Sidelined

I love to run. For roughly the last 8 years it has been not only a mainstay of my fitness routine, but also a perfect and sane way to burn off the excess stress that always seems to pile up in my life. I can usually track the intensity of my life by my compulsive need to throw on my running shoes and hit the pavement. The month before finals is a good time to start clocking miles. Two weeks ago I bought a treadmill, which is quite possibly the most exciting purchase ever for a runner who lives in a rainy climate. I've been wanting a treadmill for some time, and finally I was able to afford one. And it's glorious. However, fate seems determined to not only rain on my parade, but also to crush all the floats, as I have managed to do some very unfortunate damage to my left knee. Over the course of my life I have been a dancer, a missionary, and a runner; all endeavors that caused my knees to do some hard core popping, but never anything serious. As a missionary my mantra was that if I could get out of bed, I could tract, and only when I was unable to walk would I call for a sick day. It didn't ever come to that, and when I came home, my knees toughened right back up. About two months ago I spent three consecutive days wearing the most uncomfortable pair of high heels imaginable because they just looked so good with my trial competition suit. Over the course of those three days, I started noticing a persistent, dull ache in my knees, which unfortunately did not go away when I changed back into my standard jeans and tennis shoes. A week later the pain was still cramping my style, so I decided to lay off the gym for a while to get over it. When I got my treadmill, I was sure that I would be ready to run again because nearly two months had passed since the offending incident, so I went for it. The first day my knee hurt like crazy, so I took a day in between to rest up. The second time was slightly better. The pain was noticeable, but not unbearable, so I figured I could run through it. That was pretty much the story all last week. Fast forward to yesterday. My knee started to bother me almost immediately, but I didn't pay attention. I was two miles into my run when I felt my knee twist suddenly and that dull persistent ache turned into something vaguely resembling a sledgehammer attack. My knee completely locked up and I think I'm left with no other option but to limp off to the sidelines for a while. This is utterly ridiculous, but I'm fairly certain my body is starting to fall apart. I wonder if there is strict products liability for manufacturing defects in the human body, because at this point I really wish I could sue someone to put me back in my rightful, runworthy position.