Fuck. Where do I start...? EDITED: DIAGNOSIS!

So.

Right around Christmas I noticed some pain in my right knee. It was weird and random. Sharp and annoying.

Then it went away.

Between Christmas and New Year a bruise appeared. I probably hit it on something.

I go to my usual New Year’s Day race  shuffle and try and warm up. I realize very quickly that things are not good. The roads are slick and the pain is just….well, pain. I consult with a friend who tells me I can DNF and he’ll drive me back after 3 miles. For better or worse I finish and am crippled for the rest of the day.

I wait till the bruise goes away.

I run again…no pain! Til the next day. The outside of my right knee is tender yet again around the ligament. I putz around and then I do the next winter race because  I’m an idiot  it was in the 40s!

No pain while running, but afterward? A friend with medical training notices my knee cap isn’t in the right place. Another friend observes that something was off with my form, which is pretty knock kneed to begin with. He points out something looked weird with my hips.

Mother of vodka, here is the evidence:

Oof.

WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT???

If you look closely, you can see that my left hip is pointing in a different direction than the right – and not in a normal way. Look how how badly I’m heel striking. If you take that “crooked hip” thing into consideration…is it a surprise that everything is fucked up?

LMT friend checked me out later in the day. She pointed out that in addition to my right knee being out of place, my left hip is a full inch above my right and she suspects its not usually the case based on how out of wack everything is.

So.

Do I call this an injury? Or is it just years of bad form catching up with me at a shitty time?

I have an ART appointment this afternoon. Guess we’ll find out whether I can actually attempt to run something faster than a 3:18 this spring.

Either way, you’ll find me at the bar later.

Diagnosis: I’m messed up.

Okay, fine – that’s not exactly it.

But the gist is my hips are not in the right place and need to be put back, among other things. And its probably been this way for years as I’ve always been able to extend the left hip easily and the right? Just doesn’t…extend. (Think of a leg circle like you do in pilates: I can make a full circle with my left leg, but have to  bend my leg to do it on my right. ) Apparently my right hip flexor is more or less shot…but it can be fixed.

Exciting stuff, huh?

Meanwhile, you’ll still find me at the  bar.