Almost 5 months since onset of injury, almost 4 months from last attempt to run (I am not even counting anymore)
In my desperation, I am turning to a chiropractor for help. I have never been to a chiropractor, ever. My view of chiropractors when I was growing up were that they were quacks that cracked your back and neck. But I am learning they do know more than just back cracking. This particular chiropractor comes highly recommended by several runners that are very loosely connected, if connected at all. I can trust runner recommendations, although not all injuries are created equal. This injury just sucks [balls]. I have degraded myself to jogging/walking intervals on the treadmills at speeds I am embarrassed to post. I am also going to contact the Whartons and hope they take pity on this mediocre runner's ailments. I read that one of the Whartons splits time in PA and DC, so one of them is at least within driving distance. So back to the chiropractor. She is a runner (like) and she practices the Graston technique. I have no idea if that technique works but if it stimulates healing and that is what my body needs then more power to it. However, I do have trouble with the thought of after 3 months of no running that my problem is one of healing. That should be plenty of time. Anyway, I see the chiropractor in 2 days. We'll see how this goes....
Tuesday, December 27, 2011
Saturday, December 3, 2011
A Test of Patience
122 days post injury, 89 days since last attempt to run
Thanks to the changes in the NYC marathon qualifying times, I don't feel pressured to run the Miami half. The previous qualifying half time of 1:37 was doable, but the new time of 1:27 is completely out of my reach. This is a good thing because I am pretty sure I won't be able to run even 5 miles at the end of January when the Miami half will take place.
Today I realized that I need to reflect on the small improvements that I have made over the last 3 months; otherwise any improvements will go completely unnoticed. Today tested my patience with this damn injury, feeling like I am still in the same position I was months ago. I became very upset that I am still nowhere near running again 4 months later. But when I was at the gym doing my physical therapy and other leg strengthening exercises, it occurred to me that I really have improved and that the effort I have put forward these last 3 months wasn't for nothing.
Last week I made some adjustments to my return to running plan. First, I am back to lifting my entire lower body. Having to fit both lifting and cardio into my schedule is tough, so I am going to the gym both before and after work like I used to. It was nice to see the same regulars there, obviously having more discipline than I. It was also nice to talk to them and be told that it was nice to see me back. (in these low times, any nice words help.)
Second, the pressure of holiday eating pushed me to start including short jogging bursts in my walks. I realized that 5 minutes of continuous jogging wasn't going to happen. (well, it could happen but I'm not sure if it would be beneficial to my recovery.) Knowing that I had 2 Thanksgiving dinners to attend that day, I decided to jog 30 seconds every 5 minutes during my 40 minute walk. It went well and that was encouraging. My new plan is to take a day off in between each walk/jog session and complete each "level" twice before moving to the next level. I moved on to the next level: 4 minutes walking, 1 minute jogging. I noticed a little discomfort after awhile, but nothing like it used to be. Still, that was very discouraging. After 3 months of no running, how could this be? How can my body not have healed by now? After my little walk/jog session, I helped out at a running event. Dressed in my running clothes, many of my running friends asked if I ran that day. Once again, discouraging to have to tell them that I'm still not running. Some people don't understand that it's not that I don't want to be out there with them running, it's that I can't. I desperately want to join them, but I would rather take months off at a time than end my running career trying to run through pain. I constantly have to remind myself of the consequences of running before my body is ready. It is the true test of patience.
I left the running event with my head hanging and little confidence in my efforts these past few months. Having taken the previous day off from lifting, physical therapy exercises, and the elliptical, I headed straight to the gym. I have been doing core exercises for 3 months and my core is super strong. (If I was running and burning fat I am pretty damn sure I'd have a 6-pack.) I've done 2 months of hip strengthening (hip flexors, abductors and adductors) and just over a month of hamstring strengthening. The hips are getting stronger too. Part of my do-it-yourself physical therapy is to incorporate hip extension exercises using the nautilus free weight hip extension machine. If you don't know what that is, google it. In my first month post injury, I went to the gym a few times to lift, which included the hip extension. I have always been a big fan of the hip extension; it works your glutes, lower back, and upper hamstrings. In the first month post injury, it was very painful. I started doing the hip extension again a few weeks ago after I realized the "no pain, no gain" concept of recovery from this sort of injury. I still felt pain during the extension part of the exercise but it wasn't as intense. Today I felt no pain. This is when I had the realization that I am actually making progress. Although I still have this nagging pain in my rear after my walk/jog sessions, it is a different kind of pain. And the pain isn't always there like it was before, as seen by my painless hip extension today.
With injuries like these, I realized that I have to take a huge step back and look at the entire picture and not just focus on the fact that I'm not running. The reality is that I AM getting better. I am healing..slowly. Albeit baby steps, they are steps in the right direction. Again, this is where patience factors in. I know that I have to remain patient and take each day as it comes. Although the baby-step progress isn't apparent until some time passes, they are progressive steps and not regressive. As cliche as it sounds, I am listening to my body and that practice is tried and true.
Part of my physical therapy is an exercise that my PT referred to as a wind mill. It's essentially a single leg deadlift with no weight, but your arm does a windmill like move as you bend down and touch the ground with each windmill before straightening your body. I have also heard these referred to as romanian dead lifts. Noticing my small, yet huge metaphorically improvements today, I started to add weight to these wind mill exercises. I still did my weightless windmills, then followed these with the single leg romanian dead lifts holding 10 lbs in each hand. The key to this move is to feel a stretch in the hamstring as you lower your torso forward. Doing this exercise I realized a major insufficiency that is most likely contributing to injuries that only occur on my right side. This exercises revealed a major weakness in my right ankle. In college, I managed to sprain my right ankle playing in the girls powder puff league. It was really bad. Since I wasn't a runner at the time and no longer playing "real" sports, none of my health care practicioners thought it was important for me to go through physical therapy to make sure this injury healed correctly and completely. Son of a bitch this fucker never healed properly. Today I began ankle strengthening exercises.
I'll check back in as I continue to increase my jogging:walking ratio. Tonight's beer: Heavy Seas Marzen.
Thanks to the changes in the NYC marathon qualifying times, I don't feel pressured to run the Miami half. The previous qualifying half time of 1:37 was doable, but the new time of 1:27 is completely out of my reach. This is a good thing because I am pretty sure I won't be able to run even 5 miles at the end of January when the Miami half will take place.
Today I realized that I need to reflect on the small improvements that I have made over the last 3 months; otherwise any improvements will go completely unnoticed. Today tested my patience with this damn injury, feeling like I am still in the same position I was months ago. I became very upset that I am still nowhere near running again 4 months later. But when I was at the gym doing my physical therapy and other leg strengthening exercises, it occurred to me that I really have improved and that the effort I have put forward these last 3 months wasn't for nothing.
Last week I made some adjustments to my return to running plan. First, I am back to lifting my entire lower body. Having to fit both lifting and cardio into my schedule is tough, so I am going to the gym both before and after work like I used to. It was nice to see the same regulars there, obviously having more discipline than I. It was also nice to talk to them and be told that it was nice to see me back. (in these low times, any nice words help.)
Second, the pressure of holiday eating pushed me to start including short jogging bursts in my walks. I realized that 5 minutes of continuous jogging wasn't going to happen. (well, it could happen but I'm not sure if it would be beneficial to my recovery.) Knowing that I had 2 Thanksgiving dinners to attend that day, I decided to jog 30 seconds every 5 minutes during my 40 minute walk. It went well and that was encouraging. My new plan is to take a day off in between each walk/jog session and complete each "level" twice before moving to the next level. I moved on to the next level: 4 minutes walking, 1 minute jogging. I noticed a little discomfort after awhile, but nothing like it used to be. Still, that was very discouraging. After 3 months of no running, how could this be? How can my body not have healed by now? After my little walk/jog session, I helped out at a running event. Dressed in my running clothes, many of my running friends asked if I ran that day. Once again, discouraging to have to tell them that I'm still not running. Some people don't understand that it's not that I don't want to be out there with them running, it's that I can't. I desperately want to join them, but I would rather take months off at a time than end my running career trying to run through pain. I constantly have to remind myself of the consequences of running before my body is ready. It is the true test of patience.
I left the running event with my head hanging and little confidence in my efforts these past few months. Having taken the previous day off from lifting, physical therapy exercises, and the elliptical, I headed straight to the gym. I have been doing core exercises for 3 months and my core is super strong. (If I was running and burning fat I am pretty damn sure I'd have a 6-pack.) I've done 2 months of hip strengthening (hip flexors, abductors and adductors) and just over a month of hamstring strengthening. The hips are getting stronger too. Part of my do-it-yourself physical therapy is to incorporate hip extension exercises using the nautilus free weight hip extension machine. If you don't know what that is, google it. In my first month post injury, I went to the gym a few times to lift, which included the hip extension. I have always been a big fan of the hip extension; it works your glutes, lower back, and upper hamstrings. In the first month post injury, it was very painful. I started doing the hip extension again a few weeks ago after I realized the "no pain, no gain" concept of recovery from this sort of injury. I still felt pain during the extension part of the exercise but it wasn't as intense. Today I felt no pain. This is when I had the realization that I am actually making progress. Although I still have this nagging pain in my rear after my walk/jog sessions, it is a different kind of pain. And the pain isn't always there like it was before, as seen by my painless hip extension today.
With injuries like these, I realized that I have to take a huge step back and look at the entire picture and not just focus on the fact that I'm not running. The reality is that I AM getting better. I am healing..slowly. Albeit baby steps, they are steps in the right direction. Again, this is where patience factors in. I know that I have to remain patient and take each day as it comes. Although the baby-step progress isn't apparent until some time passes, they are progressive steps and not regressive. As cliche as it sounds, I am listening to my body and that practice is tried and true.
Part of my physical therapy is an exercise that my PT referred to as a wind mill. It's essentially a single leg deadlift with no weight, but your arm does a windmill like move as you bend down and touch the ground with each windmill before straightening your body. I have also heard these referred to as romanian dead lifts. Noticing my small, yet huge metaphorically improvements today, I started to add weight to these wind mill exercises. I still did my weightless windmills, then followed these with the single leg romanian dead lifts holding 10 lbs in each hand. The key to this move is to feel a stretch in the hamstring as you lower your torso forward. Doing this exercise I realized a major insufficiency that is most likely contributing to injuries that only occur on my right side. This exercises revealed a major weakness in my right ankle. In college, I managed to sprain my right ankle playing in the girls powder puff league. It was really bad. Since I wasn't a runner at the time and no longer playing "real" sports, none of my health care practicioners thought it was important for me to go through physical therapy to make sure this injury healed correctly and completely. Son of a bitch this fucker never healed properly. Today I began ankle strengthening exercises.
I'll check back in as I continue to increase my jogging:walking ratio. Tonight's beer: Heavy Seas Marzen.
Tuesday, November 8, 2011
On My Own: Designing my own physical therapy routine
97 days post injury, 64 days since last attempt to run
My physical therapy benefits ran out last Thursday. On my last appointment, I told my PT that I spoke to the doctor regarding dry needling. He advised me to find another PT, one who will be more aggressive with therapy. I told my therapist this and that my doctor had mentioned ultrasound treatment. She said, "Oh, I could have been doing ultrasound this entire time." I was stunned. I couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth. I'm dealing with this injury that has kept me from running for months with little improvement, and she wasn't doing everything she could to help me heal? She said that there was little evidence supporting the use of ultrasound. I really don't care if there is evidence or not. I had been spending 45 minutes of my physical therapy appointments doing strengthening exercises that I could have done at home, while she could have been treating me with ultrasound and massage. It was hard to contain myself. She said that she would do ultrasound on me on my last visit so that I could at least tell my doctor she tried it. Seriously???? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. One ultrasound treatment isn't going to make a difference. I felt royally screwed.
I was set free from physical therapy, off into a world of uncertainty and discouragement. Thanks to many trips to various websites and blogs, I decided to design with my own physical therapy exercises, in addition to the few given to me by my PT. There is evidence supporting the use of eccentric exercises in promoting tendon healing, so that became my focus.
I decided to give myself a couple more weeks of my new and old exercises before seeking out a new therapist. I would be taking a chance with my insurance at a new therapist. In order to be covered, my doctor would have to send me with a different diagnosis code. Risky. I am also giving myself another month before I call the doctor to return for dry needling.
The pain has slowly returned as the cortisone shot wore off. The pain returned to the same intensity as before the shot was given. This was discouraging. I pushed ahead despite the return of the pain. I went through all of my physical therapy exercises, new and old, on Saturday. After the exercises, the pain had subsided to an extent. That was encouraging. However, When I woke on Sunday I was in even more pain. That was VERY discouraging. I was also going to NYC to watch the marathon that day. Knowing I was going to be walking quite a bit, I grew nervous as to what was going to happen with my tendon.
I woke Monday morning and walked to the bathroom. I almost had to rewind the scene because I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. My pain had significantly decreased. A lightbulb went off in my head. Maybe this was truly an example of "no pain, no gain". This is contradictory to everything my PT talked to me about. She persuaded me to not do any exercises if there was pain. As the day went on, the pain level remained stable. I was still in shock. On my drive home, I couldn't help but think about the NYC marathon and wanting to run it. I know I can qualify with a half marathon time when I am in good shape. But the qualifying times must be run by the end of January, 2012. I thought about a comeback plan. Could I be in shape by the end of January to run a qualifying time, and if so, what half marathon could I run?
The answer was Miami. Miami's marathon and half marathon are the last weekend in January. If I started a return to running program on 11/28/11 (12 weeks after last attempt to run), could I be in shape? I frantically referred to Dr. Pribut's return to running program. It is an extremely slow program, but it is in my best interest to return slow. The first couple of weeks involve only walking. I could start this week, so by Nov 28 I could start with 5 min jogging. I'm afraid to think too positively after my experience with this injury, but could I be seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel?
The plan: eccentric strengthening every other day for one week, then addition of quad and glute strengthening for week two. Alternate strengthening with bike or elliptical PLUS 10 or more minutes swimming without kicking (buoy between legs).
Dr. Pribut's Return to Running Program: (I might have to make some adjustments after the first few weeks if I am to be in shape for Miami)
Week 1: 1-2 mile walks on alternating days
Week 2: 2-3 mile walks on alternating days (I will walk on strengthening days, with alternating days on elliptical or bike and swimming)
Week 3: 5-10 minutes easy jogs every day, with walk breaks every 3-5 minutes. Walk 2-3 miles on alternating days.
Week 4: 12 minute jogs every other day. Walk 2-3 miles on alternate days or 30 minutes elliptical.
Week 5: 12 minute jogs 4 days a week, with elliptical or bike on 2 other days, 30-40 minutes.
Week 6: 14 minute jogs + 20 minute walks 4 days a week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Week 7: 16-18 minute jogs + 30 minute walks 4 days per week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Week 8: 20-25 minute jogs + 30 minute walks 4 days per week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Like I said, If I want to run Miami I will have to make adjustments if possible. But for now, this is where I will start.
My physical therapy benefits ran out last Thursday. On my last appointment, I told my PT that I spoke to the doctor regarding dry needling. He advised me to find another PT, one who will be more aggressive with therapy. I told my therapist this and that my doctor had mentioned ultrasound treatment. She said, "Oh, I could have been doing ultrasound this entire time." I was stunned. I couldn't believe the words that just came out of her mouth. I'm dealing with this injury that has kept me from running for months with little improvement, and she wasn't doing everything she could to help me heal? She said that there was little evidence supporting the use of ultrasound. I really don't care if there is evidence or not. I had been spending 45 minutes of my physical therapy appointments doing strengthening exercises that I could have done at home, while she could have been treating me with ultrasound and massage. It was hard to contain myself. She said that she would do ultrasound on me on my last visit so that I could at least tell my doctor she tried it. Seriously???? I couldn't believe what I was hearing. One ultrasound treatment isn't going to make a difference. I felt royally screwed.
I was set free from physical therapy, off into a world of uncertainty and discouragement. Thanks to many trips to various websites and blogs, I decided to design with my own physical therapy exercises, in addition to the few given to me by my PT. There is evidence supporting the use of eccentric exercises in promoting tendon healing, so that became my focus.
I decided to give myself a couple more weeks of my new and old exercises before seeking out a new therapist. I would be taking a chance with my insurance at a new therapist. In order to be covered, my doctor would have to send me with a different diagnosis code. Risky. I am also giving myself another month before I call the doctor to return for dry needling.
The pain has slowly returned as the cortisone shot wore off. The pain returned to the same intensity as before the shot was given. This was discouraging. I pushed ahead despite the return of the pain. I went through all of my physical therapy exercises, new and old, on Saturday. After the exercises, the pain had subsided to an extent. That was encouraging. However, When I woke on Sunday I was in even more pain. That was VERY discouraging. I was also going to NYC to watch the marathon that day. Knowing I was going to be walking quite a bit, I grew nervous as to what was going to happen with my tendon.
I woke Monday morning and walked to the bathroom. I almost had to rewind the scene because I couldn't believe what I was experiencing. My pain had significantly decreased. A lightbulb went off in my head. Maybe this was truly an example of "no pain, no gain". This is contradictory to everything my PT talked to me about. She persuaded me to not do any exercises if there was pain. As the day went on, the pain level remained stable. I was still in shock. On my drive home, I couldn't help but think about the NYC marathon and wanting to run it. I know I can qualify with a half marathon time when I am in good shape. But the qualifying times must be run by the end of January, 2012. I thought about a comeback plan. Could I be in shape by the end of January to run a qualifying time, and if so, what half marathon could I run?
The answer was Miami. Miami's marathon and half marathon are the last weekend in January. If I started a return to running program on 11/28/11 (12 weeks after last attempt to run), could I be in shape? I frantically referred to Dr. Pribut's return to running program. It is an extremely slow program, but it is in my best interest to return slow. The first couple of weeks involve only walking. I could start this week, so by Nov 28 I could start with 5 min jogging. I'm afraid to think too positively after my experience with this injury, but could I be seeing a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel?
The plan: eccentric strengthening every other day for one week, then addition of quad and glute strengthening for week two. Alternate strengthening with bike or elliptical PLUS 10 or more minutes swimming without kicking (buoy between legs).
Dr. Pribut's Return to Running Program: (I might have to make some adjustments after the first few weeks if I am to be in shape for Miami)
Week 1: 1-2 mile walks on alternating days
Week 2: 2-3 mile walks on alternating days (I will walk on strengthening days, with alternating days on elliptical or bike and swimming)
Week 3: 5-10 minutes easy jogs every day, with walk breaks every 3-5 minutes. Walk 2-3 miles on alternating days.
Week 4: 12 minute jogs every other day. Walk 2-3 miles on alternate days or 30 minutes elliptical.
Week 5: 12 minute jogs 4 days a week, with elliptical or bike on 2 other days, 30-40 minutes.
Week 6: 14 minute jogs + 20 minute walks 4 days a week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Week 7: 16-18 minute jogs + 30 minute walks 4 days per week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Week 8: 20-25 minute jogs + 30 minute walks 4 days per week. Elliptical or bike on 2 other days.
Like I said, If I want to run Miami I will have to make adjustments if possible. But for now, this is where I will start.
Sunday, October 30, 2011
10/30/2011 The Icy Hot Experiment
88 days post injury, 55 days since last attempt to run
The deep ass pain has gotten worse over the last few days, presumably from the cortisone shot wearing off. The pain is slightly different, coming from the same area but different muscle movements eliciting the pain. I took Friday off to give it a rest, then returned to the gym on Saturday for a whopping 20 minutes on the bike. I decided to break up my hip and hamstring strengthening and save the hammy work for tomorrow. Another day's rest won't hurt. Today I did my hammy work, beginning the Icy Hot experiment.
I got the idea for the Icy Hot experiment from a bartender friend. I got to know this bartender because he works at the bar our running group meets at after the Wednesday night run. Since I am not running, I still meet up with the group but always manage to get to the bar earlier and start drinking. That is where I got to know Mike, the bartender.
Mike has a friend who runs and has chronic Achilles problems. His friend swears by Icy Hot. He puts the Icy Hot patch on his Achilles before running and it has miraculously cured his problem. Mike is not a runner, and he bought in to the story. When I returned to the bar the next week, he had a present waiting for me: Icy Hot patches.
The deep ass pain has gotten worse over the last few days, presumably from the cortisone shot wearing off. The pain is slightly different, coming from the same area but different muscle movements eliciting the pain. I took Friday off to give it a rest, then returned to the gym on Saturday for a whopping 20 minutes on the bike. I decided to break up my hip and hamstring strengthening and save the hammy work for tomorrow. Another day's rest won't hurt. Today I did my hammy work, beginning the Icy Hot experiment.
I got the idea for the Icy Hot experiment from a bartender friend. I got to know this bartender because he works at the bar our running group meets at after the Wednesday night run. Since I am not running, I still meet up with the group but always manage to get to the bar earlier and start drinking. That is where I got to know Mike, the bartender.
Mike has a friend who runs and has chronic Achilles problems. His friend swears by Icy Hot. He puts the Icy Hot patch on his Achilles before running and it has miraculously cured his problem. Mike is not a runner, and he bought in to the story. When I returned to the bar the next week, he had a present waiting for me: Icy Hot patches.
While his heart was in the right place, I was very skeptical that Icy Hot could cure my problem. A little about the hamstring tendon: the hamstring tendon originates at the ischial tuberosity of the pelvis, which is deep in the butt. Genetically, this poses a problem as my family is known for carrying a little extra junk in the trunk, and I am not an exception. Thus, the Icy Hot has to penetrates layers of adipose and muscle tissue before it reaches the tendon. Also, the active ingredient in Icy Hot is menthol. I scanned the scientific literature and found that menthol has been shown to reduce pain and reduce blood flow. There is no evidence that menthol provides any other physiological benefit that would decrease recovery and healing time in muscle strains. Despite the lack of evidence that Icy Hot will help with my ailment, along with basic common sense, I decided to try the Icy Hot theory. Desperate times require desperate measures.
The Icy Hot Experiment
Methods: Apply Extra Strength Icy Hot Medicated Patch (8 cm x 12 cm, 5% menthol) to junction of right butt cheek and proximal upper leg. Conduct hamstring strengthening exercises as instructed by PT. Analyze pain levels before, during, and after exercise.
Results: Icy Hot patch provided cold and hot sensations, "Icy to dull the pain - hot to relax it away". Pain levels seemed to decrease slightly during and after exercise, but whether it was due to the Icy and Hot feeling on my skin distracting from the real problem is unknown.
Conclusions: Icy Hot may be useful in therapy when pain prevents normal range of motion exercises to be performed, and there is little tissue in between the skin and tendon/muscle. No evidence was provided that suggests Icy Hot may speed recovery. Sensation on skin suggests a bottle of Scotch may be as useful as Icy Hot patches.
Thursday, October 27, 2011
10/27/2011 Baring it all
85 days post injury, 52 days since last attempt to run
The runners' diet has finally caught up with me. To me, runners' diet means try to eat healthy, but indulge in junk food and beer every chance I get. When I used to run 40 miles a week, I burned a minimum of 4,000 extra calories a week. I could eat an entire pizza and not have to deal with the consequences. Now, I am intaking an extra 4,000 calories a week, which translates into 1 lb a week. Although I try to not use the scale as a measure of weight loss. Nevertheless, this is what I am dealing with:
I know what you're thinking, but body image is relative. I looked better 3 months ago...
Today I made the resolve to abandon the runners' diet. No more indulging, except for good tasting beer.
I am now in my second week of hamstring eccentric strengthening exercises. Eccentric means the muscle is being worked when it is lengthened, vs concentric which is when the muscle is worked while it shortens. Here is an example: the bicep curl. When you lift the weight, bend your elbow and bring the weight towards your body, the muscle is shortening and thus is a concentric exercise. When you lower the weight and straighten your elbow, that is eccentric exercise.
Although I was turned off on my first PT visit, I have really started to like my PT. She wants me to get back to running asap, but her main concern is for me to return when my body is ready so that I can run for 20+ more years. Sensing my impatience several weeks into therapy, she sat me down and had a pep talk with me. She told me that if I wanted to run now, go for it but I wouldn't be able to run past the age of 40. If I fully rehabilitate before running again, I will be able to run for many, many years. She said, "It's your choice". I chose the latter. At that moment we sort of became a team, both working towards a common goal.
I started aerobic activity last Thursday. 20 min on the elliptical, alternating days and alternating with the bike. I completed 23 minutes on the elliptical last night. My right hamstring is super sore. Much to my pleasure, the soreness is not in the area of the injury. However, I am again able to elicit the deep ass pain that disappeared after the cortisone shot but it has lessened. I am not worried, these things take a long, long time to heal. I don't expect a miraculous recovery.
I am not putting a timeline on my return to running. I will let pain be my guide (and listen to it this time).
After eating lemon quinoa with chick peas and pesto all week for lunch, I just realized that I forgot to eat dinner. Where did this sudden optimism come from, you ask: It's a Golden Monkey night.
The runners' diet has finally caught up with me. To me, runners' diet means try to eat healthy, but indulge in junk food and beer every chance I get. When I used to run 40 miles a week, I burned a minimum of 4,000 extra calories a week. I could eat an entire pizza and not have to deal with the consequences. Now, I am intaking an extra 4,000 calories a week, which translates into 1 lb a week. Although I try to not use the scale as a measure of weight loss. Nevertheless, this is what I am dealing with:
OK, I kind of cheated. Here is a less flattering shot:
I know what you're thinking, but body image is relative. I looked better 3 months ago...
Today I made the resolve to abandon the runners' diet. No more indulging, except for good tasting beer.
I am now in my second week of hamstring eccentric strengthening exercises. Eccentric means the muscle is being worked when it is lengthened, vs concentric which is when the muscle is worked while it shortens. Here is an example: the bicep curl. When you lift the weight, bend your elbow and bring the weight towards your body, the muscle is shortening and thus is a concentric exercise. When you lower the weight and straighten your elbow, that is eccentric exercise.
Although I was turned off on my first PT visit, I have really started to like my PT. She wants me to get back to running asap, but her main concern is for me to return when my body is ready so that I can run for 20+ more years. Sensing my impatience several weeks into therapy, she sat me down and had a pep talk with me. She told me that if I wanted to run now, go for it but I wouldn't be able to run past the age of 40. If I fully rehabilitate before running again, I will be able to run for many, many years. She said, "It's your choice". I chose the latter. At that moment we sort of became a team, both working towards a common goal.
I started aerobic activity last Thursday. 20 min on the elliptical, alternating days and alternating with the bike. I completed 23 minutes on the elliptical last night. My right hamstring is super sore. Much to my pleasure, the soreness is not in the area of the injury. However, I am again able to elicit the deep ass pain that disappeared after the cortisone shot but it has lessened. I am not worried, these things take a long, long time to heal. I don't expect a miraculous recovery.
I am not putting a timeline on my return to running. I will let pain be my guide (and listen to it this time).
After eating lemon quinoa with chick peas and pesto all week for lunch, I just realized that I forgot to eat dinner. Where did this sudden optimism come from, you ask: It's a Golden Monkey night.
9/26/2011 And now I have a bulging disc
54 days post injury, 3 weeks since last attempt to run
I blame my fucking job for this one; I didn't go to grad school to do manual labor on the job. The pain is now radiating down my left side. The pain in the ass is very sore. New plan: no cardio for one week, nothing that could aggravate my hamstring. I will stretch, do the core and hip exercises, lift upper body and that is it (probably calves too). Fuck, fuck, fuck. Troegs variety pack to get me through this week.
I blame my fucking job for this one; I didn't go to grad school to do manual labor on the job. The pain is now radiating down my left side. The pain in the ass is very sore. New plan: no cardio for one week, nothing that could aggravate my hamstring. I will stretch, do the core and hip exercises, lift upper body and that is it (probably calves too). Fuck, fuck, fuck. Troegs variety pack to get me through this week.
9/21/2011 It just keeps going downhill
49 days since injury, 16 days since last attempt to run
No running or biking. The elliptical just doesn't do it for me, and I apparently pushed myself too hard on the elliptical yesterday because the pain in my ass is worse. I had stopped drinking for a week, thinking that would help but that just made things worse. Oh yeah, I drink because I'm bored when I am injured. I also watch a lot of tv. I was late for the prediction run (I was going to help with timing) so I said screw it and ended up at Gullifty's. So tonight I treated myself to a pumpkin beer and La Fin de Monde, both 9% alcohol.
Job prospect does not look good. I haven't heard about the recent job I applied to. I should have jumped on the opportunity in May/June when I had it. I need a new game plan and I need to save money so I can get the hell out of here.
No running or biking. The elliptical just doesn't do it for me, and I apparently pushed myself too hard on the elliptical yesterday because the pain in my ass is worse. I had stopped drinking for a week, thinking that would help but that just made things worse. Oh yeah, I drink because I'm bored when I am injured. I also watch a lot of tv. I was late for the prediction run (I was going to help with timing) so I said screw it and ended up at Gullifty's. So tonight I treated myself to a pumpkin beer and La Fin de Monde, both 9% alcohol.
Job prospect does not look good. I haven't heard about the recent job I applied to. I should have jumped on the opportunity in May/June when I had it. I need a new game plan and I need to save money so I can get the hell out of here.
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