Two weeks later……………………

This time two weeks ago, I was gearing up for what would be the worst race, performance wise, I have ever run. The good news is that I had low expectations entering the race to the extent that I didn’t know if I would finish. The fact that I finished is an accomplishment in itself!

The last two weeks I have been slowly adding distance to my training runs. I am, for all intents and purposes, starting over as far as training for the A1A Half Marathon in February goes.

The first run after the Wine and Dine was the following Sunday.

• DISTANCE:   1.46 mi
• DURATION: 18m:43s
• AVG. PACE: 12:49 min/mi

I have changed the run/walk settings on Run/Walk Interval to 45 seconds run/50 seconds walk. As I get faster, I will change the settings, but for now, I want to get to at least 10 miles with these settings and stay in the 12 minute mile pace range.

The next run was this Thursday.

• DISTANCE:   3.29 mi
• DURATION: 43m:15s
• AVG. PACE: 13:10 min/mi

This run was at a slower pace, but getting used to the new settings is always a bit of an issue.

Todays run, Saturday, was the best so far since completing the Wine and Dine race.

• DISTANCE:   4.25 mi
• DURATION: 52m:54s
• AVG. PACE: 12:27 min/mi

I could have gone to five miles, but I had to return to the home as the wife had to leave. The good news about this run, is that since I started taking Potassium, my cramping issues seem to have been resolved. Also, I am only running with four bottles of water/Gatorade. That removes a little weight as normally I run with 8 bottles. Speaking of weight, I ran the Wine and Dine race at a staggering 251 pounds! Since we have returned, my weight has gone down to 239 pounds as of today. I am going to continue to run, cross train, and stay on the Atkins diet. The goal is to lose another 39 pounds by February.

The biggest issue for me, is that when I can’t train, I resort to poor eating habits, which adds weight very quickly. Dealing with the pain of injuries also is an issue as alcohol seems to quell the pain the best! Unfortunately, it is also responsible for a lot of weight gain!

I plan on two runs next week as it is Thanksgiving, then back to two or three runs a week. Short runs during the week and a long run on Sunday mornings. This is in preparation for the A1A race which unlike the Disney races, is in the morning…Sunday, February 15, 2015 morning to be exact! 🙂

The next update should be in two weeks barring something spectacular!

The pain at wounded knee returns…………………………….

For those that follow this blog as well as my friends, you are all aware of my damaged left knee. For those that aren’t, the gory details can be found here: The Pain at Wounded Knee.

The long and short of it is, due to a botched surgery in 1998, I ended up tearing my ACL, MCL, PCL, meniscus and cartilage. In other words, just about as bad a knee injury that there is.

A timeline for surgery has been established at roughly every five years. The last surgery in 2010 was extensive and, there was a piece of something, lodged in the back of my knee. On occasion, this piece would wander around and every once in a while, lock up my knee. A little massage and the knee was back to normal. This never occurred when running so, I kept running. Unfortunately, other issues have shown up like the massive stress fractures in both legs, the broken bone spur in my left foot, and recently, the partial tear of my Achilles tendon in my right leg.

Monday night while sleeping if you can call it that, as there are a whole host if things that go “bump” in the night around here, starting with the blood curdling scream from our son at 2 am, followed by Samantha massaging my bladder and then ending with Sophia with her big head and loud purr in my face at 4 am, the wife was somewhat surprised to hear loud screaming coming from our bedroom, from me!!

Whatever the wandering piece of debris was, it has now broken free from its mooring and wandered its way into the middle of my knee. I couldn’t move my left leg below my knee in either direction. The pain was intense and for those that know me, that is a lot of pain! After 20 minutes of massage, I was able to move my knee a little bit. Yesterday, it was swollen and very stiff. Today, it locked up on me at the gym….which I would expect if I was working out legs, not chest and arms!

In two weeks, I am attending my annual golf tournament in Sebring, Fl. This will be the 20th year for this event. The question is, “How am I going to play 100 holes of golf…when I can barely walk”? I could pay Dr. Baylis a visit, but he will say two things. 1) You need another surgery to clean this knee out. 2) Stop running. I can deal with the first statement, but not the second. He may also say something else which I do not want to hear, and that is, that the time has come, to stop prolonging the inevitable.

When I first saw Dr. Baylis in 1998, he told me then that if we were extremely lucky, we would be able to prolong the eventual knee replacement for possibly 20 years. If my math is correct, we are at year 16. Can another surgery be done to get to 20 years? When will it have to be done? That is the big question!

If I get the surgery done after Spring Lake, the 3rd week in August, it will take approximately six weeks to recover, depending on how bad things are. That will put me into October which would allow me 5 weeks of training for the Disney Wine and Dine Half Marathon. Although I ran the A1A Half Marathon with virtually no training, at least the Wine and Dine was only two months prior to that race. It will be at minimum, 8 months since the last run if I start training in October. I could always defer the race until next year, but by then, who knows what will happen. I still have torn meniscus in my right knee to correct at some point in time. I could also just run with my wife at the Wine and Dine, and end the running career after that…………….

The next month will be very interesting so stay tuned!!

It’s that time………………………….

I am sorry it has been a while since I last posted!

We are almost done getting settled into the new home. We get our sectional next Monday! 🙂

Our home in the (954) is rented, so that will help with the added income. The boat is resting comfortably in the storage facility until a spot opens up at the community boat storage in our development. A few odds and ends, some touch up paint, and I will be done with both houses! A few hundred dollars in parts, and the boat will be tip-top. That means, that finally, I will be able to concentrate on work and running! 🙂

Speaking of running, it has been verified via an MRI, that I have some torn meniscus in my right knee as well as some type of cyst. This injury took place prior to last years Wine and Dine race. The good news, is that my doctor said as long as you can tolerate the pain, go ahead and run and bike! I am sure there will be a surgery somewhere down the road, but, at least now, I can train for the Disney Wine and Dine 1/2 marathon in November. I am thinking of waiting for surgery until after February of 2015, as that, if I don’t sustain any more injuries, will be the A1A Marathon!

Our Disney Guru, Jennifer Upton has already secured our rooms for the W&D, so all that remains is training. 🙂

I think I have found a suitable gym nearby, but if not, a Golds Gym is opening up in May right over the bridge. Time to build a little muscle, then start the running portion of my training program. I will also be continuing the Atkins diet all the way through the A1A Marathon.

 

Stay tuned……………………………………………..

Faux Tower of Terror Run!

This time last year, I was writing about my first ever run, the 2012 Tower of Terror run. It is hard to believe that it is only been a year ..it seems much longer!

The wife and I made the decision not to run this race this year as our schedules were just too crazy, besides, the recent injury to her foot more than likely would have prevented her from running anyway. I, on the other hand, while training for the Wine and Dine half Marathon, bumped up the mileage a little bit, so, I did run 10 miles Saturday night! This was a significant point in my training. This run was run as close to “race day conditions” as possible.

I started the run at 8:30 pm. As this is a training run, I’ll keep it short.

Miles 1-3: Time: 39:43. The fastest lap was lap one at 12:26 and the slowest was 13:42. As is usually the case, the first three miles are spent figuring out how to run without pain in various areas.

Miles 4-6: Time: 40:48. Fastest lap:13:03, slowest, 13:44 I was a minute slower overall, but, running at a comfortable pace.

Miles 7-9: Time: 44:33 Fastest lap: 13:58, slowest lap, 15:48 which included a water fill of three of the six bottles, should have filled them all! Mile eight was, once again, a test. At this point in time, I was wondering if I might have to call the wife to come get me!

Mile 10: Time:15:16, the second slowest lap of the 10. Actually, probably the slowest as the slowest included a water stop.

Total time: 2:20:20

Last years time at the Tower of Terror run: Chip time: 2:20:30.

If my math is correct, that would be 10 seconds faster than last years run! Of course, this was running by myself in pretty decent conditions. The race conditions last year and this year, were hotter with more humidity. This training run did have heat, 84 degrees, and humidity, 70%, but, there was a nice breeze for the most part, which made the run quite enjoyable.

The aftermath: I was expecting some sort of pain somewhere, and my body did not disappoint! The good news, is that the pain was in my heels, which adding the gel inserts I have, should correct. There was no pain in my legs and not even a hint of a shin splint. Looking at the bottoms of my shoes, although they are wearing on the outside, they are wearing evenly. This would probably explain the lack of hip pain as well as any other pain. I appear to be actually running “level” and not to one side or the other.

Modifications: Since the disaster after the race around the lake in April, I knew some things had to change. The first was the switch to a stabilizing shoe, the Saucony Omni 12s. Next, was to add some cushioning, so, the blue pads I had in my other shoes were installed. This eliminated all of the pain in my shins. I am also running wearing the Zensch calf compression sleeves. The compression socks were too tight and both feet cramped up when I ran in them. I also switched my fuel belt, upside down, so now my phone is on the left side and goodies pouch is on my right. This allows for three bottles of water to be mounted somewhere near each side. Before, there were two bottles that were in the small of my back, which when running, is quite annoying as they tend to bounce up and down with every stride.

Speaking of the phone, the Galaxy S4 performed flawlessly and only used 20% battery during the run. Much better than the old Atrix2. The apps, run/walk interval, Endomondo, and Winamp, also worked perfectly.

Tomorrow will be a four mile run or 45 minutes, whichever comes first. I will try the gel inserts for my heels and hopefully, that will eliminate the remaining pain in my heels,especially the left heel. It feels like the bone spur in my left heel is growing and may be on its way out of my foot at some point in time. It has taken on the shape of a Klingon battle cruiser!

It would appear, that everything I have done to correct the shin splints, which lead to the fractured tibias, is working. Hopefully, this trend continues as I gear up for the A1A Marathon next February! Two days after the run, I have no pain to speak of.

This weekend, I am going away to the Keys for a little fishing and diving. I may actually get a run in Saturday. The following week will be short runs and a 14 mile run Saturday night. That will be the true test and give me a better picture of where I am at time-wise for the race. Four more short runs, then race-day!

Back in Black!

Since I wore my black Tower of Terror shirt to the gym, that is the title of the post today!

Speaking of the gym:

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Seated Biceps Curl			3	15	70
Shoulder Press			3	10	90
Shoulder shrugs for traps			2	20	35
Standard Bench Press			3	12	155
The 21’s			3	7	15
Triceps Pull-down			3	12	95
TOTALS:	0	0	17	76	460

A very nice workout, with no pain. So far, I have managed to have a workout and a round of golf with no pain! I can’t wait to start running next month. Seeing the wife come back from her six-mile run yesterday really got me antsy!

In preparation for my return to running, I am on a full-blown Atkins induction diet for the next two weeks. After that, I will be in Sebring for almost a week for my annual golf tournament. I’ll try to stay on the diet………………………………….. 🙂

This is a big week for young Marshall as he has orientation Wednesday and his “entrance exam”, really, an entrance exam for kindergarten, Friday. All we had to do was show up! He is excited because we went to his new school, Renaissance at University, last week to drop of his medical clearance, and doesn’t want to go to his “crappy” old school anymore. Saturday we got uniforms for him..another $200.00! We have to get all of his school supplies this weekend.

Tomorrow would be a run day, but, as I am still under the doctor imposed ban from running, I’ll have to find something else to do. The last three months, and in particular, the last two weeks have really added a few unwanted pounds, which will be gone in a short week! I think a round of golf may be in the works as nine holes in a year really isn’t a good tune up for 100 holes of golf!

The food diary will be posted tomorrow along with whatever type of “cardio” workout I decide on.

Everyone have a great day!

 

The monthly update!

It is really hard to believe how fast the days go by! Almost a month since the last post!

To start with, I am adjusting to playing Mr. Mom. Things are not quite as hectic as I have figured out the key words to get young Marshall out of the house on time. The wife is beginning to get a little bored with the hour drive each way to work, but, she loves her new job.

Speaking of work, that four-letter word has been haunting me! I have already started to break into the Stuart/Palm City market and am averaging one inspection a week there. By the time we move, I should be doing three inspections a week and fishing two days a week!  Still on the house hunt and waiting for one of two options to open up. We are thinking of buying a home that is a little larger than this one, moving in, then selling this home and buying a rental property….or three! I figure with three rentals, that should pay the mortgage on whatever home we decide on and put a few bucks in the bank! The other option is to buy our “dream house” on the water..which we haven’t found yet!  Next year will be a big year!

Meanwhile, on the body front, I am finally pain-free, well as pain-free as a soon to be 53 year-old can be! I managed to play my first round of golf in almost a year, and aside from a twinge or two of pain in my right shoulder, everything feels pretty good. Only got in 9 holes, but, hey, you have to start somewhere! In three weeks I have four days of golf so we will see how much pain I am in then. 🙂

September brings the long-awaited return to running!!!! I am really excited as I have a bunch of new nutritional information as well as running information to test out. I am planning on a gluten-free, low-carbohydrate, no fructose/lactose diet as the wife has informed my the these items may be contributing to some other “issues” I seem to be having. Getting old sucks!!!

Until next month………………………………… 🙂

 

Update and Friend Making Monday!

The update is, that we will be moving next month!!

It looks like our move next year has been hastened by the four hours of driving time between my wife and myself and the $1,200.00 fuel bill last month!

We will be moving to either Stuart of Palm City where we will rent for a year to get the “lay of the land” then, sell our home here and buy up there. In the meantime, we will be renting our home here in Coconut Creek.

As the boat will be moved soon, it was time for some repairs. First, the complete flush of the tilt/trim motor fluid and now the motor goes up and down, like it should. Next, a set of tires for the trailer and then a little engine and canopy work, and the Mako will be back in action!

I have cancelled my membership at the gym and July will be my last month there. In Palm city, they have a 24 hour fitness!!

On the running front, the left leg is completely healed and there is no pain in my right leg. It is probably 80% healed so, it looks like training will resume in September. There is a running store in Stuart and also I have access to physical therapy, to prevent any further injury. It appears as though the stock $29.95 shoes from Target are the best shoes to walk around in. Those inserts I got from Sports Authority never made it back to the store, fortunately for me as they are now in these shoes. That appears to be helping in the recovery!

It looks like the size 12 shoes in the neutral pronation will be my new shoes. We will see what the running store gurus have to say.

August is a big month. My annual golf tournament, Marshall gets his tubes out and his annual brain scan, then….off to school for him!

I can’t wait until September!!!!

And now, courtesy of my friend Kenlie, Friend Making Mondays!

Ten Simple Questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?  Why am I here?

2. Do you prefer to pay for things with cash or plastic? I use the credit card for everything..we get rewards points for our Marriott and Disney cards! 🙂

3. What is one word that you use too often? It is a phrase, “In the end”..

4. Who is the last person outside of your family who said “I love you” to you?  My friend Paul…a “survivor”!

5. When was the last time you wrote a letter to someone and mailed it?About 25 years ago.

6. Have you ever been called upon for jury duty?  Yes.

7.  How many keys are on your key ring?  None! The Durango has a start button and a key fob. I do have 150 of those plastic things for every store imaginable!

8.  List two characteristics that you want to change about yourself. I wish I could relax a little more…..

9.  Do you bring your own shampoo and conditioner when you travel, or do you use what the hotel provides? Yes, but they are in Disney bottles!!

10. What is your birthstone?  Do you like it?  Peridot, some sort of green stone. It is what it is. I’d prefer either Ruby or Amethyst.

Now it’s your turn to answer this week’s questions.  Don’t forget to come back and link up in the comments!  Happy Monday, friends……

A month of doing nothing finally ends…………………..

It has actually been over a month since the injury to both legs occurred. For the last six weeks, I have done zero cardio activity, with the exception of crawling though a bunch of attics in 90 degree heat!

Last week I returned to the gym to work on strengthening my upper body. Today was the first “real” workout and, here it is:

June 04, 2013

EXERCISES	Calories	Minutes	Sets	Reps	Weight
Strength Training
Seated Biceps Curl (right arm)			5	10	35
Shoulder shrugs for traps			5	10	20
Standard Bench Press			4	10	165
The 21’s			3	10	10
Triceps Pull-down			4	10	80
Triceps Push Down			3	10	45
Seated Biceps Curl (left arm)			5	10	35
TOTALS:	0	0	29	70	390

I am happy to report, that the right shoulder and biceps, is healed up to the point, where I don’t have to worry about re-injuring either. I have a few goals for the weight training, but for now, it will be light workouts like the one above, three times a week.

My left leg has no pain, which is right about on the timeline, six weeks, that was predicted. The right leg, has minimal pain. Two months to go, and if all goes well, training for the Disney Wine and Dine will start.

The weight has been holding steady at around 222 pounds which if I can get down to 215 pounds prior to training for Disney, I should be in real good condition for that run.

The hardest part of this whole issue is not being able to run. Anyone who knows me well, knows I tend to do things “all out”…..sometimes to my detriment!

I just wanted to update all of this blogs followers, that I have not given up and will continue to train!

Have a great week!!

Break a leg…or two!

Last week, I went to get a full body scan and it showed that my body, to quote my friend Colette, “Is that of a cadaver”! Monday was the official reading of  the report.

My doctor, Dr. Baylis, has been treating me for 15 years. He has performed six different surgeries on me, so, he no longer has to sugar-coat things. When he walked in, I could tell by the look on his face, what was to come next. Aside from that, I peeked at the written report on the computer, so I knew what was coming as well.

He informed me that I had a stress fracture on my left tibia and a severe stress fracture on my right tibia. Had I continued training and ran another race, I more than likely would have shattered my right tibia. This is of course, is very bad news, but, could have been worse. A shattered tibia would take roughly, at my age, two years to fully recover from.

The bad news about this type of fracture is that it takes longer to heal than a clean break. Right now, I have been ordered not to do anything aerobic for three months! Normally, this type of injury would require crutches, however, due to the fracture in the left leg, using crutches would put pressure on the left leg, so, it is a walking boot, rest, ice and nothing else for three months.

The more serious problem is what caused this. I suspect it has something to do with my running style and shoes. I have been doing a lot of reading and the shoes, even for a mild pronator, may be putting too much stress on my lower legs. The weight is also an issue and although I have lost 30 pounds, I still have another 30 pounds to go. I will be doing a bunch of research before I begin to train again in August. I will also seek out some more running professionals and may even resort to custom shoes. In the meantime, I’ll be returning to the gym for cardiovascular upper body and core exercises as well as continuing my diet.

I am still going to run the Disney Wine and Dine this November and if all goes well with that race, since I am already registered for it, my first marathon, The A1A Marathon in February 2014. The goal is still Boston in 2015 and if I can recover from this injury and then prevent it in the future, everything else should fall into place.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank the blog followers, comments, e mails and encouragement I have received from the “internet family” and friends. Your words are inspiring.

A busy week is behind me….

This week as well as last week have both been very busy as far as work goes. Add in the “Mr. Mom” duties, and it would appear as though someone has stolen about six hours out of every day!

Taking Marshall to and from school every day and then fitting in inspections, doing the reports and running a business, it is a little taxing. It also means I have little time left for training. The good news there, is until I get the results Monday, the official results, I can’t train anyway.

Time for a game! Name Eric’s injuries by looking at the body scan below!

We can start by saying, from what I have read, the white areas are “hot spots” which are areas of trauma.

Starting at the top, the right shoulder:  recent surgery. The neck, injuries that are a result of a car crash in 1998. The left shoulder. Not too bad, but there was an incident in 1985 at a Super Bowl party, where some of my close friends decided to “sack” me, for no apparent reason. The result was a separated shoulder! Moving on down the line, the left elbow, which doesn’t show up well in this scan, three surgeries as detailed in the “Ugly Elbow” post.

The big blob in the middle is water in my stomach! The hips, nothing to see there which is great news!

On to the left knee. Five surgeries as noted in The Pain at Wounded Knee post. The right knee has some slight arthritis. The left heel, which comes out better on the rear version of the scan, what appears to be an ever-growing bone spur! Here is the rear view:

And, finally, the reason for the scan in the first place, my shins.

The picture above is a front view. There is a small bit of white on the left shin. On the right shin, there is a large amount of white, and a concentration in the center of the shin. From what I have read, this is more than likely a stress fracture. The left one may be as well but is either small or an old injury that has healed.

Hopefully, it is minor and won’t take a long time to recover from.

After I visit the doctor,  I will know for sure.

In the meantime,the weekend will be spent relaxing by the pool. Next week looks to be a little slow, for now, work-wise  so, time to get some much-needed work done to the Mighty Mako as fishing season is here!

Everyone ..enjoy your weekend and Happy Mothers Day!