Archive for October, 2011

I’m beginning to think this is not a sfx after all or if it is in that family, maybe it’s his friendlier cousin, stress reaction.   It’s day 12 of rest and I just went for a walk to the park, about 2 miles, and had no pain or need to limp.  Also, the testing stance that has elicited a twinge since this thing began gives nothing.

Most happy-making is that descending stairs, which has been a no-fail way to get a grimace or 12 outta me for weeks now,  doesn’t produce a thing.  It’s weird to automatically brace myself for that first step only to find nothing bites and I can just walk down the damn things.

So now it’s a waiting game for the MRI appointment (hopefully insurance will let me call for one tomorrow).  If, knock on wood, the results are clear and they tell me what’s what over the phone, I might cancel the 5 minute appt. on Friday, since between co-pay and getting a car it’ll be about $65, though I’d still stay off it till the end of the week.

OTOH, I am interested in seeing the MRI if there’s something to see (not just for worst case scenario), so if there’s some crappy stuff to look at, I’ll go.

Speaking of moolah, for interests sake, here’s the lowdown on the cost of this.  I have an HMO through Aetna so the specialist copay is $50 and if I’m reading the plan correctly, it’s $50 for x-rays and $250 for an MRI.

Money aside, I’ll never put off calling a doctor again for something like this again.  I’m kicking myself for not doing it 6 weeks sooner but my aversion to (what I thought would be) red tape was enough to put me off.  Had I known how straightforward the process was…anyway, lesson learned.

But I’m getting ahead of myself since it’s still up in the air.  For now, I’m just thrilled to finally be wince-free.

Soft Tissue vs SFX
I’ve read in numerous forum posts over the years and well-meaning folk have said to me that perhaps a sfx is not worse case scenario because at least it’s over in a finite amount of time.  I can totally understand this reasoning and have even offered it to friends who’ve had sfx’s as an “upside” because compared to chronic or serious soft tissue injuries like plantar fasciitis, achilles tendonitis, a Grade 3 muscle/tendon tear or an issue that never gets properly diagnosed then yes, a sfx is definitely preferable.

But here’s the dirt on a femoral sfx:  providing everything goes smoothly, there’s generally about 4 months from diagnosis till running semi-regular mileage after a slow, drawn out ramp-up in the 3rd month.  The road to return is usually accompanied by tons of self-doubt, fear of reinjury and an ongoing sense of fragility.

In contrast, a non-chronic, non Grade3 soft tissue injury, when given time to rest/heal, will usually resolve itself within a period of weeks, not months.  I know I don’t have a Grade 3 injury and it’s highly unlikely to be chronic since the ART lady gave me immediate relief and my current state is pain-free. Thus, I’m sticking to my “hope this is soft tissue” druthers.

If it is a stress fracture
I don’t think it’s my shoes, my gait, the surfaces on which I run or even my mileage (caveat below) that caused it.  You can tsk, tsk in your mind and I know some will, but I’m convinced that the underlying cause was a muscle strain that grew out of control, the way shin splints can cause a sfx on the lower leg.

I can easily find that set of affected muscles now but I couldn’t then.  So the next time I can’t locate the source of a problem, I’m not going to hope for the best, I’ll call a doctor.  Period.

As far as mileage, I don’t think the level I reached was to blame and I’m raring to get back to it.  However, the mileage I kept after the injury had been planted…that was greediness and I screwed up.  I should have been happy with 5 miles a day but I kept pushing the envelope till it tore.  I take full responsibility for that.

In my defense (defending myself to myself, lol) I’ve had 2 real injuries besides this one: ITBS and an ankle injury.  Both lasted a couple months but I was able to run through them.  I thought I could do the same with this and perhaps I could’ve if I’d cut back more sensibly.  But I didn’t. Live and learn.

A Question For Those Who’ve Had Stress Fractures
What is your experience with declining symptoms?  Did your symptoms disappear soon after you stopped running or did they last a few weeks? I know everybody’s different but I’m looking for masochistic ways to kill time, so this question is a good start.

Just got back from the doctor.  They took x-rays but nothing showed up so I’ll be getting an MRI next week.  I won’t see the doctor again till next Friday but have been assured that as soon as the results come back, I can get answers.

He does suspect that it’s a stress fracture, the only thing that doesn’t fit is the pain abating during my runs, though my last couple runs were hurting even at the end, which is why I finally took the time off.  On the good note, if it is a sfx, I won’t need crutches (this, determined by my current discomfort level) and I’d be able to do light activity.

I’m actually ok at the moment, not freaking out by the prospect.  By the time I see the doc next week, it’ll be 17 days off, my longest period since taking up the sport but I’ve got no interest in running until this thing is fixed. I’m done pushing through.

Some random thoughts:

Ibuprofen
After seeing the ART lady, I stopped taking it since tendinosis (what she thought it was and what it could very well be) is past the inflammatory stage, so it wouldn’t help.  However, the day before and morning of the 5k, I took a few rounds, specifically to feel better for the race.  So when I said I felt better on race morning than I had in a couple weeks, that credit was probably due to the Vitamin I.  No regrets on that, btw.

After the race I stopped taking it and haven’t since.   Initially it was to be in touch with my pain signals but even after I got that crazy groin pain last Friday (that thing lasted 6 days!) I still didn’t take any because it supposedly interferes with bone healing and if I have a sfx, I want to get it done with as quickly as possible.  Glad I held off since the doctor also advised me not to take NSAIDS.

Cross-Training
If this is a sfx and I’m looking at real time off, I’m not sure what I’ll do in the interim.  I’m well-educated on all the options available so that’s not the question, it’s what I’ll want to do.  I’m not an exercise-a-holic by any stretch and I also don’t have a huge fear of fitness loss – this, helped by the fact that my rebuilding period would start at the beginning of winter which means several low-pressure months to regain fitness.

Life
This part will suck some.  No way around it.  Running is my main interest, period.  Last week, when I got to thinking this could be serious, I did have a couple black days and one evening of tears wondering “what will I do?”.

I’m sure it sounds overly dramatic, but running is what drives me, what thrills me, what piques my curiosity day after day.  This blog is all about running, my online life is centered on running, all I want to read or investigate or waste time with is running (well, and some pop culture crap…but mostly running).  I’m ok about it now, though, I’ll figure something out, I always do.

Also, I was feeling double blue last week since work had been slow for most of October (it was going to be my slowest month in a year) but in a happy turn, I got some last-minute voiceover jobs and November’s already got some bookings, so that’s one less worry.  yay

Anyway, I still don’t know what ails me.  Could very well be some tendon stuff that with another week off, leaves the building entirely.  If so, then the above is moot but it’s what’s been on my mind.  I’ll keep you posted as it unfolds. In the meantime, I’m sending out a ton of virtual hugs to all you guys and gals for being so great, you blog readers, Facebook and forum friends.  Thanks for caring.

Last Night:
Hours after writing the last post, I took a short walk to the Post Office and was dismayed to find myself hurting more after 3 days off, which is not the way this is supposed to work.  It could be my own fault for the self-PT I’ve been doing; on Thursday I tried to loosen up my adductors which have been a shadow through all this so maybe I just irritated them further…I hope.  Regardless, I knew I wouldn’t be running the next day or for the next few days.  It was time to call a doctor.

The doc was gone, it was late Friday afternoon so I wasn’t able to make an appointment, but the nurse was great, assured me they’d want to take x-rays (hopefully an MRI as well) and she suggested I stop all foam rolling, massage, ART-lady-supplied exercises and stretches for the entire weekend and to “be kind to yourself”.

Physically, I was extremely kind: for two days, I sat on the bed with the laptop, leaving the apartment for one short limpy walk to Whole Foods. Mentally, I wasn’t kind as much as realistic, reading about femoral stress fractures till there was nothing left to Google, comparing symptoms and learning what recuperating from one entails but not really reading those parts too carefully because I can’t stomach the thought.  I so hope I don’t have one.  But I think I do.

This Morning:
Just got a call from the doctor’s office.  My fear of having to go through hoops to be seen by the right person has been completely allayed.  I was able to make an appointment directly with a Sports Medicine doctor at Rothman Institute.  The only crimp in the matter is that I have to wait until next Tuesday this Friday but the receptionist said I could call daily to see if there’s a cancellation (got one!).  My hope is that it’s just a soft tissue injury and that I’ll feel “fixed” before then, but I won’t be testing it unless I feel absolutely nothing going up/down stairs and walking around.

All that angst about the races I missed, doing poorly on the ones to come and the pfffft of a fitness balloon seems so silly now.  I just want to run.

In the list of stupid things I’ve done, racing a 5k while still in injured mode ranks right up there.  Running too much in the days after?  Double, triple stupid.  So here’s what’s been going on.

The morning of the race, I felt better than I had in a couple weeks, confident that I was on the road to repair.  The evening after the race, however, the old tension returned to my leg bringing some knee tightness as well.

The next morning, Sunday, I was super excited for a running/brunch date with my long-time imaginary forum friend, Chris, who just moved to Pennsylvania.  It was a blast spending time with him but we ran 9 miles which, considering my bum leg, was too far.  Additionally, we found ourselves in the midst of a huge AIDS walk, so two of those miles was all about sidestepping people, jumping up on the grassy, bumpy edge of the path, etc.  I made Chris stop with me a few times to stretch but even so, couldn’t get my leg to release – it was a painful run from start to finish.

Then comes Monday and Tuesday.  I fully expected the leg to settle down back to Saturday morning’s level and with that, I carelessly contributed more to the Stupid pile by doing two days of doubles.  They were short doubles, 5-milers per run, but I’ve since realized that my idea of short is colored by my mileage history and that one 5-miler/day should have been my limit till I felt better.

The thing that’s keeping me in this state of disrepair is one stupid word: Urgency.  It’s the word that reminds me how time is zapping by and with it, any speed gains I built the last few months.  It’s the word that taunts me with the races I’ve had to bag already and the ones still on the list that, if I can do them, will be quite a bit slower than what I imagined when I signed up for them. It’s a word that makes my kick-ass summer of 90-mile weeks feel like a “Get Well” balloon deflating before my eyes…one big pffffft.

I finally let that word go, it hadn’t been doing me any favors.  I’ve been off since Wednesday, so this is rest day #3.  I’m hopeful that tomorrow I’ll be able to go for a run but I’m not going to push it.  Last night I had a bit of a tearful breakdown but I’m feeling better now and more Que Sera, Sera about it. I’m certainly not the first runner whose plans have been derailed by a body part and I’m not likely to be the last.

Needless to say, I’m not racing this weekend and I probably won’t do the 10k on November 6th either – I already wasted a good amount of money on canceled races and the cost of a Zipcar for the 10k will be about $40.  I’m thinking it’s best to concentrate on getting strong and racing again in a month when I’ve got the Philly Marathon 8k.

On the positive side, last month was my true goal race for the season and though I’d hoped I could get faster for Vegas, the Philly Half was the one that mattered.  I got my long awaited PR, so with that in mind my Fall was a success.  I truly believe that.  And I’m also confident that next Spring will bring faster times.  I know I have it in me now and that’s gold.

As far as getting more ART done, I’m foregoing it because my insurance doesn’t cover it and it seems too late to make up the lost time anyway.  Vegas is going to be a social gathering on a grand scale anyway, so it’ll be a wonderful holiday even with a “fun run” of a race.

Aside from that, I added a bunch of new cute headband designs to Girl In Motion Headbands so take a peek if you haven’t already, here’s a link to the new stuff.

OK, have a great weekend all, run well and if you’re racing, have a great one!

My history with sunglasses is mostly populated by cheapie pairs acquired at Target.  A couple years ago, however, I did splurge on a pricier pair of shades by Smith Optics.  My reason for spending real dough on them was that they had switchable lenses and I had a bright idea that the clear ones would be useful for pelting rain or snowy days.

Unfortunately, those conditions left me constantly fidding with them due to condensation, my breath fogging them up and making them more annoying than anything, so they’d always end up in my pocket by mile 2 until I eventually gave up and only used them on sunny days.

Still, I liked the darkest lenses quite a bit, never got into the yellow ones (supposed to brighten up a cloudy day, but I love dark days) or the rosey ones which I never did figure out why anyone would bother with.  Anyway, I spent some moolah for a feature I never used, so when I mistakenly left them somewhere at the Carlsbad Half last January, never to be seen again, I didn’t bother to replace them with another fancy pair – I went to Target and got a $19 pair from their Ironman line.  They’re ok glasses though they leave a red mark at the bridge of my nose, dirty up easily and don’t block a lot of sun.  OK, maybe they’re pretty crappy after all.

So when the folks at BTB Sunglasses offered me a pair of their specs, I was super excited.  It’s way more fun to review something you want and use anyway and I was really in need of a better pair of shades.

The thing that’s great about this company is that their glasses are inexpensive ($35-$50) but the quality is equivalent to high-end glasses.  Aside from the fact that I can’t change lenses (which I never did anyway) these are just as good as my $100 Smith Optics.

What I like about the site is that they tell you what size face each style is made for so you’re more likely to get a proper fit right off the bat.  My only complaint is that they should include photos of the glasses straight on, not just at an angle, but that’s my only quibble.

They let me pick the ones I wanted so I chose Model 420 which sell for $34.95 and honestly, I love ‘em!  They block sun well, they’re light, don’t leave a mark on my nose and they have one more thing the other companies don’t…they’re “Ballistic” rated.  If you check out their website, they’ve got an entertaining video of someone shooting the glasses with a shotgun.  In fact, when my glasses arrived, I got a fun little doodad in the box: a necklace with a BTB lens that’s been shot at.  Not sure if that’s standard with every purchase, but it was quite a kooky little trinket.

Not that I expect to get shot in the eye on my runs, especially on a bright, sunny day, but it does speak to the resilience of the lenses.  And you never know…this is Philly after all.

Now here’s something extra nice: The cool cats at BTB gave me the coupon code GIRLN20 so that my readers could get 20% off when ordering, which makes these glasses a super great deal.  So, until next time, happy non-shooting-in-the-eyeball-sunglass-wishes to you and yours.  Happy running!

Edit: Days after the race, walking had become increasingly painful so I finally went to the doctor, got an MRI and was diagnosed with a Stress Reaction, which explained the previous 4 weeks of pain and the disconcerting finish time of this race.

I spent most of the week wondering if I’d be able to race today.  My runs have been progressively better, though they all start with a painful beginning, like I’m running on a wooden leg (extreme compression upon impact).  Thankfully, the hobbled part has decreased with each run and continues to dim with each successive mile.  So I was able to get in a couple 10-milers this week and by mile 6 or 7, forget about my leg completely, even picking up the pace on one run to 7:45-7:30s for the last few.

Still, I wasn’t sure if I should race on Saturday since the painful start is an ongoing issue and I was a bit nervous that racing might retweak me.  To test it out, on Thursday’s run I included a few pickups.  The first one felt twingy and made me think I better not race, but I then tried a couple more at around Half pace and they were fine.  Yesterday, I did a 5-miler w/4 pickups and those were totally uneventful, so I decided that Yes, I would race!

Funny how my initial worry when I signed up for all these 5ks was “It’s been so long since I’ve done anything near 5k pace, my times are going to suck whale dicks”.  Now, after a month of injury crap, my worries were “I hope this won’t hurt too much” and “I hope I don’t fuck myself up”.

To remove as much pain as I could out of the equation, I warmed up longer than I ever have before a race: 4 miles.  Luckily, I also had less wooden-leg-syndrome today so I was super pleased about that.  As for the race itself…

I had a hard time, just could not get my pace down and ran crazily close to my Half pace just a month ago.  My time sucked, 21:28, but I won 1st AG.

Last year at this same race, when I was far less fit then I am now, I got a disappointing 21:05, so all I can do is chalk it up to a month’s worth of injury.  On the positive side, my leg didn’t hurt during the race and feels fine now, plus I got an extremely oxidized rust-buster out of the way and my first bit of hard running in weeks.  Hopefully, next weekend’s 4-mile race will be smoother and my leg will be done with these injury shenanigans completely.

I was feeling all mopey about it when it was over and almost bagged the awards ceremony but instead, chose to kill time by walking home for a jacket since I live only a couple blocks away.  As I passed the finish clock ticking at 33:xx with a good amount of people still coming in, I saw the faces on these racers and the effort they were putting out and, I don’t know if it’s hormones or what, my eyes welled up.  Hell, they’re welling up right now thinking about it.  I just wanted to hug them all and let them know I thought they were great.

When I got to my apartment building, the girl who lives downstairs was also going inside.  Until now, she’s seemed kind of bitchy to me, barely said a couple words but she’d also come from the race, so we had a chat about running and she totally opened up.  She asked me my time and when I replied, she made it like I was some fast thing – it was really sweet.  Then I get back to the race site and chatted with a couple women separately who also asked me how I did and they, too, made me feel like a fast thing.  After I got my award (a medal), a woman that I recognized from those 33:xx finishers walked up to me to shake my hand saying “I’m in your age group and wanted to see what the winner looked like. Congratulations!”.

So listen, how can I whine about 21:xx when, for the luck of whatever, it could have been me trying to get that 33:xx and going up to shake someone’s hand?  This humbles me beyond belief. There will be no moping today, just gratitude for enjoying something I never dreamed I’d ever want to do, much less be kinda good at.  And to find it this late in life?  I’m one lucky, extremely grateful lady.

But I still hope next weekend is better.