Injury update, OC Half Marathon

Congratulations to everyone who ran Eugene or any other races yesterday. Several of my friends had great races. Special congrats to my fellow French Canadian friend Anne, who destroyed her previous half marathon PR yesterday. She followed a hard plan to reach a time goal and she did it!!! Anne je suis tellement heureuse pour toi!!!!!

Last Friday I got the report for my MRI. It confirmed no tear. It does say I have patella tendinosis. I am seeing the doctor on Thursday and I hope that he will give me some exercises to do at home. That would be the best case...if not I think I will be headed to PT again. I would go to get advices on what I can do at home. I am also thinking of trying acupuncture. They offer that at the same clinic where my sports doctor is. Have you ever tried that? For what and did it help?

Have you ever had patella tendinosis? Is it cured? What did you do? How long did it take to get better? I want to know everything!




Since learning that there was no tear....I have been doing either fast walking or super slow run/ fast walking intervals. All on the treadmill. The intervals were of 0.25 miles for 4 miles. Yesterday I only did 3 miles of walking only and 1 hour of pool running. My knee was sore and stiff and I did not even tried to run on the TM. I found this to be so frustrating.  Pool running is hard...I am lucky I can do it at home.

 
I need a tan......

I have done stretching and PT exercises every day and also foam rolling 2x a day.
I ice 3 times per day also.
I am not supposed to take any ibuprofen because of my GERD but I did take 1 pill twice. It was just 200 mg and so far no stomach problem.











I researched patella tendonisis and found several links with advices on exercises that can be done. The most recommended one is a program of eccentric decline squats.

This is worth the try I think. On Amazon you can buy the fancy bloc like the PT have for about $70. I decided to go to Home Depot instead and got what I needed for less than $25.

Sunday is the OC Half Marathon.
I am registered for this race.
Now normally I think I would probably maybe just skip it and get a DNS because of this injury.
The thing with this one is that it is the last of 3 races for the Beach Cities Challenge. This is my second challenge. I don't want to start over (and have to do Long Beach again....) and I want to complete it. All 3 races must be done in a row. This is why I am not backing out of it...even if my pal Nelly has advised me to skip it.....:)
I have decided to walk it.
I will not do anything stupid.
I am preparing myself mentally for a PW.
Not easy.

Have you ever walked a race because of injury?
How was that?
I am sad just thinking about it but it is what it is.
The one thing that is kind of positive is that it looks like it will be pretty hot on race day so I won't have to deal with dry heaving and that good stuff.

Pool running and MRI

Pool Running....
Have you tried it?

I bought a belt.
I decided to be brave and I got in my pool. Now I know I live in Southern California but the water is not warm yet. We have days where it is over 90 and then we are back to 69. So the water does not go over 70. Heating the pool is not cheap so I refuse to do it.

Ok so pool running is not easy. First I felt like a fool and it gets boring really fast.
I am lucky we have speakers outside so at least I had music.
I went in the deep end only and did a 60 min workout the first day.
My legs felt like Jello at the end.

I cannot say I love it but I am convinced it is a good workout.
I think I will continue doing it this summer as cross training.  I did another session in the pool 45 minutes with 5 miles walking on my TM to replace a long run day.

Then I got a cold. The water is cold and I stayed cold for a long time after getting out.
Now the temp is down to low 60s so I cannot go in the pool.

I stayed on the TM fast walking...and I did my PT exercises foam rolling and stretching every day.

Yesterday I had my MRI for my knee.
They gave me a disc for my doctor who I will see on May 2nd.
I asked for the actual report and they said I could have it in 2-3 days.

 

Of course when I came home I put the CD in my computer and looked at the images.
I asked Dr Google for some MRI images to compare mine.
It turns out that I did not become a radiologist by doing this....no it does require some years of college for that.

After putting a post on Facebook I got a message from a friend who's husband IS a radiologist and she said she would come get my CD and that he would look at it at home and txt me.
A few hours later I got a txt.... Nothing is wrong with the knee. No tear.
Oh happy news!

I also have a friend in Quebec who is a radiologist and she looked at the pictures of my MRI and she said the same thing.

2/2 !
I will get the reports tomorrow or Friday from the radiologist here and it should say the same. Knowing this I am curious to see what the Dr will y next week.

I definitely looks like I would not need surgery.
I am happy that I don't have to worry about making a tear worst.

I am planning on covering the 13.1 miles of the OC Half Marathon. I don't care how long it will take. I will run/walk it. The run part will be slow.

Today I did 3 miles of fast walking and I did 4 x 0.25 miles slow running just to see if I had pain. It felt a little stiff at first but it was not bad.

So that is where I am at for now. Still frustrated but hopeful....

Possible torn cartilage

Possible - torn - cartilage
3 words I did not want to hear today.
I was prepared for runner's knee.
That's it.
No torn anything.

I am holding on to the POSSIBLE.

I saw a sports Dr. today. I had a good feeling about him.
First question he asked was "when is your next race?"
I said "May 5th"
He said "Of course"

I told him about my problem and I told him I was pretty good at deny.
He said he was used to treat people like me.

He was also wearing a Boston 04.15.13 shirt.
I had me right from the start.
How can I not trust a guy like that...right?

So he did all kinds of tests. Knee bending. Squats. I think I aced them all.
Then he said we needed x ray.
OK. We did that right away.
He said they were all normal except one.
He showed me the images.
You can see below.

Apparently he sees that my knees are not the same.
I see them the same..of course. Perfectly fine.
He says that the cartilage looks thinner on the left knee and that could POSSIBLY mean a torn cartilage.
POSSIBLE.

Need an MRI to see cartilage.
Tuesday is MRI day.
I have to see the Dr after that and of course he is not available next week.
MAY 2 is my appt.
This just sucks.
I have a freaking half marathon on may 5th.

Waiting 2 weeks....is well you know....
He told me to run in the pool and bike.
What no running? He said no.
I said "but I got that knee strap and a brand knee treadmill"
He said "I know your kind of people. No running. Or it could get worst if it is torn"
All I heard in that crap was IF.
I asked about walking.
He gave me a look over his glasses "Mall walking"
What the hell is that?

I am not happy.
I almost wish I did not go.
I had pain free run since last week. I did all on TM and low mileage.

So I did what any 44 yrs old would do. I cried in the Dr office.

Came home and got on the second opinion "Dr Google".
I looked up symptoms for torn cartilage and I don't have many of them.
I can squat. I have no swelling.

POSSIBLE
Holding on to that.

Now I don't know what to do about my training and about the OC half.
I am doing it even if I have to walk.
It is the last race of my 2nd beach cities challenge.
No way I am DNS that.

If it is torn.....l cannot go there....you know the S word...

Do you see what he sees?
Can you read my MRI Tuesday? :)
Anyone had that injury? Torn cartilage?
How about knee tendonitis ?

Tell me the truth.....would you run if no pain?
The truth....

Boston in my heart

04.15.13

I am heartbroken.
I am mad.
I am shocked.
I am so so sad.

I started the day by watching the live feed of the Boston Marathon online. I stayed glued to my iPad until the live feed went off. It looked like the perfect day to run 26.2 miles. I was happy for all my friends who were there for this very special marathon.

I have said this many times, I admire all of you who are marathoners. I have yet to cover that distance. I admire all of you who are Boston Qualifier, I am always so happy to read a race recap of a brand new BQ runner.

I was tracking everyone I know who was there, most of them from my HTC-NUUN team; from Mason, NUUN Chief Hydration Officer and driver extraordinaire of my HTC van, who ran a "training" run of 2:54:41 to Jessica who ran a PR to Susan who BQ again in Boston. I was tracking 10 or 12 people total and looking at all the posts on twitter, FB and Instagram and was feeling happy and inspired by all these great runners.

A little after 11 I started my run on the TM. My phone started to beep a lot so I picked it up to see what was going on.... First thing I saw was a tweet from Mason saying "this is unbelievable, I am fine." I thought this was strange..why would he need to say he was fine... At first I thought he had been in an accident or something...but then I saw all the other tweets and realized what had happened. I wanted to throw up. I turned on the TV and saw the horrible images.
I could not believe what I was seeing. I sat there not able to just look away...until it was time to get the kids. When we got home I kept the TV off. I did not want the boys to see the footage of the explosions.

Later I found out that one of the victim was a little boy who was there supporting his dad. Martin.
That is the name of my brother and father.
Martin. 8 yrs old.
My heart broke.
That is the age of my Will. This hit close to home for me.
An 8 yrs old boy standing at the finish line waiting to see his parent cross the finish line.
My kids do this for ME about 15 times a year.
This innocent little guy is gone. He did nothing wrong. He just stood there waiting to see his dad.
I read that he did see his dad cross the line just a few moments before the first bomb went off.

I don't understand how human beings can be so evil. I don't understand how they can live with themselves knowing they took the life of an 8 yrs old child and 2 others and injured so many.

Why.
Why do this.
Attack runners and their families and friends.
Attack innocent people.

I feel so sad for everyone who was there. That they had to go through this horror. Hear the screams and see the devastation.
I feel sad for all the victims and the families.
I feel sad for all the runners who invested so much to get to that special race and had this ugliness take all the magic away.
I feel sad for all the runners who worked so hard..some for years to get there and who were stopped at mile 24 and never reached that blue and yellow finish line.
I feel so so so sad for Martin's parents.

Today I put on a race shirt and join the "Runners united to remember " movement.
4 miles for Martin and all the victims of this horrible tragedy.
RIP sweet little boy.

Knee pain update.....IT band joined the party

I have insomnia so I decided to write a post and hope I will find sleep before getting to the end...

So an update on the knee situation...

 

This is what I did last week:

I bought a knee strap.
I ran only on the treadmill to be on a softer surface hoping this would help.
Foam rolled.
Stretched.
Iced a few times not every day.
Got a treadmill....what?....yes I did....!

This was me before Sunday:

I want to thank everyone who commented or emailed me with advices and or shared their experience with this kind of problem. About the shoes...my shoes are neutral and I rotate 2 pairs that are both under 100 miles. I usually ran on sidewalks..so that is not helping my problems. I have not increased my mileage in a crazy way...I stay between 25 and 28 miles.

I feel that the knee strap is helping. I ran 5 miles the first time with it Wednesday and I felt no pain so of course Thursday I pushed to 6 miles...it was ok again. Friday I rested and Saturday I only had time for 4 miles.
Sunday was my long run day. I wanted to do 8 miles minimum and hopefully 9. It had to be done before 8:45 am so that Bill could go to his soccer. I wanted to stay on the TM and not run outside. I decided to go to a different gym then the one I usually go to because 1: they open at 6 am and 2: they have TM with TV. I got up at 5:40 am and drove to the gym only to find out that it is now closed for renovations!!! I was livid. I had checked online to make sure they were open at 6 am on Sundays and there is no information saying that this location is closed until end of June....grrrrrrrr. I drove to my regular gym and it was not going to open until 8 am....crap...this day was not starting well.....and I was waiting precious time. Finally I went to the 3rd possible location...a real dive.....it is terrible there....but it was open and they have (crappy) treadmills...so it was my only option at this point. I started running and this run was not 100% pain free even with the strap. :(. I ended up doing just 7 because I ran out of time.

Sunday I did feel the sharp pinching pain a couple of times even with the strap.
I iced when I got back and I did my PT exercises later that day with the help of my special PT Maggie!

I am afraid to feel the pain when I run so I have to hold on to the machine ...just in case...
This is causing me to have really sore shoulders!

Monday...I rested. I rolled an stretched but that's it. I feel burning/pain/soreness on my IT band now.....

I am looking for exercises I can do at home to help me with all that. I do have a fitness ball at home I can use so if you have good ones to share please send them my way...or a link on youtube that you like.

We bought a treadmill on Sunday! I am sooooo happy!
We have to assemble it so it is not ready to be use just yet.
I cannot wait to be able to use it

I am not sure about tomorrow...I think I should rest....

And I went to sleep right after that.......

 This is me today:

Not happy

On the freaking bike at the gym.............. BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

 

I did not try anything on the treadmill.  I was good.  But I did try the elliptical and that was a no go was actually worst than running.  I stayed on that darn bike for 1 hour and 15 minutes.  I came home and did my PT and some core workout.

 

I was supposed to run a 10K this month but now I think I will not sign up for it and just wait for the OC Half Marathon.   I am a little worried about this knee thing...I know I have to be patient...it is not easy...I know you all know this....and it could be a lot worst...

 

If you have good exercises or stretch for me please do share!

We finally have insurance back so I will look for a sports Dr...not sure we have that in my town though.

 

Did you all watch that awesome game last night? I think it was one of the best final I have seen for March Madness.  My pool was a disaster this year but I think this tournament was great...lots of upsets and really good games...Wichita on Saturday that was another great one...they came so close.... 

 

 

Runner knee.......?

So I discovered that I am pretty good at that thing called denial.
I mean like an A+ good.
A couple weeks ago I felt like a pinch on my left knee during my long run.
I know I felt it. It was sharp.
It kind of went away after a few walking steps and I finished my run and all the ones I did since.
I thought...well maybe it was in my head... Yeah right....I knew I felt it...but let's pretend I did not because I am very "mature" like that.

I wanted to do my 8 miler Saturday but the schedule was full with soccer and baseball games starting at 8:30 am and birthday party for the kids so that came before my running. I always say I am a mom first and it is true :) I did not run Saturday and I thought I would be well rested for my long run.

Easter Sunday, I got up early to get my 8 miles done and have the rest of the day with the family. I was fine...until mile 4.
That is when I felt that pinch again.
I could not ignore it...I had to skip a little instead of running....and stop and walk....I did not want to call Bill because he was at the park with the boys practicing hitting the ball. I was able to run slow back home. I felt the pain a couple of time. I was worried to feel it with each step.

The pain is at the front of the knee, below the knee cap.
I don't feel it all the time.
It is random and so far just on 2 runs.
See denial.
It is not swollen.

So anyone has had runner knee? Is that it?
How did you heal it?

I read a little online.
I found that ice-rest and elevate is the way to go. I also read that this can be caused by weakness of hip muscles kind of the same as plantar fasciitis and my groin injury. It is the knee on the same side as my groin injury.
I also read that it is recommended to try to run on softer surfaces like the treadmill and to not stop running. So today I did 4 miles very slow. I felt the pinch once. It was not as sharp but it was there.

I want to go see a sports doctor not my GP because I know she will not help me and I will just waste the copay.

I will go back to doing my PT exercises that I had stop doing. Very stupid I know.

I hope this is nothing serious.
If you had that and you have advices for me please share! And thank you in advance! :)

I am writing this on the blogger app so pictures at the end of the post. I wanted to show you what my son is willing to do to impress the girl he likes....
And give his dear mom some material for his 21st bday!!!
He was invited to her birthday and all the games were for girls and he was such a good sport.
You can see for yourself...(she IS a doll..I cannot blame him!)
4 in heels race and put the lipstick on! He won the just dance wii contest!
And he got a cool dragon tattoo!