... not's really, but that's how I feel in my roller coaster week this week, in pain, hobbling, searching for answers, and unable to run. (You do remember that funny song "Life Sucks, then you Die" from The Fools in the 80's, right?) So far my wife hasn't run off with a one-legged plumber, and I haven't cut off my private parts with a power tool, so I guess it isn't that dire. :)
Yes, I need to put things in perspective and realize how fortunate I am to live a generally healthy and happy life, but at present I am wallowing.
Monday: 0
A week to the day since the pain and limping brought an end to my running, today is the day I resolved to see the doctor. After listening to my spiel about my two recent injuries and a little poking and prodding, he surmised that I was compensating for my torn left calf muscle and in the process injured my right glute. OK, I'll buy that. He gave me a steroid injection in the local area of the pain, indicated I should feel much better soon, and I should jog/walk a mile Tuesday on grass or track, and be back to regular running on Wednesday. AWESOME NEWS!!
Tuesday: 1
Bradford Preserve. I got through the prescribed mile, but not at all pretty. Broke it into 4 400s at a jog punctuated by a minute walk. 1st 400: uncomfortable, 2nd 400: painful, 3rd 400: unbearable, walked the rest. Arggh. Depressed again. Maybe it just takes time and tomorrow will be a better day.
Wednesday: 0
Westerly High School track. OK, color me skeptical, but today IS the day I'm supposed to return to regular running. Started out walking 400 meters. So far so good. Now for running 400 meters: I made it about 5 meters, PAIN. Done.
Limped and sulked until Fun Run time. Tried real hard to put on smiles and be a positive role model, but deep inside sitting on the sidelines at the Fun Run for the 2nd straight week was hard. In truth, I enjoyed being there even as RD and spectator. We had a new course record in the Kids' Fun Run and a very fast 5K, and both were fun.
What wasn't fun was a double whammy of my rapid body deterioration and well intending folks telling me what I should do. I tried to hide my limping, but it wasn't possible, especially when any weight bearing became unbearable and I had to sit down on the grass for relief. One person came over to tell me some specific chemical that I should have injected that worked for him decades ago, and a second guy gruffly asked me, "Do you wear orthotics?", and when I answered "No", he pointed at me and barked, "Get some!". Ugh. Thanks, stranger, for the unsolicited advice.
After nearly everyone left, I limped/shuffled/winced back to the car in the most excruciating pain yet, and then collapsed in my car seat while Jana packed everything up and loaded up the car. Pathetic! Got home and could barely walk. Matthew got his crutches for me.
Thursday: 0
This clearly isn't working. Time for another approach. Call John Ward Physical Therapy. John is a former marathon training buddy, and although he doesn't run anymore due to his own ailments, he religiously sponsors Li'l Rhody every year. Anyhow, John was kind enough to stay after hours to wait for me.
After much questioning, listening, and having me try various stretches, he came to a very different diagnosis: Adherent Nerve Root. (basically a nerve attaching to my sciatic nerve "stuck" and not gliding the way it should). He speculates that the injection three days ago didn't work because the doctor treated the symptom and not the cause. Hmmm, interesting; I'm listening. John prescribed specific stretches every two hours for the next five days, and then come back and see him again Monday morning. No running. Lots of walking, some cycling.
Friday: 0 run, 1.6 walk
Back to WHS track. Odd - I was nervous about taking a walk on the track. Could I do it? Yes! Was it painful? Yes, mildly.
In the evening, while out mowing and weed-whacking, my next door neighbor state trooper goes out for a run. Again. Ugh. Good for him of course, I'm just coveting anyone and everyone out running. He finished up and stops by.
Me: "How far did you run?"
Him: 10 Miles!
Me: Liar.
Him: Ok, will you believe 2.6 miles?
Me: Maybe. Where did you run?
Him: "Jana's loop". (OK, I will believe that. Her regular is indeed about that distance: Shore Road, Newbury, Tom Harvey, back through SeaGlen)
Saturday: 0 run, 18 ride, 2.9 walk
Met up with Tommy 5K, Mikey B, and JV for an easy shoreline ride. The best part for me is the post-ride iced coffee social. Honestly. Uphills a little painful; the rest fine.
Immediately post-ride, walked from home on "Jana's loop", plus tacked on the short Audubon Society trail out to the pond and back. Chatted with a old guy there (even older than me) finishing up clamming. Nice catch! Catch? Harvest? Bounty? Once on Newbury, I was really tempted to duck into the Champlin trails, but they're just too uneven for me at this point. Oddly enough, felt fine on the flats, just OK on the uphills, but painful on the downhills (including down stairs).
Sunday: 0 run, 0.6 swim, 3.2 walk
Met up with Tommy for a swim at Watchaug Pond. First open swim of the year for both of us. We had some nervous laughter about how do you this again, can I grab on to your legs and you can pull me, etc., then got going. Swam the 1/4 mile marked course out and back, plus a little tacked on at beginning/end. Went much smoother than expected, and I knew I would be tired with 1st swim and overall upper body weakness, but really very happy with the outcome. The best part: NO PAIN!!
Tommy and I parted ways, and I went for my new routine of a daily walk.
Really enjoyed the walk, as first time on real trails since injury! Also walking through the Burlingame campground was fun and reinvigorated my interest in camping this summer (well, that, and the huge cash drain that my house repairs is causing, but that's another story). The downside of the walk:
Weekly mileage: 1! Uno, eins, un, один, however you want to state it, it's: ONE glorious mile.
Weekly synopsis: Life sucks, then you die. Didn't you read my title? To be fair, the one mile is running only, and I did walk 7.7 miles, ride 18, and swim 1/2 mile. The fact that I'm walking at all now after limping for a week and a half gives me some reason to hold off on the complete doom and gloom. Again, trying to keep things in perspective. Life is good, my friends.
Yes, I need to put things in perspective and realize how fortunate I am to live a generally healthy and happy life, but at present I am wallowing.
Monday: 0
A week to the day since the pain and limping brought an end to my running, today is the day I resolved to see the doctor. After listening to my spiel about my two recent injuries and a little poking and prodding, he surmised that I was compensating for my torn left calf muscle and in the process injured my right glute. OK, I'll buy that. He gave me a steroid injection in the local area of the pain, indicated I should feel much better soon, and I should jog/walk a mile Tuesday on grass or track, and be back to regular running on Wednesday. AWESOME NEWS!!
Tuesday: 1
Bradford Preserve. I got through the prescribed mile, but not at all pretty. Broke it into 4 400s at a jog punctuated by a minute walk. 1st 400: uncomfortable, 2nd 400: painful, 3rd 400: unbearable, walked the rest. Arggh. Depressed again. Maybe it just takes time and tomorrow will be a better day.
Wednesday: 0
Westerly High School track. OK, color me skeptical, but today IS the day I'm supposed to return to regular running. Started out walking 400 meters. So far so good. Now for running 400 meters: I made it about 5 meters, PAIN. Done.
Limped and sulked until Fun Run time. Tried real hard to put on smiles and be a positive role model, but deep inside sitting on the sidelines at the Fun Run for the 2nd straight week was hard. In truth, I enjoyed being there even as RD and spectator. We had a new course record in the Kids' Fun Run and a very fast 5K, and both were fun.
What wasn't fun was a double whammy of my rapid body deterioration and well intending folks telling me what I should do. I tried to hide my limping, but it wasn't possible, especially when any weight bearing became unbearable and I had to sit down on the grass for relief. One person came over to tell me some specific chemical that I should have injected that worked for him decades ago, and a second guy gruffly asked me, "Do you wear orthotics?", and when I answered "No", he pointed at me and barked, "Get some!". Ugh. Thanks, stranger, for the unsolicited advice.
After nearly everyone left, I limped/shuffled/winced back to the car in the most excruciating pain yet, and then collapsed in my car seat while Jana packed everything up and loaded up the car. Pathetic! Got home and could barely walk. Matthew got his crutches for me.
Thursday: 0
This clearly isn't working. Time for another approach. Call John Ward Physical Therapy. John is a former marathon training buddy, and although he doesn't run anymore due to his own ailments, he religiously sponsors Li'l Rhody every year. Anyhow, John was kind enough to stay after hours to wait for me.
After much questioning, listening, and having me try various stretches, he came to a very different diagnosis: Adherent Nerve Root. (basically a nerve attaching to my sciatic nerve "stuck" and not gliding the way it should). He speculates that the injection three days ago didn't work because the doctor treated the symptom and not the cause. Hmmm, interesting; I'm listening. John prescribed specific stretches every two hours for the next five days, and then come back and see him again Monday morning. No running. Lots of walking, some cycling.
Friday: 0 run, 1.6 walk
Back to WHS track. Odd - I was nervous about taking a walk on the track. Could I do it? Yes! Was it painful? Yes, mildly.
In the evening, while out mowing and weed-whacking, my next door neighbor state trooper goes out for a run. Again. Ugh. Good for him of course, I'm just coveting anyone and everyone out running. He finished up and stops by.
Me: "How far did you run?"
Him: 10 Miles!
Me: Liar.
Him: Ok, will you believe 2.6 miles?
Me: Maybe. Where did you run?
Him: "Jana's loop". (OK, I will believe that. Her regular is indeed about that distance: Shore Road, Newbury, Tom Harvey, back through SeaGlen)
Saturday: 0 run, 18 ride, 2.9 walk
Met up with Tommy 5K, Mikey B, and JV for an easy shoreline ride. The best part for me is the post-ride iced coffee social. Honestly. Uphills a little painful; the rest fine.
Immediately post-ride, walked from home on "Jana's loop", plus tacked on the short Audubon Society trail out to the pond and back. Chatted with a old guy there (even older than me) finishing up clamming. Nice catch! Catch? Harvest? Bounty? Once on Newbury, I was really tempted to duck into the Champlin trails, but they're just too uneven for me at this point. Oddly enough, felt fine on the flats, just OK on the uphills, but painful on the downhills (including down stairs).
Sunday: 0 run, 0.6 swim, 3.2 walk
Met up with Tommy for a swim at Watchaug Pond. First open swim of the year for both of us. We had some nervous laughter about how do you this again, can I grab on to your legs and you can pull me, etc., then got going. Swam the 1/4 mile marked course out and back, plus a little tacked on at beginning/end. Went much smoother than expected, and I knew I would be tired with 1st swim and overall upper body weakness, but really very happy with the outcome. The best part: NO PAIN!!
Tommy and I parted ways, and I went for my new routine of a daily walk.
Really enjoyed the walk, as first time on real trails since injury! Also walking through the Burlingame campground was fun and reinvigorated my interest in camping this summer (well, that, and the huge cash drain that my house repairs is causing, but that's another story). The downside of the walk:
 |
| I'm just disgusted by the number of out-of-towners and out-of-staters who come to nice state parks and beaches in South County and treat it like their toilet. As Tommy pointed out, zoom in on the sign for the ultimate irony. |
Weekly synopsis: Life sucks, then you die. Didn't you read my title? To be fair, the one mile is running only, and I did walk 7.7 miles, ride 18, and swim 1/2 mile. The fact that I'm walking at all now after limping for a week and a half gives me some reason to hold off on the complete doom and gloom. Again, trying to keep things in perspective. Life is good, my friends.
You ran a mile, without stopping. Celebrate the small victories. And I bet you have central AC so you are winning!
ReplyDeleteMore unsolicited advice...have you tried deep tissue massage or Grastons technique? They can sometimes free that kind of thing up if that is what you have. I tore a gluteal tendon in 2015. Sharp pain for the first few weeks. Walking hurt. Only the elliptical and swimming were pain free initially. After about 3 weeks, I was able to aqua jog. Took 8 weeks to heal. Came back quickly from this.
ReplyDelete