- coast2coast has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
Goal: 365 days from the surgery date.
Click here for the Group Marathon Tracker
- coast2coast has completed the grueling 26.2 ATR miles to full recovery!
Mar
21
4 Months Post-Op, Going Well!
March 21, 2014 | |
Happy Spring, everyone!
Just a quick update to mark my 4-month post-operation anniversary (which was actually March 11, but I was traveling and didn’t have a chance to post).
The biggest news is JOGGING!!! Best feeling in the world. I’m restricted to 1 mile or 10 minutes every other day, but it’s feeling stronger and stronger, and PT Brian says it looks great, good motion, good pushoff, no hitch (which is a surprise, given the differences in strength and how long I was limping). So, that’s pretty awesome. I totally know how ron feels now.
I’m also up to about 1 hour or 10 miles on the bike, plus agility, pliometrics, heel lifting (single leg is now up to 2 x 10 reps, getting about 2 inches off the ground on each rep), and balancing. Things are coming along. It’s a long, slow climb, but I can smell the pine trees at the top!
I’ve found that massage goes a long way. It helps bust up scar tissue and prevents that “pulling” feeling we sometime get when doing exercises. I try to do at least a little massage everyday. Keeping up with stretching helps big time, too.
I’ve also started incorporating a lot of walking into my daily routine, and that is really helping. I still need to wear cushioned footwear; my heel, foot, and AT get tired if I don’t, but I always feel good for at least a day after, and it’s a great way to get some exercise, get the blood flowing down there, and work off some of the post-op weight gain. Mine was about 12 pounds, and so far I’ve dropped 4.
Finally, the importance of rest and nutrition: a can’t emphasize enough what a difference enough rest, a good diet, and moderating alcohol intake have made during my recovery. I can really feel the difference if I don’t sleep or rest enough, eat badly (read: fatty fried foods, processed foods, etc.) vs. goodly (lean protein, lots of greens and fruits, plenty of water), or drink too much.
NEXT GOAL: jog 2 miles or 20 minutes
GOAL AFTER THAT: ski half a day in Breckenridge on April 3 (5 months post-ATR).
6-MONTH POST-OP GOAL: finish a 5k Warrior Dash on 5/10.
1-YEAR POST-OP GOAL: run the Chesapeake Bay Bridge 10k on 11/10/14 in under an hour.
Here’s hoping your recoveries are going well, too, and please let me know if I can help!
Again, happy spring, and enjoy the warmer weather!
Cheers,
Coast2Coast
=\\=
Comments
5 Comments so far
Great update! Thanks for the reminder on massage. I don’t do it nearly often enough and today was reminded that I’m not done with it!
I skied a week at Whistler sooner than you are now, and I couldn’t do a lot of what your doing now. A ski boot is almost as supportive and protective as an orthotic boot. I needed a thinner sock on that foot, and I cranked down the DIN setting on that heel binding (best if you can tell your skis apart), but everything else was back to 100% at 17 weeks post-non-op.
Positive update! I am only a few weeks behind you in recovery so hoping for some more gains in those 2 weeks to the point that I can jog a mile. So far just biking and elliptical along with the other PT workouts, my 6mo goal is also a warrior dash 5k!
Thanks murray! Running came along faster and better than I thought, in large part because I was biking, stretching, and walking almost daily to keep it loose and get the the muscles working again, and focusing on not favoring the bad leg. I tried Elliptical, but I hate that thing. I had much more fun and better results on the ArcTrainer. You’ll get there; keep it up! Which Warrior are you doing? I’m doing DC region in May and Chicago in June.
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.
Norm, I found that the tendon was fine, but my push off on turns got weaker as the day and weekend went on, and the scar got really irritated. All was fine two days after, but it goes to show there’s still a lot of recovery to do. I used a Nordica boot; I’ve always found them more comfortable than Soloman. Whistler2015!
[WORDPRESS HASHCASH] The poster sent us ‘0 which is not a hashcash value.