Dry Bones (Skelton Bones)

With the toe bone connected to the foot bone,
And the foot bone connected to the ankle bone,
And the ankle bone connected to the leg bone.....

We all know these lyrics, don't we? Well, my trainer knows them better than anyone I know, and lives and breathes them as his occupation. Most importantly, I am ever so grateful to be partnered with him again for newest adventure in recovery. If you knew me during my Ironman training, then you knew I worked with a fantastic trainer, Keith. Quite literally, without him, I would never have crossed the finish line, much less cross it in the best shape of my life. His area of expertise revolves around biomechanics and corrective exercises that help you establish good movement patterns from which to build upon. It was the secret to my success at Ironman, and will be the same secret to success for this recovery and training for rigors of a fifty mile run. Under his coaching, I learned many myofascial release techniques using a foam roller and stick. I performed many exercises in his studio to correct my posture and biomechanics. He taught me that muscular imbalances cause biomechanical changes which can lead to injury. My two year Ironman journey and successful finish was nearly injury free thanks to Keith. I crossed that finish line happy and healthy, and walked away all smiles. Realize, 50% of the finishers have to hit the med tent. Not me. I give most of the credit for that to my trainer. Oh yeah, I am not a compensated spokesperson, just a believer in his program.

Where am I going with all of this? As I said earlier, I am honored and lucky to be partnered with Keith again. He now has his own business (irehab.com), an online gateway to personalized rehabilitation and exercise. We will be working together to document this journey of mine, which has already begun. It is critical that I create the muscular balance I need at the very beginning of my recovery so I have good biomechanics to work from as I begin to run again.

Along those lines, the first exercise I am doing is designed to avoid fibrosis in the bottom of my foot as a result of lack of flexibility. I am using a golf ball, covered with a towel, to gently roll my foot over. At first, I thought this was silly. I can tell you that in one minute, my foot loved it. It was like getting a mini-massage! It's a giant "ahhhhhhh" after a long day.

Monday will bring my first attempt at walk/jog on the treadmill. I am actually thinking it will be easier to jog than walk, as walking really forces my toe to bend, which is still having some pain from the surgery. It's recovering very quickly though, and I look forward to just dealing with the workouts!

Dress Up and Show Up

Today was my first trip back in to the gym since a couple of weeks prior to the surgery. The first hurdle was in the bathroom this morning, getting my running shoes on. I loosened the laces, and gingerly pushed my foot down in to the shoe. Much to my amazement, they felt fantastic and provided much needed support that running around the house barefoot doesn't give. Once at the gym, I headed over to the elliptical and dialed in an easy interval workout. Almost immediately, my right quad fired up and began to ache. I was reminded to really focus on being balanced by the burn in my right leg. The recovering foot cramped, stung, whined and generally started to complain at me within minutes of starting the workout. I wanted to quit a dozen times, but didn't. I kept reminding myself that the pain I had endured prior to surgery was much worse (and different) than the pain I am having during recovery. I kept checking my posture in my reflection in the glass, and struggled to stay symmetrical. The good news is this mental game kept me so busy I wasn't clock watching. With a few minutes to go on the clock, I knew I had beat the first challenge workout. I wandered (wandered? heck...limped) over to the free weights and pumped out a few sets to make it an honest workout. I left the gym jubilant, revived, and very happy I stuck it out. It's great to be back in the saddle again!

Stitchless

Today was my 2 week follow up appointment with Dr. L. Mostly, I was to show up to have the stitches removed (yes, I must admit I was tempted to snip...). I saw him in the hallway as I made my way down to x-ray for the obligatory post surgery films. I loved it when he said "Hey! You're doing great!".

This was my first chance to chat with him after the surgery. I had a few questions for him. The pin in my right foot was so loose it spun around when he tried to grab it. OK, good thing I had that removed. No telling what that could have led to. My hallux rigidus turned out to be grade 3 (scale is 1, 2 or 3). He told me I had 50% bone-on-bone, and when he opened the toe, there were many pieces of bone fragments that had come off of the new little "wings" my body was creating to cushion itself. OK, that confirms the reason it was hurting so bad.

The bigger question was "when can I?". Loved the answer. Cleared for elliptical and/or bike tomorrow morning, and cleared for walk/jog next Monday. I was cautioned that I will have a few steps forward and one backward for a few weeks. He reminded me to pay attention to any swelling, and back off accordingly. I was also instructed on correct massage techniques to help the scar tissue dissipate and aid in the scar becoming as supple as one can make a scar.

The best thing he said: "I usually have my patients come back for another 4 week followup, but you....you go and have a nice life, call me if you need me".

Yippee! A successful surgery. On to the recovery!

Obstacle One

I developed pain in my left foot three years ago, while training for Outer Banks Marathon. It was nagging, but disappeared during my recovery from the race. I ramped up again for City of Oaks Marathon in the fall, and the pain returned with a vengeance. I started to race half marathon's to keep the pain in check, and that worked OK for another season. I was ready to get it looked at in 2009 when I had the accident that broke my arm, and brought me a prosthetic elbow. Honestly, I needed some distance between that and any thought of foot surgery. I tried to train for my favorite half marathon distance, American Tobacco Trail, this spring. I found myself unable to even put a shoe on without intense pain, and couldn't run more than a couple of miles without being in pain for days. The pain woke me up, and made my toe throb all day long. It was when I had to withdraw from the race that I gave in and called the orthopaedic surgeon. I was diagnosed with hallux rigidus of the 1st MTP, 3rd degree. It was salvageable with a cheilectomy. While I was under anesthesia, the surgeon also removed hardware that was installed on my right foot in 1999 that had worked its way loose. Nothing like a double foot surgery at the beginning of a dream to run a 50 mile race. It's been two weeks since surgery, and the recovery is going quite nicely. I dropped the crutches on day 3, and drove my car on day 9. Left the elevator behind today in favor of the stairs. Stitches come out on Monday, and I'm sure I'll be in the gym sometime next week to start learning to walk and run all over again. If I was concerned about wearing fancy sandals, I may have issues. Alas, I am more interested in functionality than scars!

So it begins

Crazy? Maybe. Dedicated? Most certainly. My family and friends know me well enough to know that I have learned how to achieve a goal. They watched me dream of Ironman, watched me as I trained my mind and body to qualify, worried about me during the two years of training for Ironman once I had qualified, and waited for me at the finish line. That race changed me forever. The experience completely and thoroughly altered the very fabric of who I am. Five years have passed since that day, and I have continued to long for another vision quest of that magnitude or greater. I've held the dream of Fifty at Sixty for some time now. Now, at 56, I've committed to the journey. Not unlike my Ironman journey, there are obstacles to overcome. Most notably, I needed surgery on both feet to even begin running again. In typical runner fashion, I put that surgery off for 3 years, until my body gave me no alternative. Fix or quit. I called my trusted orthopaedic surgeon, who in 2009 fixed my shattered radial head so fantastically. Surgery was on April 11, 2011. The stitches will be removed on Monday. Training begins on Tuesday. I have no idea where it will lead me, but there is no doubt in my mind the journey will be worthy.

And, like Ironman, I won't be able to complete the journey by myself. I am supported again by my family and friends, my running partners, and my employer. I am incredibly lucky to have partnered again with my Ironman coach, confidant and trainer....the incomparable Keith Krugh. Without Keith, I would still just have a dream. Keith will be working with me as I negotiate the unknown of my rehabilitation from the surgery and the rigors of training (and staying healthy) for an ultra distance run.

What follows here is my chronicle of the journey. Please join me as I reach for the stars again.