Blar!

Oh friends, what a month it's been! I was flying pretty high in early December, loving the new Weight Watchers program changes that let me eat all the fruit I want for zero Points values. It's purely psychological, I know, but for some reason when something's "free" I'm going to take more of it. And when it's delicious, fiber-filled fruit my body was SO HAPPY. I was dropping pounds and my digestive system was humming along like a UNI Men's Glee Club member at the Christmas Show. :)

I started the Couch to 5K training program, and by the middle of week two was really enjoying myself. I had just started to think of myself as "a runner" when I went BAM. Literally - in the parking lot of my office last Monday, on a patch of ice, and I hyper-extended my left knee again. I've done this twice since I injured it in 2007 at my brother's wedding, dancing with a drunk groomsman. That's an occupational hazard for bridesmaids that no one ever warns you about!

Finally went to see my family doctor yesterday, after a week of hobbling around and trying various knee braces, and the news was OK. The x-rays showed no damage to the knee joint, and the tendons surrounding it appear to be intact. The doctor thinks I pulled the quadriceps tendon around the knee, and nothing but rest, ice, elevation, and a healthy dose of anti-inflammatory drugs will do the trick. If it's not better in two weeks, I'm supposed to go back for an MRI to see if the tendons have been torn or otherwise damaged.

So what have I done? I've been cushioning my injured knee with a steady diet of chocolate and red wine, accompanied by massive amounts of Chinese food. Sensible, no? I'm afraid to even go NEAR the scale - not that I could, since getting on the scale requires that I balance myself on one leg, which I can't do right now. Blar.

So, we begin again the slow process of climbing back onto the wagon. Seriously - I've been farting around with this since August, and just when I get on what feels like a good track something happens to throw me off again. Granted, I tend to make it easier to get myself throw off by jumping off the wagon into piles of Chinese food. I'm a VERY slow learner.

So, the plan for 2011? For the first two weeks of it, anyway? Try to hobble down to the basement "gym" every day for a session with the punching bag and/or resistance bands, and laying off the Chinese food for a while. I make no promises about the red wine, however. :)

Happy New Year, friends! May our year be merry and bright - and injury-free! :)