I am just off surgery for herniated disc. Who else is fighting the battle to return?
Maybe we can inspire each other, and post updates and milestones.
What is your injury?
Current level of training?
Comeback race?
I am five days from surgery. I walked 2 miles today, sad, but a milestone nevertheless. I hope to be swimming in a month and cycling in 2 months. My hope is to do the Silverman Half in November as my comeback event. I will settle for any race if not able to do half iron.
Today was a great day. I did walk two miles which puts me ahead of the curve for recovery. I am weening myself off the Vicodin and things are looking up.
I know I have a ways to go, and setbacks are part of it, but I am feeling hopeful.
That’s impressive. I had a weak knee scope during which I barely had any cartiage removed, and yet took 2 weeks before I could swim. I’m 6 weeks in and still can’t even come close to riding. My knee still pops and feels swollen all the time, same as pre-op.
I missed all last year because of a hamstring problem that kept me from running. It will no doubt return as soon as I’m back on the bike or running.
All of this after a solid finish to '06 (despite being repeatedly sick), and a very strong improvement on the bike in '07.
I am on the mend from two knee scopes right now - one in early August that repaired a freak detachment of the meniscus (a lingering injury from an accident in Afghanistan), and another last Friday afternoon that removed a bunch of scar tissue (arthrofibrosis?) from the earlier scope.
I lost a great deal of fitness after the first scope, and had been steadily rebuilding right up until this second scope (got workouts in 62 of 70 days prior to the surgery). I’ve steadily rebuilt lost mass and strength, and I remain optimistic that I’ll be back in the mix quickly. With that in mind, I have dragged myself down two flights of stairs each of the last couple of days to do pushups, core work, and pullups.
My goal is to come back to race Great Floridian in the fall, with a couple of shorter triathlons over the mid-to-late summer as steps along the way. Completion, rather than competition, is my goal for each at this point - being active is its own reward.
I’m getting back into training after some minor stuff - last Mon. evening I developed some pain in my medial right knee (I was walking around campus, but I suspect my legs were just overworked from spring break “training camp”) and last Thursday my left anterior shoulder flared up. I took Friday, Saturday, Sunday off… swam 6000 yds on Monday, and yesterday was 4 mi run + 2200 yd swim. I am going to run/swim in a little bit… and I am leaving this afternoon for a 4-day swim meet in Boston.
I missed all last year because of a hamstring problem that kept me from running.** It will no doubt return as soon as I’m back on the bike or running.**
Lisfranc sprain (sprain of the ligament between the small bones on top of the foot) and now peroneal tendonitis on the other foot. Haven’t been able to run consistently since December, but have been able to bike swim.
Usually in a triathlon, I’m a top 2% runner, top 5% biker, and bottom 50% swimmer so in the end this will likely be the best thing that ever happened to me triathlon-wise as I’ve been swimming 4-5 days a week for 2500-3500 yds instead of my usual 2 @1500 yds and have been getting quite a bit quicker. I don’t even hate swimming any more, although my skin gets so itchy some days I feel like I’m going to burn up…
My first race is a HIM in June, and at this point it looks like I might have to opt for the Aquabike, which has always seemed sort of lame to me. Usually, the race just starts to get fun at T2. I mean, how do you go hammering by someone at mile 53 with a straight face when they are looking at a 13 mile run and you are looking at a slice of pizza?
I really, really miss running. Good luck to everyone.
**Too grumpy from various injuries to have a signature line. **
heh heh heh!!
last season was a little too long & i’m still paying the price - osteitis pubis (pelvic bones problem) that doesn’t want to go away. sometimes i wish it was a knee problem instead; that way i could have surgery & know that in a few weeks/months i’d be back to normal. with OP, i’m waiting & waiting & waiting…
in the 2007 kona broadcast, they mentioned that tim deboom (i think) was back after having to take a year off due to stress fractures. so i know it’s possible to race again after a long layoff. if he can do it, so can i - that’s my motivation.
so i’ve turned into a roadie for the time being. which will be fine if i can just stop eating.
Been there before, there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I have a permanent rating of 80% on my back from a work accident 18 years ago. (Worker’s Comp rates your permanent disbility as a percentage of whole function here in California) I tore up my l4/l5 while twisting and lifting. Before that I crushed my Medial Collateral Ligament in a high speed skiing crash with a snowmaking machine in college. I was in a full length leg cast for 11 months. Finally, about a year ago I had a nagging pain in my foot and went to see a podiatrist. He outlined the surgery he wanted to do to me to “fix” a subluxated Metatarsal bone. I said HELL NO and went for some aggressive chiroprctic and deep tissue work that got the bone to move back where it belongs.
Sub-chondrial stress fracture of the 2nd left metatarsal.
I’m one week into 6 of wearing a boot and on crutches, and NO training. It’s aggrivating, to say the least. And at the end of the 6 weeks, there’s no guarantee that I’ll be back training.
April 23, 2007 - Injured my Achilles during a trail run. Self-diagnosed as tendonitis and went through PT with no success. Pain ONLY when I ran. Walking, riding, swimming - no problems or discomfort. All I need to do is rest, right?
September 11, 2007 - First DNF EVER at IM Wisconsin. Practically ZERO run training leading up to the race - I take full responsibility for my poor judgment.
November, 2007 - MRI shows multiple tears in Achilles - Surgery is recommended, however, delayed. Blood clots develop in SAME leg’s calf. Six ultrasound’s later, I’m cleared for surgery.
April 17th, I go under the knife…followed by multiple weeks on crutches, walking boot and rehab.
Inguinal Hernia repair (open surgery) on Feb 27th - movies and slow walks around the house for the first two days then progressed to walking outside for the next couple of weeks. My first outside walk over a mile was 1.19 miles and it took me 37 minutes.
Last week I had a full week of workouts (swimming and riding the trainer) and completed my first post-surgery run on Saturday (four miles).
This week I have ran once (five miles) swam twice (750m and 1000m) and rode the trainer once (45 minutes).
Still have an occasional shooting pain in the surgery area but it is not persistent so I think it may just be the mesh healing into the muscles/skin or some other odd thing like that.
First event is the NAPA Sprint Tri in early May followed by the Showdown at Sundown in early June.
Even though my soleous has gotten much better, I still think it is only around 90% With IMAZ coming up, my plan is to pace the run wisely so I can run the whole marathon and see what happens, I may not break 11 hours but we’ll see.
I’m just a few days past the one year mark of breaking my femur in a bicycle accident. When it happened the outlook for recovery could have gone a couple different directions, the doctors said that even in the best case scenarios running would be difficult.
Through my recovery I followed the doctors orders & slowly got back into training at about the 6 month point. Today I feel like I have made a 100% recovery & at the one year mark was even in better shape than prior to the accident.
Over the year of recovery there were some serious ups and downs physically as well as mentally.
I’m racing again & looking forward to great 2008 season!
Bilateral open hernia repair on 3/7. I am not quite 3 weeks out of surgery. I coach lacrosse every afternoon, which is my workout until my 4 week check. Lots of twisting when I shoot, some short bursts of light running, much standing and walking. Shouting, which is probably the worst as it strains the abs. I still get mild swelling, so I am intentionally taking it easy until the 4 week mark. My first race is tentatively in July, so I am giving myself lots of time. When the injury occurred, it was early nov. and I was running a lot to build base, but not swimming or biking. I could not run or swim until January, and then at a very reduced level. I had just gotten back in the pool and started running alittle longer (4 miles) when I got the diagnosis and opted for immediate surgery.
Oh yes, the shouting. I was watching a hockey game about a week after surgery and the Sharks scored to win the game in the final seconds. I pumped my fist in the air and yelled - then curled up in pain and moaned.
I missed all last year because of a hamstring problem that kept me from running.** It will no doubt return as soon as I’m back on the bike or running.**
Positive thoughts, c’mon…
How’s your shoulder?
Positive thoughts don’t do much. They don’t prevent injuries and they don’t cure colds!
While I’m thankful for my general health, I’m pretty bitter about my last 1.5 years. Sing along with me. First it was a double-cold that robbed me of months of quality training and missing the 5-hour H-IM by 1 damn minute at Clearwater. Then the hammy trouble ended running in '07. A month before a H-IM that I was going to do without having run for 2 months, I tear a disc in my back, and then still clinging to racing, I get a horrendous cold a week before. Poof. From there the knee started to get worse, and here I am now!
But the shoulder is good. Well, as far as I know… I’ve been sick since Friday, and am another couple days away from reasonable health and swimming. Good thing I made my 50K early! And remember when I said I wondered what would take me down this time… ha!
Coming back from injury was the best thing that ever happened to me. After breaking my ankle, and having surgery with plate and screws, I had six weeks with cast and crutches. I was craving the day I could run again. After a couple of weeks of physio I could shuffle along, and by 12 weeks after the cast was removed I raced a 10K at near former pace.
I never took running for granted again after that, and treasure my good health every day.
Hopefully you will recover to your former pace also!
Almost 6 weeks out from a shoulder separation and fractured scapula suffered in a bike commuting accident. I have been running for 2 weeks and swam 3 or 4 very slow strokes a few days ago. It was about all the right shoulder could take, but at least I could get my arm around. One week earlier I couldn’t do 1 rotation. I think I will ride this weekend for the first time since the crash
Comeback race? maybe a 5k or 10K run next month. Beyond that, I have no idea when I will be able to swim adequately to do a tri.
Tibula- Fibula smashed below knee into ~ 20 pcs by encounter with a truck vs. running pedestrian (me). Left leg, Feb 10, 2007. Almost lost the leg. Two plates and about 15 screws in leg bones. Crutches for 16 weeks, single crutch for another 6 weeks. Second surgery August 2007 to remove one plate. Missed ~ 6 weeks of work, most of 2007 minimal actual training and lots of phys therapy. (90 visits to phys therapist, 11 dr visits). Biceps tendinitis and bursitis due to length of time on crutches.
Current level of training?
Run: 15 minute pace for max of an hour with brace on leg to prevent rotation and screw up knee. Slowest to come back.
Swim: Mostly ok. Swimming ~ 45 minutes 2 times per week. Mostly drills and easy swimming. Lengthy shoulder/ rotator cuff workout at least 2X week.
Cycling: Best recovery and results. Rode 65 miles once, 50 about half a dozen times. Not doing any hill repeats or etc that would stress the knee too much and crappy Mechanical Endurance but it’s great to be out on a warm spring day in Arizona…
Comeback race? Splash n dash next month? 1000m swim/ 2k run (will probably take me as long to put on the leg brace as it will to run the 2k).
Long term I don’t know about the running- I expect I won’t know for another 6 months if I can ever run a marathon or even do a half IM distance. I may have to settle for one hour easy trail runs and the occasional short race. I was never a top AG finisher anyway, but I do want to keep competing for another 20+ yrs. (I’m 54).
My thoughts on recovery: do what the doc/ phys therapist says. Don’t be a hero and screw up by doing too much too fast. I have done it in past and this time I really listened and did what I was told. I try to be grateful for the opportunity to go for a run or ride and not worry about goals very much. I’m glad to be alivle and glad my leg is still attached and reasonably functional.
but I am sure I will get it off quick.