It's December, another year drawing to a close, and I'm grateful to be the owner of two well-functioning knees. I now know the danger of taking them for granted, of exercising through the warning signs of injury.
At this point I have normal, or probably better than normal, knees. But that doesn't mean there aren't some issues that pop up here and there.
I am a bit fanatical about getting in my exercise, and I like to do it intensely. That's great for my cardiovascular system, but as I get older, it can be a bit taxing on my joints.
I can give you an example that involves my favorite indoor cycling activity, "Zwifting." Zwift is a "game" where a stationary bike on a smart trainer is connected to, say, an iPad and the cyclist can see himself (or herself) on the screen, riding through video game-like courses alongside other riders.
The faster you pedal in real life, the faster you go in the game.
The only trouble with Zwift is, unlike cycling in the real world, you never have to stop. No red lights. No crashes. No flat tires. No pulling over to the side of the road so someone can photograph a sunset.
It's just pedal, pedal, pedal, pedal, and this can be rather intense for long rides. I started riding 100-mile centuries in Zwift. I did one yesterday: 4 hours, 20 minutes. Phew!
However, I've noticed my left knee bothers me sometimes after these long rides. I can't tell if it's because of the bike fit on the trainer, or just pushing so hard for so long, without a break. I never have a similar pain riding in the real world.
So I've tried to troubleshoot this, and this year I'm experimenting with ramping up more slowly to the long, really hard rides. Not sure how well it's working, as I always have to fight my natural inclination to zoom off with the fast riders; it's hard to hang back and take it easy in the beginning.
Other than that, my knees are good. I walk half a mile to catch the train when I commute to work; when I work from home, I take two breaks during the day and walk almost 40 minutes during each. Motion is good. Sitting too long is bad.
What I've learned about my knees this year, I suppose, is that taking good care of them is a lifelong project. I don't need the same constant focus as when I lived in Hong Kong and battled chronic knee pain, but I am still alert to little aches, or feelings of instability, and I try to modify my behavior a bit before things get worse.
What about all of you out there? Anyone have any good lessons from this year to share?
In the meantime, happy holidays to all, and if I were a drinker (which I'm really not), I would make a toast to your good knee health in 2024!
