Running is my first exercise love

Running is my first exercise love. But sadly I end up with aching knees everytime I do it. The more I run the worse they get.

A couple years back I went to the physio about my aching knees. He said to stop running and start doing his prescribed exercises otherwise I’d end up like the majority of his patients and then proceeded to point out one guy in his waiting room with a knee bandage. He also told me that I had weak gluetal and quad muscles and that through strengthening them with 30 minutes a day of biking and prescribed exercises that they could get slowly better. He then proceeded to give excruciating leg massages to the point of hysterical laughing which was very close to turning to hysterical tears. I went away, bought an exercycle off Trademe for $1 (which wasn’t bad for $1 but I’m glad I didn’t pay more) which had no resistance so my legs spun useless around... went to the gym for a while on a trial membership but poorness stopped me from getting any further.

2 years on I still have sore knees. I wish they were better, but I really hate slow exercises. To me there is nothing worse than slow controlled exercises. Give me cardio any day.

Every year I vow to get them all strong and happy and do the Auckland Half marathon and every year I fail. I disappoint myself. I LOVE running but the thought of the exercises and 30 minutes on a bike each day just puts me off again and again.

So what do I do? Run anyway. Well semi. I go out with the aim of ‘walking’ and that usually changes to a jog. There is something really exhilarating about running. It makes you feel strong and powerful and like all life’s problems are conquerable. It’s also one of the best cardio workouts I can do. It also leaves me crippled up with muscle pain for a few days afterwards. Nothing bad enough to head to the physio for, but enough to stop me running again for a while.

I might need to get an accountability buddy and just hit up that bike at the gym.