Yesterday's run commute was tough. Not because the weather was bad or the terrain more challenging. Nope. This was a pure battle between my will and my knee. From the get-go my knee was not happy to be out for a run. The arthritis was in full swing, causing a stabbing pain straight through my knee, with twinges of pain showing up sporadically in my thigh. I was determined not to bag my run though. I plodded on, much slower than normal, needing to prove to myself I could overcome this. I took walk breaks-lots of them, but I kept on plodding away. One kilometer became two and slowly but surely I was getting to my goal bus stop where I would give myself permission to stop, and rest. By the third kilometer though I found the stiffness in my knee easing up and I could improve my pace a bit. I began to realize I was going to get there, despite the pain and swelling that my knee kept reminding me of.
Finally I got there, 4.5 km later. Now, in year past, before I messed up my knee, I'd be happy I got a run in but unless I was doing something unusual I didn't normally feel "proud" of myself. Nowadays each and every run is something to celebrate, to remember and appreciate because I could get out there and do it that day, despite what pain was holding me back. These runs prove to myself that I can and I will continue to enjoy my sport, regardless of the distance, regardless of any arthritis pain. I can and I will.
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