Hobbling on the Road to Recovery

The Stats 6/17/12 - 6/23/12
6/21/12: 2.8 mi; 21'26"; 7'24" avg. pace
I hit my goal of resting until the 18th...and then some. A weekend of vacation in SC left me exhausted leading into the week and made it easy to rest through Wednesday. The sole run of the week came on Thursday as I finally felt comfortable giving the knee a go. There was some discomfort, though thankfully not on the same level as two weeks ago. I jogged out my regular route with probably a faster pace than I should have. Miles 2 and 3 saw considerable favoring of the left leg. This led me put more pressure on the right thigh than I usually would. I stopped before hitting my goal of 5k, as I had looped in front of my house at 2.8 miles.
Friday morning showed how awful a disjointed running form can make you feel. My right thigh was very sore. I hobbled around the office and did my best to stretch when no one else was leering into my cube. With soreness persisting into Saturday (my long run day when I'm in normal mode) I decided to let this week remain extremely soft and hope for full recovery next week. However, I did decide to pay a visit to Robert's Running Store for the first time. I've been wanting to head over there ever since their Charleston location opened. This whole knee injury deal has convinced me I need to try a minimalist running shoe that will encourage ground striking on the ball of the foot. I sampled three pairs Saturday morning, jogging on the treadmill and making the rounds outside the store. Ultimately, I felt the least amount of elevation and most freedom in Newton's Momentum shoes (pictured below).

Ready to log some serious mileage. Thumbs up, let's do this!

Much thanks to Alana for humoring me and letting me try out a number of kicks. We'll see how a different shoe alters my gait in the coming weeks and if it has the potential to relieve stress on the knee. I'm worried it's a problem with the meniscus, but I'm not overly book-learned when it comes to anatomy.
The coming week features no run events. Still, it could be just the shot at getting back to form that is so desperately needed. Fingers (and toes) crossed.