Last Monday, I walked into the waiting room at Boulder Center for Sports Medicine and settled into a chair with a magazine ahead of my physical therapy appointment. It was about lunchtime, and the only other person in there was a young guy.
"You injured?" he asked.
I closed the magazine. I knew what was going to ensue, and I've started to like these conversations, which make me feel less alone.
"Yep," I said, and told him about my back. "What about you?"
"Yeah," he said. "My shoulder. I have six pins and a plate in there now."
That sounded much worse than my problem. And he certainly had a better story.
"How'd you do it?" I asked.
"It was a ski accident," he said. "First run of the day. I was headed down at, like, 65 miles an hour and I turned and bam! ran into an elk."
Whoa. Further conversation revealed that he'd been hoping to make the leap to professional and had been in PT for 10 weeks, about four weeks longer than I have. He's still hoping to go pro. But he's clearly got a lot of work to do first. He's 24 years old. What a bummer!
What did I learn from this conversation? Well, it reaffirmed that there's always someone with a harder road than yours. (It also confirmed that I'm really not interested in learning how to downhill ski. I've heard too many catastrophic injury stories associated with skiing. Yeah, I know, that's sacrilege in Colorado. But I do believe we need to choose our challenges where we can in life, and downhill skiing? Not going to be my choice.)
A happier version of "tell me about your injury and I'll tell you about mine" occurred when I was waiting in line for tacos after Dan's race last Tuesday. A willowy female master's runner (who it turns out won her age group) was in front of me, and a wiry male one (who placed in the top three in his) was behind me. We got to talking about injuries. The woman had been sidelined from running several times over the course of a long career as a recreational runner and triathlete. And the man told me he actually shattered his patella in half in a race one year.
They were philosophic about it. If you run long enough, they said, you will deal with an injury. Yet, there they were, having great races in their 50s and 60s. At one time, the woman said, she was out for six months. It seems like a blip now, she said.
Yesterday, after my 75-minute recumbent bike session at the gym, I talked to a bodybuilder/cyclist acquaintance afterwards (I'm at the gym so much now that I'm starting to get to know people there). He told me he himself had dealt with a bad lower back years ago, and that faithful core work had kept it at bay. He said he noticed that if he went even three days without doing his core exercises, the pain started creeping back in.
He's a nice guy, and he gets it about having goals. "I bet you're not dealing very well with this, are you," he said.
"No," I replied, "it's been really hard. The exercises are so small, and boring."
"Yeah, not the kind of person who likes baby steps, are you? But you have to see it as your new challenge," he said. "It's what you have to tackle right now."
And of course he's right.
Any other good injury stories out there?
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Wednesday, April 18, 2012
(Spectator's) Race Report: Dash n' Dine 5K
Those who can, do.
Those who can't....watch their husbands do!
Last night the kids and I turned out to support my husband, Dan, in his first real race since 2008 (I'm not counting the hilarious but deliberately-not-speedy Muddy Buddy run and ride that he and I did as a team in 2010). In the summer of 2009, he injured his Achilles tendon playing ultimate frisbee, which he loved almost as much as I love running, and it's taken a very long time for him to feel comfortable on it.
But things have been better for his ankle lately. Last year he did some physical therapy for it, and recently he's been regularly running the steep trails behind the laboratory in Boulder where he works, mostly without pain. And when one of his co-workers asked about an easygoing race, preferably on trails, for all of them to do I jumped at the chance to live vicariously through them and did a little research.
What I came up with for them: the spring Dash n' Dine 5K series. It's a great little set of races. Every Tuesday starting in mid-April and going through May, the organizers have a laid-back out-and-back 5K that starts at 6:30 p.m. on a course next to the Boulder Reservoir. After the race is done, a local restaurant provides a dinner that's included in the race fee. Spectators also can buy dinner for $5 each. Last night's fare was tacos and burritos from Wahoo Fish Tacos, one of my family's favorite places to eat.
There's no chip timing or finishers' medals. It's just old-school racing. Because it's Boulder, there can be some fast winning times. (Top man last night: 16:28--pretty fast; the top woman was 20:57, fast to me but not as fast as it could have been). But there are also slower runners and walkers who turn out, and all ages from 7 to 70 were out there. The prizes for placing and for age-group placing (at least last night) were candles.
Another fun aspect is that the more of the series you show up for, the more likely you are to win "series points," especially if you place well. Last night's race was the second one of the season. Dan's friend Hannes, who ran 20:23 for 15th place in the race and 7th in the 30-39 male age group, got 10 points and is now ranked 15th overall in the series. With four more races to go, he could move up in the rankings depending on how many others he does and how well he does (which of course depends on who shows up on a given night and how fast THEY are).
Moreover, they have a prize at the end of the series for the runner who improves his or her time the most over the weeks.
I loved the laid-back vibe. The start/finish area is grassy and (last night anyway) nice and cool. The kids and I watched the start, then sipped some Max Muscle recovery drink samples and bought our dinner tickets while we waited for the runners to come back. We cheered in the winners, and then Hannes...and less than four minutes later Dan ran by! I had to restrain my son from chasing him. Then we waited for Dan and Hannes' other friend, Jim, and cheered him in, too.
Dan was really happy with his time given that he runs at most every other day and hasn't been specifically training. His 24:02 was good for 10th in the 40-49 male age group, and actually beat his second-to-last 5K, the 2007 Colder Bolder, which he ran in 24:07 (it was way off his 2008 Colder Bolder time of 22:42).
How was the course? The guys agreed it was mostly flat and had some nice dirt stretches, though the parts at the beginning and end featured a slight hill and were on pavement. The line for food was long, but there was plenty for both runners and spectators. Dan said later that he and Hannes will almost certainly want to do at least one more race in this series.
I, of course, think they should show up every week, but they are much more mellow than I am (and also not running-staved by injury). I'm also hoping Dan will consider doing the Bolder Boulder this year. Right now, he's saying he might. I think he'd forgotten how good the buzz after a good race feels!
Those who can't....watch their husbands do!
Last night the kids and I turned out to support my husband, Dan, in his first real race since 2008 (I'm not counting the hilarious but deliberately-not-speedy Muddy Buddy run and ride that he and I did as a team in 2010). In the summer of 2009, he injured his Achilles tendon playing ultimate frisbee, which he loved almost as much as I love running, and it's taken a very long time for him to feel comfortable on it.
But things have been better for his ankle lately. Last year he did some physical therapy for it, and recently he's been regularly running the steep trails behind the laboratory in Boulder where he works, mostly without pain. And when one of his co-workers asked about an easygoing race, preferably on trails, for all of them to do I jumped at the chance to live vicariously through them and did a little research.
What I came up with for them: the spring Dash n' Dine 5K series. It's a great little set of races. Every Tuesday starting in mid-April and going through May, the organizers have a laid-back out-and-back 5K that starts at 6:30 p.m. on a course next to the Boulder Reservoir. After the race is done, a local restaurant provides a dinner that's included in the race fee. Spectators also can buy dinner for $5 each. Last night's fare was tacos and burritos from Wahoo Fish Tacos, one of my family's favorite places to eat.
There's no chip timing or finishers' medals. It's just old-school racing. Because it's Boulder, there can be some fast winning times. (Top man last night: 16:28--pretty fast; the top woman was 20:57, fast to me but not as fast as it could have been). But there are also slower runners and walkers who turn out, and all ages from 7 to 70 were out there. The prizes for placing and for age-group placing (at least last night) were candles.
Another fun aspect is that the more of the series you show up for, the more likely you are to win "series points," especially if you place well. Last night's race was the second one of the season. Dan's friend Hannes, who ran 20:23 for 15th place in the race and 7th in the 30-39 male age group, got 10 points and is now ranked 15th overall in the series. With four more races to go, he could move up in the rankings depending on how many others he does and how well he does (which of course depends on who shows up on a given night and how fast THEY are).
Moreover, they have a prize at the end of the series for the runner who improves his or her time the most over the weeks.
I loved the laid-back vibe. The start/finish area is grassy and (last night anyway) nice and cool. The kids and I watched the start, then sipped some Max Muscle recovery drink samples and bought our dinner tickets while we waited for the runners to come back. We cheered in the winners, and then Hannes...and less than four minutes later Dan ran by! I had to restrain my son from chasing him. Then we waited for Dan and Hannes' other friend, Jim, and cheered him in, too.
Dan was really happy with his time given that he runs at most every other day and hasn't been specifically training. His 24:02 was good for 10th in the 40-49 male age group, and actually beat his second-to-last 5K, the 2007 Colder Bolder, which he ran in 24:07 (it was way off his 2008 Colder Bolder time of 22:42).
How was the course? The guys agreed it was mostly flat and had some nice dirt stretches, though the parts at the beginning and end featured a slight hill and were on pavement. The line for food was long, but there was plenty for both runners and spectators. Dan said later that he and Hannes will almost certainly want to do at least one more race in this series.
I, of course, think they should show up every week, but they are much more mellow than I am (and also not running-staved by injury). I'm also hoping Dan will consider doing the Bolder Boulder this year. Right now, he's saying he might. I think he'd forgotten how good the buzz after a good race feels!
Monday, April 16, 2012
Physical Therapy Ch. 6
First off, congratulations to all of you who stuck it out and made it to the finish line of the Boston Marathon in that heat today. Hearing about the temperatures almost made me glad I wasn't there.
Almost.
Inspired by these marathoners' example of doing what needed to be done when it needed to be done, I went to physical therapy with a spring in my step....and the news after six weeks was good. My joint is still not perfect, but it was better than last week. And Sue took as a good sign the fact that I had less pain all week (even with all the air travel and sitting, cute little baby holding, bag carrying and Saturday's hike).
I had an adjustment (these feel so good) and some needling (this actually hurt a bit, but she got right into the tender spots around my sacrum, so I think later it will help). She also did some intramuscular stimulation with the needles. She'd done this last week, too, but I forgot to mention it. I felt it more this time, though. Here's a definition:
Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS)
Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) is a perpendicular dry needling technique, deep into the motor points and muscular tendinous junctions to release muscle shortening. It is effective but may be painful.
It sort of feels like a dull little pinprick shock. For me, it isn't painful. But it is uncomfortably weird.
Then I got two new exercises, one designed to loosen up my tight mid-back muscles and another to activate my multifidus muscle, which runs along the spine and needs to be doing more of the stabilizing work than it is right now. Yes, yet another back muscle I'd never heard of before and apparently haven't used in years!
The best news was that I can now throw in some consecutive days on the recumbent bike....and it's time to start walking, walking fast....AND (drumroll) if all goes well this week, next week could bring walking with running intervals.
I almost couldn't breathe when she suggested that.
I realize it may not happen. You never know when a bad week will hit. Also, Cathy, my original therapist, will be back then, and her recommended course of action may be different from Sue's.
Still, this has given me a new fervor for my PT exercises. After the kids go to bed tonight, I plan to spend some quality time curled up with my stability ball, my foam roller, and my Theraband.
Almost.
Inspired by these marathoners' example of doing what needed to be done when it needed to be done, I went to physical therapy with a spring in my step....and the news after six weeks was good. My joint is still not perfect, but it was better than last week. And Sue took as a good sign the fact that I had less pain all week (even with all the air travel and sitting, cute little baby holding, bag carrying and Saturday's hike).
I had an adjustment (these feel so good) and some needling (this actually hurt a bit, but she got right into the tender spots around my sacrum, so I think later it will help). She also did some intramuscular stimulation with the needles. She'd done this last week, too, but I forgot to mention it. I felt it more this time, though. Here's a definition:
Intramuscular Stimulation (IMS)
Intramuscular stimulation (IMS) is a perpendicular dry needling technique, deep into the motor points and muscular tendinous junctions to release muscle shortening. It is effective but may be painful.
It sort of feels like a dull little pinprick shock. For me, it isn't painful. But it is uncomfortably weird.
Then I got two new exercises, one designed to loosen up my tight mid-back muscles and another to activate my multifidus muscle, which runs along the spine and needs to be doing more of the stabilizing work than it is right now. Yes, yet another back muscle I'd never heard of before and apparently haven't used in years!
 |
| It's actually on both sides of the spine, but this gives you the idea. |
The best news was that I can now throw in some consecutive days on the recumbent bike....and it's time to start walking, walking fast....AND (drumroll) if all goes well this week, next week could bring walking with running intervals.
I almost couldn't breathe when she suggested that.
I realize it may not happen. You never know when a bad week will hit. Also, Cathy, my original therapist, will be back then, and her recommended course of action may be different from Sue's.
Still, this has given me a new fervor for my PT exercises. After the kids go to bed tonight, I plan to spend some quality time curled up with my stability ball, my foam roller, and my Theraband.
Saturday, April 14, 2012
California Dreamin'
Just a quick post because I have Mexican lentil soup simmering on the stove and in just a few moments I'll need to go fry up some plantains! But I wanted to put something up so all you nice people don't think I'm always grumpy.
My trip to California has been fantastic. Here's a quick run-down:
1. I slept until 9:30 a.m. yesterday (that's 10:30 a.m. Colorado time). I think this might be a post-child record for me. It definitely wasn't something I expected to do in a house where a newborn baby is in residence.
2. Speaking of the newborn baby, red-haired Lucy Anne and I bonded last night while her parents dined out. She slept in my arms for two and a half hours, allowing me to watch Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was my second DVD of the day. Lucy, my sis-in-law Jessica and I had watched Little Women earlier (does Winona Ryder annoy anyone but me? She always seems to be that wretched chick from that wretched movie, Reality Bites, no matter what part she's playing).
3. This morning I woke up with the sun, on my own, and took the train over to Old Town Pasadena and hung out with this lady:
We had a fantastic time, hanging out at a coffee shop for over two hours and talking about everything from running marathons (which she will do!) to how we met our husbands (very similar love-at-first-sight kinds of stories). She is as real as she comes across in her blog. Another girl who had been sitting near us actually stopped at our table on her way out to tell Caro that she is lovely. It's so true! She just exudes lovely!
4. After I got back, my cousin Andrew came over, and he and my brother John and I went hiking. I was worried about my back, but it didn't even give me a twinge as we climbed up up up a mountain above Pasadena called Mt. Lowe.
Thunder storms had rolled through yesterday and the air remained cool and fragrant with sage and rain. It was fantastic, a great substitute for my usual recumbent bike ride and nothing my PTs would object to.
5. Now, I'm making soup (and will soon make guac), and I'm planning on another good night's sleep and some more good healthy California food (plus some decadent gelato) before I head back to Colorado tomorrow.
My attitude has definitely undergone a positive adjustment. I'm looking forward to my Monday PT appointment AND to following all of my friends who are racing tomorrow in various locales and of course on Monday.....in Boston!
My trip to California has been fantastic. Here's a quick run-down:
1. I slept until 9:30 a.m. yesterday (that's 10:30 a.m. Colorado time). I think this might be a post-child record for me. It definitely wasn't something I expected to do in a house where a newborn baby is in residence.
2. Speaking of the newborn baby, red-haired Lucy Anne and I bonded last night while her parents dined out. She slept in my arms for two and a half hours, allowing me to watch Jane Eyre. Jane Eyre was my second DVD of the day. Lucy, my sis-in-law Jessica and I had watched Little Women earlier (does Winona Ryder annoy anyone but me? She always seems to be that wretched chick from that wretched movie, Reality Bites, no matter what part she's playing).
3. This morning I woke up with the sun, on my own, and took the train over to Old Town Pasadena and hung out with this lady:
 |
| Lovely Caroline and Terzah! |
4. After I got back, my cousin Andrew came over, and he and my brother John and I went hiking. I was worried about my back, but it didn't even give me a twinge as we climbed up up up a mountain above Pasadena called Mt. Lowe.
 |
| The view was wonderful. That's my brother in the middle with his dog, Dottie Jo, and our cousin Andrew on the end. |
Thunder storms had rolled through yesterday and the air remained cool and fragrant with sage and rain. It was fantastic, a great substitute for my usual recumbent bike ride and nothing my PTs would object to.
5. Now, I'm making soup (and will soon make guac), and I'm planning on another good night's sleep and some more good healthy California food (plus some decadent gelato) before I head back to Colorado tomorrow.
My attitude has definitely undergone a positive adjustment. I'm looking forward to my Monday PT appointment AND to following all of my friends who are racing tomorrow in various locales and of course on Monday.....in Boston!
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