Old Man Still running

Dr. appointment.  He took a closer look at the MRI and could see fluid buildup.   His recommendation was to "let nature take it's course."  But he also gave me cortisone shots near the two problem areas.  He could see a bursa immediately fill up.  So, hoping that this helps those areas calm down faster.

Two hours later, no pain at all in the areas that received a shot.  (However there was novocain in the shot too.)   Pain remaining is in the knee joint line, medial side.   I know that will take another month to totally go away.

It is funny, I'm so used to limping now that even when the pain is way down, I find myself still limping. I'm like Chester on Gunsmoke.  You young guys don't know what that means.  Just ignore it and go back to playing with your toys and videos games.

p.m. pretty remarkable improvement.  Hoping that it continues.  Did a meager workout, eliptical, bike, and slow treadmill.  Could handle 1/4th mile at 20:00 pace.  I probably burned about 800 calories.  Feels like a workout sitting on the couch moving my thumbs.   Oh well, at least I sweat a little bit.  It was nice to put on a pair of running shoes for the first time in 24 days even if I didn't run.

Continued improvement.  Eliptical and treadmill walking (1 mile).  Today I could sustain a 17:00 pace for quite awhile.  First time I've been able to do that.   Walking into work from the parking lot was at normal pace without a limp and pain about a 2.  That is a first also.  I'm having some stiffness and stabs of pain for the injections yesterday, but those have to heal too.

My spirits have greatly been lifted the last few days.  It is amazing how wounderful it is to walk again even if I still have pain.  Running is still a ways off and I'll be patient and careful.

100 laps in the pool, pool running, eliptical, and a mile on the treadmill.  3.5 hour workout.  Was able to hobble at 15:00 pace for a little while.  That is the fastest in a month.  Progress is slow, but I guess I'm ready to return my rented crutches.  I haven't used them in three days.  Swelling seems to be staying down. 

I've only gained about 4 pounds this month.  At least it isn't 10.

p.m. Going stir crazy sitting indoors for days.  Took the dog for a walk with a trekking pole.  Made it two miles and got out on a trail for the first time in a month.  It was nice but the leg was beat up afterwards, recovered in an hour.

Small improvments.  Can walk 1/4 mile at full speed under 15:00 pace. Pain about a 2-3.  More than that still seems like too much too soon.   People who saw me last week have asked me if I'm all better because I'm not limping anymore.   Missed workout this morning.  Seems like things are better if I do some eliptical workout.

In my recovery, it feels like I'm 4 days removed from running a 100-miler.  But really it is 29 days.   I finally can jog downstairs again without a problem.  That is a good milestone.

Down day.  Regressed a little, probably the effects of the cortisone shots wore off.  Don't know.

Getting used to the idea that I won't run for several months.  Getting involved in other things.

Planning to help out with the Buffalo Run later in the month.  Should be fun.

I can't win.  Now I have a new problem.  Looks like it is pain from the Sciatic nerve.  Starts in the back of the knee, shoots up the hamstring to the butt.   No pain sitting, but walking now both the lower leg and upper leg has pain.   Well at least this pain keeps my mind off the other.   Maybe I should just bust my arm and then all this leg pain will be really minor.

Improvement, I think.  The nerve problem is really a big worry because that doesn't seem like it is something easily solved. (I start getting visions again of being a cripple for life).  However, it appears that NSAIDs are helping.  Also, a sleeve on the knee may be helping.  If NSAIDs are helping, then perhaps it is just something still swelling up pushing against the nerve.  Boy, when it gets going, pain shoots higher than a 5 and I get thoughts about getting those crutches back.  Climbing stairs pushing on the big toe really gets it screeming up and down the leg.   But....then there are times when I get up and walk and things are much better, good enough that I'm about ready to start doing walks again.

I think that the knee still is a little loose with fluid.  I bet if they just drained some fluid that things would really speed up.   If I have to go in again, I'll suggest that.  I'll try to tolerate a sleeve for now to keep things tighter.  I couldn't use that earlier because it would push on the area below the knee that was really sensitive.

Crasy dreams continue.  Last night I was running two 100-mile races at the same time.  I have no idea how that is possible.  I think they were the Bear 100 and Cascade Crest 100.  The courses overlapped and required me to run segments and then backtrack to run the other course.  I think I finally gave up and woke up.

More small improvements.   The nerve problem calmed down.  Perhaps my morning workout helped, kicking the leg for a mile in the pool and then deep massage of the leg.  Now the nerve pain in just in the lowest part of the leg in the calf.  That is much better than shooting up the upper leg.

I ran for the first time in 5 weeks.  Well kind of.  On the treadmill I could do a jog-limp at 12:00 pace.  There is no way I could have done that two weeks ago, so a little victory.  If I supported about 50 pounds of my weight on the treadmill arms, I could run with very little pain.  So, I have a new strategy.  I'm going to go on Biggest Loser and lose 50 pounds.  That will get me down to 125 and I'll run mostly pain free.

Two more miles with the dog.  I think my limit is 1.5 miles now.  Sounds pathetic, but that is a big improvement and I averaged 20:00 pace.   Last Saturday it was 30:00 pace.   I did use a trekking pole.  Helps a bunch.

Bad morning.  Back to limping.  It is a puzzle because I haven't done anything the last couple days but sit.  Yesterday I felt pretty great.  Today I feel like I did two weeks ago plus the sciatic nerve pain. I'm pretty close to cancelling Northcoast 24 in May.  Next potential DNS is Squaw Peak 50.

I'll try the opposite and do some walks.  I know that helps the nerve problem, stretches things out.

walking miles for the week.

I guess it has been awhile since I posted and I'm getting queries.  Last week was pretty bad, a little better this week.  I have a doctor's appointment Thursday.   It looks like the knee is pretty much all healed, but the area below the knee is not making progress.  Oh well.

Mentally I've shifted.  I'm not a runner anymore so I'm finding other things to help fill my obsessive nature.  I've cancelled any race plans for April and May and soon will cancel June.  But life is good.   I'm just hoping for a day that I can walk without pain and hike in the mountains.  I'm up seven pounds but I can notice that my metabolism has changed.  My body is getting used to not burning thousands of calories per day.  I haven't been swimming, just too boring, and why work out like crazy?  So just resting.

I'll be at Buffalo Run on Saturday to crew my son Kevin.  I'll also be at Salt Flats 100 to either crew my brother Bob in his first 100 attempt or captain an aid station.   Squaw Peak 50?   I had hoped to run slowly with my son, but that is very unlikely.  I'll probably come up to watch the action.

Rough day today.  Too much walking at a conference at the Salt Palace and checking out the new City Creek.  Better this evening.

I'm scheduled for a bone scan on Monday.  The doctor is now believing I have a stress fracture.  I had him check the MRI again and sure enough the scan didn't go low enough on the leg.  Why is the lower leg still swelling up about 7 weeks?

I get the feeling that despite the thousands of legs he's worked with that my injury is something he hasn't seen before.  He just couldn't believe that something in my leg is pinching the sciatic nerve.  He took an X-ray of my back, but it is fine.  I told him it was.  Then he asks me again how I'm feeling that pain. I showed him by bending my leg and putting pressure on the calf.  I guess it is no big surprise that my injury is pretty unique.  No one else would run 100 miles on a sore leg.

Enjoyed being out on the trail for the first time in seven weeks, even if it was just walking with trekking poles.   I did do a little jogging here and there. I crewed for son Kevin in the Buffalo Run 50-mile.   I had fun jumping down on the trail numerous times, not just at the aid stations, to cheer him and see how he was doing.  People got a kick out of it, seeing me over and over again for the last 35 miles.   It got pretty hot so I made sure Kevin was doing the right things for the heat.  He hung in there and finished in a PR of 11:47.   It was nice to see so many friends who were nice and concerned about my runamok disease.

Despite being worn and and doing too much, me leg feels great this evening.   It makes me wonder if I will recover faster if I use it more.   We'll see what the bone scan says.  I'll probably have the results Tuesday.

Improvements.  Pain decreasing and it isn't causing the muscles to swell up anymore.  It has been seven weeks.

I went for a bone scan yesterday.  They shoot me up with tracers through an IV and then you come back for the scan three hours later.  The tracers migrate to areas of the body that are trying to repair itself or are fighting disease.

I looked at the image and the area below my knee was lit up like a light bulb all over.  I may hear back from my doctor today what it all means.

So at least we now have evidence that this pain isn't just in my head.  There is something going on there.

Finally got some word, a phone message from the doctor telling me that I indeed to have a stress fracture on my tibia.  Prettly much what I thought.  Good to know it is something that will heal.   I'll get the details later this afternoon.   Wondering how bad it is and what I need to do to heal it.

What this means is I ran the entire Rocky Raccoon 100 with a busted leg. No wonder it hurt so bad.  So now I've run one 100 with a busted hand, another one with a busted leg.