Physical and Emotional Rollercoaster

Last week was a rollercoaster - both physically and emotionally. Which made it a rough week for those around me and for that I apologize. For the last 6 months I have used running as an escape from stress (and sometimes reality). Going out on a run clears my mind, and by clears my mind I really mean it clears my mind -  sometimes I get home from a run and realize that I did not have one thought. Running has been my therapy. Runners high is a real thing and it does make all things better.

Physically

Monday and Tuesday of last week my knee felt awesome! I was walking pretty much pain free (the pain it was giving me I was able to tolerate) and stairs weren’t giving me any trouble. My limp had almost gone away! I felt so well in fact that I thought about participating in GTS on Tuesday night with my TNT team, but then decided against it figuring that one more night of rest couldn’t hurt and that it could only help. So I convinced myself that I would get up early on Wednesday morning, lace up my running shoes and hit the 2.5 mile loop right by my house. And to be honest I could not wait, my body was begging to get out and run.

Wednesday morning my alarm went off at 5am and for once I did not hit the snooze button! I was definitely ready to get outside and stretch my legs. I hastily threw off the covers, but when I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and took my first step out of bed I nearly collapsed from the pain. hmmmmm... did I sleep on it funny or is it just a little stiff? Let’s try another step. Again I nearly collapsed. GRRRRRRRRR... Why? Why? Why???? Yesterday was such a good day. I decided that since it was so stiff/painful that I would skip my morning run, try icing and massaging it a little more, and try again on Thursday. I opted to wear tennis shoes instead of flats to work hoping that the extra stability would help. But by the time I got to work a few hours later that pain had not subsided at all. In fact it was worse. My limp was worse than ever. I looked like an 80 year old woman walking hobbling around my office. So opted for another trip to the doctor, (which unfortunately came with another $20 co-pay #biggirlproblems).

Diagnosis?

Diagnosis A - Runner’s Knee (90% sure)

Diagnosis B - torn meniscus (10% sure) - um excuse me?!?!

Treatment?

600mg ibuprofen 3 times day for 7 - 10 days

Super Feet inserts

Physical therapy 2 times/week for the next 4 weeks

REST, REST, REST (a new word to my vocabulary)

Thursday evening I made the trip to the physical therapist. I was poked, prodded, massaged, put on a recumbent bike, and then finally taped up with fancy kinesio tape.

What is Kinesio tape? The philosophy of Kinesio Taping has been around for 25 years and was developed in response to other athletic tapes in the market in the market. Instead of being rigid and restrictive, Kinesio tape mimics the texture and elasticity of human skin. So instead of immobilizing joints like most athletic tapes are designed to, Kinesio tape is applied around the area of pain on the muscle to aid in joint correction. And because of its flexible design, range of motion is not compromised. 

They used nude colored tape,
 but I promptly went home and
 purchased pink, blue, and black.
I am hoping to make a fashion
statement at the office!

Benefits of Kinesio tape? Kinesio tape is used to re-educate the neuromuscular system, reduce pain, optimize performance, prevent injury, and/or promote improved circulation and healing. For example - the tape (somehow) lifts the skin microscopically allowing for increased circulation around the muscle and in turn the toxins to escape the muscle easier, which can considerably reduce swelling.

By Friday I was feeling better. Walking was easier, as the swelling and gone down considerably - I could now see my kneecap. My limp was still present, but not as bad as the previous two days. And my mood was brighter! All hail the Kinesio gods! Saturday was an improvement from Friday and consequently Sunday was an improvement from Saturday. In fact my limp was pretty much nonexistent. Stairs still give me a little trouble, but I the fact that I don’t have to use the wall or railing as a support system any more is promising!

Emotionally

Words cannot describe how I was actually feeling this week. So instead of boring you with some long rambling post here are some pictures that described my mood during the week:

I think the root cause of all of my emotions this past week was due to fear. Fear of not being able to run the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Fear that my training is falling behind and I will not be able to catch back up to everybody else. Fear of it being a torn meniscus (and surgery). Fear of this injury being a constant battle for the rest of my life. The list could go on and on. But with the help of my physical therapist and a little self control to take recovery slow and not push my body too hard I am confident I can get ahead of this injury and prevent it from happening again (fingers crossed)!

But in the meantime if I am a little moody you know why and I apologize in advance :P

On Saturday there was also a Rocky Mountain TNT fundraising event at Water to Wine in Centennial. I was really excited to go, but unfortunately I was unable to attend because of my leg. Call me a wuss, but I want to avoid anything I can at the moment that will Standing for more than an hour or sitting for more than an hour tends to make my knee ‘fussy’. So instead I decided to send myself in spirit - I made cupcakes for the event (duh!). I wish I would have been able to go to the event and get some feedback from people on which ones they liked their best, but I can tell you the chocolate raspberry ones were a hit in my house! Enjoy!

Snickerdoodle w/ Vanilla Cinnamon Buttercream	Chocolate Raspberry w/ Raspberry Glaze and Quick Chocolate Mousse	Limoncello Cupcake w/ Limoncello Buttercream
Cupcake: 1 pkg Pamela’s white cake mix 4 eggs 2/3 C water ½ C vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla 2 tsp cinnamon Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the wet ingredients until combined. Slowing add in the dry ingredients until mixture combined. Don not over mix. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill ⅔ of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes (or 8-9 minutes for mini cupcakes).	Cupcake: 1 cup milk 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (preferably Dutch-process) 1 pkg Pamela's white cake mix 2 large eggs 2/3 cup sour cream Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Bring 1 cup milk and 1 cup butter to a simmer in a heavy, large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Cool slightly. In a large bowl beat the eggs and sour cream. Add the milk-chocolate mixture to the egg mixture (make sure to do this slowly so you do not cook the eggs) and beat just to combine. Add the baking mix and beat briefly on low speed. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill ⅔ of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes (or 8-9 minutes for mini cupcakes).	Cupcake: 1 pkg Pamela’s white cake mix 4 eggs 2/3 C water ½ C vegetable oil 1 TBSP limoncello 1 TBSP lemon juice zest of 1 lemon Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Mix together the wet ingredients until combined. Slowing add in the dry ingredients until mixture combined. Don not over mix. Line a cupcake pan with cupcake liners and fill ⅔ of the way full. Bake 18-20 minutes (or 8-9 minutes for mini cupcakes).
	Raspberry Glaze: 32 oz frozen raspberries 3 TBSP sugar juice of one lemon 3 TBSP cornstarch pinch of salt Place raspberries in a small bowl and sprinkle with sugar, let thaw. Drain the raspberries (reserving the liquid) and squish the raspberries through a sieve to remove the seeds. Add enough water to the liquid to make 1 cup. In a saucepan combine all the ingredients. Heat and whisk until the mixture boils and just begin the ticken. Remove from the heat and cool completely. Poke holes (via a fork) in the top of your cupcakes. Dip the top of the cupcake into the liquid and let the cupcake absorb some of the liquid.
Frosting: 2 sticks softened unsalted butter 5-6 C powdered sugar 2 tsp vanilla 1 tsp cinnamon 1 TBSP milk Whip softened butter in bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar and cinnamon ( ½ C - ¾ C at a time) until stiff. Add milk and vanilla slowly to thin out the frosting until it is the consistency that you want. If you add too much and frosting becomes too thin add some more milk and/or vanilla until the frosting is the desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.	Quick Chocolate Mousse: 3 C heavy cream 1 ½ C sifted powdered sugar ¾ C cocoa powder pinch of salt In a chilled bowl blend ingredients, then whip the mixture until it holds a stiff peak. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes. And refrigerate.	Frosting: 2 sticks softened unsalted butter 5-6 C powdered sugar 1 - 2 TBSP limoncello zest of one lemon 2 tsp lemon juice Whip softened butter in bowl until light and fluffy. Slowly add in powdered sugar ( ½ C - ¾ C at a time) until stiff. Add limoncello and lemon juice slowly to thin out the frosting until it is the consistency that you want. If you add too much and frosting becomes too thin add some more limoncello and/or lemon juice until the frosting is the desired consistency. Pipe onto cooled cupcakes.
Garnish with a sprinkle of dusting of cinnamon.	Garnish with a fresh raspberry.	Garnish with lemon zest or lemon wedge.