How often do you walk or run?

In so many books, the main character tends to at some point go out for a run, whether the author is presenting a clue to the person’s character or moving a plot point forward (surely she’s not going on a run without pepper spray or her phone?????).

In real life, I have friends or acquaintances who casually mention how they did their usual 5 mile run that morning and scored a new personal best.

Others will talk about their daily walk they’ve done for twenty years or more.

Me? One of my more recent experiences with running involved a simple 3-exercise workout that included 10 push-ups, followed by a minute on a bike, and finally running a quick lap – all three repeated 10 times. Quick. Efficient. Got my heart pumping.

When the workout was finished, I felt great, headed home, but slowly over the evening I felt my left knee tighten up. By morning, I had trouble getting up out of bed, hobbling my way to the bathroom to brush my teeth and get around for the day.

After visiting my local orthopaedic and sports medicine doctor, I ended up having a torn meniscus and underwent a procedure to fix it shortly after.

It’s been about four months since that unfortunate running event, and I can finally do proper squats again and hopefully tuck jumps too!

But now, back to the original question in the daily prompt. I avoid full-on running (except if an awesome throwback song – something like “Jump” by Van Halen for example – comes on in my earbuds). My joints just don’t enjoy the impact.

So, overall, I’d say i do a bit of running here and there and do a ton of walking most every day. What about you? How often do you run and/or walk? What tips do you have to keep your joints in good condition when you do? Let us know by adding a comment!