Rehab Of Heel And Ribs Almost Complete

Many of you know already that I have had some forced time off from running. For those of you who are not aware of how I got to this point see: ( Struggling With Downtime )

Today I cycled for the first time in 7 weeks. I have not run yet and will not try until I am given the go ahead by my physical therapist (PT), next Thursday. He said he would give me a protocol at that time which would probably involve only walking and cycling to begin with. In fact, I was not given the go ahead to cycle as of yet but I just could not resist the opportunity to try and see how the heel would respond. So far the heel seems fine and cycling, while bothersome, never did inflame it as much as running. I usually only noticed a problem hours to a day afterward. It has been 4 hours and so far no noticeable problem. The ribs are pretty much completely healed, as I do not notice any soreness unless I do some sort of extreme movement or pressure in the wrong place. Cycling was no problem for the ribs ( See: Trail Run,Fall, Broken Ribs, Oh My) at all, and I am sure running would not be either.

I have 6 more days until the walking boot comes off. I know I will want to try and run immediately but my PT says he will put me on a walking protocol first and graduate to running. This will be tough, but no one wants this to work more than I, so I will follow the protocol. He said cycling would probably be OK also.

Hopefully the epidural shot I received last Monday in my sacroiliac joint will be a more complete and long-term solution to my heel and leg problems. Within 3 days of the shot I noticed a significant relief in my left hip and leg, allowing me to increase my flexibility by almost six inches in several stretches including touching my toes from a standing stiff leg bend and even down to the second finger joints being bent. Another stretch that I had been doing was from a seated position bringing my left foot up and crossing it over my right knee while bending forward at the waist. This stretch would often elicit a slight shock like sensation from my hamstrings to my heel. Not only has this disappeared, but I can now lean forward touching my head to my left leg at the knee, whereas before my head was about 6 inches away. In two days I see the pain doctor and he will hopefully prescribe at least one or more future injections to completely calm the hip and leg soreness from the nerve problem. The relief I have gotten is significant enough to verify that the main problem is a nerve inflammation

My plan for the future is to start training for another marathon as soon as possible whether or not my heel is completely better. The reason for this is that the next course of action, if it is not better, would be surgery and I do not want to be out any longer than I have to being off my feet. I would rather go into surgery from a state of maximum conditioning than to go in already having lost 10 weeks or more.

So, I have my sights set on training for the Tucson Marathon in December. I may also do a trail Ragnar in the meantime. Pray for my heel to be completely healed within the next two weeks!

Looking forward to training again very soon!

ON a lighter note, I am hoping to score an interview with The Jester, AKA Ed Ettinghausen. He is a rather prolific ultra marathoner who has just completed his 3^rd Badwater 135 mile ultra marathon, from Death Valley to the Mt. Whitney portals. This race is considered by most to be the hardest foot race in the world with temperatures reaching near 130 degrees and upwards of 150 degrees and more at road level. Make sure to check back soon!

Happy Trails,

Russ

Struggling With Downtime

 It has been five weeks since I last ran and I am struggling to keep a positive mental attitude! In the meantime I have been doing a lot of writing, but not so much about running because writing about running kind of depresses me at the moment. The hardest part is, that now my ribs are healed enough to run, but I chose to try and fix my chronic left heel pain so I have been in a walking boot for 3 weeks, which I am also supposed to wear even when I sleep. This boot keeps my heel immobile. The only time I am supposed to have it off is for showering, physical therapy exorcises, and swimming. If you have been following my blogs at all you know I am a terrible swimmer. I have 3 more weeks of the boot and physical therapy. So far I have really not noticed any difference in my heel and am not optimistic that what I am going through will actually help, which makes matters even worse.

If my heel were feeling even a little better than is does, from not running for even three days, then I would have some optimism but it does not. I am determined to follow through with the therapy and the boot regimen in the slight hope that it will actually help. But, the longer I go without seeing results the harder it is and the more I long to run even if I continue to have the heel pain.

I am close to a large group of runners and hear from many them every day on facebook. I also meet with some of them almost every Sunday morning at Panera Bread after their run. I love to hear about how their runs went and what races they are preparing for, but I miss not being able to share how mine went. Still, just being close to them and hearing their enthusiasm about running keeps me going mentally. I draw a sense of belonging and camaraderie from just being around them and being able to feel their sense of accomplishment and enjoyment of what they have just experienced. For some this might be depressing but for me I draw strength and connectedness from mingling with the group even though I cannot run with them right now. This whole thing would be so much harder without being able to talk and commiserate with my fellow runners.

So what are my plans if the therapy does not work? The answer to that depends on what my doctor says, but most likely surgery would be in the works. That would mean being away from running for 3-6 months. If that is the decision then I will put off the surgery until I complete another marathon and hopefully have the surgery scheduled for the week after the marathon. That way I will be near top shape and not lose as much fitness. It would be awful to go strait from 8 weeks of not running to an additional 3-6 months of not running and be out a total of 8-10 months. I cringe even thinking about it.

There is one other possibility and that is that all of this is actually being caused by a nerve problem originating in my hip and traveling down my whole leg to the heel and foot. I will be having an epidural on Monday, July 15^th. If that gives relief to the nerve problem and allows the muscles to relax more, then that may solve the other problem also.

Still holding on to the hope that I will not need surgery.

Happy Trails,

Russ Barber