Well, folks, I hit a pretty big snafu this week that’s going to set things back and change my plans. It looks like I either have a really bad sprained knee or a lightly torn meniscus. I’ll find out more on Wednesday when I see the orthopedic specialist.
Honestly, I have zero clue what happened. I completed my 9.5-mile hike last Saturday, which felt easy since it was more urban and we were in city parks most of the time. I didn’t trip or twist anything, just a normal hike! On Sunday, I did a short walk, and again, nothing unusual.
Monday morning, I woke up thinking I was getting a cold. With a big work event coming up on Wednesday, I didn’t want to risk getting sick, so I focused on preventive care and did a super easy 30-minute gym session working on my abs and upper body. I skipped my dance classes on Tuesday and planned a rest session for Wednesday and Thursday for a language class and the event. All I did was walk around the office and move furniture at the retreat center. It wasn’t hard, but it was repetitive and involved lots of steps.
But then it started hurting on Tuesday. I should have rested it! I think I had a small problem and made it worse by moving all the stuff. By the end of the event on Thursday, my knee was locking up and hurting. I ended up going to a walk-in clinic on Friday, where they did an X-ray and said it was probably a bad sprain or a light meniscus tear.
I’ve been resting all weekend, icing and compressing. It’s a bit better but still swollen, and I’m hobbling around. This is likely going to take weeks to heal, which is a total bummer. Not only will it set back my Grand Canyon training, but it will also keep me from enjoying Wisconsin’s beautiful fall trails. I was really looking forward to hiking and have a camping trip organized for next weekend. While I hope to still go, it’ll just be to hang out around the campfire with the women who are coming—no hiking, no kayaking, just sitting and chatting. It’ll be pretty with the woods and lakes, but it’s just not what I was so looking forward to. I know it’s good this is happening now, a year away from my plans for the canyon. It gives me time to heal fully, learn how to protect my knees, and strengthen all my joints. But it still all sucks.
So, what’s next? I plan to rest a lot, learn more about how to protect and strengthen my joints, and look for a physical trainer who can help me through this. I’m not gonna let this stop me!
I did get a little walk in on Sunday, about 3 miles in South Milwaukee at Grant Park. This was before my knee started hurting and I was just moving around after the big hike on Saturday. Always a stunning walk and I hope I can still get out and do this one a few more times before winter really sets in. It is a really easy walk and if I rest up well, I should be able to add it back into my rotation.
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