Running affects my knees

When people hear I run they always ask me if the running affects my knees. I tell them it does. They ask me why I keep running if it hurts my knees. I tell them the running doesn't hurt my knees it helps keep them healthy. They roll their eyes and don't believe me. People that hurt their knees running do a lot of running. I didn't run until I was 55, when my daughter encouraged me. I don't run long distances and I don't run fast. I try to run every day and I know if I do run every day I feel better in many ways. For the past 10 years my legs have been hurting me. I have had tendonitis often. Since I have started running I haven't had it, unless I stop running for a while.

I ran a race on June 12 and haven't really run a lot since then. I went for 3 weeks without running at all and my knee has been hurting for the last two weeks. It has hurt so much that at times I couldn't walk. It was a strange place, not in front of the knee, but it hurt on the inside of the leg at the knee. I had woken up one morning and it felt like I had pulled a muscle or ligament in my leg. I have been taking anti-inflammatory medication twice a day to help me. If I didn't take the pills I hurt, a lot! I haven't run because I didn't want to make my knee worse. I have another 5K I will run this Sunday so I know I need to practice this week.

 Two nights ago I started running. I didn't really run on Saturday, it was more like hobbling most of the way. Sunday I ran most of the way and the knee didn't really hurt me. Tonight, Monday, I ran and the knee didn't hurt me at all.
Running helps me in many ways. I still don't like running and every time I run I start with a frown and end with a frown. But, I know the running is helping me. It helps me sleep. It helps me lose weight. It helps my legs from hurting. It helps my digestion. It helps when I am worrying because I think about how much I hate running rather than anything else when I run.

So, the people that know me can always ask if I have been running lately when they notice a problem in my life!