I need to be more regular....

with updating this blog! not that other 'regular' thing...of course, a couple of NuWay chilidogs usually takes care of that. Gosh that was gross...sorry....

I do apologize for not posting recently. Since I spend my entire workday in front of a computer screen (three of them actually) you can imagine that last thing I want to do in the evenings is get on here for fun. I will try to be more timely in my posts.

My recovery is going well I suppose. I was alternating bike and run days but have changed that up this week. My plan is to run 5 days a week and ride 1 (maybe 2) days. I've set a new goal for myself. Drop down to 170 lbs. It's a lofty goal. But, 28 months ago I set a lofty goal of running a marathon and I did it. So, dropping the weight will happen...because I know something....Philippians 4:13...."I can do ALL things through Christ which strengthens me."

Shoes are a good topic to touch on. I can't emphasize enough how important it is to be in the right shoe. I highly recommend going to a store to be fitted in the right shoe. RunFit is the only local stores to Macon and Warner Robins that I know who can do a proper fitting. "But they are just running shoes Tommy?' If you had asked me that 20 years ago I would've said yes. Technology and manufacturing processes have dramatically changed athletic shoes. One of the biggest mistakes I see parents making with their child's shoes is not seeking professional and qualified fitting. So many adults think they can just go out running in the same shoes they mow the lawn with or, worse, shoes they've had for 10 years. Please don't do this. Get fitted in the right shoe for you before you step foot outside to run/jog or walk.

T

Survey says? well, actually it wasn't a survey...but a doc visit...

I haven't had a lot of positive things to write about lately... Honestly, its been a tough year with regards to running. Training for the Snickers Marathon went well until I started feeling some weirdness in my left leg. At first it wasn't in the shin. It was actually in my left hip. It caused a 15 mile training run in mid-November to be cut short at 12.5 miles. Then, in February I started having shin pains and figured it was just shin splints. If only knew then what I knew now about 'shin splints'. March was marathon time. I've shared in an earlier post about my marathon experience so I won't get into that. A successful marathon in that I crossed the finish line. A failure in that I was almost a full hour off my target time.

The last few months have been filled with highs and lows....mostly lows. Go to the doc and be told 'stop running...get this test...come back in 4 weeks....ok, you can start running again'.... only to have the pain come back in my left shin. This cycle seemed to happen on a monthly basis...almost like a lunar schedule or something.

Last month I decided to seek a 2nd opinion and learned something the first doctor didn't see or even check for. My left tibia is larger in diameter than my right. Why? Well, still not sure. I met with 3rd opinion doctor today whom the 2nd opinion doctor requested me to see. He ran through a laundry list of things that he thought could be wrong only to cross off items on the list one by one. Probably the most comforting items to be crossed off were the three types of cancer it could be. All three are not possible because, well, if I had them I wouldn't be with you anymore. So, those were ruled out. Another possible item not possible because it would involve me having TB which I do not have. All items on his list were struck....leaving no definitive diagnosis of my problem....except that my left tibia is almost a half inch in diameter bigger than my right.

The doc said 'go forth and conquer!' But, he followed his edict with 'CROSS TRAIN!' He said it again a few sentences later...'CROSS TRAIN!' Ok doc...gotcha...i should consider cross training. Then, it popped in my head...'hey....i could train for a triathalon!!!!' Silly thought at first which I kept inside my noggin. I will confess this idea has popped in there before.

Who knows what the future holds.....all I know is I miss running....i miss seeing the mommy and daddy coyotes in the empty subdivision i have trained in for the last two years....i miss seeing the red tail hawk and it's neighboring coopers hawk floating effortlessly along my flank as i jog through that area....i miss seeing the baby deer tracks on the sides of the roads...i miss the smells of farm land and trees...and i miss listening to all that wacko 70s and 80s music i grew up on along with my Christian tunes on my ipod

Sometimes we encounter hurdles.....sometimes we come up to a wall and face the decision of 'over?', 'around?', or, 'go back the way you came!' I'm not sure if what I've faced (am facing) is just a hurdle or a wall....one thing is for certain though, i'm not going back the way i came......

and now begins a new chapter

Hopefully a pain free one. As of today I have done three walk/jog routines. The first two were awesome. Today was tough in the heat. I wish I could report no pain on this run but unfortunately I have some pain in the location that has the docs baffled. On top of that, the knot that was the point of interest...is once again the point of interest....it actually grew in size after today's run. I have a followup at Piedmont next week and I'm anxious to see the doc. I'll continue to alternate my days of running and riding the bike. My mileage is very low...the running segments have been 800 meters with a recovery by which I wait until my heart rate hits 100bpm. It takes about 60 seconds for my rate to drop from 150 to 100. According to one of the coaching physiology books i'm studying thats pretty darn good! Anyways, i'll contine to trod on...lightly...slow mileage...short distances....and lots of praying.

T

Survey says!!!!

NO MASS FOUND!!!! Actually it was the MRI report that stated this. Periosteal reaction is the determination. This means there has been new bone growth on my tibia. The unknown is what caused this to happen and when.

This has baffled Doc #2. Two docs? you ask? Yep. When i'm told to stop running it is serious enough to seek a second opinion. Doc #1 says no running for 2-3 weeks and believes it is 'just a shin splint that got really aggitated....possibly brought on due to the stress fracture...'. Doc #2 says to start back running when I'm ready and is still 'puzzled by the size differential of my left tibia compared to the right tibia'. Which, by the way, only Doc #2 took the time to x-ray both of my legs...unlike Doc #1 who has remained focused just on my left leg.

I'm staying with Doc #2 because I feel he is looking for the cause...not simply treating the symptoms. Nothing bad against Doc #1....well, maybe a little. When I have to ask the doc (#1) to feel my leg and tell me what something is, well, thats kinda unsettling. However, my first visit with Doc #2 he rolled his stool over to me, rolled up my pants leg and started pressing and mashing asking where it hurt and didn't hurt. He used a Sharpie pen to mark spots where it hurt and where he felt something unusual. Then, he sent me back for xrays...of both legs! I remember laying on the xray table and thinking 'now this doc is trying to find out what is going on with me....'

There are those who say if you go to the doc enough they will find something wrong with you. Totally agree with that. But, when you feel like all you are doing is paying a copay, getting a test, coming back in a few weeks for a followup....well, it begins to grate on you. Not to mention the lags in my 'treatment' by Doc #1 caused me to run into a new insurance year (started July 1st). That means the MRI I had done July 21st isn't fully paid for because my deductible was reset on July 1. So, Doc #1 has cost me my $500 deductible. Ugh.

I'm anxious to start running again. But, this setback has allowed me to really think about why I run....what about it gives me joy.....do i really need to do the marathon distance? Many discussions with myself over the last few months. RC told me back in late March..."the thing" should be my fitness....not running a marathon in 3 hrs 30 minutes (my qual time for B) which would be totally awesome....its not doing a 50k in the rain and mud (like my buddy Tim did last year).....its about keeping my heart conditioned....enjoying the feeling of being fit and able to play with my kids....and grandkids some day.

I don't know what the future holds yet. This weekend I plan on doing a short 2 mile mixture of walking and jogging. Just to check out the legs. If the pain returns I will not lie....i will be very upset. My prayer is that the pain never comes back.

T

Tomorrow is the big day....

I go back to the doc to find out what the MRI told him. I wish I could say I'm not nervous, anxious, scared, excited and many other things....but, i can't. This ordeal began in January with a little tingle in my left shin during a 15 mile training run on Robins AFB. From there it obviously became a stress fracture because two sets of xrays by two different doctors has confirmed that. The whole start again stop again thing with my running has been a struggle. Buying a mountain bike to cross-train while i was told not to run has been fun and frustrating. Frustrating because of the hills I tumbled down. Fun because I have had a blast reliving some of the same feelings I had back in my motox days (1976-1984 competitively).

So, tomorrow is a big day....many unknowns....why has my leg not healed? what is the lump i discovered on the 4th of july just to the side of the infamous 'knot' i've had since Snickers? when will i run again? will I be able to run again?

just when you think......

Hello those few people who follow my blog! :)

Well, after the bone scan described in my last post I returned to the doctor. Bone scan showed 'no activity' meaning, the stress fracture had healed. I was told to return to running but to keep the mileage low. My followup would scheduled for July 14 (today).

I returned to running by jogging and walking in various mixtures with nothing longer than a mile. As I started this regiment the pain in my shin continued. The 'knot' remained. I iced twice a day. I've been taking a multivitamin with extra calcium and vitamin D.

Two weeks ago RC (Sam) felt I was ready to try doing a 2 miler so I did. We were on vacation at Ft Walton Beach at the time and let me tell ya...if you want to run in northern Florida in June/July you better do it before the sun comes up. My first run was a 1.5, recovery and 1.5. No issues other than the nagging pain in the shin. Breathing was good. Held a sub 10 min pace which I've really tried to do (more on that later). But my goodness the amount of sweating i did was insane. My socks were soaked to the point that when I completed these short jogs I could actually wring them out!

Last week I decided it was time to try bumping the mileage a tad. We began XC conditioning practice at Central Fellowship Christian Academy (where i am an assistant running coach). The 'cornfield', as we call it, is 1.95 miles around the perimeter. Perfect place to run. Well, for the most part. The folks who farm that field went a little too far into the outer dirt path with the discs and made it quite the challenge to run through. Tue and Thu of last week I did a 2 and 2 workout. The heat at 6:30pm is quite rough so my pacing was hard to keep under the 10 min pace. Sunday I decided to try a 1/3/1. I left the house about 30 minutes before the sun popped up. It felt nice outside. I use the mile over to the empty (but not for long) subdivision as a warmup. Construction has begun out there but I imagine I still have a year or more of running to do out there before traffic/kids/dogs/teradactyls take over. The warmup was rough...i felt like i was running in mud. My legs were heavy...my breathing was uncontrollable. I felt like I did 2 years ago when I began this insane brain damaged lifestyle. I almost quit during the 3 miler but decided to hang tough and get it done. the mile cooldown back to the house wasn't so bad.

During my recovery walks I stretch and let my heart rate drop below 100 bpm. If I went by time or how I felt I would never start back running :). Seriously though, for those of you out there who are starting out or battling the heat, get a HR monitor so you can watch your rate and use it as a guide for when your body is ready to start back jogging/running. Don't go by time/distance or how you feel. The one thing I've learned about my body over the last few months is that my heart rate drops rapidly after a jogging segment. Two years ago that didn't happen. It would take me 15-20 minutes to fully recover from running...now it takes, maybe, 2 minutes. That shows that the ticker health has really improved. I just wish I could say the same for the rest of this 46 yr old body.

Today's followup was basically me paying a $40 copay to have the doc agree I need an MRI. Something I wish I had requested last month when I met with doc to talk about the bone scan results. Live and learn. Well, today I get the MRI scheduled for Tuesday of next week which is ok but a little further out than I expected. Then I learn that my doc can't see me until the 31st. I left in a funk and drove home. As I drove the madder I became. I'm tired of things taking too long to get done. I've contacted another group in Macon who will see me tomorrow, review my xray and hopefully my bone scan (if i can get it sent up there tomorrow) before i see their doc. Then, I will see if they feel I need an MRI. If I do, it is my hope they will get the MRI done promptly and then have me come back in a day or so for the followup. I'm hopeful this will happen. At this point its not about the running anymore...i want to find out what the crap is wrong with my leg!

OK, now for the 10 min pacing 'issue'. I began training for my first marathon exactly two years ago in June of 2007. I managed to experience ITBS and many other fun injuries along the way. I completed my first marathon but was running on a very painful knee. I mean drop you to the ground kinda painful. Last year, I begin training for my 2nd marathon (which was Snickers 2009). I completed it but only after a hamstring lockup issue at mile 17. But I finished. I firmly believe that my training was my downfall. Not because of mileage or lack of distance/speed. It was the mixture of speed/distance. I did too many long slow miles and not enough tempo/interval work. If I can get this darn leg healed I will work on those things. I'm shelving the marathon for now but will return to it when I know I'm ready.

I better close this post because blogger just called and said i'm using too many characters...lol

take care and run smartly

Tommy

The day I became radioactive....

It wasn't an experiment to see if I could turn into the Hulk or anything. It was just a bone scan.....'just a bone scan'....what a scary set of words. Usually those words are to determine the extent of the spread of a cancer. Praise the Lord that is not what my scan was for. No, my scan was to give my orthopedic doctor a little more detail of the stress fracture in my left tibia....and, more importantly, find out when I can start running again.

I was told to be at the hospital admissions office at 7:30am so i was there a few minutes ahead of time. Shirley admitted me and was a very sweet lady. I was sent to the Radiology department around 7:45am where I sat in a small waiting area by myself for about 20 minutes. The TV was set to CNN and I could only take about 5 minutes of their so called 'reporting'. They spent more time talking about the guy who got Sarah Palin's daughter pregnant than the controversial nominee we now have for Supreme Court Justice. I changed it to ESPN and got a rundown of the current baseball stuff. Someone called my name from around the corner so I got up and met the lady who was going to shoot radioactive juice into my vein. Very nice lady. She explained what she was going to do and that I would only feel the needle. No big...homey has been stuck more times than a pin cushion over the years. What was interesting is the small lead lined box that the syringe was retrieved from. I knew I'd have some radioactive stuff put in there but dagum! Was it so much that it had to be stored in a lead lined box? As she gave me the shot she said i would be radioactive for about 4 hrs and that she prefers to get the scan after 2 hours. I guess my warm glow would be at its peak by that point. :)

After the nuclear juice shot I went back to work for 90 minutes before returning for the actual scan. My lovely bride joined me. The scanning process was interesting. Nothing magnetic like they use for a MRI. Why? Because I was the one emitting the energy! :) I was placed on a table and raised up about 4' off the floor. For a moment I thought I might be a prime candidate for one of those floating person magic tricks. I was told to be perfectly still. A monitor was pulled over near me so i could watch a progress bar on the screen along with a fuzzy rendering of my legs. Three shots were taken from above. Then, I was turned on my side with my legs spread just a little so that both legs showed in the scans. Still not sure why she did both when the orders stated 'left shin'. Anyways, two shots from the side and I was done.

So, I wait until 4:10pm Tuesday, June 2nd. That is my followup with Dr Easom for the results of the scan and the news of how long I must wait before running again.

we'll see.....