Nothing's Gonna Stop (me) Now

I've been hesitant to write anything down in this blog, in case jinxing oneself is a real thing. Running has been going well since early October. I'm doing (a paltry) 3 miles 3 times a week, with no real problems to speak of. I even made it to 4 miles this past Sunday, and it felt great!

Taped up!

Every other week I've been going to the physical therapist for ultrasound in the hopes that it helps my LCL heal faster. With the guidance of my PT, I've been trying out kinesio tape instead of my knee strap, since the strap it tight on my calf and is likely to cause issues once I get over 5-7 miles. The tape worked well when he put it on, but when I tried on my own, not so well. Hopefully I'll get the hang of it soon.

Despite my rosy outlook, I'm a little bit wrecked. I'm sore all over, and yoga last night was a struggle! Perhaps running 3 times a week, yoga 3 times a week, and climbing 2 times a week is too much for my lazy body?

Well, I have one thing to say about that: suck it up, body! Because I'm not slowing down!

So Far, So Good

A few weeks back, I got the okay to start running again. The painstaking buildup from scratch is a topic I've covered, so I won't belabor its' annoyances again. The bottom line is that I'm up to 2.5 miles at around 8:30-9:00 minutes per mile on average, and I seem to be doing fine.

It certainly feels nice to get back to running, even if it is short distances, and even if I am huffing and puffing a bit. The nice thing is that I'm going fairly slow on purpose; I feel like I could go faster. I feel like I could go farther, too, but I'm trying to take it slow.

The really nice thing is that Neil and I get to run together again, and I'll definitely be able to do the Thanksgiving Day race!

At the top of Jupiter Peak!

I assumed after my hike up to Jupiter Peak in Park City, Utah last month that I was ready for some running. With my trusty leg strap in place, I did eight miles roundtrip, with about 7,000 feet elevation gain, and felt fantastic. I'm glad I was right!

The Walking Revolution

Every Body Walk has made an inspiring documentary on why we should walk and what we gain when we do. It is well worth the 30 minutes to watch it, and well worth the share to those you care about!

On the Road Again

Equipped with a strap to do the work my LCL isn't doing, and with new exercises from my physical therapist, I'm going to start running again tonight. I'll be doing the painstaking build up back to actual running again, but I've had a sports medicine doctor and a sports-trained orthopedic surgeon give me the go-ahead to start back up!

Now that I'm not scared of doing more damage (well, not scared by my former doctor, at least), I'm hoping to be running again in time for a Thanksgiving-day race in Detroit with my guy and his family. We'll see if I can manage the Turkey Trot 10k, or just the Stuffing Strut 5k (actual names, folks, I'm not making this up). I'm excited to have a new plan!

I'm going to ease back in, and hopefully be doing a (measly) three miles three times a week in two weeks. Then, try to gain some speed back. We'll see how it goes. I may not be able to run CIM like I'd planned back in March (when I signed up, only to re-injure myself), but maybe the relay is within reach.

Spring marathon, here I come?

Light at the End of the Tunnel?

I stopped posting here when I stopped feeling like anything I had to say was progress towards running again. While I have veered into non-running topics here, for the most part I like to blog about running, racing, and the accompanying feasting that often takes place. Motivation is hard to find when there seems to be no end in sight to my doctor-ordered rest.

Over the summer, I dutifully attempted to stay off my leg, so that whatever stupid piece of connective tissue that is easy to reinjure could heal. And I just didn't feel like it was healing. When I would walk the slightest distance, it would flare up for days. I don't mind pain, but when my doctor told me it meant I wasn't healed and couldn't run for months, it gets frustrating. 

One of my running friends told me that my doctor, formerly her doctor, had advised her not to run for six months, which she ignored and ran two weeks later after seeing someone else. Maybe my doctor is too conservative. It never seemed right to stay off my leg when it hurt; losing muscle and being inactive don't seem like strategies to get back in the game.

So I sought out a new doctor. 

After seeing the new doctor (still a Kaiser Sports Medicine doctor), I have a new support to wear to take some of the load off my injured leg while I regain strength. I have an appointment with a surgeon in a week to see what options I might have. And I have a few experimental treatments to think about. I feel much better, even if I'm still running. Not having to be afraid of walking to get coffee, or go on a really short hike, is such a nice feeling.

I have a long road ahead, with how long it has been since I was running (almost a year!). I'm unstable, have very little muscle, and am a worryer. But I really want to run. And thats all I need. 

Yosemite!

We weren't one of those families that camped or backpacked. My mom did her best to take me to the park across the street most nights, Capitol and McKinley Parks on weekends, and an occasional train ride to play in Golden Gate Park. But we never really made it to anywhere that might count as wilderness. 

This past year, I've been doing my best to make up for lost time. Last summer's road trip up the coast, Julia and I hit the redwoods and the coastal parks. This spring and summer, Neil and I have gone to the foothills, Tahoe, the central coast redwoods. And last weekend, finally, to Yosemite. 

I knew Yosemite would be beautiful, but I had no idea just how beautiful. The sheer contrast of the valley and the mountains so closeby, the trees, rivers and waterfalls. 

Since my MRI came back normal, and what I really need is rest to heal what ails me, I figured it would be a great idea to backpack for three days. I knew it probably wasn't a good idea, but I wanted so badly to go to Yosemite with Neil before he leaves, since neither of us had ever been. And of course, I didn't want common sense or logic to ruin my fun.

We started out Friday morning after staying in the backpackers camp in the valley, on one of the most popular trails. From Happy Isles, we hiked up to Vernal Falls on the Mist Trail, having accidentally gone off the John Muir Trail which we meant to take. We continued up to Nevada Falls, eventually taking the Panorama Trail to Illilouette Falls then down to Illilouette Creek to camp. All told, about 9 miles and perhaps 2500 feet elevation gain over the day. 

On the second day, we took it easy, hiking up the Panorama Trail to Glacier Point about two and a half miles to see the views. In the afternoon, we swam in the creek.

Vernal Falls

View from Panorama Trail

Day three took us back up to Glacier Point, then down the Four Mile Trail all the way down to the Valley. By the way, it is actually 4.6 miles. About halfway down to the valley, my leg really started bothering me. 

All told, it was one of the best weekends I've had. I look forward to many more, you know, once my leg is better. 

Glacier Point

Almost done, on the Four Mile Trail

The Long and Winding Road

It has certainly been an interesting ride. I was remarkably zen about breaking my leg and being out of commission for fall and winter marathon season, despite being on track to set a major PR or perhaps BQ. I thought, I did something silly, and I'll suffer the consequences. At least I didn't tear anything, or have a bad break. Its just eight weeks, I thought.

Approaching a full eight months later, my tune has changed. I felt sluggish and out of shape when I initially came back after December and January of slow PT. I was frustrated in March when I learned I'd injured some soft tissue and had to sit out everything but PT for a month. Against my best efforts, I was pretty down on myself after immediately re-injuring my leg after the rest period, setting me back at least another eight weeks.

I've been a good girl, or as good as I can manage. I'm doing my PT about five times a week, and doing my best to stay off my leg. Okay, I go outdoors and walk a bit, but nothing too far or difficult. I'm doing my best to get better without going crazy sitting indoors.

The long and hopeful road to recovery leads me to Kaiser tomorrow morning for an MRI. My doctor is skeptical that it will be useful, since the area I injured is small and difficult to see. I'm really hoping that I can finally get an answer to why my leg still hurts, eight months and countless hours of PT later. Will the slow but stead PT be effective eventually, or will I need to do something more drastic to recover? Hopefully, tomorrow's test will reveal an answer.

Despite the setbacks, the past eight months have been some of the best I've had. My broken leg caused me to meet the most fun, caring, amazing man, turning my supposed bad luck upside down. I've managed to learn so much in my "downtime" from running, appreciate the little things each day brings, and look forward to a time when I'll be running again.

It will happen. Look out!