Training Log Archive: Bash

Trail run in Palgrave West with BulletDog. I tried to focus on running more efficiently. It feels like I expend more energy than I should on up-and-down movement, rather than focusing on moving forward. We non-speedy people need every advantage we can get!

Two months of reduced exercise due to injury has taken its toll on my fitness, not to mention the 3-4 extra lb. that I am now lugging up the hills. Rats - Raid The Hammer is going to be tough.

I've started reviewing medical literature on the link between running and arthritis, following up on my sports specialist's comments. The first few studies I've read agree that runners live longer, and there isn't a strong correlation between running and arthritis. However, there is a correlation between degenerative changes (like my knee) and later arthritis amongst both runners and non-runners. So the question is, does it make things any worse if I run? Or am I likely to get arthritis around the same time regardless? There are lots of scientific papers left for me to read in hopes of finding some semblance of an answer!

Today was my long-anticipated appointment with the sports specialist to discuss my knee. I like this guy. He was willing and able to explain things using physics, after I mentioned that I'd done a Masters in biomechanics. He isn't over-serious. One of his first comments was that the reason I have so many knee problems is that I had an MRI. (I guess he subscribes to the "if a tree falls in the forest with no one there to hear it, then it made no sound" theory.)

He suggests that I ignore the torn meniscus unless it produces more serious symptoms, and then I would get the knee scoped. Although I've got a degenerative tear that can't be fixed (which I already knew), this type of tear is less likely to cause problems than the traumatic tears young basketball players get.

He believes there is hope to stop the kneecap pain by working to get it tracking correctly. He was happy to hear about my leg strength exercises, but advised against a couple of exercises that cause the kneecap to move laterally (to the outside of the leg), e.g. wide-stance squats. (The exercise routine was developed when it looked like I had ACL problems, so it's not surprising that it needs a tweak or two.) He also advised against doing leg extensions on the weight machine. Apparently my hip flexors aren't flexible, so I should do some stretches. When these muscles are tight, they torque the femur, which moves things out of alignment.

I asked the dreaded question about whether I should change my level of activity. First, he said that no study has made a strong correlation between running and arthritis in later life, even though this is generally assumed by physicians. On the other hand, since I already have degenerative changes, my odds go way up. What is not known is how much worse my odds will become if I keep running. It is possible that my future will unfold pretty much the same way regardless of what I do. He advised listening to my body and not doing things that hurt. (Hmmm... pain is the whole point of adventure racing!) Then he immediately told me that he ignores his own advice and participates in sports with a sore knee. Interestingly, he hasn't had an X-ray or MRI yet. He believes strongly that symptoms are the important thing to consider, not fancy tests.

So... lots to think about.

Night-O at Tyandaga Hills. This had the potential to be awesome fun, but it just wasn't my night, between my light failing and my knee twinging. Next time!

Running before and after orienteering, including a nice long uphill on Kerns Road.

Tomorrow I am finally seeing the sports specialist about my knee. I'm looking forward to it with equal parts of excitement and dread. Maybe he will be full of helpful ideas and reassurance that all will be well in a few months. Or maybe he will tell me that it's chronic and degenerative, and I'm crazy to be doing all these things when I should be sitting in front of the TV eating chips. I may be faced with some tough choices. :-(

Trail run in Palgrave West - Loop #1 with ThunderDog. This loop was slower because of diversions to sniff trees, chase squirrels, and do a full-body immersion in a mud puddle. Oh, and ThunderDog found lots of things to do as well. (You could see that one coming a mile away, couldn't you?)

Trail run in Palgrave West - Longer Loop #2 after dropping ThunderDog off at home. I used the same combination of shoes, arch support and knee brace that I used at the Wine Classic, and things went pretty well. It felt like the knee was going to start really hurting any minute, but it didn't happen. I felt energetic today and went out of my way to run up some good hills, but I ran out of steam at the top of several of them. Oh well. I think I might try to fit in another long run before RTH, just to try to get my confidence back after Sunday's debacle.

Leg strength routine. This was the first time that it hurt my knee to do it. What the heck did I do to myself yesterday? :-((