Running & Breastfeeding

The other day, the husband and I went to the gym, dropped D off in the gym daycare, and split off to do our workouts. And running on the treadmill, I had one of THE best runs I've had in... oh... a YEAR. Yea, it was only a 25 minute run, but most of it was done at an 8 - whereas I'm usually a 5.5 or 6 on the treadmill, and even slower outside. And the thing about it wasn't just that I was KICKING ASS on speed, it's that my knees finally didn't hurt. AT ALL.

And I, in all my glory, was sooooo excited that the knee pain was FINALLY going away, that I was going to get my running back up to 3 or 4x a week (instead of twice), and that everything on this post-baby body was going to get all SOLID again. Because yea, while I am SUPER fortunate that I'm 9lbs below my pre-pregnancy weight, and things are fitting that haven't fit in YEARS, there's still some doughiness I'd like gone, because yes, I really AM that greedy. The weight? It's awesome. But if I had the solidness to match? Well that'd just be rockin'. And I KNOW running gets me rockin'.

Anyway, of course a few days later I ran again, but outside, so slower, and lo and behold, the knee pain was back. Which sure, could've been because it was outside and treadmills ARE easier on the joints, but I purposely ran on trails - NOT pavement - so there really shouldn't have been that much difference. Yet there WAS a difference. A LOT of difference. SIGNIFICANT difference. Difference to the point of making me want to just throw in the freakin' towel, and wait until I'm done breastfeeding to run again.

Yet no matter how many times throwing in the towel crosses my mind, it's just not in me to stop running when I actually WANT to be running. Running relaxes me, it gives me confidence, it helps me sleep better [in the sleep I'm actually getting]. Yet when mixed with breastfeeding? Not so relaxing - cuz it hurts. A LOT.

So yesterday, I tried yet another run. Outside again, but this time at a minute to minute and a half faster pace than I usually do outside - as in, I was KILLING it. Yea, I had to stop a few times from cramps cuz my cardio's just not there for that speed quite yet, but my knees? Didn't hurt. Didn't hurt ONCE. Not for a SECOND. Didn't hurt. Outside. AT ALL! Which means that advice my physio gave me a month or so ago, was apparently something I should've listened to...

Because when I went to see him, he laid it out that until I was done breastfeeding, my knees were probably going to keep on hurting because the relaxin was still there. So to prevent injury my options were to tape up (check!), stretch more (check!), and up my pace... or stop running for awhile.

His theory was that if I tried running a LOT faster, other muscles would compensate for my loose shitty knees, and if other muscles were compensating for my loose shitty knees, there'd be less pressure on them, so they'd probably hurt less. I'd also probably stop "locking them in" (and causing more damage) because I'd be so focused on my effort for speed, that I wouldn't be so hyper-aware of my knees. All of which, at the time, had me pretty much rolling on the floor laughing. Because seriously, post-baby, with shitty knees plus 17lbs of child to push, plus another 27lbs of stroller to push, I was going to choose NOW to increase my speed?

Apparently so! And the cool thing is these few short but super-fast (super-fast for me) runs get my workout done faster, make my legs actually burn WAY more afterwards, and burn just as many calories.