Having the Right Doctor - Part 2 of 2

Photo by Jordan Fischer

The next part to my recovery was going to a physical therapist. In the initial consultation him to gauged the strength in my entire left leg and study how I walk. The physical therapist I went to is also a marathon runner, so he took the time to study that shoes I wore when I broke my ankle and the shoes I purchased to continue my training. He showed me how the clearance-rack, Reebok “running” shoes did not have the support I needed for my overpronation by folding them in half. He then tried to do that with my Mizuno Wave Alchemy 10 shoes. He couldn’t even make a crescent shape out of them. He explained that because of how I walk, I put stress on the outside of my ankle, and without the extra support in my shoes, running creates excessive trauma.

He then had me do several exercises to test the strength in both of my legs and core. He discovered that my right side was slightly weakened too and that I needed to strengthen my core at the sides. All of these muscles are related and each affects other. If the muscles are not strong then extra stress is placed on the bones. So running requires not only cardio training, it also requires strength training. He gave me several exercises to complete each night.

The key to making physical therapy work is to complete the exercises as often as prescribed. The exercises are not difficult nor do they require much time. The problem is that it is so easy to talk yourself into skipping one evening, but then that one evening turns into a second, and so on.

As my strength returned, the physical therapist gradually increased the frequency and distance of my runs and suggested several cross training possibilities for my non-running days (I’ve sign up for a water program for runners). He also completed a gait analysis to make sure that nothing else in my running style would contribute to further injury.

What a concept. Treat the current problem, but also look for the cause of it and take preventative measures to avoid future injuries! Who would have thunk it?

The final prognosis is I am healed and able to start my regular marathon training schedule.

The physical therapist was kind enough to provide me with a copy of my gait analysis and walk me through it. I’ll post that video and explain what he told me in a separate post. First, I have to figure out the video editing software.

Having the Right Doctor - Part 1 of 2

By lululemon athletica

I have learned an important lesson about choosing the right doctor. Though a doctor is highly professional and recommended, if he is not a runner he may not fully understand the special concerns related to training for a marathon.

The orthopedic surgeon I went to was good, but he was old school and not a runner. When he said I could start running again, I asked if I should first go to physical therapy. He said the best way for me to rebuild the strength in my leg was to get back to my normal routine as soon as possible. I took the doctor at his word and started back to my running routine. I started slow, running just over a mile at a slow pace. I restarted walking my dogs nightly. It was difficult for me to restrain myself. I wanted nothing more then the start running at a fast pace for as long as I could, but I could feel my leg was weak, so I adhered to my grandfather’s advise and I took it “easy greasy.” 

During my first Team in Training run, I kept up with everyone else. The pace felt good. I was able to talk the whole time without feeling winded. It was not until the run was over that I realized I was running at a much faster pace. Once I cooled down I started feeling some pain in my knee and the top of my foot – on the side that had the broken ankle. I rested a day and everything felt better. I tried running again, but halfway through, my knee started to feel sore again. I did not push anything. I rested, iced, wrapped, and elevated my knee. When my knee felt better, I stuck to the elliptical to minimize impact. However, my knee still hurt. It was not only affecting my run, but I was also having pain while doing everyday activities.

On the advice of a co-worker, I called a sports medicine doctor. He is also a marathon runner. First thing he said was that my left leg was noticeably weaker. He eased my mind by telling me that I would be back to normal in no time with physical therapy. I’m by no means a doctor, but this is how I understood it. Since my muscles were weakened, excessive stress was placed on my knee while I ran, which inflamed the “water balloon” that cushions the joint. It‘s called bursitis. The doctor said that runners are a special breed; they are all slightly crazy. He told me not to run and to start physical therapy. He also advised me that in the future to not run if I feel pain above a two out of ten (he gives most people a four out of ten but because I have a freakishly high tolerance for pain, he felt the need to be more strict) and if the pain affects daily life. Limping out of the doctor’s office I obeyed and immediately scheduled an appointment with a physical therapist who is also a marathon runner.

What made me feel good about this doctor’s advice was that he took that time to talk to me about my training, he looked at my shoes, he studied how I walked, and he tested my muscle strength. He explained how one weakened area affects other areas. He also said that he wanted to pursue the reason that I broke my ankle in the first place, to ensure that I don’t do it again. Because I didn’t fall or twist my ankle, he wanted to find out if how I run contributed to the break.

To be continued …

It's Okay to Walk



Photo by  Wally Gobetz and taken on
April 10, 2004 in Back Bay, Boston, MA, US.

 I am a reader. I like to read anything I can get my hands on from Fantasy to Physics and book to blogs. Since I decided to run a marathon, I have been reading a lot of material about running. A book I am currently reading is The Non-Runner's Marathon Trainer. I really like this book because it provides the thoughts and emotions of other people that were new to running and how they overcame the biggest obstacle - not meeting their own expectations.

When I got off my crutches, I expected to need additional training to get back to where I was prior to the broken ankle. What I did not expect was to be worse off than when I first started running. I have been pushing and pushing myself to get my pace up, but have realized my leg is not yet strong enough for that. It is very frustrating wanting to run and not be able to meet my own expectations. In the book I am reading, they warn of going into training with unreasonable expectations and personal agendas. As a first time marathon runner, my main goal is to finish the race. That in itself is a major accomplishment. Once I pass that milestone, then I can start tacking on additional goals, like achieving a certain time. Why add more pressure to myself? Why make this a chore instead of something I enjoy?

I decided to stop listening to my head and start listening to my body and the advice of experts on how to achieve my one and (now) only goal - to finish a marathon. A blog I read is Predawn Runner. The author has successfully complete many marathons and has a personable tone in his posts. I enjoy reading about his trials with training and races and knowing that it is not just me as a newbie.

This week he interviewed another first time marathon runner and what he said further strengthened my resolve to eliminate additional expectations. This runner not only wanted to complete a marathon, he also wanted to qualify for the Boston Marathon. After finishing the race, he was disappointed he did not have a qualifying time for Boston. Can you imagine, going through all that training only to be disappointed? That is the last thing I want to feel at the finish line. So out with the head trash.

There was also another point that I got from that interview. Hydrate! While running a marathon, there are water stations where volunteers hand you cups of water. Have you ever tried running and drinking a cup of water? Not easy. If you manage to get any in your mouth, you then have to worry about swallowing it without choking. How are you supposed to drink adequate amounts of water in those conditions? Well, I got my answer on another website that I like to frequent, Hal Higdon's Marathon Training Guide. Hal advises to take scheduled walking breaks.

Wait. What? I should actually plan on walking?

This is a completely foreign concept to me and it made me realize that I had yet another goal running through my head that I needed to get rid of. One of my motivating tricks I use while running is to tell myself that I can walk when I make it to the next light post, I can rest when I get to the top of the hill, I can slow down when I make it to the next intersection. I was making it a goal to run without stopping or walking, and here is an expert saying that "Walking is a perfectly acceptable strategy in trying to finish a marathon."

After I stopped to think about it, Mr. Higdon’s advice makes a lot of sense. He suggests not waiting until your body is so tired that you have to walk. The recovery time takes longer. If you plan when you are going to walk, you recover much faster and can continue longer. Another advantage is that you can plan your walks through water stations. This way you make sure you stay hydrated, and you give your body the recovery time. You can actually drink the water instead of wearing it or choking on it.

As logical as this sounds, I was not convinced of the benefit of scheduled walks until Mr. Higdon provided his personal experience. He once ran a 2:29 marathon while walking through every water station. This just proves my inexperience, and convinced me that it is okay to walk in a marathon.

So from now on, my only goal is to finish and to be proud of it!