I knew that Friday was going to be a hectic day for me, so I decided to do my ropes in the morning instead of my usual late afternoon/evening time. So, I went outside and started jumping. By jump three or four, my right knee totally gave out, sending me sprawling to the ground. After lying there on the driveway for a few minutes, I managed to pick myself up and limp back into the house. My legs had decided there would be no ropes for me that day.
I rested my leg for the remainder of Friday, and most of Saturday. Then I went out and bought a knee stabilizer. (It's like a knee brace, but allows leg movement.) I put it on and went outside to challenge it against the ropes.
800 jumps later, my knees were sore but not the painful mess they had been previously. I still had to take some ibuprofen and rub some IcyHot on it, but a few hours later I was walking just fine, and sometimes better, than I had days before. I was actually able to walk up the stairs, instead of having to take it one step at a time.
My knee stayed pretty happy for most of today—that is until came to be rope time. My partner persuaded me to do my jumps in the house, as the temperature and humidity was really awful outside. I decided I would give it a try.
Big mistake.
Although there is enough room to swing a rope around, there is too much stuff around. I was in constant fear that either I would hit something on the wall or mantle, that the rope would be caught on the couch or the entertainment center, or that I would rip the ceiling fan out of it's socket. That fear influenced my jumping like crazy. I tripped more than I jumped, and the sudden stoppage of movement would twist my knee just enough it would start to ache. I even broke that rope twice, which my partner fixed both times. I got very frustrated, especially since yesterday's jumps had been so good!
Fed up, I finally took my jump rope outdoors and finished my 800 in the driveway with little problem. That seems to be the only place where I can jump rope without major issues. I know that I'll need to create a "rope-safe" space in the house, especially if I want to jump rope in the winter, but for now it'll be the driveway.
Mike's post last week about what to make with the night-time snack got my gears a turning. Here's what I came up with:
BLUEBERRY-BANANA SMOOTHIE
Ingredients:
1/2 of your fruit grams in blueberries
1/2 of your fruit grams in banana
3/4 of your milk grams in plain low-fat yogurt (we make our own here, so there's no sugar in it)
1/4 of your milk grams in low-fat milk
1/2 cup crushed ice
Place all of the ingredients in a blender and mix until smooth. (I used the "grind" setting on my blender in order to really pulverize the ice.) It was a very nice treat on this hot and humid summer day.
Enjoy!
So sorry to hear about your knee-but glad you are resting up and got the brace.
ReplyDeleteAlso, totally appreciate the need for a "place" that is yours for the program...A time ( which is my next project as I get ready to go back to work ) and a place is so important to getting in the right headspace ( I think )
Lastly-the recipe looks DELICIOUS...I need to get more creative with the evening treat. How do you make your own yogurt? IMPRESSIVE
Yum, looks delish! I am keeping my fingers crossed for some main courses soon... I am getting sick of my blah pasta and chicken. I also am very impressed at your new picture! You can definitely see the flattening at work. Sorry to hear about your knee though. And you make your own yogurt? Cool! :)
ReplyDeleteDude, stop BEFORE you collapse, not after. Take care of the knee. Did you have an injury before or something?
ReplyDeleteNo knee injury previously. This problem began during the first week of the program. I believe it was a combination of my old jump rope, the sudden jerky stops when I'd trip on it, and the uneven ground I had available to jump on which torqued the knee.
ReplyDeleteThe knee had been sore since, but it didn't prevent me from jumping. It would just really be sore afterward. IcyHot and ibuprofen helped with the pain, but I was limping and walking like my 80-year old uncle.
That morning's jump started the same as others. My knee would be sore, but I would manage to complete the jumps, except this time it was there one moment and suddenly gone the next.
The brace has helped, and I'm doing a lot of leg stretches to loosen them up. That seems to be working. I'm starting to walk like normal again.
It's funny how the body works. I had no problem with the lunges and squats or anything else that involved the legs, but that jump rope gives them a devil of a time.
E, I know those Syracuse winters can be miserable, but it might be worth it to continue to jump outside only more bundled up. You'll be amazed how quickly the body warms up during physical activity when wearing a pair of longjohns. When I lived in Fairbanks I'd catch myself sweating in -40. Just something to think about.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear about your knee. Hope it recovers soon. I too need to get creative with the food now. Getting a bit bored with the pasta and the boiled veggies.
ReplyDeleteAnd I thought I was halving a rough time with my J-ropes. But, it seems like the knee brace had given you some stabilitiy. I hope it continues to work out. My claim to pain is my right knee, but it only happens during pistol squats--you'll get to know them a little later in the program. Keep up the battle, E. Find the balance between garding you knees and Jumping that rope. And, as your learning, three of the big secrets to J-roping are location, location, location.
ReplyDelete