When I got hurt almost five months ago, I was forced to spend all my time swimming and cycling in order to do ANY exercise outdoors, and I had this idea that I could sort of train for an Ironman, and do the Aquabike if the running part didn't work out.
Thankfully, the running injury seems to be on its way out. Yeah, my running legs are out of shape, but the cross training kept me fit enough that I don't think it will take me TOO long to get back in the swing of things. So far my running has looked like this:
July 7 - Two miles easy -- first run in over two months.
July 9 - Five miles at a 10:00 pace (walked one minute per mile)
July 10 - Two miles, 9:18 pace
July 11 - 6 miles, 9:36 pace
July 13 - 10 miles, Dead Garmin, started out with Brittany and did 8:50 and 8:30 and realized there was no way I could hold that up for the planned 8 miles, ran with Jamal who apparently hadn't run since 2012, was convinced by him to go for 10, but we spent a lot of time at the water stop and even more time walking in the last two miles. We finished a little under 2 hours from when we started, whatever that means. Rode long the next day, and kept Monday as a rest day.
July 15 - 2.25 miles, under an 8 pace. Guess my legs were pretty well rested from the two day break.
July 16 - 6.25 miles with Jack in the jogging stroller, overall pace was 9:10 but I know the first mile was pretty slow. I was happy with that, especially on the hottest and most humid day of the summer so far (real feel 104!)
July 18 - 6 miles solo easy run. First four miles were between 8:30-8:40 but the last two were over 9 and felt hard. Endurance is obviously going to take some time.
Today I'm planning to do 3 easy untimed miles, and then tomorrow a long run of 10-12 at an easy pace. I won't attempt any speedwork til we leave for the beach -- I was advised to get in four solid weeks of just building mileage. But in general, I am very thankful for how well things are going. Sub-7 minute mile repeats aren't going to happen for awhile, but I am confident they will come back.
I went back to working full time for three weeks, and then we head to the beach for two weeks. There is absolutely no way I can do the full peak season Ironman training while working full time. Last summer I didn't work at all, and was only in the "Build" phase during May and June, which isn't all that time consuming. But the last eight weeks of an IM program are tough -- most of the rides are 85-110 miles long, some followed by running, and almost every day has two workouts. I just can't do it. When I wasn't working, I'd get up at 5:30am to swim or ride, then I'd do the second workout at the gym with the kids in childcare later on in the day (usually around noon) and be done in time to make dinner and spend time with my family.
This week I thought I'd see if I could get it all in. I left my house before 6 and got in an 85 mile ride -- solo -- and finished in time to meet my family for lunch at the Whole Foods on the bike trail. I gave Jamie a break and took the kids folk dancing at Glen Echo park, came home and made dinner, and was feeling pretty good. Monday of course was a rest day.
Except teaching 7 classes at a summer program for the arts isn't really a rest day. I was exhausted when I got home at 5 p.m., but I did manage to make dinner.
Tuesday - Friday were ridiculous. Up at 5:15am to swim, teach 7 classes, home for workout #2, somehow manage to make dinner, and by the time I was ready for the next day it was 11 p.m. Last night I hit a breaking point. I had the kids all evening while Jamie went to a Nats game, and I was awoken when he arrived home after midnight. I didn't end up getting back to sleep until 2 a.m., and we had a long talk about why I was still contemplating doing this race. I skipped my planned long ride today and instead am spending the day with the children I didn't see all week.
I don't want to feel the pressure to ride 100 miles on a Saturday, because if I don't, I might not finish. I don't want to do a 4-6 hour ride during the three weekends in August that we are in North Carolina at the beach. I don't want to do double workouts every day we are down there.
So.... Iron Off.
Don't get me wrong, I'm still going to do ONE of the distances that weekend! I'm thinking I will do the Skipjack instead, which seems about right for the amount of training that I can put in. It's a 1.2 mile swim, 64 mile bike, and 10 mile run. Reasons why this is a much better idea:
1. I really don't want to do two loops in the swim. I just don't like swimming that much.
2. The Skipjack is half the distance AND half the price! I really have a hard time justifying a $412 race fee when we can barely afford childcare.
3. 64 miles on the bike might not make me completely hate Dora afterwards and put her away for the fall. Really, I missed out on some lovely 2012 rides because I was just so burnt out on the bike. She sat in my guest room storage closet until AFTER I broke my hip. That's 8 months of sitting.
4. I want to concentrate on running once I am back into the groove, and doing an Ironman isn't going to help me in that department.
5. Most importantly, my life needs to be in balance. I don't think it is possible to work full time, train for an Ironman, and have a balanced family life. I really don't. It doesn't matter how early you get up. It's still energy spent.
Once triathlon training becomes more stress producing than stress relieving, it's time to rethink your goals. So my new goals for summer training are:
1. Set a new PR for the Reston Century on August 25. Since this was my first century ride and I averaged less than 15 miles per hour the last time I did it, I don't think this will be too difficult.
2. Skipjack 75.2. Setting a PR will also not be too difficult, since I have never done that distance before!
And really.... I am just so thankful to be running without pain. Thankful, thankful, thankful.
Saturday, July 20, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Friday, June 28, 2013
Returning to Running...
Slowly but surely, we're getting there.
Here's a photo of what I've been doing:
I'm up to 70% body weight, 3 minutes of running at a time, at a 3% incline. Not bad. Next week, we start getting rid of the walking breaks. Hopefully I'll be up to 20-30 minutes of continuous running by the end of the week.
X-rays the following week. On my birthday. My fingers are crossed that my present will be visible bone union and the clearance to run on actual land.
Now, confession time. Our local Road Runner Sports running store sponsors a monthly Adventure Run. Starting at 6:30pm, they reveal a map that has a bunch of checkpoints in the city of Falls Church. You have 60 minutes to run to as many of these as you can, and the number of tickets you receive are based on the distance and difficulty to get there. It concludes with a Sierra Nevada beer garden and raffle, where they give away a ridiculous number of awesome prizes (like new running shoes and local restaurant gift certificates.) I figured that Jamie could run and I would walk Susanna and Jack in the jogging stroller.
Except Susanna wanted to register for the race, too. And she is one competitive chica. We checked the map and I noticed one was in the pub below my friend Victoria's condo, so I figured we walk there, say hello, and walk back to "participate." But no. Susanna took off and ran. Fast. Like I had to run to keep up with her. And this was not some little track. This was Route 7, the main road running from Alexandria to Tysons Corner, and it was rush hour. So I took off too, screaming "STOP!" every time she reached the end of a sidewalk. "HURRY MOMMY! WE NEED TO GET TICKETS! WE NEED TO GET MORE THAN DADDY!"
We met Victoria at the Mad Fox Brewery, and Susanna stopped to pat her dog while I ran in and got our tickets. "MOMMY! We need to get more tickets!" So we were off to Vantage Fitness, where we each had to do 15 push-ups. Then, on to Famous Dave's. To get there, I had to run right pass my physical therapy office. I was pushing Jack in the BOB and chasing after Susanna, and praying my PT wasn't in the parking lot.
It was 7:05 -- time to turn around. I figured we could hit Mike's Ice Cream on the way back (down a MUCH quieter street, thank goodness.) Susanna, who had already run about a mile and a half, finally decided she was tired and hopped in the stroller. Yay, I got to walk.
Except then I realized that I still had to go a mile and a half, stop and get tickets, and get back to home base in about 20 minutes. So it became a jog/ walk. We got to the ice cream shop at 7:22, and had the tickets in hand by 7:25. About a quarter mile to go. Yeah, time to run. Susanna wanted to run, too. So we held hands, and ran to the finish. We reached it at 7:28. Phew.
I should point out that at my last doctor's appointment, he said that any exercise was okay if I didn't feel pain, and that short spurts of running would be okay to try. I didn't feel pain.
Nevertheless, I don't think my PT was very pleased with my impromptu run. I know she means the best for me, and wants me to heal without any setbacks. I did explain to her that I have really been on my best behavior for her compared to, well, anyone else... I mean, obviously I didn't take the "no exercise for 6 weeks after childbirth" thing very seriously if I did a triathlon 8 and a half weeks after Jack was born....
Jamie scored a ton of tickets, but between the three of us, we didn't win anything. Well, Susanna won a tube of lip gloss at one of the booths that had a prize spin wheel (and has been carrying it around like it's an Olympic medal, telling everyone she "won it at her race.") But it was the most fun I've had in awhile. I miss running. I miss running in groups. I miss races, and fun runs, and chatting with my friends as we trot along on Saturday mornings.
My fingers are crossed.
Here's a photo of what I've been doing:
I'm up to 70% body weight, 3 minutes of running at a time, at a 3% incline. Not bad. Next week, we start getting rid of the walking breaks. Hopefully I'll be up to 20-30 minutes of continuous running by the end of the week.
X-rays the following week. On my birthday. My fingers are crossed that my present will be visible bone union and the clearance to run on actual land.
Now, confession time. Our local Road Runner Sports running store sponsors a monthly Adventure Run. Starting at 6:30pm, they reveal a map that has a bunch of checkpoints in the city of Falls Church. You have 60 minutes to run to as many of these as you can, and the number of tickets you receive are based on the distance and difficulty to get there. It concludes with a Sierra Nevada beer garden and raffle, where they give away a ridiculous number of awesome prizes (like new running shoes and local restaurant gift certificates.) I figured that Jamie could run and I would walk Susanna and Jack in the jogging stroller.
Except Susanna wanted to register for the race, too. And she is one competitive chica. We checked the map and I noticed one was in the pub below my friend Victoria's condo, so I figured we walk there, say hello, and walk back to "participate." But no. Susanna took off and ran. Fast. Like I had to run to keep up with her. And this was not some little track. This was Route 7, the main road running from Alexandria to Tysons Corner, and it was rush hour. So I took off too, screaming "STOP!" every time she reached the end of a sidewalk. "HURRY MOMMY! WE NEED TO GET TICKETS! WE NEED TO GET MORE THAN DADDY!"
We met Victoria at the Mad Fox Brewery, and Susanna stopped to pat her dog while I ran in and got our tickets. "MOMMY! We need to get more tickets!" So we were off to Vantage Fitness, where we each had to do 15 push-ups. Then, on to Famous Dave's. To get there, I had to run right pass my physical therapy office. I was pushing Jack in the BOB and chasing after Susanna, and praying my PT wasn't in the parking lot.
It was 7:05 -- time to turn around. I figured we could hit Mike's Ice Cream on the way back (down a MUCH quieter street, thank goodness.) Susanna, who had already run about a mile and a half, finally decided she was tired and hopped in the stroller. Yay, I got to walk.
Except then I realized that I still had to go a mile and a half, stop and get tickets, and get back to home base in about 20 minutes. So it became a jog/ walk. We got to the ice cream shop at 7:22, and had the tickets in hand by 7:25. About a quarter mile to go. Yeah, time to run. Susanna wanted to run, too. So we held hands, and ran to the finish. We reached it at 7:28. Phew.
I should point out that at my last doctor's appointment, he said that any exercise was okay if I didn't feel pain, and that short spurts of running would be okay to try. I didn't feel pain.
Nevertheless, I don't think my PT was very pleased with my impromptu run. I know she means the best for me, and wants me to heal without any setbacks. I did explain to her that I have really been on my best behavior for her compared to, well, anyone else... I mean, obviously I didn't take the "no exercise for 6 weeks after childbirth" thing very seriously if I did a triathlon 8 and a half weeks after Jack was born....
Jamie scored a ton of tickets, but between the three of us, we didn't win anything. Well, Susanna won a tube of lip gloss at one of the booths that had a prize spin wheel (and has been carrying it around like it's an Olympic medal, telling everyone she "won it at her race.") But it was the most fun I've had in awhile. I miss running. I miss running in groups. I miss races, and fun runs, and chatting with my friends as we trot along on Saturday mornings.
My fingers are crossed.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
I May Or May Not Be Training For an Ironman
I know I said I wasn't going to do an Ironman this year. My plan was to really focus on running shorter distances and get some PRs on the 5K - Half Marathon. AND... since that isn't going to happen, I guess I'm kind of sort of training for an Ironman. Or an Aquabike. I mean, yeah, I could do some centuries, but they aren't really races. And I'm doing all this swimming. So I might as well.
No, I'm not paying for anything yet. I'm not going to register til the last minute. So obviously that leaves out "Ironman" branded races, and whatever on that. I'm looking at races that I can Aquabike if (probably) necessary. I'm pretty sure it's going to be Chesapeakeman -- perfect timing, since the taper will begin right when school starts back up, and it's cheap (less than $300, $400 if I run!), flat, and about 2 hours away, on the eastern shore of Maryland.
So I'm loosely following a training plan, adding extra bike miles or pool running in the place of the runs for now. If I'm cleared to run by July 8, it might be possible to do the whole thing by the end of September (because we all know it will be more of a jog/ walk marathon.)
If my doctor doesn't give me his blessing to run, however, Aquabike it will be. My placing will be humbling, since I will be racing my two weaker sports only. Every single tri I have done, my placing has improved with each section of the race. I'm always in the last ten percent at the end of the swim, somewhere in the middle on the bike, and towards the top third after the run. (Louisville was another story -- finished right smack bang in the middle, but even then the run is what got me out of the second 50%.)
So.... I had a fantastic weekend! I have really missed my running buddies, and was a little depressed that the running club (DSG, the close knit group marathon training group I've been with since it's inception 6 seasons ago) had its first Marine Corps Marathon training run Saturday morning.
Instead, I met up with a member Mom's Run This Town who also got injured in February. She also still is unable to run. She also qualified for Boston in the fall, also did her first 50K this winter, and also was training for Shamrock. (I would love to say she ALSO runs the same pace as me, but in all humbleness, she is a lot faster than me and her marathon time smoked mine by 20 minutes.) It was GREAT to chat to someone going through the same thing. We walked the 5 mile Burke Lake Trail Loop and I had Jack in the jogger, and I actually worked up quite a sweat.
Then today I woke up at the crack of dawn to get in a long ride with a girl from my riding group. It was great to meet a new riding partner, and get out on the roads in Loudoun wine county, where I did most of my Ironman training last summer. I loved those rides. Bales of hay, mountain views, horses, and vineyards... a little piece of heaven, just a few miles from busy DC. We got in 60 miles, and we were done before 11. Here's a picture from the 7-11 in Lovettsville, our halfway point:
I had parked near the pool in Ashburn, and met Jamie and Jack there for lunch and some outdoor pool time. Then I took him shopping and to the park so Jamie could get in a long run, and also to get the ingredients for whatever-meal-his-heart-desires-for-Father's-Day (turned out well, will put on the food blog.)
I am so, so thankful I can get outside for most of my exercise now. Take THAT, stress fracture! You will not keep me down!
No, I'm not paying for anything yet. I'm not going to register til the last minute. So obviously that leaves out "Ironman" branded races, and whatever on that. I'm looking at races that I can Aquabike if (probably) necessary. I'm pretty sure it's going to be Chesapeakeman -- perfect timing, since the taper will begin right when school starts back up, and it's cheap (less than $300, $400 if I run!), flat, and about 2 hours away, on the eastern shore of Maryland.
So I'm loosely following a training plan, adding extra bike miles or pool running in the place of the runs for now. If I'm cleared to run by July 8, it might be possible to do the whole thing by the end of September (because we all know it will be more of a jog/ walk marathon.)
If my doctor doesn't give me his blessing to run, however, Aquabike it will be. My placing will be humbling, since I will be racing my two weaker sports only. Every single tri I have done, my placing has improved with each section of the race. I'm always in the last ten percent at the end of the swim, somewhere in the middle on the bike, and towards the top third after the run. (Louisville was another story -- finished right smack bang in the middle, but even then the run is what got me out of the second 50%.)
So.... I had a fantastic weekend! I have really missed my running buddies, and was a little depressed that the running club (DSG, the close knit group marathon training group I've been with since it's inception 6 seasons ago) had its first Marine Corps Marathon training run Saturday morning.
Instead, I met up with a member Mom's Run This Town who also got injured in February. She also still is unable to run. She also qualified for Boston in the fall, also did her first 50K this winter, and also was training for Shamrock. (I would love to say she ALSO runs the same pace as me, but in all humbleness, she is a lot faster than me and her marathon time smoked mine by 20 minutes.) It was GREAT to chat to someone going through the same thing. We walked the 5 mile Burke Lake Trail Loop and I had Jack in the jogger, and I actually worked up quite a sweat.
Then today I woke up at the crack of dawn to get in a long ride with a girl from my riding group. It was great to meet a new riding partner, and get out on the roads in Loudoun wine county, where I did most of my Ironman training last summer. I loved those rides. Bales of hay, mountain views, horses, and vineyards... a little piece of heaven, just a few miles from busy DC. We got in 60 miles, and we were done before 11. Here's a picture from the 7-11 in Lovettsville, our halfway point:
Beautiful mountain views, and a Pina Colada Slurpee!
I had parked near the pool in Ashburn, and met Jamie and Jack there for lunch and some outdoor pool time. Then I took him shopping and to the park so Jamie could get in a long run, and also to get the ingredients for whatever-meal-his-heart-desires-for-Father's-Day (turned out well, will put on the food blog.)
I am so, so thankful I can get outside for most of my exercise now. Take THAT, stress fracture! You will not keep me down!
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Pity Party
Last post I was feeling pretty positive, right? The past two weeks has been a bit of a roller coaster both physically and emotionally. Trying to keep it positive -- really, really trying.
Since the doctor gave the okay to swim, bike and pool run, I did all three the first second week of May. Great swimming Monday and Wednesday mornings, interval pool running on Tuesday morning, and a nice 18 mile ride outside on Wednesday night. Thursday I wore ballet flats (ie no support) to work, and by the end of the day I was limping again. I did some pool running on Friday morning, and by Friday afternoon I had pain just from walking. I called my doctor, and his PA said that something I did aggravated the injury. Her advice? Stop everything until my leg felt good again. Maybe that would take ten days. She suggested trying yoga or pilates since most of my cardio options were now off limits.
And the pity party began. It was Mother's Day weekend and I had planned to do 80 miles on the bike Saturday morning, then take my daughter folk dancing Sunday afternoon. My body had other plans, and I was not happy with them.
However, I have to admit that it felt nice to sleep in on Saturday morning and cuddle with my kids, who both climbed in the bed with me. Susanna started watching "The Doc Is In" on the iPad while I drifted in and out of sleep. I overheard Doc McStuffins sing "Slow down just a little longer. Kick back and rest. You'll see, the more you rest the stronger you'll be." Susanna looked at me and said "Mom! It's just like your leg!" Wow, here i am learning lessons from a Disney cartoon. "So Susanna, do you think Doc McStuffins can fix me up?" "No, Mom, of course not. You're not a toy. Now go back to sleep so your leg can get better."
We had a great day, packed with swimming lessons and trip to the Children's Museum and the National Harbor. My body showed true exhaustion that evening when I collapsed with my kids at 8:30 p.m. I slept all the way until 8 a.m. the following morning, waking up just in time to get the kids to Sunday School (late, as usual.) When we returned, I fell asleep AGAIN... I napped two more hours. Really, I don't think I've slept that much in years. I decided to go ahead and take Susanna folk dancing at Glen Echo Park (PERFECT way to spend Mother's Day!), though I didn't do any of the sachays or jumps. I fell asleep at 9:30 pm.
Since I wasn't limping, I decided to go ahead and try some exercise after resting up for the weekend. My leg was still incredibly tight, but I didn't have any pain walking. So Monday I did masters swimming in the morning, Tuesday I did intervals on the stationary bike, and Wednesday I did a swimming stroke clinic and some core/ upper body strength. Thursday I cycled, and then had a massage to break up scar tissue and muscle adhesions (very painful, but it really seemed to help.) Friday I swam and was thrilled to see my fastest split times to date -- I managed to hit under 1:40 on the 100 yard repeats. (Note: I need to go back to stoke workshop, because I swam again today and my pace was nowhere near that.) Saturday I spent the day power walking around an amusement park chaperoning a school trip (honestly, that seemed to cause more pain than anything else I did this week) and today I did some upper body/ core strength and swam for 50 minutes. My leg is still tight, but feels a lot better than it did ten days ago. So we'll see if I can add outdoor cycling and maybe pool running to the mix this week. I've been wearing supportive shoes to work, and that seems to make a huge difference.
As far as the pity party, I've had to distance myself from things like Daily Mile and Facebook feeds. While I should be overjoyed to see my friend's posts about how much they love running, or how they achieved a PR at a certain distance, I find myself getting insanely jealous that I'm not out there too. Last year I logged everything I did on Daily Mile, and met my goal of running over 2000 miles. I had a goal this year to run 3000, and I was logging everything religiously. 276 miles in January, 262 in February, 15 (all on the fractured pelvis) in March, 3 (again, on the fracture) in April, 0 (injury diagnosed) in May. I am done keeping track for awhile. This week, I didn't log miles. Aside from Friday's swim, I have no idea how far I biked in place, or how many laps I did.
And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe my body and mind need a break from regimented training.
And maybe I need to remember that the last time I got a stress fracture, I discovered swimming and cycling and became a triathlete. Maybe I need to remember that when I stopped having a pity party and focused on what I could do, I ended up fitter than when I'd started.
Pity party concluded. Let's move on.
Since the doctor gave the okay to swim, bike and pool run, I did all three the first second week of May. Great swimming Monday and Wednesday mornings, interval pool running on Tuesday morning, and a nice 18 mile ride outside on Wednesday night. Thursday I wore ballet flats (ie no support) to work, and by the end of the day I was limping again. I did some pool running on Friday morning, and by Friday afternoon I had pain just from walking. I called my doctor, and his PA said that something I did aggravated the injury. Her advice? Stop everything until my leg felt good again. Maybe that would take ten days. She suggested trying yoga or pilates since most of my cardio options were now off limits.
And the pity party began. It was Mother's Day weekend and I had planned to do 80 miles on the bike Saturday morning, then take my daughter folk dancing Sunday afternoon. My body had other plans, and I was not happy with them.
However, I have to admit that it felt nice to sleep in on Saturday morning and cuddle with my kids, who both climbed in the bed with me. Susanna started watching "The Doc Is In" on the iPad while I drifted in and out of sleep. I overheard Doc McStuffins sing "Slow down just a little longer. Kick back and rest. You'll see, the more you rest the stronger you'll be." Susanna looked at me and said "Mom! It's just like your leg!" Wow, here i am learning lessons from a Disney cartoon. "So Susanna, do you think Doc McStuffins can fix me up?" "No, Mom, of course not. You're not a toy. Now go back to sleep so your leg can get better."
We had a great day, packed with swimming lessons and trip to the Children's Museum and the National Harbor. My body showed true exhaustion that evening when I collapsed with my kids at 8:30 p.m. I slept all the way until 8 a.m. the following morning, waking up just in time to get the kids to Sunday School (late, as usual.) When we returned, I fell asleep AGAIN... I napped two more hours. Really, I don't think I've slept that much in years. I decided to go ahead and take Susanna folk dancing at Glen Echo Park (PERFECT way to spend Mother's Day!), though I didn't do any of the sachays or jumps. I fell asleep at 9:30 pm.
Since I wasn't limping, I decided to go ahead and try some exercise after resting up for the weekend. My leg was still incredibly tight, but I didn't have any pain walking. So Monday I did masters swimming in the morning, Tuesday I did intervals on the stationary bike, and Wednesday I did a swimming stroke clinic and some core/ upper body strength. Thursday I cycled, and then had a massage to break up scar tissue and muscle adhesions (very painful, but it really seemed to help.) Friday I swam and was thrilled to see my fastest split times to date -- I managed to hit under 1:40 on the 100 yard repeats. (Note: I need to go back to stoke workshop, because I swam again today and my pace was nowhere near that.) Saturday I spent the day power walking around an amusement park chaperoning a school trip (honestly, that seemed to cause more pain than anything else I did this week) and today I did some upper body/ core strength and swam for 50 minutes. My leg is still tight, but feels a lot better than it did ten days ago. So we'll see if I can add outdoor cycling and maybe pool running to the mix this week. I've been wearing supportive shoes to work, and that seems to make a huge difference.
As far as the pity party, I've had to distance myself from things like Daily Mile and Facebook feeds. While I should be overjoyed to see my friend's posts about how much they love running, or how they achieved a PR at a certain distance, I find myself getting insanely jealous that I'm not out there too. Last year I logged everything I did on Daily Mile, and met my goal of running over 2000 miles. I had a goal this year to run 3000, and I was logging everything religiously. 276 miles in January, 262 in February, 15 (all on the fractured pelvis) in March, 3 (again, on the fracture) in April, 0 (injury diagnosed) in May. I am done keeping track for awhile. This week, I didn't log miles. Aside from Friday's swim, I have no idea how far I biked in place, or how many laps I did.
And maybe that's a good thing. Maybe my body and mind need a break from regimented training.
And maybe I need to remember that the last time I got a stress fracture, I discovered swimming and cycling and became a triathlete. Maybe I need to remember that when I stopped having a pity party and focused on what I could do, I ended up fitter than when I'd started.
Pity party concluded. Let's move on.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
Pelvis Repair Time!
I had my first doctor's appointment with Dr. Parker this Monday. He's an orthopedic surgeon with specialties in sports medicine and one of the few people trained (and with stellar reviews) in FAI and labral tear surgery, which is the main reason I sought this referral. Luckily, I do not need the surgery. Nevertheless, I'm happy I am under his care. He knows his stuff, and he seems to truly care about my recovery and understand my need to get back out there on the road.
Since then, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I know what the injury is, I know what the timeline is for recovery, and I know I'm on track with this recovery.
So this is my pelvis. Apparently the white is where the bone marrow is swelling. My doctor said they were some pretty impressive fractures. Of course they are. Would you expect any less of me?
Dr. Parker gave me a chart showing the different stages of healing for stress fractures in in different parts of the body. One month post-injury in 2010, my metatarsel was almost halfway healed. One month post injury, a pelvic stress fracture is 0% healed. Well, no wonder that marathon hurt and I had to quit after 2 and a half miles. At 2 months, the foot is pretty much healed, while the pelvis is only 29%. At three months, the pelvis is still not even 70% healed. It's a long recovery.
There are three stages to healing, and I think I'm nearing the second. In the first stage, you have pain while sitting, standing on the injured side, and walking. You may walk with a limp. I did limp around for a few days, and I remember when I went to my conference in CT just three and a half weeks out from the initial injury, I couldn't sit through sessions because it was so painful. Walking hurt. In stage 1, swimming, pool running and cycling are encouraged to improve blood flow. As long as you aren't limping, crutches aren't recommended because studies have shown this actually prolongs the healing time. You graduate to stage 2 when you can walk for 10 minutes without any pain.
So really, I think I'm closer to stage 2, but my doctor is not letting me "graduate" until our appointment on June 3. In stage 2, you begin the transition to running. I will start physical therapy again, and use the AlterG treadmill to acclimate my body to running on a percentage of body weight. I also will work with Heather on running form to prevent muscle imbalances and foot strike issues that probably led to this fracture in the first place. To graduate from stage 2 (approximately 1 month) I need to be able to run 3 minutes without any payback pain.
Stage 3 is pretty much the "Couch to 5K" program. It's a 4 week program to get to 30 minutes of pain free running. At this point, the pelvis isn't completely healed, but it's getting there (it may take an entire year til the fracture no longer shows up on MRI) and can handle the transition to land running. So hopefully this will happen in July.
Then the literature says very clearly "Any runner with severe hip and groin pain should immediately be put on crutches until an MRI or Xrays can rule out a pelvic or femoral neck stress fracture. Femoral neck fractures especially can cause long term damage and need to be treated seriously."
Hmmmph. I told both my PCP and my first ortho that I had severe hip and groin pain. Hmmphh again.
This is definitely the biggest running setback I've ever had. But it could have been worse. FAI or labral tear would have put me back to square one and required an even longer recovery time and more PT. Really, even though this totally stinks, since getting the diagnosis I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
So my May looks like a lot of swimming, pool running, strength and cycling. Not too shabby. I'll get through this, and I'm going to use the time to work on some of my tri weaknesses.
Life is good.
Since then, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. I know what the injury is, I know what the timeline is for recovery, and I know I'm on track with this recovery.
So this is my pelvis. Apparently the white is where the bone marrow is swelling. My doctor said they were some pretty impressive fractures. Of course they are. Would you expect any less of me?
Dr. Parker gave me a chart showing the different stages of healing for stress fractures in in different parts of the body. One month post-injury in 2010, my metatarsel was almost halfway healed. One month post injury, a pelvic stress fracture is 0% healed. Well, no wonder that marathon hurt and I had to quit after 2 and a half miles. At 2 months, the foot is pretty much healed, while the pelvis is only 29%. At three months, the pelvis is still not even 70% healed. It's a long recovery.
There are three stages to healing, and I think I'm nearing the second. In the first stage, you have pain while sitting, standing on the injured side, and walking. You may walk with a limp. I did limp around for a few days, and I remember when I went to my conference in CT just three and a half weeks out from the initial injury, I couldn't sit through sessions because it was so painful. Walking hurt. In stage 1, swimming, pool running and cycling are encouraged to improve blood flow. As long as you aren't limping, crutches aren't recommended because studies have shown this actually prolongs the healing time. You graduate to stage 2 when you can walk for 10 minutes without any pain.
So really, I think I'm closer to stage 2, but my doctor is not letting me "graduate" until our appointment on June 3. In stage 2, you begin the transition to running. I will start physical therapy again, and use the AlterG treadmill to acclimate my body to running on a percentage of body weight. I also will work with Heather on running form to prevent muscle imbalances and foot strike issues that probably led to this fracture in the first place. To graduate from stage 2 (approximately 1 month) I need to be able to run 3 minutes without any payback pain.
Stage 3 is pretty much the "Couch to 5K" program. It's a 4 week program to get to 30 minutes of pain free running. At this point, the pelvis isn't completely healed, but it's getting there (it may take an entire year til the fracture no longer shows up on MRI) and can handle the transition to land running. So hopefully this will happen in July.
Then the literature says very clearly "Any runner with severe hip and groin pain should immediately be put on crutches until an MRI or Xrays can rule out a pelvic or femoral neck stress fracture. Femoral neck fractures especially can cause long term damage and need to be treated seriously."
Hmmmph. I told both my PCP and my first ortho that I had severe hip and groin pain. Hmmphh again.
This is definitely the biggest running setback I've ever had. But it could have been worse. FAI or labral tear would have put me back to square one and required an even longer recovery time and more PT. Really, even though this totally stinks, since getting the diagnosis I feel like a huge weight has been lifted off my shoulders.
So my May looks like a lot of swimming, pool running, strength and cycling. Not too shabby. I'll get through this, and I'm going to use the time to work on some of my tri weaknesses.
Life is good.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
And the verdict is....
PELVIC STRESS FRACTURES!
Yes, you read that right. There's an "s" at the end. Plural. That photo over there? That's what my pelvis looks like, except the fractures are on my right side.
In retrospect, the February streak was probably not the best idea. I decided that I was going to run every day that month without a break. I ran every single day in February. And on February 28, following my 4 mile run, I was limping. Guess I got a break. Or two.
Apparently this is a very low-risk injury, and accounts for less than 1% of stress fractures in athletes. Both my PT and my sports injury chiropractor have never treated anyone for fractures in the pubis ramus bone. I am delighted to give them that experience of not just one, but multiple pubis ramus fractures. According to my best friend GOOGLE, here are the risk factors:
Pelvic stress fractures seem to predominately affect females. BOOYAH!
Bennell et al8 found pelvic stress fractures only in female track and field athletes, mostly mid-distance and long-distance runners. BOOYAH!
Participants in this study had an average BMI of 21. I'm 5'5'' and weigh 125. BMI - exactly 21. Hmmm....
and were running 40 to 53 km/wk (25-33 miles/wk). I was running 70. I guess that might up that risk factor.
In both collegiate and military studies, a history of amenorrhea has been found to be a risk factor for stress fractures in general. This is a big ????. TMI perhaps, but for you ladies, DOLMP was 9/9/2010. Yeah, that was pre-Jack. But, I'm also taking preventative measures to stop at two children, AKA Mirena. So again, a big ???.
This may be due to direct effect of decreased estrogen on bone and subsequently low bone mineral density. Last stress fracture, incurred in 2010 during winter marathon training -- diagnosed on March 18, so pretty much exactly the same time -- revealed osteopenia, AKA very low bone density.
A history of previous stress fractures may also be a risk factor in the development of recurrent episodes. Did I mention I had a stress fracture in 2010?
I had a long talk with my PT today. We concluded that perhaps 5 weeks where I barely got four hours of sleep in order to make sure I got in my 70 miles a week, while completely giving up strength training, was probably not the best plan. I trained smart in the fall. I trained stupid in the winter.
In the fall, I followed the Pfitz 12 week/ 70 miles per week plan to a T. Yes, there were 70 miles a week involved, but I also had a rest day in there, two strength sessions a week, and only one day of speedwork. Most of the runs were done at an easy pace. I ran my fastest races ever last fall, and qualified for Boston. The Pfitz plan has my utmost respect.
In the winter, I got this crazy idea that I could do two speed sessions a week, run every single day (my idea was that not taking a day off would allow me to do less miles on a given day, as long as it all added up to 70), throw in a ten mile "tune up" race after I'd already run 60 miles that week, and totally give up strength training....
Lesson learned. Self: Do not think you know how to train better than someone who wrote the book on how to train. You don't.
I meet with my new ortho, who is a hip specialist, on Monday so we'll see what he has to say. Treatment could be some time on crutches, perhaps some time of complete rest, perhaps I've healed enough that I can continue to walk around and swim and bike...
For now, I'm popping vitamin D and calcium citrate like it's candy, drinking my milk, and trying to get more sleep.
Yes, you read that right. There's an "s" at the end. Plural. That photo over there? That's what my pelvis looks like, except the fractures are on my right side.
In retrospect, the February streak was probably not the best idea. I decided that I was going to run every day that month without a break. I ran every single day in February. And on February 28, following my 4 mile run, I was limping. Guess I got a break. Or two.
Apparently this is a very low-risk injury, and accounts for less than 1% of stress fractures in athletes. Both my PT and my sports injury chiropractor have never treated anyone for fractures in the pubis ramus bone. I am delighted to give them that experience of not just one, but multiple pubis ramus fractures. According to my best friend GOOGLE, here are the risk factors:
Pelvic stress fractures seem to predominately affect females. BOOYAH!
Bennell et al8 found pelvic stress fractures only in female track and field athletes, mostly mid-distance and long-distance runners. BOOYAH!
Participants in this study had an average BMI of 21. I'm 5'5'' and weigh 125. BMI - exactly 21. Hmmm....
and were running 40 to 53 km/wk (25-33 miles/wk). I was running 70. I guess that might up that risk factor.
In both collegiate and military studies, a history of amenorrhea has been found to be a risk factor for stress fractures in general. This is a big ????. TMI perhaps, but for you ladies, DOLMP was 9/9/2010. Yeah, that was pre-Jack. But, I'm also taking preventative measures to stop at two children, AKA Mirena. So again, a big ???.
This may be due to direct effect of decreased estrogen on bone and subsequently low bone mineral density. Last stress fracture, incurred in 2010 during winter marathon training -- diagnosed on March 18, so pretty much exactly the same time -- revealed osteopenia, AKA very low bone density.
A history of previous stress fractures may also be a risk factor in the development of recurrent episodes. Did I mention I had a stress fracture in 2010?
I had a long talk with my PT today. We concluded that perhaps 5 weeks where I barely got four hours of sleep in order to make sure I got in my 70 miles a week, while completely giving up strength training, was probably not the best plan. I trained smart in the fall. I trained stupid in the winter.
In the fall, I followed the Pfitz 12 week/ 70 miles per week plan to a T. Yes, there were 70 miles a week involved, but I also had a rest day in there, two strength sessions a week, and only one day of speedwork. Most of the runs were done at an easy pace. I ran my fastest races ever last fall, and qualified for Boston. The Pfitz plan has my utmost respect.
In the winter, I got this crazy idea that I could do two speed sessions a week, run every single day (my idea was that not taking a day off would allow me to do less miles on a given day, as long as it all added up to 70), throw in a ten mile "tune up" race after I'd already run 60 miles that week, and totally give up strength training....
Lesson learned. Self: Do not think you know how to train better than someone who wrote the book on how to train. You don't.
I meet with my new ortho, who is a hip specialist, on Monday so we'll see what he has to say. Treatment could be some time on crutches, perhaps some time of complete rest, perhaps I've healed enough that I can continue to walk around and swim and bike...
For now, I'm popping vitamin D and calcium citrate like it's candy, drinking my milk, and trying to get more sleep.
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