Injuries

Training update

A little update on progress. My foot is still bothering me, not as bad but it’s still there. The doctor says it is a tailer’s bunion irritated by my work shoes because they were too tight, go figure.

I’m skeptical as I have new shoes and it hasn’t improved markedly. I have done some running (the foot isn’t an issue there). I ran a decent amount with a friend as I was helping her train for a race. I put in a fair number of easy miles and thought that maybe a marathon was in the list for this year. Time was tight for building up the volume but I was game.

My wife has been biking a lot this year building up to a century ride so we decided to relay with someone to do the litchfield hills olympic triathlon. Everything was coming together. After a few weeks of easy running I added a long run (about 8 miles) at a very easy pace. I had done 6 already so this wasn’t a huge jump.

It was however in my relatively hilly neighborhood. After the run my Achilles was bothering my. It was pretty rough. Same side as my foot issue. I took a week off and tried an interval run, bad mistake. I didn’t realize that would be an issue until I did some research afterwards.

I did some more resting icing etc and did the 10k for the relay team. Definitely felt it while running but was much better by the next day. I’m thinking full marathon is out for this year, but maybe a half along with a century ride.

Lets see how that goes.


More Troubles

My back continues to be an issue.  Since my last post I have had more back pain and I think running while favoring my back has caused me to injure my right foot.

I haven’t been running for any real distance in 2 weeks.  The good news is I have been going to a Chiropractor, however my back is still on and off.  I actually got really sore doing a few hours of woodworking last night.

I plan to start the running again slowly this week and I will return to the back stretching I have been doing (my back has been tight forever).  I also think I need to strengthen the back , so I’ll add that to the list of exercises I should be doing.

If all goes well I may be able to race iron horse, but I don’t want to push it.  We’ll see how it goes.


Ouch, My Back!

At some point on Saturday afternoon I hurt my back.  I don’t really know what happened, but I have been hurting on and off since then.  I missed the first indoor triathlon as a result, and I’m afraid to run or do much in terms of core work until it gets better.  Hopefully I can get a run in this weekend.  We’ll see.


12 Miles

It was suppose to be a confidence boost.

It was suppose to be about trying something new.

It was suppose to be my last chance to get things together.

But, it went horribly wrong.

Let me start over. I decided to run the 12 miler without my knee braces on. They had been causing me serious cramps in my calves and shins. I brought them with me and thought I could just throw them on if I had issues with my IT bands.

I started the run and things felt fine. I was a little sluggish, but no big deal. After about a mile my shins started to get really sore. By mile 2 I was in so much shin pain I thought that maybe I would turn around. I could barely even walk. I don’t know where this was coming from. I walked at my next walk interval (I’m still running 4 minutes and walking 1) but the pain was incredible. I tried to stretch the shin muscles but it hurt, it was just unbearable. I decided to walk for 5 minutes and try to shake it off. After the 5 minute walk I went back to my normal schedule. The pain lasted for the next 4 miles, slowly slipping away, until after mile 6 of the run. I finally felt like I had some rhythm. All the pain was gone and I felt strong.

That lasted until about mile 8 or so. Then I had a steep downhill. I just jogged it, nice and easy, but I could feel my IT bands twinging. It wasn’t painful, just a reminder that I needed to watch out. About 1.4 mile later I started feeling the tell-tale IT band burning. I stopped under a tree and put my knee braces on. Unfortunately, the knee braces just seemed to aggravate the injury. At mile 9 I threw in the towel. I called my wife and had her pick me up. I just didn’t want to risk injuring my IT band.

I’m really disappointed, and scared of what this marathon, just two weeks away, is going to do to me. I hope I can make the cutoff, I hope my shins are ok.


Knee Update

I went to an orthopedic doctor yesterday.  He was very thorough and really seemed to know what he was doing. He also feels that my injury isn’t serious. He said I needed to strengthen my ankles and glutes, and who knows what else. He has me off of running for about a month while I get some therapy to correct what’s wrong. He does say it is ok to compete in the tri this weekend as long as I don’t push it on the run.

He wants me to cross train in the meantime with a focus on biking swimming and even rowing.

Last night I went for a swim, the first in weeks. I did 4×250 at a medium pace with one minute rests. I managed to swim them in 20:42 including several stops to fix my goggles which kept leaking. I was pretty happy with it. During the last set I got so into the groove that I think I could have gone forever. I’m pretty happy with that performance considering how long I’ve been out of the pool. I plan on getting another swim in before the tri and maybe a bike or two on the trainer.

I’m not expecting much this Sunday, but I am going to enjoy the race since it is the last one for at least a couple of months. I’m a little sad about having to cut back on races and training, but I am trying to keep the long term in perspective. I will have plenty of time to race, and it’s much more important to get healthy right now before I really mess something up.


Oh the knee

I tried running again tonight and there was no joy.  The tape that the physical therapist applied to my knee kind of stretched or slipped or something during the day so it just wasn’t holding me in place.  I tried to tape it on my own, but the tape I used wasn’t flexible so it came apart really quickly.   Needless to say it didn’t take long before my knee tightened up and I was walking home.  I was so frustrated I was nearly in tears.  I can’t believe that this is happening to me right now.  I was doing so well, running 6 miles plus without so much as a sore muscle,  and now I can’t even run a mile without tightness and pain.

I really feel like maybe my tri adventure is coming to an end.  It’s been a month and I am not even making progress.  I don’t even know what to do now.  I’m broken.


Another week with no progress

Last Thursday, and last night’s runs ended more or less the same.  My knee tightened about a mile into the run, and last night, for the first time in weeks, I actually felt some pain in my knee.

I went to physical therapy this morning and it looks like I might have to go to an orthopedic doctor to have it looked at.  The therapist gave me a couple of more exercises and she also taped my knee cap over a bit.  I’ll try running again tonight and see if the taping helps.  I’m really discouraged.  I want to be back to where I was and it just seems like I’m making no progress.


Last night’s run

I had my first run in a long time last night.  I wanted to test out my knee.  I ran 1.75 miles and I ran it pretty hard, at least for me,  maybe I shouldn’t have, and I made it about a block from home before I started feeling tightness in my knee.

I ran at a sub 9:00/mile pace.   When I run with my heart rate monitor I average about 11:30’s or so if I stay in zone 2.  So I was running pretty hard.  I ran the entire way, and I still had a lot left in the tank.  That really surprised me because I did a walk jog thing the other day on the same path, and I was winded really quickly.  I thought that I had lost a ton of fitness, but I guess I must have just had an off day.

This run, although better than I have done in weeks, was discouraging.  I don’t understand what is happening with my knee.  This morning it looks a little puffy, but other than that it feels ok.  Sometimes it feels like I am never going to be able to run again.  I contemplated giving it up this morning.  It’s really discouraging.  I want to be back where I was before I was hurt.  I was so excited to be running, now it just sucks that I can’t.


Knee Injury Update

I have had two physical therapy sessions so far and here is what I’ve heard every time they touch my leg.  “Oooo that’s tight!”  I suppose in some contexts one would appreciate that remark.  In my situation it isn’t a good thing.

I have always had really tight hamstrings.  I am not very flexible.  Hopefully with some of the stretches that I’m getting that will all increase.

I managed to get out last night for a walk.  It was f’n cold.  It’s funny how quickly we adapt to warm weather.  A few weeks ago a night in the 50’s would have been warm.  I couldn’t just walk so I ran for a minute or two at different points.  It was nice to run, but I felt winded pretty quickly.  I didn’t have a heart rate monitor so I ran pretty hard when I was running, and I think that tired me out more than I expected.    My training plan doesn’t have any speed workouts in it until May so I’m not surprised that I would be sucking wind right now.  I might actually have to push the speed workouts out now that I’ve been injured.  Ugh.

The run itself was pain free and uneventful.  I’m feeling better and better about my knee as the days go on.  Can’t wait to get back in the saddle.  Yep I’m surprised I said that too.


The Diagnosis

I went to the doctor today to have him look at my knee.  I saw Dr. Dauphinais, and he was really great.  If you’re in the market for a family practice doctor in central Connecticut I think he would be a good one.  He said I had Patellofemoral Syndrome and recommended walking for a week, then run/walking for 2-3 weeks with lots of stretching.  He also prescribed some anti-inflammatory medication, an ice massage (more to follow on that) and physical therapy.  I have 6 sessions over the next 3 weeks to help me strengthen the muscles that support my knee.

This takes me out of the next indoor triathlon at the YMCA, and stops me from doing a 5K on May 8th that I had planned, bummer.  Overall I’m feeling pretty good about this now, and I’m ready to sign up for my next race at the end of May.


  • The Narcissist Section (a.k.a. Me Me Me)

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