Back in the Game!!!

So the last time I Blogged, I was recovering from a stress fracture.  That was quite a blow to my training.  Since then I ran the Three Bridges Marathon, quite gently, just to finish.  It was my first marathon experience since recovery.  After that I did the Loco Marathon in Conway and performed much better.  Something similar to my regular marathon times.   Then I took on the Syllamore trail 50K.  That was quite a hurdle to cross.

The Syllamore 50K is an out and back trail up in Northern Arkansas.  Again, this year it was snow covered.  It was cold and a little ways through I was feeling my hip flexor acting up.  I knew I was going to be running Little Rock the following weekend so when I got to the 15 mile turn-around I told the aid station volunteers I wanted to drop.  Well that was a fail.  The volunteers had one car and they all rode up together.  There was no room for another person.  So it's a good thing I did not have a bone sticking out of my leg, right?   Anyway.  I decided to turn around and complete the race, very slowly.  It was almost dark when I finished, but I was not last!

Next I took on the Little Rock Marathon.  The course was different than previous years and again, the weather was cold and drizzly.  I ran the first half under a 10 minute pace.  The next quarter of the race I was able to maintain that speed.  Then I hit the out -and back.  The worse part of this race.  This is where the pace dropped to 11 minute then 12 minute.  Finally I crossed the finish line with a reasonable finish then shivered my way all the way to my car.

I'm not sure when it happened, but my friend Andi Stracener mentioned this very strange and rediculous thing called Race Across Arkansas...

It's a new year and remembering a friend.

Well, 2014 did not turn out as I planned.  Maybe 2015 will see my goals realized.  I am finally healed from the dreaded stress fracture.

I ran my first post fracture marathon over the Holidays and it was so much fun.  The 3 bridges marathon is a local favorite.  It was created by a lovely person who is no longer with us and whom I will forever consider one of the best runners I have known.

It's not so much that he had Olympian skill, although we was very fast.  It was his spirit that made him memorable.  He loved the small, obscure races.  He loved the spirit of running.  He was the spirit of running.

I knew that if I was out in Two Rivers, on a blustery, cold, windy evening, he would be there.  I would always see him and he would smile, shout, and stretch out his hand for a high or low five.  Even if he was going in another direction, he would double back just for the high five.

He mentored, inspired, lead, and created the running spirit in everybody he talked to.  There was no escaping his light and that was what I celebrated on my first marathon running, coming back and recovering.

He is no longer with us physically but he is here, with us every time we go out in the rain, the wind the thunder and cold, keeping us motivated and happy and reminding us all why we do what we do and why it is so special.  I will never forget him and I see him in every curve of the river trail.  I will always continue on and try, attempt and probably fail to be just a fraction of the runner he was.  But he gives me something to strive for.  :)

You're always in our memory Jacob Wells.

Lisa Luyet

Today is the day.

So it has been 17 weeks since my diagnosis.  I have been walking very well and it is now really too cold to cycle like I was in the fall.  The temperature is 27 degrees outside.  :(

So I made an appointment with my friend Kristen to go walk/run this morning.  I am going to attempt a real structured effort to run.  We are going to do a 3 minute walk/ one minute run.  It is a schedule I saw on an injury recovery - get back off your ass - website. 

Lately, the last few days, I have felt like a sedentary person, not a person recovering from injury.  I sit all day at work and after work all I want to do is sit on the couch and veg.  It's bad.  Its not a direction I want my life to take.  It's time to try to get back out there.  It has been 17 weeks.  My bone density is good, my diet has been decent so there is no reason why my stress fracture is not healed by now. 

I'm giving it a try today. Wish me luck.

Cycling Crazy

So lately since I have been recovering from my hip injury, I have been spending lots of time on my bike.  It's a hybrid Fuji Absolute 2.1.  Very comfy to ride for the most part except for the tailbone pain.  Not sure what to do about that.  I think it may have to do with my posture on the hybrid, but until I can get that resolved I will keep my mileage around 70 to 80 miles per week.

Of course there is no way I can ride without having some type of documentation so I plan to ride in the Arkie 25 mile bike race this Sunday.  I know I will be out of place on my hybrid and probably the slowest person there, but I have to give it a try.  I can ride my bike for miles but unless I qualify that by having my name on a results list someplace I'm not really doing anything, right?  That is what separates me from the ordinary?  I think in my brain that is what it is.  This makes it more than just exercise.  It makes it special.  It's an event. 

I'll try to snap some photos. 

Morning's are way to productive. For all the wrong reasons

It's October.  Which means the temperature is dropping, which for runners is great because you can run without dying from heat exhaustion.  For me, since I am unable to run right now, I stay indoors because my new sport is cycling.  Yesterday I went to cycle at about 10:00 am and normally, for a run the temperature would have been perfect but for cycling it was chilly.  I hope I am able to continue training through the winter. 

I have however been planning to race my bike.  It's not a full fledged road bike, its a hybrid which I am very comfortable on.  I'm a little intimidated to move to a road bike.  Not sure I like leaning as much as you have to for riding those, but not sure if I will be able to ride in races on a hybrid. 

Anyway instead of getting up at  the ass crack of dawn to run this morning I stayed in and organized my pantry.  It was amazing.  I do plan to go ride today.  Later when it warms up.  I would have never said something that crazy as a runner...

whatevs...

ugh...frustrated...

Wednesday morning I returned to the ortho to get a follow up.  I  used the blasted crutches for 4 weeks.  Four weeks ended Tuesday afternoon at 2:36pm so I went to the doctor crutch less.  The evening before,  I shopped, very leisurely, at Whole foods and did limited walking at the office crutch free.   I felt just minimal, dull pain in my hip which was troubling but it seemed to resolve itself the more I walked. 

My friend, who is also the nurse there came into my room while I was waiting for the doc and asked “where are your crutches?”  I told her “in the car” and that my 4 weeks ended yesterday afternoon.  They took x-rays of my hip when the doctor came in he did not seem real optimistic that I had completely healed.  He wants me to take two more weeks of no walking or running and minimal walking without crutches.  He said that if it did not heal I would require surgery and if it broke completely I would be looking at a complete hip replacement. 

Well that’s just nice.   

He did say I could use the stationary bike however.

So last night I went to LA fitness and jumped on the bike for about an hour.  After I rode I felt great.  No pain at all.  Later I went home and sat on the couch for a while and when I got up, I felt an ache in my hip.  So am I healing or not?  This morning the pain was still there, but it again resolved after I walked a while.  Today at work I’m walking pain free.  So what the heck.  Is it healed? Is it not?  I don’t know what to do. 

So I purchased some cycling clothes from Skirt sports to help feel better.  It helps….

New Optimism Jacket

New Optimism Tights!

so...then this happened...

As I was basking in the glory of completing a successful 50 miler.  Completing a painfully hot 50K, and waiting for the inevitable post-race soreness to go away.  A demon flew from out of nowhere and threw itself squarely between me and my 100 mile race goal.  The demon was sneaky, painfully annoying and expensive.  It canceled my Pikes Peak plans, destroyed my my Do Wacka Do weekend, and then after all that…it took my bicycle away also.

 The tiny demon could only be seen by MRI, it was nestled in the neck of my femur, tucked up inside my hip…sitting there, glaring at me.  A tiny fracture, so small you could barely see it, but it was radiating so much pain I could not even run a single step.  It sucked the life out of my running; just as things were going so well.

Doctors said 4 weeks on crutches….yes crutches.  No running, no cycling.  I panic.  What will I do with all this free time?  And with Labor Day coming….I was missing summer, missing hours of training, missing my social life which is so deeply entrenched with the running community I ‘m pretty sure most of my friends are either runners or I will convert them to runners.

 The first week I was in denial “these crutches are stupid”, “this is never going to work”, “how am I supposed to scratch and walk?”  I wondered who the genius was who invented devices to help you walk with one leg, and at the same time took away both of your hands.  …what an idiot.

 I took a trip to petsmart to buy fish food and a sales person came to me holding a small snake.  I petted the snake, the snake was so cute.  I asked her how big he would get she said about 6 feet.  I told her, no I have a Chihuahua.  She said, well we have a lovely sand boa that only gets to be about two feet.  I took a look.  I held it, petted it and then put it back.  I checked out my fish food and left.  I texted my friend and told her about the sand boa.  She promptly replied “I’m sure you are looking at that snake because you can’t run, you are bored and need a challenge.” …she was right.  I went to Best Buy and purchased Tomb Raider for my Xbox One instead. 

The weeks that followed, I stumbled with the crutches.  The first day back to work was an onslaught of “what happened?” , “Did you sprain your ankle?”, “Are you OK?”.  Like I had not already been injured for the previous two weeks just now it was visible.  I got questions from each new person I saw, people I did not even know felt entitled to see what was up with me.  My dad asked if I was taking any ‘sick leave’.  Really?  Why would I waste good time off work to just sit around the house?  Besides, by job does not have dedicated sick leave.

The next challenge was Labor Day weekend.  Hours and days off work and I could not run, cycle or even walk.

I occupied my time with the following activities:

Playing Tomb Raider

Vacuum Sealing Food

Feeding the Fish

Tying Scarves

Purchasing Cook books

 

Taking Photos of my Dog

 

At work I was relegated to the elevator.  I used the elevator more with in these 4 weeks than I did in 10 years working there. Ya know, people do not know how to use elevators. When getting onto an elevator it is recommended, customary, and polite to allow the people on the elevator off before trying to get onto the elevator.  Three times I was almost run over by people in the hallway trying to squeeze into the elevator before the occupants got off.  Really???

So here I sit, waiting for my hip to heal, waiting for my x-ray, waiting to ride my bike, to run…listening to my muscles atrophy.  

My friends have been great.  We go shopping and have dinner, they are very encouraging.  Soon we will be able to resume our active pursuits again.  

Soon I will be able to effectively clean my house again, climb on step ladders and take out the trash.  When I do I need to throw my friends a party for putting up with my grouchy ass for the last 4 weeks.  Sound like something to look forward to.