This weekend was my 7 week date with running. I headed to New Orleans EXTREMELY nervous that I wouldn’t be healed.
Turns out my anxiety was well founded this time. I started feeling something on the outside of my knee about a mile in and it started hurting before I got to mile 3. I spent several miles debating whether or not to finish; the route went right past my hotel at mile 8. However, I decided to just get it done. My strategy was basically to force myself to walk 2 blocks every time I saw a mile marker or a band, and to walk through the aid stations. I was not tired, but it eased the pain and tightness in my IT band.
I finished and was very sore Sunday evening and Monday. It’s still a bit sore today, but not as bad.
I’m very disappointed that all that time off did absolutely nothing to improve my situation. I also have developed a theory that the orthotics are contributing to the problem at this point. My left IT band has never given me problems and it was fine during the race, but it was a bit sore when I got home. If I have had no problems and rested for 7 weeks, it seems VERY unlikely that this would just crop up from compensating alone. I’m sure that contributes, but if it didn’t hurt after the marathon, it shouldn’t hurt after a half.
I went into my sports medicine doctor today and chatted briefly with the podiatrist about this. He said they could be causing the problem and offered to take a look. Unfortunately, I’d forgotten them at home so I will probably go back in next week to have them checked out. However, I’ve lost my trust in them for now.
The PA was quite baffled by the situation. I’m going back in for another MRI on Thursday and then seeing the doctor next Tuesday afternoon. This will let us see if the bone contusion has healed and to reassess. Surgery is looking more likely, but at this point I am so frustrated that I am ready to do what needs to be done. I basically can’t run more than 2 mile without some kind of discomfort, the rest and stretching and cortisone are not helping in the slightest. I feel like I’m running out of options.
This is my last week of the 7 week no-running period. To say I am anxious is an understatement. I’m completely freaked out that I’m going to have problems when I run the half marathon on Sunday. That would mean after all this time off I still have a big problem. I haven’t had any pain or discomfort in the area that was hurting until this week. I’ve had some weird pain on the side of my thigh, maybe from the hard biking I was doing. Now I’m manifesting it down by my knee. I realize I’m probably just imagining this because I’m so paranoid, but it’s not a good feeling. I had a bit of a freak out on Sunday, actually. I’m feeling a little calmer now, but I’m still avoiding the bike, the uphill treadmill walking, or anything else this week.
If everything turns out well on Sunday, I will be an extremely happy girl. If I have problems running, I will be so upset that I’m not sure I will be able to type coherently for several days.
Since I’m giving my legs full rest until Sunday, this is a full week of swimming. I did 2K on Sunday - the half ironman swim distance - with no difficulty. Today was only 1000m, not because I was tired but because I had other things to do.
I’m pretty good at tracking my laps (I count in groups of 5), but undoubtedly I miss one or double count each time. It drives me crazy, but it’s hard to remember since every lap is basically identical. So today, I invested in this lap counter. You wear it on your index finger and tap the button with your thumb. I’ll have quite the pile of tiny equipment when I go in to the pool - cap, goggles, ear plugs, nose plug, lap counter.
We’ve had a bit of snow here this week - about 45″. I’ve been stuck basically at the house for a week since the first of two blizzards hit on Friday.
Since I still have 2 weeks and 2 days of no running, I haven’t been able to use the treadmill. Since campus has been closed for over a week, I haven’t been able to get into the pool. Thus, my only option has been the bike on the rollers. I do enjoy the rollers, but not every day for a week. I’ve thought about getting some DVDs with bikers heading through mountains and scenic places. However, for now I’ve had hockey (entertaining, but dangerous - if I lean to encourage the puck I fall off) or Discovery Channel. I’m getting a bit bored with it and REALLY hoping that I’ll be able to get into the pool this weekend.
After pondering it for a few days, I decided to skip the Miami Man Half Ironman. The logistics of shipping my bike would be difficult, the close hotel was already booked up, and because it will take so long, I would have had to book a hotel for Sunday night even though I would be leaving that night.
Fortunately, I found the Half Full Tri, a very local nearly Half Ironman. It’s 70 miles exactly instead of 70.3, with the 0.3 taken off the swim. It’s in October and I’m signed up for it already.
That will be about the end of my race season. The start of my race season was going to be the Columbia Traithlon on June 27th. However, I got another email for the DC Triathlon on June 20th. This is the inaugural year, but it looks very good. While I was tempted to do the Olympic distance, Brother Tom convinced me that my first tri should, indeed, be a sprint, and that’s what I’ll be registering for on Monday.
It’s been 3 weeks since my last run, and I’m starting to get a bit edgy. The biking is helping a ton - I love it, it feels good, and I really feel like I’ve done something when I’m done. That said, biking is not something that can be done as easily as running. Maybe some people can, but I cannot bike in the snow (I would fall over). I do not have any interest in doing the crazy bundling up that would be needed to go out on the bike when it’s below freezing. It’s also not as relaxing. This is partly because I push myself harder (in terms of speed) on the bike than I do on the run. It’s also because you can fall over on the bike or be run off the road (and then fall over) and everything requires more attention. After all, I’m going 20mph on the bike and like 6 mph on the run.
There have been a few days, including today, where all I wanted to do was go out and run. I’m behaving, though. I’m not even running across the street. I’m using my bone growth stimulator. I’m consuming my calcium. And, I think, I’ve continued being relatively patient and nice to people.
There are still 4 weeks to go, though. Let’s see what kind of mood I am in mid-February.
After much bureaucratic delay from my insurance company, I finally got my bone growth stimulator this week.
I stick my knee in there, push a button, and sit still for 30 minutes each day. That’s it. It doesn’t make any noise or feel like anything. Apparently, it’s some sort of silent magic that fixes bones.
I have nothing exciting to stay about it since it is not doing anything exciting yet. I hope it works. The non-running is REALLY starting to get to me.
I have a long day on campus on Thursdays, so today I scheduled myself a morning ride before I headed in. I felt kind of slow, maybe because it was cold and I was bundled up. This guy passed me at one point but I managed to keep pretty close to him until my turnaround point. About 4 miles after the turnaround he caught me again. He was apparently using me as a rabbit, which is a good thing. It means I’m not slow. We talked briefly at the stoplight where he caught me and for about a mile after that. He suggested a couple morning groups to ride with on the weekend and, as I got to my turn to head home he asked if I had a few seconds to try the hill that goes in the other direction.
I have run up this hill once before I knew better. It is shorter than my monster hill, but quite a bit steeper at the top. He said he tries to fit it in twice in each of his rides. I kept up with him abotu 2/3rds of the way. This wasn’t crazy climbing; just seated easy-gear please-get-to-the-top riding. I started to slow about 50 yards from the top and about 25 I had to stop. My legs were shaking, I was panting. It was humiliating. I have not been unable to make something like that in a very long time. The guy said he had the same problem his first 6 or 7 times up that hill.
So, now I have a new hill in my route. It beat me up and now I’m going to have to loop it in there twice every ride so I can show it who’s boss.
Here’s a map from my house, down my monster hill, up the big hill, and back. Usually I head left just after passing mile 1 and going under the beltway. Now, I will go up the hill, come down, and then head into the park. When I’m coming out of the park, I’ll go back up, down, and return home. Note the elevation profile:
While humiliating, I guess there are two good things out of this ride. Something that will strengthen me up and I now know of two groups to ride with.
When I first decided to start running in early 2000, my thoughts went something like this. “I think I’m going to run the Chicago Marathon this fall.”
That was it. I hadn’t run since I was a freshman in high school. The marathon, however, seemed like quite a cool thing to do, and so I decided to do it with no real understanding of what I was getting myself into. I did it, too. It was not my finest race ever and I didn’t train right, but it was a great thing.
Similarly, I feel called by the half ironman. It’s 1.5 miles swimming, 56 miles on the bike, and a half marathon. I feel called because I can run 13 miles on pretty much any day with no problem. I’m not a great swimmer, but I can easily finish the 1 mile swim in the pool and I think I could do 1.5 without a struggle. I’d need to get better at the swim, but I don’t see it as a barrier. I have not gone 56 miles on my bike, certainly, but I’ve done half that and didn’t feel tired at the end. Moreover, I feel like I’m pretty good on the bike despite being a newbie. I’d need more training before racing 56 miles, but it doesn’t look like a big problem.
This is all rational in my mind but, of course, I have yet to complete even a super sprint triathlon. I know doing it all together is a different thing than doing it one at a time.
Still, this seems like a very reachable goal. A full Ironman - that’s another issue. I look at that and think “how the hell could I do a marathon after all that other stuff before it.” I’m sure someday I’ll want to try it, but not yet. The half Ironman, though. It keeps nagging at me.
Today, I got an email for the Miami Man Triathlon in mid-November. I love Miami. I love races in warm places, especially when it’s cool at my house. And they have a half Ironman. This could fit into my current race and training plans pretty easily. It will also dissuade me from any thoughts of picking up a fall marathon, which is a good thing. I need a year off from that much running mileage to let myself totally heal and while I am committed to this now, I know how hard it will be to resist registering come June (or come March, for that matter). With the half Ironman on my schedule, I will have that happy event to focus on.
The only hesitation is that it feels like I shouldn’t be shooting for this without having done a triathlon yet at all. Thus, knowing myself, I will hesitate for a day or two and then register anyway. I called mom about this today and she agreed. “You’ve already decided,” she said, “so let me know when you register.”
I was out on my bike today, as were a lot of other cyclists taking advantage of MLK day and the warm weather. At a stoplight, I was talking to one of the other bike guys who was waiting. He was probably in his mid-50s and obviously a hard core cyclist. I complemented his very fancy wheels and said that I was working my way up since I’d only had my bike a few months. When the light changed, he let me go ahead, but I figured he would pass me quickly since anyone with $2,000 wheels should be a better cyclist than me.
He did eventually catch me, about a mile later. He pulled up next to me and said “So you’ve only had the bike about 6 months?” I said yes, that I was a marathon runner and had to take time off from running because of my bone contusion. He said “Oh, well that explains it. When you took off like that at the light I thought ‘’this girl must have been doing something before she got the bike’.”
It’s my first bike compliment! Horay!!!
And no, the guy was not hitting on me. There are a few of those who have popped up (including a few creepy guys in cars), but they don’t count.
That said, I was still passed by some guys when I was doing 20 or 21 mph as though I was standing still, so I’m certainly not developing an ego about my skills. Still, it was a good day on the bike.
Well, I’m 1 full week into the no-running thing. It’s been ok. The biking has helped me a lot. The elliptical - not so much. I went to the gym today and found my pool swarmed with literally hundreds of kids for some 2-day YMCA swim meet. The halls were impassable because of all the parents sitting around. There were probably 1,000 people hanging around in there. I didn’t get to swim, but I suffered through 30 minutes on that machine. I am a vegetarian, but comparing running to the elliptical is like comparing a prime steak from The Chop House to a McDonald’s hamburger that has sat under a heat lamp for a couple days and maybe was dropped a couple times during prep.
Since I’m not running, I’m planning on running. I’ve signed up for the 2011 Disney World Half Marathon. It’s about a year from now, but I’m really looking forward to it because TOM, MOM, and SIL Michelle are all coming. Horay!
