
A new feeling of happiness when running
I’ve made a really good start to the first two weeks of the new year. I experience every successful training session as another valuable and indispensable little milestone on my training journey. The more consciously I approach my training sessions, the more I can focus on refinements. And also practice patience and composure. For example, if I still tire relatively quickly when swimming and have to take regular short recovery breaks: Almost every time, I can recognize very small progress, which I enjoy and which motivates me to keep at it.
I am somewhat proud of how I have managed to get rid of the pain in my left osteoarthritic knee (without a meniscus for 50 years) without ever having taken painkillers. No orthopaedist is likely to believe me. Even more so when I think about how ten years ago, in the early days after my Ironman Hawaii adventure in 2013, I could only follow my little granddaughters for a walk with a limp. Thank goodness for strength training! Then there are the specific knee strengthening exercises that I do every day. And of course all the cycling, which keeps my joints supple.
Now I look forward to every training session on the treadmill, thanks to the support of only 85 percent of my body weight. I can now increase the pace as soon as I’m able and incorporate intervals that really challenge me.
The rumor persists, even among orthopaedists, that running is ultimately bad for your joints. Today I am convinced that the opposite is true. I experience this in my own body. And several studies have already confirmed this. One of them that I read summarizes it like this:
When you exercise, the cartilage in your hips, knees and ankle is compressed and expanded. This allows more oxygen to reach the cartilage and waste products are removed more easily. This nourishes the cartilage and keeps it healthy. Without sufficient movement, the cartilage cells become weak and diseased. I am convinced that the same applies to the bones, which are strengthened by the regular impact of running, which – especially for an old man like me – also has a positive effect on bone density.