Number Nine

I will be nine weeks post-op on Monday. This past training week was the first one where I didn't really notice the surgery, and I was able to cruise through the workouts like the old days. Even better, my toe popped for the first time in I don't know how long. That may sound strange to a lot of you, but to me, it was the best feeling ever. The inflammation from prior to the surgery, and then from the actual surgery, had subsided enough to allow the toe to "pop". Ahhhhhh, life's little pleasures. I am running a solid 15-16 miles a week, and getting in 2 strength workouts each week. While I am still packing way too many extra pounds around, I am feeling more like my former self every day. I'm not focusing on the weight issue since I know from experience it will naturally fall way when I kick up the mileage. For variety, I am giving my two older grandsons swimming lessons starting today in their pool. I told Angie that I would be teaching the "Mari L." method. Thanks Mari for all of you have done for me....I will be paying it forward to two eager little boys!

The Long and Winding Road (ahead...)

It's been 6 weeks since the surgery. What a great week! I did 6 workouts, and managed a total of 16 miles of running. I did two strength workouts, stretched 6 days and on the foam roller 6 days. There were many painful moments and reminders (shoulders down and back...breathe...feet straight...work through the pain to the end...). Today was my first adventure outdoors in the park. I loved every step of the 3 mile run. It marked the true beginning of my training for the 50. Rick rode alongside of me, which is also part of my plan. I really need him to support the longer runs, and what better way for him to do that than with a nice bike ride with his wife? His presence gives me a sense of comfort I cannot get running alone.

This week is also the first full week of working with my new program. I've talked a lot about my trainer, Keith. If any of you watch the Biggest Loser, for me, Keith is my Bob Harper. When you click with a trainer, never leave that person. I "clicked" with Keith the very first time I met him in Hawaii. A trainer/coach relationship is about trust. Not only trusting your trainer, but allowing him/her to instill trust in yourself. When you have full and implicit trust in the program,your training and your own abilities, you can achieve anything. I don't say that lightly. This was probably the most important take away from my Ironman. Trust. For the new reader, you should know that I did not know how to swim when I started my Ironman dream. I did not own a bicycle. I had only dabbled in 5 and 10K's. I was hardly the vision one had when thinking of an Ironman. Today, I am a changed human being. I have learned to trust.

So, when the email arrived from Keith announcing my new program, I remembered that I had to trust. He is as passionate about his work as I am about mine. We both have a role to play in this adventure, and we both trust each other to execute to the best of our abilities. I can't even begin to tell you how much I learned from him during Ironman training. Now, I trust that I will learn so much again about myself, and what it means to be human. My body has evolved and aged, and I have gained much wisdom since Ironman, but I remain fearless and fierce in my determination to trust both Keith, and myself. I am so excited for the next chapter, and to start down that long and winding road to the finish line.

Week Two

Just over four weeks post-surgical, and I'm feeling like the surgery was a success, and I will be able to work out the "kinks" and start to ramp up a running program. This week, I was able to increase the mileage by 50% to a whopping 11.6 miles! Perhaps the best part of the week was I did three days in a row of three miles each. Albeit a little slow (38 minutes), but got the job done. The pain in my toe is slowly dissipating, and is truly a reflection of the surgery. No hint of the hallux rigidus pain (those of you who know will know I am referring to the nightmare of bone pain...burning pain...impervious to Aleve pain). There are new issues cropping up, but nothing I did not expect. Because I have favored the left leg so much for so long, my right knee clicks when I climb stairs. I sent a quick note to Keith to see about corrective exercises that I can employ to help get the body square again. Need to address that soon before it turns into a full blown problem. Goals for next week are 15 miles total, and my first run outside on uneven terrain. I've been a bit leery of outdoors until the foot had healed a little bit more. Most of you know I live 1/2 mile from Umstead Park, which is the actual course for the 50 mile run. What better way to train than on the course?

Week One and Motivation

It was a great recovery week. Much better than I had anticipated. Sure, day one and day two were rough. Why shouldn't they be? By day three, I knew the doctor was right when he said 2 forward, 1 backward. I had to take Wednesday off. The foot was sore and a little swelling was noticeable next to the incision. But, that turned out to be the right thing to do as day four and day five were kick ass for someone recovering from a cheilectomy! Started the week with a very slow 1.6 miles, and ended with a 2.5 mile jog in 32 minutes. I was very pleased. Being ever vigilant about my biomechanics, I am noticing minor issues. My right knee clicks when I climb stairs. I know that's from favoring the left foot for weeks, and will no doubt disappear when I finally get my weight evenly distributed. I'm limping a lot less though, and moving through space a little quicker. I am very happy that the pain I experienced on Friday was comparable to the pain I had the week before surgery, so I know it's healing.

That brings me to the motivation part. Usually, I am highly self motivated, and don't need too much to spur me in to action. Training for Ironman taught me how to take myself out there and pound out a workout. Today, I found new motivation in a strange place. The dressing room in Dick's Sporting Goods. Oh yeah, nothing quite like the annual excursion to purchase the summer's swimsuit to bring it all in to sharp focus. Liposuction came to mind. I left with the new suit, and new found motivation to run my ass off. On to week two! My goal is to hit a 5K by Friday.

The Longest Mile

....is the first mile. Especially after double foot surgery. Today was my first step on to the treadmill. A familiar place. I stashed my water bottle in the usual cubby hole, turned on the TV and tuned to CNN (which held my interest this morning...normally does not), and pushed START. I quickly discovered that walking is not fun or pain free. I had assumed that jogging might be easier since I wouldn't be "pushing off" with nearly the degree of flexion. Gee, wouldn't it be easier to simply bounce up and down in a jog? My hand reached out for the speed control and started to tap it. 2.5, 2.8, 3.0, 3.4, 3.5....OK that's enough. The jogging was going pretty well. Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered the surgeon saying "OK to walk/jog". Then, it slipped right out of my mind. I was enjoying my new found freedom so much I kept going for 30 minutes. I ended up with 1.6 miles. Normally, I would say "big woop" and slap myself for such a wimpy run. Not so today. Big celebration! I packed my gym bag for another try tomorrow. 1.7?

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!