Thursday, August 24, 2017

RuNfEsSiOnS for August




It's hard to believe summer is winding down, and I'm finding myself at a bit of a crossroads.

I was pretty much denied a real summer (and would like the summer temps to return so I can enjoy them a bit longer). That said, I'm also eager to move forward and enter a new season...a season of renewal, if you will.  As you know, my world was turned upside-down on June 29th (full details HERE) and a new "friend" entered my life. I named this friend Voldemort, and on Thursday, Aug. 24th, we celebrated our 8-week anniversary. 8 weeks!


Anyways, I have been able to keep a (somewhat) positive attitude, but there are a few Runfessions I feel obligated to share. Truth in blogging. Transparency. Coming clean. Keeping it real. Call it what you will, I have a few things to tell you about my current reality.

First of all, I have been walking a lot.  Believe it or not, I have walked almost 200 miles since July 17th. Trust me, if I had not had that emergency surgery and was able to run (instead of "just walking"), I would not even come close to having that kind of mileage over the course of  six weeks. I honestly had the best of intentions....starting out with very conservative early morning walks of 1-1.5 miles, then adding evening walks, and lunch hour walks. Gradually, I increased the morning walks to 2-3 miles, and increased the evening walks as well.  It wasn't until I passed the 40-mile mark, for a recent week's mileage, that I realized maybe I was walking too much. My entire body was feeling tired, and the recovering suture site (a result of the surgery) was still not 100 percent healed. Runfession #1-all that walking felt good and it kept me physically active (and emotionally giddy), but just because I could do it didn't necessarily mean I should have.
just a walkin'
Secondly, this has been a whole new ball game for me. I have never had a 6-inch scar before, let alone a scar in a high-maintenance place (hello? the knee is a body part that is almost always in constant motion, which puts a lot of strain on a new suture seam). Also, there has been a tiny spot on the suture seam that has not completely closed yet. Bursa fluid has continued to drain from this opening. Thankfully, the opening has continued to shrink in size, and is currently the size of a tiny pin head (and, as of Thursday, the drainage appears to have halted). Runfession #2-although this whole recovery experience has been a great test of my patience, I am ready for it to be over and done, end of story.
It's just me and Voldemort....
Thirdly, the total solar eclipse experience was a fabulous distraction! We road-tripped to Grand Island, NE so we could witness the total coverage in its entirety. Unfortunately, this made for a 20-hour day, beginning with a 3:30 a.m. wake-up and a 4:00 a.m. departure from our house in central Iowa, and not returning until nearly 10:00 p.m. The crazy thing was that the return trip took almost twice as long as getting there because the traffic was so insane. But seeing the sun completely covered in the middle of the day, feeling the temps dramatically drop, and experiencing the eery (almost) apocalyptic-ness of it was so so so amazing. Runfession #3- for those 3+ hours of astronomy, it was nice to be preoccupied with something other than my relationship with Voldemort.
The eclipse was sooo cool!
Next, there's the issue with my toe nails. Ugh. For the most part, my feet look pretty decent considering I'm a runner. When all of this surgery stuff went down and I was told that I wouldn't be running for at least a couple months, a part of  me was actually hopeful that my dear old toe nails would (at long last) be given a chance to rejuvenate, refresh, and regrow. Well, guess what? Runfession #4- my toenails do not look any better despite their 2+ month sabbatical from the sport that I love so much. What's up with that???
Don't be fooled by the polish....
And, last of all, I am hopeful for what the fall season will have in store for me. I had another follow-up appointment with my surgeon on Thursday, and he was very encouraging as to how my recovery is progressing. As mentioned, it appears the drainage has (hopefully) halted. He aspirated some of the fluid from the bursa surrounding my knee (which had been slightly swollen), and he thought it looked good but was having it sent to a lab to monitor the culture levels (to ensure there is no impending infection in the works). We should have the results back early next week, and if all looks good, I may be cleared to (slowly) ease back into running! The timing is nearly perfect because--Runfession #5- there are a couple of events I'd like to do (a 5K in late September and a 5K/5-miler combo in October), and both events don't have price increases until well after the lab results come back...in other words, I don't have to commit to them until I have a better idea of my training schedule.
Hoping for some fall racing!
So, there you have it...a few Runfessions that have been tossing and turning in  my head.

What would YOU runfess? Training woes? Injuries? Eclipse viewing? Icky toes?

I'm linking up with Marcia for the monthly Runfessions....do you have anything to runfess?

I'm also linking this with Meranda and Lacey and Rachel for the Friday Five 2.0. Please join us!!


38 comments:

  1. The key word here is "ease" back into running. Ease. You don't want to anger that knee and invite staph to take up residence again...

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    1. Oh, believe me...I have ZERO interest in doing anything stupid LOL I have nothing to gain by over-doing my return to running

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  2. So cool you got to see the whole experience of the eclipse. We were only able to see partial in Virginia and it was such a let down for me. I didn't have the glasses so had to look at it through a box.

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    1. The eclipse really was a neat experience...I'm glad we had the youngest daughter along with us (and Max) ;-)

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  3. It's really hard to be patient with recovery but think of it as a different type of endurance sport and know you can (mentally) power through!

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  4. I know you are starting to get frustrated which is totally understandable. All of these walking miles are really going to pay off. Fingers crossed you get the go ahead to start running again soon

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    1. Keep your fingers crossed ;-) I am feeling very hopeful after my appointment with the surgeon ;-)

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  5. That's awesome that you had a great eclipse experience! It was pretty cloudy here so he didn't get to see too much unfortunately.

    I cannot believe that you walked SO many miles since July - that is amazing! You have definitely stayed active throughout this whole experience. I am sure that you will have no problem easing back into running this Fall.

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    1. I have tried to stay active, no doubt. I really need to be more consistent with strength work now...

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  6. I'd love nothing more than to see you return to running. As long as it's in your best interest to do so. How cool to see the eclipse from the "path of totality". I kind of love that term. I did see the traffic nightmares on the news. Yikes.

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    1. The traffic was insane...and there had been torrential rain in Iowa, so interstate 80 e=was not only bumper-to-bumper, there were several semi's blocking access (from hydroplaning and jack-knifing).

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  7. I hope your recovery continues to go well! I know it must be frustrating not being able to do what you love. Taking a road trip to see the eclipse sounds awesome! I didn't get a chance to do that, but we had about 75% coverage here in Florida, so it was still pretty cool. I wish it dropped the temps down here though! Doesn't feel like much changed in that area.

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    1. The temperature drop was unexpected...and kind of freaky...

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  8. Thats awesome that you were able to go see the totality. Very cool. We got about 80 something, but is also rained for about 10 minutes at our "peak" time so we saw it about 5 mins after.

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    1. The totality thing was an awesome experience...glad we had clear skies!

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  9. Wow, those are a lot of miles! Hopefully great prep for when you do start running. Here's hoping the cultures come back negative and you can get back into the game!

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  10. I runfess that I'm done with injuries - my back, my SI joint, my hip flexors hurt. And here I am just trying to be healthy and active!

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    1. Injuries totally suck, there's no nice way to say it LOL

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  11. My toe nails have been icky for years. I get pedicures every now and then, but it doesn't really seem to help. At least the nail polish lasts a while.

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    1. The nail polish is a great way to keep the ugliness incognito LOL

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  12. That's so cool that you got to see the total eclipse! It sounds like the long day was worth it. Here's to a great Fall :)

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  13. You are amazingly active for someone who can't run!!

    I think beautiful toe nails are history. I didn't run for 5 mos and no difference. I always keep them polished and that helps.

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  14. Sounds like you're on the road to recovery!

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    1. I'm rallying back! The appointment with the surgeon definitely gave me hope.

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  15. Wowza did you walk a lot of miles! I can totally understand your starting to get a little frustrated - you've done an amazing job dealing with all of this!

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    1. Yes, it has been frustrating....even with all the "walking" miles to keep me distracted. I'm eager for a better fall ;-)

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  16. How cool that you saw the total eclipse!! In 2024, Cleveland will be in the path. I'm super excited!

    Take it easy with the knee, friend. We need you back running sooner rather than later!!

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    1. Returning to running is much more of a priority than excessive walking mileage ;-)

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  17. I love how hopeful you are about fall! I too think you have a lot of good in store for you! Seasons changing means a chance for a new beginning.

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    1. Here's hoping the fall season goes better than the summer did

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  18. I'm with you on the ugly toenails. I only have half of my left big toenail, and after having it fall off a couple of times I'm afraid that I'll never see a full length toenail there again. :(

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  19. Here's hoping you get a good report back on the fluid your surgeon drained and you'll be released to ease back into running soon! I'm cheering for you!

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  20. Omg 200 miles!!!! That's amazing! I hope you can get back to running soon.

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  21. I can understand that not running is HARD. Think of this time period as building your patience muscle... which I find is one of the hardest to work on ! Fingers crossed you will have good news soon and be cleared to run, but take it easy !

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