Friday, November 19, 2010
I passed the day Friday waiting for my foot to begin hurting. I had an appointment with Nilesh for my PSA at day’s end and was glad I’d done the running to trigger the pain. There was none. I met with him and described the pain, where it had struck and my current condition, which was pain-free.
“Hey…you listened to my instructions and now you’re better,” he said.
“Yeah…what a concept. I just don’t get how I could be on crutches and then five days later running like nothing had ever happened,” I said.
He described a bone on the bottom of the foot in exactly the location I’d experienced the worst pain and how, with the help of a manipulation by a doc familiar with it, can pop it back when it pops out…like a dislocated shoulder. “Maybe you just popped it out and it’s back in now,” he speculated.
Anyway, I gave them a vial of blood and will wait to hear the results of the PSA, which isn’t instamatic, so I guess I’ll hear some time next week.
I headed for home and some manual labor since I wasn’t supposed to run. The leaves seem to be all down, so I finished the raking, but my neighbor wouldn’t let me do his…he wanted to. Then I headed into the garage where I have my work bench and tools. Jason had criticized my organizational skills…I’d been piling things up for some time and had added Jim’s tools to the mix…so I decided it was time to clean it up. I spent the next three hours cleaning out the garage, making an insulation blanket for Mimi’s attic steps, and organizing the work bench. By the time I was finished, I had a separate pile of things I figured Jason would want and called him to tell him how he’d inspired me to clean up the mess. I was trying to get as much out of the way as possible since tomorrow would be full with working at Mimi’s, doing the rest of my own winterizing, and taking the van and Ash’s car to Dan’s for work. If I can’t work out…at least I can pick up the slack around the house…
Monday, November 22, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Where'd that foot pain go?
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Saturday morning I was using crutches to get around the house and if you would have told me then that I’d run five days later without pain in my foot, I’d have thought I really was John Locke and the island had cured me.
Following doctor’s advice, as I always do, I went for a run. He’d said ‘not super-long’ which to me meant run until it hurts or twenty miles, whichever comes first. Actually, I planned to run 10 minutes with only marginal hope that I’d complete the time without having to stop. My foot was feeling completely normal as I started though, and maybe I’d get lucky. I was on the trails and when I reached Clear Creek from my car, I’d gone 6 minutes and felt absolutely no pain. My brain calculated quickly…as it always does…that if I went another 90 seconds and then turned around, I’d have a 15-minute run and a good test of the recovery process…so I did.
I returned to the car with no pain and drove home thinking it would come before the night was over. It never did.
So…now I’m supposed to take a day off before running again, which I’ll do. I’m going to see the doc tomorrow and I’ll show him the foot and what a good patient I’ve been. He’ll say “for once you listened to me” or something to that effect and I’ll agree and when I’m hurt again, I’ll give him a call and because of this experience, there will be a 20% chance that I’ll follow his advice the first time…which is up. I really need to start burning some calories. Thanksgiving is a week away and is the traditional kickoff to 10 pounds of weight gain I schedule every year for the holidays. Not this year, though.
Run duration: 15 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 250.
Saturday morning I was using crutches to get around the house and if you would have told me then that I’d run five days later without pain in my foot, I’d have thought I really was John Locke and the island had cured me.
Following doctor’s advice, as I always do, I went for a run. He’d said ‘not super-long’ which to me meant run until it hurts or twenty miles, whichever comes first. Actually, I planned to run 10 minutes with only marginal hope that I’d complete the time without having to stop. My foot was feeling completely normal as I started though, and maybe I’d get lucky. I was on the trails and when I reached Clear Creek from my car, I’d gone 6 minutes and felt absolutely no pain. My brain calculated quickly…as it always does…that if I went another 90 seconds and then turned around, I’d have a 15-minute run and a good test of the recovery process…so I did.
I returned to the car with no pain and drove home thinking it would come before the night was over. It never did.
So…now I’m supposed to take a day off before running again, which I’ll do. I’m going to see the doc tomorrow and I’ll show him the foot and what a good patient I’ve been. He’ll say “for once you listened to me” or something to that effect and I’ll agree and when I’m hurt again, I’ll give him a call and because of this experience, there will be a 20% chance that I’ll follow his advice the first time…which is up. I really need to start burning some calories. Thanksgiving is a week away and is the traditional kickoff to 10 pounds of weight gain I schedule every year for the holidays. Not this year, though.
Run duration: 15 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 130 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 250.
Thursday, November 18, 2010
Time for a blood test...
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
I decided I needed to ratchet things up just a notch or two so I’d know when I went to the doc’s office on Friday just how bad the foot still was. I was going in for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, a screening for the presence of prostate cancer, and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. My brother Jeff is a poster child for PSA screening. He has been visiting his physician regularly for years and it was the resulting increase over his baseline numbers resulting from his screenings that detected his prostate cancer and led to early and effective treatment. Apparently, there is controversy over the use of PSA results in determining the presence of prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer in the US, but he was interviewed at the Cleveland Clinic and featured on ‘Live on Five’ recently, declaring that without the testing, he wouldn’t be here today. A simple blood test allows laboratory technicians to determine PSA levels. PSA is a protein that is normally secreted and disposed of by the prostate gland. High PSA levels (more than 4.0 ng/ml) may indicate the presence of prostate cancer cells or other non-cancerous prostate conditions. However, in approximately 10% of prostate cancer cases, there is no rise in PSA above this threshold level, which creates a diagnostic problem for this group of individuals. Apparently, Jeff’s were low, but were trending higher than his baseline and thus led to more aggressive methods to determine if he had prostate cancer. In other words, I needed to quit procrastinating and get mine checked.
I called Holly and asked her if she’d like to go for a hike when she got home. She agreed to it, but wouldn’t arrive for another 45 minutes, so I used that time to work the foot harder with some very necessary leaf raking. I figured I’d follow the yard work with an hour hike and then go for a jog tomorrow…all in an effort to bring on more pain…and then be able to show rather than tell the doc what the problem was. I thought it made sense.
We walked the bridle trails from the bottom of Wilson Mills to the parking lot at the top of the hill, but since it was getting dark, returned on the paved bike path/road for the return trip. It was then that I noticed an increase in pain in my foot and figured it had something to do with the hardness of the surface. Still, it was better than yesterday, which continued to encourage me. By the time we reached the car, I was convinced that jogging 10 minutes tomorrow would make sense and still be following doctor’s orders. I’ll know in 24 hours…
Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 420.
I decided I needed to ratchet things up just a notch or two so I’d know when I went to the doc’s office on Friday just how bad the foot still was. I was going in for a PSA (prostate specific antigen) test, a screening for the presence of prostate cancer, and thought I’d kill two birds with one stone. My brother Jeff is a poster child for PSA screening. He has been visiting his physician regularly for years and it was the resulting increase over his baseline numbers resulting from his screenings that detected his prostate cancer and led to early and effective treatment. Apparently, there is controversy over the use of PSA results in determining the presence of prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer in the US, but he was interviewed at the Cleveland Clinic and featured on ‘Live on Five’ recently, declaring that without the testing, he wouldn’t be here today. A simple blood test allows laboratory technicians to determine PSA levels. PSA is a protein that is normally secreted and disposed of by the prostate gland. High PSA levels (more than 4.0 ng/ml) may indicate the presence of prostate cancer cells or other non-cancerous prostate conditions. However, in approximately 10% of prostate cancer cases, there is no rise in PSA above this threshold level, which creates a diagnostic problem for this group of individuals. Apparently, Jeff’s were low, but were trending higher than his baseline and thus led to more aggressive methods to determine if he had prostate cancer. In other words, I needed to quit procrastinating and get mine checked.
I called Holly and asked her if she’d like to go for a hike when she got home. She agreed to it, but wouldn’t arrive for another 45 minutes, so I used that time to work the foot harder with some very necessary leaf raking. I figured I’d follow the yard work with an hour hike and then go for a jog tomorrow…all in an effort to bring on more pain…and then be able to show rather than tell the doc what the problem was. I thought it made sense.
We walked the bridle trails from the bottom of Wilson Mills to the parking lot at the top of the hill, but since it was getting dark, returned on the paved bike path/road for the return trip. It was then that I noticed an increase in pain in my foot and figured it had something to do with the hardness of the surface. Still, it was better than yesterday, which continued to encourage me. By the time we reached the car, I was convinced that jogging 10 minutes tomorrow would make sense and still be following doctor’s orders. I’ll know in 24 hours…
Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 420.
Listening to the doctor's advice...
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
My doc knows me pretty well and was explicit with his instructions for my returning to running. He wrote that if I could walk/live with minimal pain, then I was okay to try jogging, but not ‘super far’. He even gave me a pain scale, saying that if I was a 3 or lower on a 10 point scale, I could continue to run, but only on an every-other day basis. The ‘super far’ is open to interpretation as is the pain scale, but I know what he wants, though I tend to abuse good advice. This time though, I’ll do my best to get it right. Options are more limited for an exercise fix this time of year and I don’t want to eliminate the easiest and my favorite.
Today was not a ‘minimal pain’ day and so I had no allusions about running. I did however plan to do a longer walk in the park to see how it reacted. I arrived near dark, but pulled my camera out anyway and went on a 1-hour, off-trail loop with the hope of spotting some big buck and snapping a decent picture or two. As soon as I began walking up hill, the pain in the outside part of my foot returned and continued to throb throughout the hike. I suppose it was a little above minimal, though as I’ve often explained to Holly…what’s minimal to me would kill an normal person...and she loves it when I say that. Anyway…I could live with it so I kept going.
The leaves were too crunchy and broadcast my presence to any potential deer, so there were no picture opportunities. I did scare up one large, red-tailed hawk, which flew ahead of me maneuvering between trees in ways that amaze me considering their wing span and the density of the forest. I returned to the car after an hour thinking that my foot was getting better, but probably a couple of days away from trying to run. I’m going to be patient. I’m going to follow the good doctor’s advice. I’m mature and responsible now…
Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 420.
My doc knows me pretty well and was explicit with his instructions for my returning to running. He wrote that if I could walk/live with minimal pain, then I was okay to try jogging, but not ‘super far’. He even gave me a pain scale, saying that if I was a 3 or lower on a 10 point scale, I could continue to run, but only on an every-other day basis. The ‘super far’ is open to interpretation as is the pain scale, but I know what he wants, though I tend to abuse good advice. This time though, I’ll do my best to get it right. Options are more limited for an exercise fix this time of year and I don’t want to eliminate the easiest and my favorite.
Today was not a ‘minimal pain’ day and so I had no allusions about running. I did however plan to do a longer walk in the park to see how it reacted. I arrived near dark, but pulled my camera out anyway and went on a 1-hour, off-trail loop with the hope of spotting some big buck and snapping a decent picture or two. As soon as I began walking up hill, the pain in the outside part of my foot returned and continued to throb throughout the hike. I suppose it was a little above minimal, though as I’ve often explained to Holly…what’s minimal to me would kill an normal person...and she loves it when I say that. Anyway…I could live with it so I kept going.
The leaves were too crunchy and broadcast my presence to any potential deer, so there were no picture opportunities. I did scare up one large, red-tailed hawk, which flew ahead of me maneuvering between trees in ways that amaze me considering their wing span and the density of the forest. I returned to the car after an hour thinking that my foot was getting better, but probably a couple of days away from trying to run. I’m going to be patient. I’m going to follow the good doctor’s advice. I’m mature and responsible now…
Hike duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 420.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
At least I can walk again
Monday, November 15, 2010
Finally, I woke up and could actually stand on my foot. It’s getting better, but not nearly fast enough for me. I’m still planning on seeing the doctor before returning to running, but in the mean time, maybe I’ll just do some hiking in the park.
I found my way there last night and put in a little less than an hour tracking through the woods off-trail. I scared up six white tails, two of which didn’t seem to want to leave until I was within 10 feet of them. I didn’t see any bucks around. I made my way down to the marsh with the foot aching from every step, though not nearly as bad as it had been over the weekend.
By the time I reached the marsh, it was nearly dark. As much as I love daylight savings time, I can never get used to how early it gets dark once it ends. Bike riding after work is out entirely and hiking off-trail is limited, too. I could bring a head lamp, but somehow that just doesn’t fit back here. I guess I’m going to have to break down and put the bike on the trainer for the winter though I’m looking forward to the weekend and seeing a chance for some outdoor riding. If I can’t run, then I guess I just really have to man-up and ride in the cold. I’ve got the gear…the flesh is weak, though. There are still opportunities for some kayaking, too.
Anyway, I managed to do a hike and that’s better than nothing…my other choice. The woods are always wonderful and with all of the leaves off the trees, the opportunity to spot wildlife increases significantly. Tomorrow may be the same and I’ll keep it up until the weekend. Hopefully, I’ll get a green light on some running by then.
Hike duration: 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 350.
Finally, I woke up and could actually stand on my foot. It’s getting better, but not nearly fast enough for me. I’m still planning on seeing the doctor before returning to running, but in the mean time, maybe I’ll just do some hiking in the park.
I found my way there last night and put in a little less than an hour tracking through the woods off-trail. I scared up six white tails, two of which didn’t seem to want to leave until I was within 10 feet of them. I didn’t see any bucks around. I made my way down to the marsh with the foot aching from every step, though not nearly as bad as it had been over the weekend.
By the time I reached the marsh, it was nearly dark. As much as I love daylight savings time, I can never get used to how early it gets dark once it ends. Bike riding after work is out entirely and hiking off-trail is limited, too. I could bring a head lamp, but somehow that just doesn’t fit back here. I guess I’m going to have to break down and put the bike on the trainer for the winter though I’m looking forward to the weekend and seeing a chance for some outdoor riding. If I can’t run, then I guess I just really have to man-up and ride in the cold. I’ve got the gear…the flesh is weak, though. There are still opportunities for some kayaking, too.
Anyway, I managed to do a hike and that’s better than nothing…my other choice. The woods are always wonderful and with all of the leaves off the trees, the opportunity to spot wildlife increases significantly. Tomorrow may be the same and I’ll keep it up until the weekend. Hopefully, I’ll get a green light on some running by then.
Hike duration: 50 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 350.
Monday, November 15, 2010
Too soon, old...too late, smart.
Sunday, November 14, 2010
The morning was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with the pain causing me to wince as I hopped to the bathroom. I managed to get dressed sitting on the floor…much easier than trying to stand on a bad foot and pull on your pants. I used the crutches to go out and get the paper and then returned to icing and more foot elevating.
I hate being injured. I’d like to say that this is the worst its ever been for me and likely it is the age…but really not. I’ve struggled with one training related ailment or another since I began working out in earnest back in the early 70’s. Some bodies are built to take the punishment…and some aren’t. Mine isn’t, apparently. Having said that, I’ve never been one to do things in moderation or listen to the good advice I gave those I’ve trained about proper methods of increasing work loads and what to do when you feel your body telling you to take it easy. “Do as I say…” mentality has always ruled my life…and caused me the down time I’m currently experiencing. I’d like to say ‘live and learn’ but I never seem to and I don’t suppose it’ll be any different this time. I am what I am…gotta love me.
When you don’t have the cable, there’s little to watch on a Sunday morning. I’d read for a couple of hours, iced my foot plenty, and basically run out of things to do. I figured I could watch the Browns at 1 p.m., but what was I going to do until then? I could see from the windows as I’d limped by that the leaves were falling so fast that you couldn’t tell Id even raked the day before. Hmm….
I waited until Holly took Savannah out to buy a coat before putting my plan into action. My foot was hurting some…but it was getting better and those leaves…well…they just kept falling! That…and I had a large limb that had fallen from one of those lousy silver maples that grew along the back of our property line. It needed to be cut up…and it needed it like…now.
I slipped into the garage…Ash was upstairs with Ollie and I didn’t want her to catch me…and grabbed my tarp and rake. I was walking about 70 percent normally…if there is such a thing…which encouraged me. I spent the next 2 hours raking leaves and dragging them to the front and when I ran out…did my neighbors front yard, too. Then I grabbed my giant, tree cutting hand saw and headed for the downed limb. I wrestled with that and cut it into fire wood for about 30 minutes until, with one deft stroke, had it spring from the wood and over the top of my left hand. Now…I’ve got a scar from doing this exact move many years ago. At that time it had cut me on the down stroke…and then I’d pulled it back…over my hand, that is. Well…you’d think I’d learned from that incident, but I hadn’t…and pulled it back…again. It was a nice, rusty saw, but thankfully I was bleeding rather nicely, which cleaned the wound of any wood or rust residue…I figured. If not…I’d be going to see Nilesh anyway and could get more bang out of my health care dollar buck now.
Holly came home and found me raking the leaves, but figured…why bother? I covered the hand and grabbed a paper towel before heading to the neighbors to find out how their overnight camping trip had gone while the bleeding stopped. Then I could sneak back in with all the family there for dinner and get lost in the commotion. It didn’t work. Holly saw the blood oozing since I had insisted on helping put the flat dumplings into the broth on the stove with her. “You’re standing when you shouldn’t be…and you’re bleeding in our food. What did you do now?”
“I was cutting that branch back there when the saw jumped of the wood,” I explained. She just gave me one of those ‘why must you be so eternally stupid’ looks and told me to wash my hands and sit down.
I limited my intake of flat dumplings to one helping since its loaded with calories and I could see I wasn’t going to be working out anytime soon. I skipped dessert…for awhile…having a bowl of ice cream after everyone left. Tomorrow…I needed to come up with a plan. I’ve got to figure out a way to get through the winter without injury and with the holiday season upon us…need to keep activity up because I know the calories are on their way…and they always find me.
Leaf raking duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 700.
The morning was pretty much a repeat of Saturday with the pain causing me to wince as I hopped to the bathroom. I managed to get dressed sitting on the floor…much easier than trying to stand on a bad foot and pull on your pants. I used the crutches to go out and get the paper and then returned to icing and more foot elevating.
I hate being injured. I’d like to say that this is the worst its ever been for me and likely it is the age…but really not. I’ve struggled with one training related ailment or another since I began working out in earnest back in the early 70’s. Some bodies are built to take the punishment…and some aren’t. Mine isn’t, apparently. Having said that, I’ve never been one to do things in moderation or listen to the good advice I gave those I’ve trained about proper methods of increasing work loads and what to do when you feel your body telling you to take it easy. “Do as I say…” mentality has always ruled my life…and caused me the down time I’m currently experiencing. I’d like to say ‘live and learn’ but I never seem to and I don’t suppose it’ll be any different this time. I am what I am…gotta love me.
When you don’t have the cable, there’s little to watch on a Sunday morning. I’d read for a couple of hours, iced my foot plenty, and basically run out of things to do. I figured I could watch the Browns at 1 p.m., but what was I going to do until then? I could see from the windows as I’d limped by that the leaves were falling so fast that you couldn’t tell Id even raked the day before. Hmm….
I waited until Holly took Savannah out to buy a coat before putting my plan into action. My foot was hurting some…but it was getting better and those leaves…well…they just kept falling! That…and I had a large limb that had fallen from one of those lousy silver maples that grew along the back of our property line. It needed to be cut up…and it needed it like…now.
I slipped into the garage…Ash was upstairs with Ollie and I didn’t want her to catch me…and grabbed my tarp and rake. I was walking about 70 percent normally…if there is such a thing…which encouraged me. I spent the next 2 hours raking leaves and dragging them to the front and when I ran out…did my neighbors front yard, too. Then I grabbed my giant, tree cutting hand saw and headed for the downed limb. I wrestled with that and cut it into fire wood for about 30 minutes until, with one deft stroke, had it spring from the wood and over the top of my left hand. Now…I’ve got a scar from doing this exact move many years ago. At that time it had cut me on the down stroke…and then I’d pulled it back…over my hand, that is. Well…you’d think I’d learned from that incident, but I hadn’t…and pulled it back…again. It was a nice, rusty saw, but thankfully I was bleeding rather nicely, which cleaned the wound of any wood or rust residue…I figured. If not…I’d be going to see Nilesh anyway and could get more bang out of my health care dollar buck now.
Holly came home and found me raking the leaves, but figured…why bother? I covered the hand and grabbed a paper towel before heading to the neighbors to find out how their overnight camping trip had gone while the bleeding stopped. Then I could sneak back in with all the family there for dinner and get lost in the commotion. It didn’t work. Holly saw the blood oozing since I had insisted on helping put the flat dumplings into the broth on the stove with her. “You’re standing when you shouldn’t be…and you’re bleeding in our food. What did you do now?”
“I was cutting that branch back there when the saw jumped of the wood,” I explained. She just gave me one of those ‘why must you be so eternally stupid’ looks and told me to wash my hands and sit down.
I limited my intake of flat dumplings to one helping since its loaded with calories and I could see I wasn’t going to be working out anytime soon. I skipped dessert…for awhile…having a bowl of ice cream after everyone left. Tomorrow…I needed to come up with a plan. I’ve got to figure out a way to get through the winter without injury and with the holiday season upon us…need to keep activity up because I know the calories are on their way…and they always find me.
Leaf raking duration: Two hours.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 700.
More raking...more foot pain
Saturday, November 13, 2010
When I woke at 4 a.m. to visit the rest room, I knew I was in trouble. The pain in my foot had intensified while I was sleeping…and had actually waked me up. I tried to get up to walk the 10 steps to the bathroom, but as soon as I placed some weight on the right foot…the pain surging through my body told me that wouldn’t be happening. I hopped into the bathroom, did what I had to do, took four Advil and hopped back to bed. When I woke again around 7 a.m. with no relief, I knew it was going to be a long weekend…for Holly. Though she loves to nurse me back to health and listen to my continuous whining while running to here and there to serve my every need, I really didn’t want her to have to suffer through me again. Oh well…for worse or for worser…at least that’s what I heard the priest say.
We grabbed some crutches from the neighbors and I put them near my chair as I sat, foot propped up, with the ice pack wrapped around. I did this until my foot was numb…about 30 minutes…then took it off and sat another hour reading. I was getting completely frustrated by then and decided that maybe I was all better. I stood and put some weight on the foot. Not too bad, I decided, and walked gingerly to the garage. Maybe all I needed was some movement…after all plantar fascitis is always worst in the morning when, after sleeping through the night, the tissue is stiff from a lack of a warming blood supply and only needs some movement to improve. I figured what I needed to do was rake some more leaves!
I spent the next couple of hours doing my and the neighbor’s leaves, then grabbed the ladder and climbed on the roof to do the gutters. The pitch of the roof was doing nothing good to the plantar, but it was manageable pain and so I kept going. By the time I was finished with leaves though, I knew I’d overdone it…kind of my M.O.
I needed to pick up my brother Jim’s car from Dan and drive it to my nephew’s place in Thompson. Dan had checked it over to see if it was worth sinking good money into for Ash to drive, but his conclusion was a resounding ‘no’. We drove it out there where I did some more limping around, riding an ATV, and just standing…until I just couldn’t stand it any more. The return drive was painful…just applying pressure to the accelerator was causing me to flinch. I’d placed a called to Nilesh, the sports med doc I’d coached in high school earlier in the day to see if he had Saturday office hours, and he returned my call to say he didn’t. I told him the symptoms.
“You’re an old fart. When are you going to get that straight. First you get a stress fracture in your leg and keep hiking and running, then you do this and go out and walk on it all day long. You HAVE to be smarter when you get older about these things…blah, blah, blah,” he said.
“So…what…no running tomorrow?” I asked.
I could sense him rolling his eyes through the phone and we agreed that I’d come to the office on Monday if there was no improvement…and that I’d take tomorrow off completely. “Don’t do anything,” he said as we hung up.
I’d be good. What choice did I have?
Leaf raking duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 350.
When I woke at 4 a.m. to visit the rest room, I knew I was in trouble. The pain in my foot had intensified while I was sleeping…and had actually waked me up. I tried to get up to walk the 10 steps to the bathroom, but as soon as I placed some weight on the right foot…the pain surging through my body told me that wouldn’t be happening. I hopped into the bathroom, did what I had to do, took four Advil and hopped back to bed. When I woke again around 7 a.m. with no relief, I knew it was going to be a long weekend…for Holly. Though she loves to nurse me back to health and listen to my continuous whining while running to here and there to serve my every need, I really didn’t want her to have to suffer through me again. Oh well…for worse or for worser…at least that’s what I heard the priest say.
We grabbed some crutches from the neighbors and I put them near my chair as I sat, foot propped up, with the ice pack wrapped around. I did this until my foot was numb…about 30 minutes…then took it off and sat another hour reading. I was getting completely frustrated by then and decided that maybe I was all better. I stood and put some weight on the foot. Not too bad, I decided, and walked gingerly to the garage. Maybe all I needed was some movement…after all plantar fascitis is always worst in the morning when, after sleeping through the night, the tissue is stiff from a lack of a warming blood supply and only needs some movement to improve. I figured what I needed to do was rake some more leaves!
I spent the next couple of hours doing my and the neighbor’s leaves, then grabbed the ladder and climbed on the roof to do the gutters. The pitch of the roof was doing nothing good to the plantar, but it was manageable pain and so I kept going. By the time I was finished with leaves though, I knew I’d overdone it…kind of my M.O.
I needed to pick up my brother Jim’s car from Dan and drive it to my nephew’s place in Thompson. Dan had checked it over to see if it was worth sinking good money into for Ash to drive, but his conclusion was a resounding ‘no’. We drove it out there where I did some more limping around, riding an ATV, and just standing…until I just couldn’t stand it any more. The return drive was painful…just applying pressure to the accelerator was causing me to flinch. I’d placed a called to Nilesh, the sports med doc I’d coached in high school earlier in the day to see if he had Saturday office hours, and he returned my call to say he didn’t. I told him the symptoms.
“You’re an old fart. When are you going to get that straight. First you get a stress fracture in your leg and keep hiking and running, then you do this and go out and walk on it all day long. You HAVE to be smarter when you get older about these things…blah, blah, blah,” he said.
“So…what…no running tomorrow?” I asked.
I could sense him rolling his eyes through the phone and we agreed that I’d come to the office on Monday if there was no improvement…and that I’d take tomorrow off completely. “Don’t do anything,” he said as we hung up.
I’d be good. What choice did I have?
Leaf raking duration: 60 minutes.
Training Heart Rate: 70 bpm.
Calories burned during workout: 350.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
