On Friday, I ran for 40 minutes! It's the first time since March that I've run more than four miles at once. A little boost from sea level air helped, though I like to think the massive humidity in Missouri, where I'd flown to collect my kids and see my parents (too briefly), cancelled some of the "thick air" advantage out.
Boy, my hat is off to all of you who contend with that kind of heat and dampness on a regular basis. It was like running with a wet washcloth over my mouth and nose. I'll take less oxygen any day if it means cool dry mornings.
Before leaving Colorado, I had two key doctor appointments. Here's a summary (since all of this medical stuff is starting to seem downright self-absorbed):
Last Tuesday, I returned to Jim, the physician's assistant in the orthopedic practice. He reviewed my MRI with me. It didn't show nothing, which was my greatest fear. I do have some disc degeneration in my lumbar spine, and as expected, they are recommending a steroid injection for the pain. Jim thinks with good core maintenance I should be able to be pain-free for a while after the shot, so I made an appointment for it. The downside: many people my age, especially those of us with a history of sedentary jobs involving a lot of sitting at a desk, have disc degeneration in the exact spot I'm showing it. My pain may or may not be related to it.
Sigh.
The next day, I visited Dr. Hansen, the chiropractor Darren wanted me to see about my tweaky right hamstring. I told him the boring story of my back and my return to running, and he ran me through several diagnostic tests (toe touching, twisting my legs around to see where the stiff places are, etc.). He feels that I may not need the shot but recommends that I keep the appointment for now and consider cancelling it if working with him mitigates my pain. He then gave me some active release therapy (ART) for my hips, back, stomach and the hamstring.
I liked Dr. Hansen. He's a longtime runner and high-school cross country coach himself, and he has a good sense of humor. He does his homework, and I trust him, even though I come from a background that's decidedly unfriendly to chiropractors (my dad's work resolving insurance lawsuits really biased him against them). The only thing he's suggesting that I'm unsure about is the Graston technique. I could find no real science backing this up online. Any Graston stories out there?
Anyway.....
The situation right now is this: I have an appointment for a steroid shot on Aug. 22. The good news is everyone agrees I can run and train, that running hasn't and won't make whatever the underlying problem is worse (whether it's the discs or something else). Dr. Hansen recommends keeping any speed work at tempo pace or slower for now until the hamstring completely resolves, and he's given me another routine of post-run moves to loosen my back.
I'd love to have enough of a reduction in my pain before Aug. 22 to be able to cancel the shot, largely because I'll have to cut back on anything strenuous the week following--cutting back is the last thing I want to do right now. But I'm dubious that I'll really be able to do that. The pain has been there for so long that it's hard for me to imagine any set of exercises or therapies will cut into it that quickly. I'll do my best to stay optimistic about it. Honestly, the only thing that's keeping me going to these doctors is the fact that I don't EVER want to go through this again, that I need to fix this now, or at least determine what can make it something I can live with and still run reasonably well.
Quitting running? Not something I'll ever consider.
Sunday, July 29, 2012
Saturday, July 21, 2012
How My Training Looks
I've been writing a lot of dull posts about rehabbing my back lately, so today I'm changing it up and writing about.....training! Because I have been! Not like some of you badasses who are earning Marathon Maniac shirts and winning races and running vast amounts of miles on all kinds of crazy terrain, but considering where I've been, I'll take it.
My typical training week right now, as written by Darren, my coach, looks like this:
Monday: an hour to 70 minutes on the recumbent bike with intervals at differing resistances
Tuesday: a 35-minute run with short pick-ups in the middle; I do this run outside on the flat gravel path where I did my first comeback run with Cynthia; after coming home and getting the kids off to preschool, I go to Pilates class with Patty; last Tuesday's Pilates session was my first ever on the Reformer; man, am I in love with that thing! I felt about two inches taller when we were finished.
Wednesday: back to my recumbent friend for another hour to 70 minute ride with resistance intervals
Thursday: a treadmill run of about 35 minutes, followed by a weights/core/stretching session at the gym
Friday: a 35-minute run outside with longer pick-ups than Tuesday's; yesterday's were the longest so far of the training session, at 75 seconds each; again, that doesn't sound like much compared with the speed workouts some of you are throwing down, but they make me feel like Shalane Flanagan right now.
Saturday: typically divided between an elliptical workout and a run; today started with 30 minutes on the elliptical and finished with a 30 minute treadmill run; paces on Saturday stay easy.
Sunday: Off (though I do some core work and foam rolling and often will take a walk)
This schedule can vary when I'm traveling or if something else unusual is going on, but it's been pretty consistent since I hired Darren in June.
I try to pay attention to my heart rates when I'm on the machines, including the treadmill, because when I'm all clear to do harder stuff, heart rate is going to be very important. It's interesting to me how much it can vary from day to day. This week, for instance, on Thursday's treadmill run, I felt vaguely crappy and my heart rate reflected that, soaring way higher than I thought it should have been for such easy paces. Today, in contrast, it stayed nice and low at paces that were slightly speedier than Thursday's. I could have run faster if had Darren let me--and this despite the fact that I'd already done an elliptical workout.
Medical Update: I had my MRI yesterday morning and will get the results on Tuesday. My fingers are crossed that the way ahead will be clear.
Kids Update: Will and Ruth boarded the plane to see my parents this morning and have already landed and are in the care of my dad and stepmom. We had no drama at the gate. Will was so eager to get down the jetway that I had to remind him to kiss me goodbye. Ruthie looked slightly more sober, but she's a rule follower like me and anyway her brother was going and she had a Rice Krispie treat in her bag. So down she went and she didn't look back.
Now Dan and I are.....doing whatever we want. For five days.
My typical training week right now, as written by Darren, my coach, looks like this:
Monday: an hour to 70 minutes on the recumbent bike with intervals at differing resistances
Tuesday: a 35-minute run with short pick-ups in the middle; I do this run outside on the flat gravel path where I did my first comeback run with Cynthia; after coming home and getting the kids off to preschool, I go to Pilates class with Patty; last Tuesday's Pilates session was my first ever on the Reformer; man, am I in love with that thing! I felt about two inches taller when we were finished.
Wednesday: back to my recumbent friend for another hour to 70 minute ride with resistance intervals
Thursday: a treadmill run of about 35 minutes, followed by a weights/core/stretching session at the gym
Friday: a 35-minute run outside with longer pick-ups than Tuesday's; yesterday's were the longest so far of the training session, at 75 seconds each; again, that doesn't sound like much compared with the speed workouts some of you are throwing down, but they make me feel like Shalane Flanagan right now.
Saturday: typically divided between an elliptical workout and a run; today started with 30 minutes on the elliptical and finished with a 30 minute treadmill run; paces on Saturday stay easy.
Sunday: Off (though I do some core work and foam rolling and often will take a walk)
This schedule can vary when I'm traveling or if something else unusual is going on, but it's been pretty consistent since I hired Darren in June.
I try to pay attention to my heart rates when I'm on the machines, including the treadmill, because when I'm all clear to do harder stuff, heart rate is going to be very important. It's interesting to me how much it can vary from day to day. This week, for instance, on Thursday's treadmill run, I felt vaguely crappy and my heart rate reflected that, soaring way higher than I thought it should have been for such easy paces. Today, in contrast, it stayed nice and low at paces that were slightly speedier than Thursday's. I could have run faster if had Darren let me--and this despite the fact that I'd already done an elliptical workout.
Medical Update: I had my MRI yesterday morning and will get the results on Tuesday. My fingers are crossed that the way ahead will be clear.
Kids Update: Will and Ruth boarded the plane to see my parents this morning and have already landed and are in the care of my dad and stepmom. We had no drama at the gate. Will was so eager to get down the jetway that I had to remind him to kiss me goodbye. Ruthie looked slightly more sober, but she's a rule follower like me and anyway her brother was going and she had a Rice Krispie treat in her bag. So down she went and she didn't look back.
Now Dan and I are.....doing whatever we want. For five days.
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Physical Therapy Ch. 10: Headed for an MRI
It looks like I will be getting a shot.
Cathy (my physical therapist) yesterday referred me to a physiatrist. I had never heard of this medical specialty before; it's an orthopedic MD who specializes in non-surgical solutions to bone and joint
issues. Today, I had an appointment with the physiatrist's physician's assistant, Jim. He listened to my long boring tale of back woe, looked me over and said
I had done all the right things by trying PT, core work, ice, and ibuprofen courses--but that at
this point I am definitely a candidate for a steroid injection. What started out as a sacro-iliac joint issue, he says, has caused chronic inflammation around my lumbar vertebrae. The injection should bring that down.
First, though, I have to have
an MRI to confirm his diagnosis, rule out cancer and other unlikely problems that a shot
wouldn't help, and also to reveal exactly where my inflammation is. That MRI is scheduled for Friday. The physiatrist,
who will be the one to administer the shot, is on vacation for two weeks, so we're
looking into August for the shot itself. (I shared all this info with Darren, and once again felt so glad I had hired him.I'll apparently have to take a week off of intense exercise after the shot. I'm hoping Darren can bring me back fast from that. I hate the idea of taking even seven days off!!)
Jim, the physician's assistant, happily, is pro running. He says running is
actually not bad at all on its own for my kind of back problem. And he
thinks as long as I keep my core strong (and you can bet I'm committed to that--Pilates forever!), I'm likely to be one of those
people who doesn't show up again in five months needing another shot.
Fingers crossed that he's right!
On Darren's advice, I'm also going to see an ART (active release therapy) guy next week to deal with my recalcitrant right hamstring, which has been needling at me just a tiny bit for a couple of weeks now. Darren wants NO hamstring issues as we move into real training. And now that I know the prognosis for my back, I'm ready to deal with the hamstring, too.
Though I'm SO grateful to live in a place like Boulder, where sports injuries are taken seriously and there are plenty of skilled doctors, PTs and alternative practitioners around, I will say I'll be glad to move on to a few months with no doctor visits, no co-pays, no trying to fit appointments in between my job and my family obligations. I just want to work, raise my kids, enjoy my husband....and run.
It's time to get healthy!
Monday, July 16, 2012
Darren's Answer, A Scary Sight and Summer Travels
When I got my answer from Darren about whether he thought I should be a pacer for one of those brave and hardy souls who run the Leadville Trail 100, it was what I expected. Here it is verbatim:
...definitely a no on the seconding this year...running that slow pace will not be good for your back and hamstrings. Unfortunately, we need to be somewhat selfish and focus on Terzah and getting you healthy and ready for your upcoming races.
So there you have it! I was sure enough of the answer that I actually said "No" the day I wrote the original blog post.
There's plenty of adventure to be had around here without Leadville. Tomorrow is my next physical therapy appointment, the one where I'll find out whether or not I'm headed for a shot in the back. I think I am. It's been more than four months since I started with PT, dry needling and massage, and while my core is noticeably (if not visibly) stronger, back pain is still a constant in my life. A shot can do a lot to calm inflammation that isn't responding to exercise, ice or courses of ibuprofen, all of which I've tried.
I've heard stories from people who've had shots, only to find the relief from them was temporary. I'm hoping that by continuing to be diligent about my core, I'll be in the camp of folks who are effectively cured by the shot. We'll see. I'm not nervous about the shot itself. I know it will hurt afterwards, maybe a lot, but I had a spinal when I had my C-section, so I know I can handle the actual needle part of it. And a few days of pain will be worth it to run and sleep pain-free.
I've had plenty of adventure on non-running fronts as well lately.
On an unhappy note: This morning, while on my way to the gym at 5:30 a.m., I was driving about two blocks from my house when I saw one of the beautiful little bungalows that characterize my neighborhood engulfed in flames. Both the front and back doors were alight. I stopped the car, grabbed my phone to call the fire department and headed toward the house, planning to knock on windows in case the occupants were in there asleep. Fortunately, their next door neighbors had beaten me to it. I watched as they lifted the family (a dad, mom and a 2-year-old) out of a first-floor window. They had already called the firemen. With nothing more for me to do, and my car in the way, I continued on to the gym to do my workout. It took me a good 15 minutes, though, to be calm enough to concentrate on the intervals I was supposed to be knocking out on the recumbent bike.
Later, I read that the police suspect arson. I'm no detective, but I had wondered too. It was just too weird that both the front and back doors would be on fire, but not the parts of the house in between. Scary. It brought to mind every weird person I've ever seen wandering my neighborhood, including one guy I saw around the same time of morning on my street two weeks ago when I was leaving for a run. He was walking slowly, staring at houses, and jumped when he heard my front door open (I have to drive to my runs for now, so I wasn't worried about him from my own personal safety point of view). I saw him again 45 minutes later when I was on my way back from the run, still wandering around the neighborhood. I know that person and this morning's fire are probably unrelated, but that's what witnessing something like that will do to your mind.
Shudder. I'm just glad they got the family out.
On a happier note: Over the weekend we took our kids camping with four other families from their preschool. It was an absolute blast (though my back does NOT like sleeping on the ground). If you're wondering how best to make little kids fall in love with sleeping outdoors, I recommend doing it with plenty of friends around for them to play with. We got home yesterday grubby, exhausted...and totally refreshed by our time out there. Even trips to the bathroom while camping can be magical. Ruthie, my daughter, saw a shooting star on one such trip, and I saw the Milky Way for the first time since our last camping trip last fall.
We have another trip coming up where we won't be camping (the cabin we've rented has comfy beds and a kitchen), but it will be rustic in the sense that "the facilities" are an outhouse and we have to hike to a main lodge to shower. Not sure how I'll get my workouts in during that time, but I do expect it to be fun!
Finally, after much discussion, Dan and I decided to go ahead and send the twins alone on a plane to visit my mom. They leave this Saturday. Tipping the scales in favor of this were 1) I can't take off work for long, but I can take enough time off to fly out at the end of their stay for a couple of days and then fly back with them, and they'll get a much longer visit with their grandparents than they would if they had to wait for me to be able to come for the whole thing, 2) it's only a one-hour flight and the airline (Southwest) takes good care of kids traveling alone and 3) Dan and I are excited about having some alone time together, even though we both have to work. What's good for our marriage is good for our kids.
This also fits in philosophically with my own desire that my kids learn, from an early age, that there are many things they CAN do on their own, that (when equipped with the right tools, such as, in this case, memorized cell phone numbers and good manners) they needn't be afraid in the world and that independence from Mommy and Daddy in age appropriate ways is a good thing. There are a lot of scary stories out there, but I firmly believe that these are magnified by the prevalence of the media in our lives and that the world my kids live in is much safer than even the (still safe) one I grew up in. I was allowed to walk home from the school bus stop alone from the early elementary grades. Ditto for going to the park or getting myself on my bike to a friend's house. I do not believe that very many people at all in the world I live in would ever harm my children, and I do believe that many would go out of their way to help them.
I know everyone has their own opinions and that everyone's kids' thresholds for this kind of thing are different. But if you're interested in learning more about "free range parenting," check out this blog. I read it regularly.
...definitely a no on the seconding this year...running that slow pace will not be good for your back and hamstrings. Unfortunately, we need to be somewhat selfish and focus on Terzah and getting you healthy and ready for your upcoming races.
So there you have it! I was sure enough of the answer that I actually said "No" the day I wrote the original blog post.
There's plenty of adventure to be had around here without Leadville. Tomorrow is my next physical therapy appointment, the one where I'll find out whether or not I'm headed for a shot in the back. I think I am. It's been more than four months since I started with PT, dry needling and massage, and while my core is noticeably (if not visibly) stronger, back pain is still a constant in my life. A shot can do a lot to calm inflammation that isn't responding to exercise, ice or courses of ibuprofen, all of which I've tried.
I've heard stories from people who've had shots, only to find the relief from them was temporary. I'm hoping that by continuing to be diligent about my core, I'll be in the camp of folks who are effectively cured by the shot. We'll see. I'm not nervous about the shot itself. I know it will hurt afterwards, maybe a lot, but I had a spinal when I had my C-section, so I know I can handle the actual needle part of it. And a few days of pain will be worth it to run and sleep pain-free.
I've had plenty of adventure on non-running fronts as well lately.
On an unhappy note: This morning, while on my way to the gym at 5:30 a.m., I was driving about two blocks from my house when I saw one of the beautiful little bungalows that characterize my neighborhood engulfed in flames. Both the front and back doors were alight. I stopped the car, grabbed my phone to call the fire department and headed toward the house, planning to knock on windows in case the occupants were in there asleep. Fortunately, their next door neighbors had beaten me to it. I watched as they lifted the family (a dad, mom and a 2-year-old) out of a first-floor window. They had already called the firemen. With nothing more for me to do, and my car in the way, I continued on to the gym to do my workout. It took me a good 15 minutes, though, to be calm enough to concentrate on the intervals I was supposed to be knocking out on the recumbent bike.
Later, I read that the police suspect arson. I'm no detective, but I had wondered too. It was just too weird that both the front and back doors would be on fire, but not the parts of the house in between. Scary. It brought to mind every weird person I've ever seen wandering my neighborhood, including one guy I saw around the same time of morning on my street two weeks ago when I was leaving for a run. He was walking slowly, staring at houses, and jumped when he heard my front door open (I have to drive to my runs for now, so I wasn't worried about him from my own personal safety point of view). I saw him again 45 minutes later when I was on my way back from the run, still wandering around the neighborhood. I know that person and this morning's fire are probably unrelated, but that's what witnessing something like that will do to your mind.
Shudder. I'm just glad they got the family out.
On a happier note: Over the weekend we took our kids camping with four other families from their preschool. It was an absolute blast (though my back does NOT like sleeping on the ground). If you're wondering how best to make little kids fall in love with sleeping outdoors, I recommend doing it with plenty of friends around for them to play with. We got home yesterday grubby, exhausted...and totally refreshed by our time out there. Even trips to the bathroom while camping can be magical. Ruthie, my daughter, saw a shooting star on one such trip, and I saw the Milky Way for the first time since our last camping trip last fall.
We have another trip coming up where we won't be camping (the cabin we've rented has comfy beds and a kitchen), but it will be rustic in the sense that "the facilities" are an outhouse and we have to hike to a main lodge to shower. Not sure how I'll get my workouts in during that time, but I do expect it to be fun!
Finally, after much discussion, Dan and I decided to go ahead and send the twins alone on a plane to visit my mom. They leave this Saturday. Tipping the scales in favor of this were 1) I can't take off work for long, but I can take enough time off to fly out at the end of their stay for a couple of days and then fly back with them, and they'll get a much longer visit with their grandparents than they would if they had to wait for me to be able to come for the whole thing, 2) it's only a one-hour flight and the airline (Southwest) takes good care of kids traveling alone and 3) Dan and I are excited about having some alone time together, even though we both have to work. What's good for our marriage is good for our kids.
This also fits in philosophically with my own desire that my kids learn, from an early age, that there are many things they CAN do on their own, that (when equipped with the right tools, such as, in this case, memorized cell phone numbers and good manners) they needn't be afraid in the world and that independence from Mommy and Daddy in age appropriate ways is a good thing. There are a lot of scary stories out there, but I firmly believe that these are magnified by the prevalence of the media in our lives and that the world my kids live in is much safer than even the (still safe) one I grew up in. I was allowed to walk home from the school bus stop alone from the early elementary grades. Ditto for going to the park or getting myself on my bike to a friend's house. I do not believe that very many people at all in the world I live in would ever harm my children, and I do believe that many would go out of their way to help them.
I know everyone has their own opinions and that everyone's kids' thresholds for this kind of thing are different. But if you're interested in learning more about "free range parenting," check out this blog. I read it regularly.
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