MCL sprain update
Today is exactly 6 weeks after the injury. How’s my knee? It is still tight although slightly better and still painful when doing bending and straightening.
I have visited the physiotherapist twice and did the strengthening exercises prescribed. However, the recovery process is quite slow I would say. I thought I’d recover after 6 weeks and can return to running but sadly, not yet. I may need a longer time to recover from the trauma. The physiotherapist told me I may need 12 weeks, and I was quite shocked. I told him my goal is to run a marathon in December, and he said can be done, still have time and I felt relieved. But not sure if he is aware that a marathon needs at least 4 to 5 months to train. What if my knee is still not 100% after July/August? My fitness has gone downhill at an alarming rate. Even if my knee is ok, I can only aim to complete the marathon and no longer able to aim for any specific timing. Earlier this year, I was actually planning to aim for a certain timing but now it is not possible anymore.
How and why did this injury occur? I can only say one word: “suay”. Sometimes we are just “suay” when suddenly an accident happens. In life, accidents will happen no matter how careful you are. We have to embrace it and move on.
Dear May,
Thanks for the update.
We humans plan for many things, but everything need not go as per plans. This is life. Whether we like it or not, we have to go through it. Since we have to go through times that are not to our liking, we might accept it with equanimity.
I will suggest that under the present circumstances, you should focus on recovery and getting better. Once your injury is healed, then you should think about the marathon. Even if you skip running it this year due to unexpected circumstances, you have next year to look forward to after you recover from your injury. There is no sense in taking unnecessary stress for running the marathon – it should be a stress buster for you and not something that gives you additional stress. Mentally you should accept that you will not be running the marathon this year; if you are free from injury and able to run, it will be a bonus and make you feel good. And do not bother about the timing – each person is built differently and goes through different circumstances. Marathon (or for that matter, any running or sports activity) is too profound to be held hostage to any statistics. Just enjoy the experience.
With best wishes for a complete and early recovery and great and enjoyable times ahead.
Thank you A S Pathania for your concern and advice. Yes I do agree with what you have said. I will focus on getting better and recover from this injury first before thinking about any other adventures ahead. Just need to be patience. 🙂