, but I stubbornly believed I had chosen a good pair on my own.

I laced up my old shoes and headed to the treadmill to start a run/walk session. After the first minute of running, I felt no pain. After the second, no pain. And the third. After a total of 8 minutes I finally decided not to push my luck and walked the rest of the way, but the experiment had worked. I hadn’t run that much without knee pain in months. I can’t tell you how exciting that moment was.

I’m giving away my “new” shoes and running in the old ones for now, but I plan to get some new ones soon after our spending freeze is over (2 more days!). This time I’ve done lots of research and found a shoe made specifically for runners like me: flat-footed, with a neutral to underpronator gait, and on the large side for a runner. Two-hundred-forty pound guys have run marathons in these things. I think they can handle me.

Most of you know by now that I enjoy running, or used to. Unfortunately I have developed some knee pain over time that forced me to stop running temporarily. Finally I decided I had two choices: give up running forever, which essentially means giving up regular exercise since it’s the only kind I’ll do consistently, or see a doctor for help. I chose the latter and saw a sports medicine practice on Monday. As I expected from internet research, the doc diagnosed me with iliotibial band syndrome (ITBS). The tendon that runs between my hip and my shinbone is too tight. It’s rubbing on bone in my knee when I run, causing inflammation and pain. My treatment plan includes further rest from running, a cortisone shot that afternoon, new running shoes (I think I’ve been running with the wrong kind), and physical therapy starting Dec 8.

Remember the Rock & Roll Half Marathon I wanted to do in Arizona? Well, I gave up on that one, but I might try again this November in San Antonio and agree to allow myself to walk part of the way if necessary. I still love running, but I do much better if I have a goal to work toward. 2008 is the first year of the San Antonio Rock & Roll Marathon and Half-Marathon, which lines the course with 70 different bands to motivate you to keep going. If I do it, Jenny and Brenden plan to join me and cheer me on. Watching the Olympics has given me a renewed desire to get in shape. I’ll never reach the Olympians’ level, but I can definitely improve from my current state.

I’ve been thinking for a while about what to do once I finish school and have more free time. The Playstation 2 will definitely be involved, but I think I’ve found a new challenge: PF Chang’s Rock & Roll Arizona Marathon/Half Marathon. As the name implies, it’s a marathon or half (I’ll stick with the half) in the Phoenix area with about 70 live bands playing for you along the way to keep you motivated. I’ve loved the idea ever since I heard about it several years ago, and I think I’m going to sign up. I doubt I can run the whole way, but now that I have some decent running shoes and time to train, I’ll give it my best shot in January. I’d better get in shape!