Tentative New Beginnings

I've been out of touch for a while as far as this blog goes, but I just couldn't come up with any real reason to get on here and post something as long as I was laid up and unable to walk, let alone run, for a period of time. After my surgery I was the (un)lucky recipient of a blood clot in my leg that hurt like a mofo and promptly put me on my back for over a week.

As an aside, being on medication sucks...

Anyway, it took a while after that for the pain to go away to the point that I didn't feel like I was ripping the calf muscle right off of the bone, and then out of nowhere my wonky friggin' ankle flared up on me something fierce on Halloween weekend and I felt like I was once again taking two steps back. A full week went by and now, finally, I am starting to feel better.

I hadn't run a single time since August 26th, but managed to head out on Sunday morning for a very slow and tentative trial. I walked for a bit to "warm up" and then jogged for three kilometres with a bit of walking in between each click. It was slow, sure, but at least it "was". Twenty minutes or so of jogging and now on Monday morning I feel a bit stiff. Pathetic, I know, but I'm just hoping it is the beginning of my glorious comeback.

No goals at this point other than getting back to running regularly and relatively pain free. Here's hoping for a healthy rest of 2009, and a 2010 with lots of running and racing.

Complications...

First, let me wish everyone a most Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!

But boy, did this Fall ever turn out different than I envisioned it! Not only did my marathon plans fall by the wayside, but now I can't even spend Thanksgiving with my family (who are in Ottawa as I type). My surgery of two Friday's ago seemed to have gone according to plan. Last weekend was painful, but I was assured that this was to be expected. However, by Wednesday the pain was increasing rather than dissipating and I, on the sober advice of my lovely wife, called the surgeon to see if he would see me just to make sure all was well.

It's a good thing I went in earlier than the previously scheduled post-op check up. Turns out my body decided to throw me a curve and I had a blood clot in my leg that was making things nearly unbearable as far as pain goes. I am now on anti-coagulants, or more commonly referred to as "blood thinners" (and I am told that this is the same stuff that is in rat poison!) though they don't actually thin the blood. I am not allowed to walk any distance other than puttering around the house. I also had to inject myself with a series of syringes that are now, mercifully, finished. I won't complain about this for I know that many have to give themselves injections on a regular basis, but it was a strange and unpleasant experience to say the least. Every nerve in my body, all of my instincts, told me to not plunge that needle into my stomach when I held it at the ready. I persevered, and now will just have to take pills for the next three to six months and be extremely careful not to cut myself.

Anyway, long story short, I still can't walk or stand without tremendous shooting pain in my leg, and running is the furthest thing from my mind. Here' s hoping the next installment is of the happier variety.

Post-Op Report

I had the surgery this morning and now I am home, somewhat in pain, but none the worse for wear I guess. The procedure took about an hour and it all went as described except for one part. The shots of anaesthetic were the only truly painful parts, but then at one point it felt like the back of my leg, from the butt all the way down, went into a mega cramp. I told the surgeon about this and he stopped what he was doing until the sensation dissipated. It was very strange and painful. What might have happened is that a nerve was irritated and that's what I actually felt. Cramping was not really happening since the muscles never tightened up or anything, but it was the complete lack of control that was the worst part. Normally with a cramp you can shift your position, stand up, whatever to try and get rid of it. I wasn't able to move an inch and so had absolutely no way to get rid of the pain. I just had to grin an bear it. After a few uncomfortable minutes it went away and the surgeon was able to proceed. Now I just feel like someone was punching me repeatedly in the back of the calf. Weird...

Here's hoping that the weekend goes well and I am back on my feet pain-free by Monday.

Alright... Time for Another Update

Seeing as I am not running I figured now's the time to do something I've been thinking about doing for about a year or two. I have decided to get some "minor" surgery (if there is such a thing) done on my right leg to clear up circulation issues that I've had for years. Though I've been told that these have nothing to do with my ankle injury, I am not convinced. It seems that the original injury was also the start of these issues, so how can they NOT be related?

Anyway, I have no idea if this will help with the ankle (which, mercifully, has not been a major issue for quite some time), but it needs to get done finally. It will also mean that I will be off the road for a few weeks afterwards, which will add up to almost two months of no running for me. By then the knees should be fully recovered and I can, hopefully, begin to slowly work my way towards building a good base over the course of the Fall and Winter months. Not that much has gone according to plan, but I am keeping my fingers crossed that, come next June, I will have an awesome base and will have been running somewhere in the 40-60km per week range for several months. Then, when I start training for my first marathon, my body will be better prepared for the effort.

It's still a bummer that I can't run, but I am looking and thinking long term. I also have to keep rollerblading, start doing some strength exercises for the legs, and get my membership at the UofT pool renewed so I can start swimming again. I have to keep my weight in check since I've gained 5lbs in the past 2-3 weeks (yikes!). Lots to think about...

I think the hardest thing about this surgery is that I am not allowed to drink ANY coffee for 24 hours prior to the procedure. Nuts!