I ponied up for an MRI of my dodgy knee and a couple of visits to a high-end sports doctor to get more answers to a question that has bothered me a fair bit over the last few years… will I ever be able to run again?

The answer is yes, but it will be different than before. Tiny little distance… I wouldn’t have even thought of lacing up my shoes for a mile or two. Over time maybe that distance will increase. High cadence… quick steps should reduce joint load. Only flat terrain… hills and especially downhill running is what hurts the most so that’s out for a while. And soft surfaces… less painful. And not very often… need time for the inflammation to calm down. And of course the thing I’ve known all along but resist… do a bunch of boring exercises to strengthen the muscles around the joint.

The good news is that there’s nothing really wrong with my knee. It’s as old as me, and its smooth cartilage has been worn down and has some rough arthritic edges poking through. But otherwise, it still works. Surgery won’t make it any better.

So, I went to the park and jogged a couple laps around the playing field. First time in literally years that I’ve gotten above a walk.

It didn’t hurt!

I’m up to 3k now, aiming for a little more over the next few weeks. I don’t know if I’ll be able to think of myself as “a runner” again, but maybe I can get back to the point of having an enjoyable trot around the neighborhood.

For our Friday drinks last week we deviated from the usual routine and went lawn bowling. I took the shot above because I thought the “Visitors Welcome” sign was too much like a Mormon church to pass up. It wasn’t until later that I noticed the defibrillator sign… but not surprising as the average age of a bowling club member must be in the high 130s.

It was a lot of fun and harder than it looks. Turns out the balls aren’t exactly round, so it’s all about making them hook in at the end. I enjoyed the conversation and the drinks more than the actual bowling. Which I think makes me an excellent candidate for membership… especially the drinks part.

The sign might be true in the long run (sorry for that) but not in the moment when you’re shelling out for new kicks.

I signed up for a corporate team event at Auckland’s giant Around the Bays run next weekend, which meant I had to replace my aging shoes.

I’ve had chronic knee pain over the past few years, so I was primed to let the salesman talk me into the Brooks Bedlam… maybe the only shoe in the store more expensive than the ASICS Gel-Kayanos I’ve been running in for most of the last 15 years. We’ll see if a 4mm-shorter heel-toe drop makes a difference. Or if in fact I’m over 50 and heavier than I used to be.

I ran a few miles on that first day and they felt pretty good… so we’ll see how the weekend warrior does this weekend!