A blog that will track my training and physical fitness as I prepare for a marathon that will be next year. I still have yet to pick a particular marathon. My brother, Brian, and I have made a pact that we will run this marathon together. There have been several members of our family that have run marathons and this has also been a lifelong goal of mine.
As most of you know, this blog was created for my brother and I who made an agreement over Thanksgiving last year that we would run a marathon together in a year's time. Yesterday I received an email from my brother which made me a little teary eyed. My brother Brian has had his share of obstacles to overcome in order to progress his running. He has had surgery on his foot, had Achilles issues and as of lately, was struggling with additional ankle problems and was seeing a physical therapist for these injuries. My brother wrote me, "According to the head of the southern California foot and ankle institute at cedars says I have the most inflamed posterior tibial tendinitis he's ever seen and will be using my MRI for his next lecture." This can't be good, I thought to myself. The good news is that Brian probably won't need surgery, however it is unlikely that he will be able to run the marathon with me in the Fall. In some strange way, this may be a blessing in disguise for my brother, who has a baby boy on the way who will need Brian and his wife, Alesa's full attention. Bri, I wish you a speedy recovery and I know that you would be there at the race with me if you could.
As for my training, it has been going pretty well lately. The physical therapy that I'm going to seems to be working well. My knee pain has lessened considerably and I'm really positive that this therapy will be successful.
Stefhan, his two girls and I went to southern Utah over the weekend. I ran 6 miles into Capitol Reef National Park with Mogul. This was by far one of the most beautiful runs I have ever done. Mogul went with me and he was able to run off leash since we ran on a back road where there wasn't a vehicle or person in sight. Two miles in, I had to do a little rock hopping to cross a beautiful, crystal clear creek. On the other side there was a run down barn/ranch, however I didn't see any humans or animals there either. The sky was one of the bluest skies I had ever seen and it really felt as if I was running Under the Banner of Heaven. It was one of those runs where if I had more time, I would have kept going and going.
That's about it for now. I'll keep you updated as to my brother's progress with his tendinitis.
I finally got around to making my appointment for physical therapy. Ryan Fuhriman is my physical therapist and so far it has gone really well. He is one of the few physical therapists in the valley who is a certified ASTYM practioner. Ryan has me working on my hip flexors and quad strength. He additionally has me stretching my quads and hips since they are all related to the IT Band injuries. He is also using ASTYM to help heal my soft tissue issues. ASTYM is soft tissue mobilization that allows the therapist to stimulate the body's natural capacity to heal problems such as soft tissue degeneration, tendonitis, or chronic inflammation. I really liked Ryan's confidence that the ASTYM treatment would cure my chronic, nagging inflammation.
Today was my first ASTYM treatment. I first warmed up on the elliptical for ten minutes, then did some lightweight squats, and then did some rubber band exercises that were really fatiguing on my hip flexors. I then went into Ryan's office to start the first ASTYM treatment. Ryan put a bunch of cocoa butter on my legs, from my ankles to my hips and basically scraped at my legs with a plastic tool, kneading out my muscles. For most, this process can be painful. However, I'm one of five patients that Ryan has had in five years who actually finds the process theraputic and really enjoy it! It's that good kind of pain that I crave!
Thankfully, during the ASTYM treatment, I can still run and work out as much as I'd like. I will be seeing Ryan twice a week for the treatments and he is confident that after 6 or 7 sessions, that I should be able to run pain free.
After my treatment today, I went for a hilly and off-kilter run for 8 miles. Knee pain was incredibly minimal and was only sore after the run. I iced my knees for a bit since Ryan said that this was okay. He did tell me to stop taking any anti-inflammatory medications because this would impede the healing process. I'm really hoping that today's run is a good indication of what kind of healthy running I will have in the future! The videos below will explain the ASTYM system a little better:
For my friends with injuries, I would really recommend getting checked out. In the mean time, pick up a foam roller or even a tennis ball and start rolling and stretching those hard to reach places. I can't believe how helpful this has been. Never underestimate the power of stretching!
I'll keep you updated after my next session on Thursday :)
Today I had my appointment with Dr. Cooley at the orthopedic clinic. I was really impressed with his friendliness and his confidence. I had some x-rays taken of my knees and then the doc pushed and prodded on parts around my knee to see where there was any tenderness. Fortunately, the x-rays showed healthy knees and no issues. The other good news was that my current injury and running will not cause any permanent damage, however, I do need to cut back on my running to allow time for healing (boo hoo). I saw this coming from a mile away (no pun intended) which is precisely why I waited until after the half-marathon to see the doc.
The diagnosis is Iliotibial Band Friction Syndrome (IBFS). Lucky for me, I have been doing all the right things leading up to the half-marathon: icing, glucosamine, rolling, and stretching. I will now have to attend a physical therapy session to learn proper stretching for my knee and also build muscle in my quads.
I will have to time my marathon carefully. The doc says it will take about 3 months of cross-training and a little less running to be fully healed. That leaves me 3 months to train for the marathon after I'm healed. Ideally, I would want 4 months to train. I will have to choose a marathon carefully that will allow me enough time to be prepared. I'm really dreading lessening my running mileage, but I guess I'll just have to get over it, move on and be disciplined.
Here's the info on IBFS:
Click image to enlarge
Diagnosis
Your diagnosis is iliotibial band friction syndrome.
Injury or Condition
This condition is persistent inflammation and pain which occurs at the outer prominence (lateral epicondyle) of the femur near the knee joint.
Cause
The most common cause is “friction” from a taut tendon iliotibial band) during unaccustomed use or “overuse” while running or hiking downhill. Attempts to “run through the pain” result in greater inflammation.
Symptoms
Typical symptoms are pain which classically occurs during running or downhill hiking, and which radiates from the outside (lateral) aspect of the knee according to severity. Visible swelling is almost never present.
Treatment
Standard treatment includes:
Rest from jogging, running or hiking until you can perform these activities without pain.
Modify your activities. Biking is tolerated better than running.
Make sure your running shoe maximizes shock absorption at heel strike.
Anti-inflammatory medication for 1-3 weeks.
Apply ice to the painful area.
Stretch your iliotibial band regularly after symptoms have been relieved.
Physical therapy will be helpful for instruction on stretching on strengthening exercises.
Precautions
Important precautions:
Do not attempt to “run through pain”.
Avoid surfaces which slope slightly downward on your affected side.
Surgery is a last resort and may or may not yield significant improvement.
Avoid Cortisone injections, which may mask pain and lead to greater risk of “overuse.”
Unnecessary or over-corrective orthotics may contribute to this condition. Consult your doctor prior to obtaining orthotics.
Recovery
The expected recovery often lasts about twice as long as the duration of your symptoms.
