Friday, August 23, 2013

An Update on My Knee

15 years ago I was a young, know-it-all engineer for Yamaha Waverunner division and thought I could pull off a fancy trick on one while playing in the surf off of St Augustine, FL.  I stuck the trick, then stuck my knee into the deck of the Waverunner.  It swelled up, turned purple, and hurt like hell.  Within a few weeks I was having arthroscopic surgery for a torn meniscus (that cartilage between the joint that lets those bones move on a cushiony bed).  The surgery did the trick, and so began my affinity for cycling which was recommended as rehab post-surgery (I thought it was a gay sport when the suggestion was made).

It’s funny that ever since then I’ve been blessed without injuries.  Sure, I’ve complained about a pain here and there, but I’ve never really been sidelined before.  When I started taking triathlon seriously I gave myself a rule that if I ever felt any pain in a race or training I would just stop.  I’ve never run through any sort of pain that I thought could cause injury, and I think that’s been a big reason why I stay off the disabled list. 

I suppose, for all of us though, it’s just a matter of time til something breaks down.  And an Ironman every year is probably a good way to accelerate that.

So it seems all these years, evidently, my meniscus has been wearing down some more.  And sometime after Ironman Florida last November I began to feel a slight pain behind my right knee particularly the day after a run.  I backed off the running – besides, Kona was months away at that time so it wasn’t like it was a big deal.  In June, I had it looked at and sure enough the meniscus was a bit frayed.  Another round of arthroscopic surgery is probably what I need, but this is hardly the time.  A cortisone shot would probably do the trick though, at least until after Kona, and if not I could always get another one before the race.  So I did, and it was instantly better.

Training went well through July and most of August until a couple weekends ago I was on a short run after a 115 mile bike ride and darn it if that pain in the back of the knee didn’t come back.  I immediately stopped and went home to ice it, hoping that it was a minor flare up.  But it came back the very next day on my long run stopping me dead in my tracks.  The injection had worn off way sooner than I had hoped.  I’ve been struggling ever since to even complete the shortest of the runs on my training plan. I've been spending more nights with Tiger Balm and an ice pack on me then I wish.  Even the cats ask for a blanket when they lay anywhere near my lap while I chill with my leg in the air.

I’m not eligible for another cortisone shot for 4 more weeks.  I have an appointment with the doctor on Sept 9 and will explore alternatives to get me to that point, but I’m likely out of commission on run training.  I’ll try again on the treadmill this weekend if I think the lesser impact it gives will be enough to let me get some mileage, and if not it looks like the elliptical and deep water running will have to be my alternatives.  I’m also looking into therapeutic options such as A.R.T., glyceryl trinitrite patches, synvisc, voodoo and any other witch doctor shit that might be out there.

If I get the second cortisone shot and it works, I’ll be 3 weeks out from race day which is essentially my taper period.  So I will have no way to prepare myself for the marathon with the kind of run mileage I feel I need but at least that would (hopefully) mean no knee pain during the race…….which would be really convenient so I can concentrate on the pain from the heat and humidity, the soreness in my legs and back, and whatever other pains creep in during the long day that an Ironman is on the body.

All of this has affected my outlook going into the last 7 weeks of training adversely.  I’m no longer as gung-ho to show up as lean and mean as I can once I get to Kona, and I’ve let myself have a few “free” nights to enjoy a little wine or a gin and tonic or two or nine or four rather than hit the sack and give up the fun in the evenings for better training in the mornings.  I’m preparing myself for the fact that the Kona marathon may be a bit of a stroll for me rather than a race, and that’s okay.  Cuz if you’re gonna go for a 26.2 mile stroll, I suppose along the coast of Hawaii is probably a darn good place to do so.

Thanks for reading, folks!

No comments:

Post a Comment