Winter’s Sneaky Comeback and My Sore-Legged Recovery Day

Written February 9, 2025

Hello Dear Readers,

This morning, I innocently peeked outside, expecting to see the same pleasant scenery from just a few days ago. Instead, I was met with a brutal slap of icy air, sharp enough to make me reconsider all my life choices. The mild temperatures of the past few days had been a cruel deception. The tiny green sprouts that had optimistically popped up earlier in the week? Gone. Buried under the relentless grip of winter’s encore performance.

I swear, nature has a cruel sense of humor. One day, it’s all sunshine and warm breezes, luring you into a false sense of security. The next, it sucker-punches you with a reality check in the form of bone-chilling wind. And today? Today was the kind of cold that makes you rethink your entire relationship with the great outdoors.

Fortunately, I didn’t have to deal with it. Sundays are my designated recovery days, meaning I had no reason to step outside and voluntarily freeze. As long as I stayed inside my warm little fortress, winter could do whatever it wanted. I wasn’t participating.

Now, about my legs. After months of dedicated running, I’ve built up enough endurance that muscle soreness rarely visits me. So, when I woke up and felt that familiar ache, I knew I had done something right. Yesterday’s run must have been extra brutal because my legs were making their displeasure known. Stiff, sore, and just dramatic enough to make me shuffle around like I had aged a few decades overnight.

But soreness is secretly a good thing. It means progress. It means my muscles are rebuilding, hopefully, stronger and faster than before. Maybe—just maybe—this is the kind of soreness that results in a breakthrough. Perhaps next week, I’ll find myself shaving seconds off my pace, gliding through my runs like some sort of gazelle. Or, you know, at least not feeling like I’m dragging bricks for legs.

In the meantime, today is all about stretching. I’ve actually been pretty consistent with it, mostly because I found a way to trick my brain into doing it. The secret? Pairing it with planking. After every plank session, I roll right into some leg stretches. It’s a system that works suspiciously well, and since I usually plank multiple times a day, I end up getting in at least three or more solid stretching sessions without even thinking about a small habit, but a game-changer for keeping my legs in running shape.

So, while the outside world insists on being a frozen wasteland, I’ll be in here, stretching, planking, and basking in the warmth of my personal sanctuary. I’ll let winter do its thing, and I’ll do mine—until tomorrow when I have to lace up my running shoes again and face whatever fresh weather betrayal awaits.

But that’s a problem for future me. Today, I am inside. Today, I recovered. And today, I pretend that winter doesn’t exist.

Navigating Knee Pain: A Journey of Discovery and Adjustment

Written August 20, 2024

Hello Dear Readers,

Knee pain is something I never thought I’d be dealing with again—yet here I am. Over the past few days, my right knee has been aching, bringing back memories of a time when this pain was all too familiar. Back in elementary school, I experienced similar discomfort, which was casually dismissed as growing pains. At the time, I didn’t question it much. The pain was mild and sporadic, nothing that seemed worth worrying about. It was just a minor nuisance in the grand scheme of childhood.

Fast forward almost two decades, and I’ve uncovered the real reason behind that persistent pain. This discovery came about most unexpectedly. Ten years ago, I had a stroke, a life-altering event that sent me on a journey through the healthcare system, meeting specialists of all kinds. The stroke itself was a shocking and challenging experience, but what followed was a deep dive into understanding how interconnected our bodies indeed are.

In the months following the stroke, I worked closely with a team of healthcare professionals, including a physiatrist—a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation. During these sessions, the issue with my knee came back into focus. My physiotherapist noticed something peculiar about the way I walk. With each step, I tend to extend my right leg more than my left, creating an asymmetrical gait. The source of this pain wasn’t just a harmless quirk but a clue to a deeper issue.

The physiatrist explained that the source of my knee pain was an imbalance in my muscle strength. Specifically, my quadriceps—the muscles on the front of my thigh—are significantly more potent than my gluteal muscles in the buttocks. This disproportionate strength pulls on my femur and the thigh bone, leading to undue stress on the knee joint. Over time, this stress caused a small bony nodule to form on the front of my knee, the very thing that had been causing me pain all those years ago.

This revelation was both enlightening and frustrating. On one hand, it was a relief to understand the root cause of my pain finally. On the other hand, realizing that this issue had likely been present for most of my life—and had gone unaddressed—was disheartening. The knowledge that the pain was linked to something as fundamental as muscle balance made me realize how important it is to maintain a well-rounded approach to physical health.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick fix for this kind of problem. The damage is done, and I can do little to reverse it entirely. However, I’m not powerless. By incorporating specific exercises into my routine, I can manage the pain and prevent it from worsening. Stretching my quadriceps and strengthening my glutes have become priorities in my workout regimen. These changes won’t just alleviate the pain in my knee; they’ll also contribute to my overall physical well-being.

Adjusting my exercise routine is a small price to pay for long-term health. The experience has reminded me of the importance of paying attention to our bodies’ signals, no matter how subtle they may seem. As I move forward, I’m committed to staying vigilant about my physical health, making the necessary adjustments to keep my body balanced and strong.