Sept. 19, 2022
Tonight, I was a little indecisive on running. Should I run? Should I wait for a couple of days more? The hesitation was due to a slight iffy feeling that occurred in the morning following my previous session last Thursday. The session was pain-free. But then on the following morning, the left knee seemed swollen just a little, and plus there was this iffy feeling that I had never felt before the injury.
I avoided running for three days. While skipping running, I tried to stay fit by walking, cycling and body weight training. It worked. Three days later, I felt ready.
When I changed into my running gear and walked several steps, that iffy feeling in my left knee wasn't completely gone. But I started running anyway, saying to myself, "If it hurts, all I need to do is stop running and start walking. "
Pain didn't come. So I kept on running till I thought I had run enough for the night.
After running, as I took a warm shower, I wondered if that iffy feeling was caused for a structural reason, or by what late Dr. John E. Sarno calls TMS.
If you want to know what TMS is, I suggest reading "Healing Back Pain" in which is explained how pain is induced by ischemia, which is a word meaning local lack of blood. The book explains how this lack of blood occurs not for a structural reason, but by the automatic nervous system as a result of repression of strong emotions such as anger and fear.
