Out With The Old, In With The New

     So another year has come and gone, and boy am I happy that 2015 is gone.  It started out on a bit of a down note dealing with my IT Band injury, but things started to head in the right direction once I started getting treatment for it.  I got hooked up with my AWESOME Physical Therapist at Elite Sports & Orthopedic Physical Therapy, who got me stronger and helped me correct my bad running habits.

     April turned out to be the best month of the year and in one case my life!  Alisha trained me for my comeback race at the Glass City Half Marathon, where I ended up crushing the shit out of my PR by more than 12 minutes, which was awesome!  I would say though the most shocking day I had was at my run-aversary race, when I not only set a new 5k PR, I won the whole fucking race!  Oh yeah, and how could I forget one of the proudest and greatest moments in my life, day that I hit my weight loss goal!

     I would say I took things fairly easy for the next couple months till I was getting ready to start training for my second full marathon in early July.   That is when my year in running took a total shit.  I was out on one of my runs when pain and tightness in my hip showed up.  After a couple visits to my PT, anti-inflammatory meds and rest the pain would go away.  I ended up going to see a specialist that eventually diagnosed my pain as a labral tear in the hip joint.  After months of dealing with insurance company bullshit December 3rd was finally the day that I could start looking forward again.

     I took a pause at looking forward so I could look back at what goals I set for myself and what I was able to get accomplished.

2015 goals in no particular order

Get back to regular running
I would say this was partially accomplished in the first half of the year anyway.  Once the hip injury entered the picture that goal pretty much was over.

2015 or more total miles for the year
Really, do I need to state the obvious.

Run a trail race

I did a couple of trail runs to try it out, but again the hip.

37 miles on my 37th birthday
Nope

Complete an Ultra Marathon
HAHA yeah right

Complete the Detroit Marathon
I held out hope till the very end but not a chance

Hit my goal weight of 173 lbs
2 years, 3 months & 8 days to make it happen.  One of the proudest day in my life!

Maintain my weight within the range of 168 - 178
I'm going to take this one.  I'm close on this and really I have managed to keep it right at about ten pounds.  Plus this goal was made with the thought that I was able to run all year, so I would say I did it. 

Try more fruits & vegetables 
I have added cabbage to my lunch pita sandwiches, I now eat 1 to 2 apples a day and I tried a banana twice, so yeah I would say I accomplished it.

     After looking at that list, I would say I set some big goals for myself, and to be honest I didn't think I was going to do them all, but I sure wanted to try.  So 2016, what do I say, well as much as I want to go big I think it would be stupid to put undue pressure on myself, so here is my modest list of goals:

Get back to running regularly
For me to accomplish this I want to be able to run 3-5 days a week consistently.  I know it will take time to get my distance built back up so if I am getting in the daily runs and able to increase my mileage consistently then I will be happy.
Run and complete a 5k and a 10k (stretch goal would include a half as well)
As I build up my mileage I don't want to push myself to hard, there is plenty of time for that.
Hit my goal weight again (stretch goal would be 165lbs)
While I am happy with how well I have maintained things with the lack of exercise I really want to get back to my goal weight.  
Incorporate regular strength and cross training to help prevent future injuries  
I think this will be the key to it all.  nuff said 
Try more fruits and vegetables
No matter what this should always be a goal of mine
And last, try to be a better blogger
I haven't done a great job of blogging regularly, pretty much since my hip injury.  I think being down and depressed about things had a big affect on me.  I started this to bring hope to those who needed help and inspiration like I did over three years ago, and I am not keeping up my end of the bargain. 

     Well there you have it.  While 2015 was a bust, well except for Star Wars, that was pretty f-ing cool.  Anyway, I am no longer looking back and have my eyes fixed on the future! 

   

Post Surgery Update #3

    Going back to work has been a nice change of pace for me, but man the first couple of days put a toll on my body.  I basically went from virtually doing nothing all day to working 9 hour days, not counting the hour each way of driving time for my commute.  Work itself was fine, and I was able to slide right back into a groove, however using crutches really taxes your whole body.  Every little thing I do takes longer to do and requires more effort from my whole body.  Needless to say the first two days, my body was extremely tired and sore from it all.  The third day wasn't to bad, but it was a really long day.  I had my second PT appointment before work, so I had to get up at 5am because its an hour drive there as well and everything takes me twice as long to do to get ready in the morning.  After PT I headed to work which was another 9 hour day and on my way home I stopped to get my hair cut and pick up one final gift for Mandy.  Phew, I was tired.  I have Christmas Eve off, so I got to rest my body a little, and having Christmas Day off as well gave my body time to recharge.  Plus, I got to go see Star Wars again!!!!!!

     My second PT appointment went great.  Alisha is very happy with the progress I made in just one week.  She told me that other patients she has treated with the same surgery have taken several more weeks post surgery to get where I am at to this point.  She did a bunch of the usually things you expect during a therapy session, such as pushing, pulling, twisting and stretching.  Nothing extreme, just trying to keep things loose and maintain my range of motion.  With my progress she has modified my at home work to include three light and easy muscle building moves like, leg lifts while laying on my back, leg lifts while laying on my side and a super modified plank to work the abs a little.  Again I am to do the routine 2 to 3 times a day till my next appointment a week later.  She again stressed to me that main reason for taking things slow is due to the tissue in the joint needing time to heal properly.  I need to continue making sure I don't put to much weight on the leg which could mess up the repair work and all of this would be for nothing. 

Post Surgery Update #2

     Well a lot has changed in the last week or so since my last post.  Last week I was finally able to get out of the house for a little while, and good thing too because I just couldn't take being indoors anymore.  I had my first follow up visit with the surgeon and it looks like things are progressing nicely.  When I got to the appointment, they had me get some x-rays to check and see how the bone looked after he shaved it down.  After that I was put in the exam room to get my stitches taken out and to discuss the next six weeks.  I'll have to be on these damn crutches for the next 4 weeks, then I start to transition to a single crutch or possibly a cane for 2 more weeks.  When those 6 weeks are up I will have another follow up visit, which I am not really sure what we will discuss then.  He seems optimistic that I will be back to running normally within 4 to 6 months.  I was advised to continue my anti-inflammatory medicine, he prescribed 6 weeks of physical therapy, issued me a temporary handicapped placard for my car and allowed me to go back to work the following Monday.  I immediately contacted Alisha at Elite Sports and Orthopedic Physical Therapy to get things going.  

     The next morning I headed to PT for my initial visit and evaluation, which went very well.  She told me the two biggest things with this type of surgery is, one, getting your muscles firing and working again, and two, being patient while the tissue in the joint heals.  She was quite happy to see my muscles were already working, which meant I am ahead of schedule with my recovery.  The down side to that is, I still have to wait till the tissue heals, so all my home prescribed workouts are to just maintain and slightly increase my range of motion.  So for now I have a weeks worth of homework to do 2-3 times a day till my next appointment, a week later.

     Friday and Saturday were the first two days my life really felt like I was getting back to normal, despite the fact that I had to figure out how to navigate the world on crutches.  One of my life long friends came into town to be with his family over Christmas, so he and I and three other of my close friends went to see the new Star Wars movie.  Which was AMAZING!!!  I will say this, for all the reports of packed theaters and the box office records, I was a little surprised and how empty the theater was for our showing.  I am not complaining, less people means less noise!

     Saturday, we headed to downtown Toledo to see our local ECHL hockey team the Walleye play.  Our seats were freaking awesome!  We were technically the third row back from the glass, however we were right behind the penalty box so we had the glass right in front of our face and just off from center ice.  I could as for a better game, and the fact that they won with a shutout made it just that much better.

Merry Christmas To All

I just want to wish everyone out there a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  

If you are just beginning your weight loss journey, I pray that God blesses you with courage and the determination to make the necessary changes in your life.

If you are just starting your running journey, I pray that God blesses you with the strength to keep moving forward, especially on those days when your head and your body say "just skip it".

To everyone else, I pray that God blesses you to be injury free in whatever fitness activity you choose and those that are trying hard to maintain there weight loss, the strength to do so.

From My Family To Yours

tick tock, tick tock.....TIME IS RUNNING OUT

If running a Marathon, Marathon relay, Half Marathon, or a 5k is on your bucket list for 2016, then don't put off what you already know you want to do.  The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, the Yark Subaru 5 person relay, Owens Corning Half Marathon or the Medical Mutual Glass City 5k Prices increase December 31st at 11:59pm.

via GIPHY

Post Surgery Update #1

     It has now been just over a week since surgery and to be honest I feel pretty damn good.  The first full day was a little rough, mainly because I felt like I had to pee every 5 minutes and when I did get up to go, I wasn't getting very much.  The nurse said it is common and would eventually go away, but when you need all kinds of help to get out of bed, it is pretty fucking annoying.  Thankfully though this has slowly subsided and not really an issue any more.  I am also happy to report that my pain has been pretty manageable to the point I haven't needed to take any of the really strong pain meds.  I have only been taking one which is more of an anti inflammatory than anything.

 

     The majority of my days have been spent laying on my back, which is NOT the most fun I have ever had.  During the day, Mandy gets me up every 2-3 hours to use the bathroom and do a little walking around with the crutches.  6- 8 hours of my day is used bending and flexing my leg in the continuous passive motion or CPM machine that slowly elevates and bends my knee and hip to a certain degree over and over.  My starting point the day after surgery was 0 to 30 and my goal in about 10 days is 0 to 120 degree of bend.  Currently I am laying here with my leg going to 100 and I have zero pain.

     When I am on a break from the CPM machine I get out in the living room to walk around, eat and play some Madden 2016 football.  After the third day I was able to sit for short burst and would stand to eat or do any other activities.  Now I am able to sit and play a game of football without any pain or the need to get up.  Most of my pain feels more like if you have ever strained a muscle and it hurts to use it to say lift something.  My large thigh muscle is very sore when I try to lift my leg in the straight or bent position, but each day feels better and better.

   

     At night when I am laying in bed trying to sleep and not using the CPM machine, I am having my feet squeezed by a machine that is used to help prevent blood clots from forming in my legs.  If anything it is really annoying, because instead of a slow even pressure, it emits a pulse of air that inflates the foot cuffs immediately.  So I will be laying there and all of a sudden puff and they inflate.

Not me, just a image I found online

  
     So far I have been able to maintain my sanity with typing, reading or watching tv, but the urge to go a little stir crazy is starting to settle in.  Today my Mom, who has been helping me during the day while Mandy is at work, told me how nice it was outside and I couldn't take it anymore.  While I was on a break I said fuck it and headed out the back door just so I could feel the sun on my face again.  I stayed out for 10 minutes or so before heading back inside to lay once again in bed.  You know it is easy to stay in bed when you are in pain or feel shitty, but as soon as you feel somewhat better, all you want to do is get the hell out of here.  Maybe I can bribe Mandy into taking me somewhere this weekend, even if its just for a short car ride.

     Anyway my follow up appointment with the surgeon is on Wednesday, I am hoping, no praying that I will be able to start physical therapy and maybe get back to work so I can feel somewhat normal.  Plus I got tickets for the new Star Wars movie on Friday, and I am NOT gonna miss it!

GCM Yearly Bird Ending Soon!

If running a Marathon, Marathon relay, Half Marathon, or a 5k is on your bucket list for 2016, then don't put off what you already know you want to do.  The Mercy Health Glass City Marathon, the Yark Subaru 5 person relay, Owens Corning Half Marathon or the Medical Mutual Glass City 5k Prices increase December 31st at 11:59pm.

 Click here to Register Now

If you want one last chance to win an entry for you or a loved one to this year's race you can do that by clicking here.  Amanda at There are Two Sides is giving away the last two available free admissions from the Ambassador team.