Dreams of Running

I've mentioned in the past that sometimes I dream about running. Before my second knee surgery, the amount of running I did in my dreams built slowly. Once, I dreamt I was starting a race down on Crissy Field, not far from the Golden Gate Bridge, but only jogged a short distance before I woke up. Then, there was a 10K dream and few even longer races. I didn't always cross the finish line before I woke up, but sometimes I did and I remember that sense of accomplishment. In some of the dreams I worried that I shouldn't be running and in others, it just felt good to run. I always seemed to be running with minimal impact to my knee or other joints in my body. After my surgery in February the dreams stopped... until last week.

Last week I dreamt I was running down on the Marina Green. It's an area between Crissy Field and Fort Mason in the Marina neighborhood. Each year, the transition area for the Escape from Alcatraz triathlon is located on the Marina Green. Many people run along the paved path next to the street, Marina Boulevard. As I recall the dream, I was running the distance from Crissy Field to where the monkey bars sit just at the edge of the boat marina next to Fort Mason. The short run felt good, although there was that nagging voice in the back of my head saying, "You shouldn't be running yet." Of course, in real life, I am listening to that voice and do not plan to try running until at least the year anniversary from my knee scope. In the meantime, it will be interesting to observe my dreams as my knee gets better. Maybe I'll be running those races or familiar paths in my sleep in no time! I wonder if we burn more calories when we run in dreams, compared to more sedentary dreams? I hope so!

Dreaming Start to Finish

While I was in Spokane, Friday night I had a very vivid running dream. I started and finished an entire 5K race! As dreams go, it was not your typical race. For one thing, it was indoors. The very few people that were running the race seemed to be inside of a very large gymnasium. The race was an obstacle race of sorts. I remember running around tight turns and bounding over the top of things, trying to stay within a type of marked route. I can't explain it much better than that, other than the floor was very clearly a hardwood floor with the characteristic varnished shine. I think it was the type of gymnasium that was also a multi-purpose room with a performance stage on one end. It wasn't much different than the "small gym" (as we called it) at my high school, but this gym was not one I had ever been in before.

During the race I remember feeling good and I was so excited to start and finish the whole race feeling healthy even if it was a short one. It's rare that I feel so accomplished when I wake up from a dream, but that morning I sure did. I sat up in bed and smiled. Good feeling. I took it as a sign that I am on the right track to my recovery.

I did get out for a walk/run with my niece Morgan while I was up North. Morgan enjoyed the scenery of the trail near Meg and David's house for about a half an hour, then she fell asleep with her green frog WubbaNub (a pacifier attached to a small stuffed animal). Morgan needed her nap so I extended our walk time thinking she might sleep longer while she was riding in her stroller. After napping for about 35 minutes, Morgan woke up and started to cry. I realized it was about time for her to eat and we were still walking on the trail. It was so hard to hear her cry and see her little tears. I was afraid her Mom and Dad would be angry that I didn't get her home earlier. I walked as quickly as I could back to their house. Morgan calmed as we got into her neighborhood, but she was super happy to see her bottle. Here's a photo of us during our walk.

In My Dreams

I had yet another running dream last night. It's interesting because they seem to be progressing, not just random dreams of running. I'm not exactly a person that analyzes dreams or believes them to be some great insight into my psyche, but I have been surprised that the running dreams I have been experiencing since my surgery have slowly built upon each other as my knee has healed and time has gone by.

If you have read previously in my blog you know that not long after my surgery I had a few dreams were I had entered running races. I'm not entirely sure how long those races were supposed to be, but they usually involved me being excited about getting to the starting line, but feeling guilty that I was there. It was not time for me to run. I typically woke up before the race started or shortly after the start gun went off. I guess the guilt was too much. The last dream I had was of me running a 10K race and I actually ran, feeling pretty good. I don't recall if I crossed a finish line or not, but I woke up with the feeling I had run most of the race if not all of it.

Last night I ran a marathon, sort of. It was a marathon, but for some reason I had entered the race to intentionally run half of it. I don't know why I didn't just run a set half-marathon, but it was a dream and who knows why some things happen. I remember that I was following a friend knowing she was running the whole race and I wasn't. That was OK, maybe she kept me at a comfortable pace. There was small amount of "guilt" there, but only that I was worried I hadn't run that far in a long time and wasn't sure if my knee would be alright. The feeling when I was running was really good. I had a bouncy, happy gait and I remember I got to the 13.1 mile point and felt great, I stopped and felt really accomplished. My knee didn't bother me at all so it was a very good dream.

So maybe, just maybe, these dreams are signs that I'm going to get out there and be OK. Signs that I am ready to push myself a little harder. As always, I'll keep ya posted (no pun intended).

Dreams

The good news is that I've been continuing to walk. Over the past month I have been walking during my lunch break about 3x per week and sometimes fitting in a weekend walk. I have noticed my knee is sensitive when I throw in too many lunges or side steps, but it seems to be taking simple walking just fine. Yay! Running may not be right around the corner, but at least I'm making some progress.

I had a memorable dream last night and I woke up with a promising feeling. I have had many running dreams over the last two injured years. Before last night, I tended to have a recurring dream. It was always a race morning. I don't know why, but the dream tended to be a 12K race, which is about 7.5 miles. I was excited, for sure, but there was guilt. I was walking up to the starting line knowing in the back of my mind that I should not be there, I was not ready. In each dream I woke up before the race actually started or soon after I began to run. Last night was different. This time it was a 10K race and the scenery seemed to be vineyards. Maybe this was because I have a coworker that ran the Napa Marathon this past weekend? She and I had a long discussion about the race and what a gorgeous area Napa is to run or cycle.

In this dream my sister was with me and running the race too. That didn't seem to be of much significance though. I think Meg ran ahead of me and I didn't see her after that. The best part of the dream was that I ran the race with little to no guilt. It felt like I was floating above ground a bit as I was running. I was trying to be very careful and cautious about my knee so I ran softly and slowly. In the dream I didn't care about my time, I just was happy to be out there with everyone else. I think at some point Kevin Costner was running behind me... the significance of that, hmm, well that's beyond my comprehension! I think he passed me and then I was following him. The 10K race was a two-loop 5K course. I remember beginning the second loop and runners were actually close to finishing the whole race. That is a clue as to how slow I was running. I also remember thinking it didn't really matter, I had to start somewhere. Maybe in time I would be able to run faster. What I don't remember for sure is whether I crossed the finish line or not. Hey, at least I was running and was feeling pretty good. It's progress beyond that past recurring dream! Maybe this dream is some intuition that my knee is finally getting better and I am ready to progress to another level of recovery. I hope so. Maybe next time I won't let Kevin Costner pass me. ; )