Ten Thousand Miles, an MRI, and PT!

Well, well, well...

After FAR too many years, I finally managed to hit the 10,000 mile mark for lifetime running mileage. Some of you might say, "that's quite an achievement for someone dealing with so many injuries over the years," and others might say, "jeesh, it took you long enough!" You would both be correct. I have many running friends who have eclipsed this mileage in far less time and have probably doubled or tripled my mileage already, so this won't be all that impressive to those folks. But it hasn't been an easy road for me. Still isn't.

Ran my 10,000th mile today in 7:22 (4th mile of a 5 mile run). Didn't feel easy. Sucks to be out of shape. And yes, my knee and hip hurt. But it was awesome!

It all started back on June 26, 1983 (Actually, it started a few years before that, with a year of XC during middle school, for which I have no written records, so I don't include those miles.) I was living in Kent, WA with my dad, stepmom and baby sister but visiting my mom and other family in Florida during summer break. I was going into my junior year of high school and had decided I wanted to run cross country. So I started running loops around the block where we lived.

Those of you that know me at all will NOT be surprised to know that I do, indeed, have my first written log from that time. My first recorded run was a 2-miler (at 6:46 pace!) around the block (CD stands for Crestwood Drive). I also like that I threw down a 5:44 mile during my second week of running. Ah, youth...

Low mileage, fast pace. What's this "base building" people talk about?

Thirty-two years of ups and downs (and plenty of injuries) later, I finally met that goal. You can see on the right side of this blog, if you scroll down a ways, my year-to-year mileage. Some years have zeroes, some have hardly any mileage at all. I'll admit that not all of those paltry years were due to injuries. Post high school, I lost interest in running (oh, if I had that time back again...I was just starting to get fast when I graduated!) There were other years where I decided I was going to lift weights and add muscle to my skinny frame. And, of course, there were plenty of injuries that derailed my running, sometimes for months (or years) at a time. But, glutton for punishment that I seem to be, I always returned to running. It's in my blood.

So, here's to the next 10,000 miles, God (and body) willing.

Speaking of a willing body, I ended up getting an MRI on my left knee after all. I won't go into the ugly details involving my insurance company (there are still issues being dealt with), but I met with my doc a few days ago to go over the results. Long story short, my knee looks great! No tears. Cartilage, tendons & ligaments all look good. Very little wear and tear. No arthritis. There is a bone bruise (probably from one of my bike crashes, but my knee pain goes back long before any crash), and there's a bit of fat deposit that might be causing impingement, but nothing that's obviously giving me the knee pain I'm still experiencing. I'm thrilled to know the knee is structurally sound, but frustrated that I still don't know what's up. Doc said that tight hamstrings can lead to knee pain (I've had tight hamstrings for decades, so I doubt it's the main problem.) I decided to go for a 6-week round of physical therapy to hopefully get my gait analyzed (again), get more flexible, deal with any strength imbalances and weaknesses and, hopefully, put the chronic pain behind me.

After all, I've got another 10,000+ miles to run. Don't want it to be painful! At least, not the bad kind of pain...

One Final Run...

Today, I got in one last run before FINALLY getting my left knee checked out tomorrow morning.

I ran 4 miles at an 8:39 pace, with each mile getting progressively faster. It was warm (76°f) since summer has decided to return for an encore, at least through the weekend. As usual, my knee hurt for about a mile and a half, then settled down to merely being an annoyance. I was feeling pretty spent by the end of the run.

I'm now just 46 miles shy of 10,000 lifetime running miles. I'd love to eclipse that barrier with the last mile of a BQ time in a marathon, but unfortunately, that won't happen. More than likely, it'll be another semi-painful, anti-climactic short run. But there were some far more exciting miles that got me to this point, so I'll try to dwell on those when I do finally hit that number.

Time permitting, I'll report back tomorrow on the doctor's first impressions of my knee issues.

Borrowed Time

So, the good news is that the running I've been doing lately is starting to feel pretty good, like I'm actually becoming a runner again.

The bad news is that "starting to feel pretty good" refers to everything except my left knee.

A few runs ago, the knee would hurt for the first quarter mile or so, then feel pretty decent for the duration of the run. Then, it would hurt for the first half mile. Then, two days ago, it hurt for a mile and a half before settling down. Today, I ran an easy 4 miles and the knee hurt for 3.5 miles of it!

I'm no statistician, but that's not a good trend. So, at this point, I feel like I'm running on borrowed time.

Yes, I know I'm sort of in the process of focusing more on cycling, but as a longtime runner, I can't stay away. I'm now 68 miles shy of 10,000 lifetime running miles. That number is seducing me more every time I run. I'd like to get it behind me. That's why I've continued running through the ever-increasing pain. Dumb, I know.

Not to get too personal, but another reason I've put off a doctor's visit is because of my lousy insurance. I'm self-employed and pay 100% of my insurance out of pocket. In order to afford my premiums, I've had to choose terrible coverage — basically, a catastrophic plan. I would pay a $50 copay for office visits, but anything beyond that — treatment, imaging, medical procedures — would come out of my pocket, 100%, until I meet my insanely high deductible. So that, plus the fact that we're still paying off the therapy bill for my daughter's recent concussion, is the reason that no action has been taken.

Of course, that doesn't excuse me from running on an already damaged knee.

Like I said, I'm dumb.

Anyhoo...I may have a little more running in me before the knee says "NO MORE," or I may not. Like I said, today's run was pretty painful.

On a side note, I've realized that I'm a tough runner but a wimpy cyclist. When I say "tough," I don't mean I'm fast, or even impressive. I just mean that I can run through pain, wind, cold, snow, rain, hail, hills, etc. and have no problem with any of it (I've run through all of them at once on more than one occasion, actually) but as a cyclist, I hate wind, cold, hills and rain. So, humbly, I will claim to be a tough (and dumb) runner but a sissy cyclist. So far, anyway. Hopefully I can toughen up on two wheels before long.

I also hope I can celebrate my 10,000th running mile on this blog within the next couple of months. After today's run, I'm not so sure it'll be that soon.

But it WILL happen eventually.

99

Hey, two days in a row of blog posts! Just like the good ol' days*.

Just a quick update on a milestone I've been chasing for many years. If you've been following along at home, you'll know that I'm approaching 10,000 lifetime running miles. Since my bike is STILL in the shop, I decided to get in a 4-mile run today (a slow one, thanks to my knee). That run put me at 99 miles away from the 10k mark. Double digits, baby!

Whether or not I can run regularly again, I will at least achieve the milestone this year. Well, unless I end up having knee surgery and recovery takes longer than expected.

So, after today's run: 9,901 lifetime running miles and counting...




*i.e. back when people other than myself actually read this blog! ;-)

OUCH!

The running has, once again, come to an end. At least until I get this knee checked out. I went out for a run last Thursday and made it .4 miles (as in less than a half) before I had to stop and limp home. Every time my left foot landed, I felt a very painful stab below my kneecap. Whatever's going on in there, it can't be pretty. So, until I find a doctor and get it looked at and/or scanned, I'm done running. I'm only 106 miles shy of 10,000 lifetime running miles, so one way or another I'll at *least* get that done, eventually.

On a brighter note, the cycling is going well. I only managed to get in two rides this week (Monday and Friday), but Friday's ride was a very nice 40-miler. My legs felt fresh and strong (probably since I hadn't ridden since Monday) and even the sporadic headwinds didn't bother me that much. I can tell my bike legs are coming back. So far this year, I've done 9 outdoor rides for a total of 217 miles (plus another 31 "miles" on the trainer), so I haven't put in as much saddle time as I'd like yet. As both the weather and my fitness improves, I'll be getting out more often. I'll likely keep it to 3 rides per week through the end of April, though, with one of those rides being a long ride.

I still have a lot to learn about cycling, especially when it comes to bike maintenance. Running is so much simpler! But I'd rather ride than do nothing at all. So let's roll!

Well, THAT Was Fast!

A recent running time? My ability to lace up my running shoes? How quickly I actually showered after running?

Nope.

My "comeback." It lasted all of five runs, for a total of 16 measly miles.

The left knee couldn't take it. It had hurt for part of each of those five runs, but during run #4, it actually started hurting less. That made me hopeful. Today, sadly, those hopes were dashed. I ran 4 miles and, during the first mile, the pain was terrible. I nearly stopped. I continued, and the pain diminished a little. Then, with about a half mile to go, it returned. I probably altered my gait to compensate, since my right knee was also sore after the run.

I can tell my left knee is really messed up. When I shake that leg (like you'd do if you were trying to loosen your quads), I feel a sharp pain under my knee cap. Going up and down stairs also hurts. Of course, I already paid for the 10K I was planning on running with my daughter. I just don't see how it's going to be possible to run it.

At nearly 48 years old, I think I've reached a time in my life where I need to stop pushing through things that hurt my body. 

I can't have surgery just yet (not until after bowling season is over, anyway. I'm having a good season!) I'll most likely switch to cycling, weather permitting (or just ride on my trainer) to get my cardio fitness back. I'm now only 116 miles away from 10,000 lifetime running miles, so I'll have to find a way to at least achieve that mark! I'm holding out hope that a simple scoping of the knee, followed by the requisite recovery, will be enough to allow me to once again work on that goal.

Until then, it's time to use other means to get fit again...

I'm Baaaaack (we'll see for how long)...

I have once again rejoined the running world. I logged three short, slow runs this week (2 miles, 3 miles, 4 miles), and boy am I out of shape! That doesn't bother me. I've been there before and I know the drill. What does bother me is how my left knee is feeling. It's been hurting, quite a lot, for probably 40% of my running time. It usually settles down a bit once I'm well into the run, but even then I feel like I need to baby it a little. I'm no doctor, but I'm pretty sure this knee needs to be scoped. But, of course, I've already gone and signed up for a 10k trail race with my daughter on April 19th. I also bowl in a league (as you know if you've read a recent entry), so if/when I get something done, it'll at least be after bowling season ends in March. I'm hoping the knee pain diminishes on its own and I can run the race. It's been hurting for a long time, though (over a year, even during walks), so it's probably not just a passing thing.

My left hip seems to be pretty tight and sore most of the time, too. Feels almost arthritic. The body is slowly breaking down. Jeesh, I'm not THAT old!

But I am glad — pain or not — to be back out there, running some miles with my dog...who also needs to get back in shape.

My quest to get to 10,000 lifetime running miles (which I thought I was doing last year) is back in action. I'm currently 123 miles shy of the mark.

I'll get there...

Well, Here Goes...

I've decided to officially take a shot at 10,000 lifetime running miles this year. I'm currently 205 miles shy of that mark (9795), and I have absolutely ZERO expectations when it comes to any other running achievements during this quest (i.e. pace, distance, etc.) I just want to get that mark behind me.

Of course, I'd love to have my body fully cooperate and become able to run fast and far (relatively speaking) again, but due to how non-compliant my body has been the last few years, I'm approaching this realistically. As much as I don't want it to be, this is strictly a numbers game. For now.

I'm also going to get my (ample) butt back on the bike very soon, too. I've managed to build bigger muscles (with a bigger gut) and get stronger these last few months, from a pure power perspective, but I'm ready to get leaner and "fit" once again.

I guess it's spring fever...