Every Race is an Adventure!

I'm writing this for me, but you can read it if you want. 

Six weeks after my hernia surgery, and after nearly 5 months of no running to let my sacral stress fracture heal, today was my first day back running. I ran 1 mile in 12:42.

I'd love to say it was great being out running again, but mostly it was uncomfortable. Besides being completely out of shape, my body has the extra burden of carrying around the extra poundage I've put on from months of inactivity. I could feel the stress on my feet, knees, and hips.

It's hard to imagine that I'm ever going to get back to where I was not so long ago, running 1800-1900 miles a year and running 3:10-3:30 marathons. They say the journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step. I guess the running of 1800 miles begins with the first mile.

After suffering chronic hip pain for years, last July an MRI revealed a stress fracture in my sacrum along the right SI joint and a tear in the labrum in my right hip. Dr. McLane recommended Dr. Aoki to fix the labral tear, and time to heal the stress fracture. Dr. Aoki said the pain I was reporting was not consistent with the labral tear and did not recommend surgery. He gave me a steroid injection in my hip. After about six weeks I returned to running. I wore a sacroiliac belt and ran the Red Rock Relay and St. George marathon without too much pain. I was still feeling some right groin and  hip pain, so I returned to Dr. McLane in November. Another MRI (different angle) revealed athletic pubalgia (aka sports hernia), for which I had surgery on Dec 27. During the surgery Dr. Vargo also found and repaired an inguinal hernia in the same area. Both Dr. McLane and Dr. Vargo thought the pain I was continuing to feel in my right hip might be from the torn labrum so I returned to Dr. Aoki. His answer was the same. He didn't think surgery would help the pain I was reporting.

So, the sacral stress fracture has healed (as shown in the 2nd MRI), the hernias have been surgically repaired, and I'm still feeling some pain in my right hip. I guess two out of three ain't bad.

My last visit with a doctor was two days with Dr. Vargo for my 6 week post op visit. He said he didn't know what might be causing the remaining hip pain, but both he and Dr. Aoki say it could be muscles, tendons, ligaments, etc. Dr. Vargo is also a runner and suggested some hip stretches and recommended that I get back out running.

I've had chronic hip pain for years and still managed to keep running pretty well. I've decided to return to running and see how it goes with two out of three issues addressed.

I've told Karen and others that this has been the winter of my discontent. It's been frustrating dealing with doctors, surgery, healing, and not running. I've suffered from depression (running is my therapy, and my social life). I gave up on cross training (groin pain and laziness). I've gained weight (ate whatever I wanted, no exercise). It's been very tough at times. Still, on the whole life has been pretty good to me, and I am very blessed. I have hope that my running woes have bottomed out and there are brighter days ahead.

I realize that my problems are very small compared to so many others around me. In fact, I think it's rare when someone isn't facing some sort of crisis or adversity. I believe the key is to avoid the adversity that we can by living a righteous life, and finding out how to have peace, hope, and even joy during the inevitable adversity that is part of mortality. For me, it is my faith in my Heavenly Father's love and personal plan for me, hope through my faith in Jesus Christ as my personal Savior, and daily guidance and comfort from the Holy Spirit that are my rock in the storm. Enduring to the end, and enduring well, have special meaning for a runner who is striving to be a faithful follower of Jesus Christ.

I ran with Larry and Jolene this morning. It was great getting back to the social side of running, even if it was only for a short time. I turned back after we had gone a little over a mile and they kept going. My body is feeling the stress of getting back to running after a long time off and I didn't want to over do it.

I ran 2.25 miles, avg. pace 11:23/mi. 

2.75 miles @ 11:48/mi

4 miles @ 10:23

For a number of years I ran over 1000 miles a year. Last year I only made it to 885 before stopping to let injuries heal. I started running again a little over a week ago, on Feb 10.  My goal, old body allowing, is to make it to 1000 miles again by the end of the year. I'm  referring to it as my journey of a thousand miles (1000M). Here's my status so far:

1.0 @ 12:43/mi
2.25 @ 11:23/mi
2.75 @ 11:48/mi
3.0 @ 11:09/mi
4.0 @ 10:23/mi

13 of 1000M

The distances are slowly getting longer and the pace is slowly getting faster. I hope the pattern continues all the way to 1000M.

4.5 @ 10:23/mi

I'm writing this 5 weeks later. I couldn't say anything good, so I chose to say nothing at all. (Thanks for the good advice Thumper.)

On Tuesday morning, two days before this, I ran 4.5 miles @ 10:23/mi; nothing spectacular but I was beginning to feel that I was back on the road to recovery.

Then on Thursday morning I was attacked by...walnuts. I had ran a little over a mile. I was feeling pretty good, my mind lost in thought on early morning solo run under the street lights of north Orem. I was running east on 1200 N, where I've run many times before, when I suddenly found myself lying on the road. The palm of the new knit glove on my right hand was shredded, my right knee had a little road rash, my left ankle was hurting quite badly...and I could hear the sound of a walnut rolling into the gutter. I don't remember stepping on the walnut, or falling, but I don't think I lost consciousness. I didn't hit my head...and I could hear the walnut rolling into the gutter. I must have been so lost in thought, and fell so quickly, that I was on the road before it registered in my brain.

I have a habit of rating my sprains just after they happen (yes, I've had a few). I rated it a 6 or 7 out of 10. I turned and started limping home. After a bit it started feeling a little better so I decided maybe I had rated it too high and decided to try and run it off. I turned and ran back towards the walnuts, but on the other side of the street. I didn't get far before I realized my initial rating was accurate and I shouldn't run on it. I turned back and started limping home again, now farther away than I was to begin with. I decided to cross back over and look for where I had stepped on the walnut. I found it and painfully kicked 19 more walnuts into the gutter. I don't know if it was to protect other runners, or because I was mad at them. I then limped slowly home, quite discouraged, but hopeful I'd be back to running in a week or two. Skip ahead 5 weeks for the rest of the story.