Physio & Hydro

5 min warm-up
4 x 5 min hard
1 min recoveries
5 min  cool-down

This was a hard session in the pool at BPH!  I finished red-faced, puffing and sweating! However, I'm feeling fitter each day and will be a real menace when I run the roads again!

Intervals Ladder

I had planned a run/walk for today but the weather wasn't very inviting, so over to Henley Brae pool for another hard workout!


5 minutes warm-up
1 min hard 1 min easy; 2 min hard 1 min easy; 3 min hard 1 min easy; 4 min hard 1 min easy; 3 min hard 1 min easy; 2 min hard 1 min easy; 1 min hard.
5 minutes cool-down


 I was almost out of breath by the time I finished ploughing through the water!

Spinning!

It's been raining all day so I did one hour on the stationary bike...which I find just too boring for words.  To help while away the time I put on a DVD of an old - very old - Hitchcock movie called "Rebecca".  Any movie starring Laurence Olivier sends me into a spin, no trouble at all, I'd done an hour of spinning before the movie ended!

However.....the only way to find out if I can jog is to jog!   So, today I gave it a go and  with much excitement I can say:  I didn't get a twinge in my knee!

7 minutes warm-up walk
7/1 walk/jog...good!  
7/2 walk/jog ...still good!
7/5 walk/jog...very good!
5/5 walk/jog for remainer of the session...and still not a twinge in my knee!.
7 minutes cool-down walk.

Total distance = 10km

I'm sure all the strengthening exercises and, more especially, the deep water running, have worked their magic and now I feel that I'll be back to my running program after seeing the specialist on Monday week.  Thank heaven for small mercies!

A Change of Pools

   At around mid-day I drove across to Henley Brae and had the pool to myself again.  The water temperature here is much cooler than the pool I used in Bowral yesterday.


Today's session:
5 minutes warm-up
30 minutes hard!
5 minutes cool-down.

This session was more mentally hard than physically.  However, with no one in the pool I was able to run across, up, down and across...over and over again. Like a rectangular track!  For the cool-down I did some flat-footed marching and then swam a few laps.  Altogether a really good workout!


I've forgotten to mention that I'm following Pete Pfitzinger's 9 week Water Running Schedule, hoping that I don't have to get through the entire 9 weeks before running once more.  However, I'm enjoying the pool work so much that I'll make it one of the two cross-training days when I start back on the road.  Only eleven more days until I see the Orthopaedic Surgeon!

All going to plan and I now have what the physiotherapist called "a perfect vastus medialis"!! She also had me using balancing equipment in the gym & I was pretty good at it too!  A fairly hard session though, but nothing I couldn't manage!


I followed up with about 30 minutes in the pool by myself.  The session was:

5 minutes warm-up
6 x 2:30 Hard
30 second recoveries
5 minutes cool-down.

The water temperature was so high that, by the time I'd finished, my face was as red as a lobster! 


By some strange means, everyone in the Physiotherapy department has learned that I still can run a marathon at 81!   One of the young male physiotherapists was in the pool with a couple of patients and asked if he could tell everyone my age and what I do!  Of course, I said 'Yes'!  When I told him I power walked 10km yesterday - just 10 days after surgery - he put his head under water!!  So, as well as a good workout, I also had a good laugh!

Hit the Road

10km!  In 1 hour 45 minutes!

I set out from home again for a long, brisk walk!  To Mary Street > Bong Bong Road > Old South Road > Diamond Fields Road and back .


MHR 81%

A good pool workout today!  The session was:

5 min warm-up
2 sets of 5x1:30 hard (30 sec recovery)
2 min easy btw sets
5 min cool-down.

It was a good feeling to work hard at something for a change!  I used the lovely pool and facilities at a retirement village, Henley Brae, just a few minutes drive from home and had the pool all to myself for the entire session.  I'll do a different session each time as often as I can until I get the OK to run again.

MHR 102 (65%) 

A Long Walk.

Today I did my first long walk starting from home and huffed and puffed my way up a 2km hill on Old South Road!  Actually it was all much easier than I was expecting and no trouble at all with my knee;  it did well and I was very pleased with it!

7km in 80 minutes...slow,  I know, but it was hilly!
AHR  92 (58%);  MHR 125 (79%)

Into the Water....

Started today.....in the pool at Bowral Private Hospital.  First, I saw a physiotherapist for about 30 minutes and  have new knee strengthening exercises to do as well as deep water running.   To help with motivation while I can't run, on show in the bedroom I've brand new (Newton) trainers that I'm itching to try out on the road!

I'm on my way back!

Walking..

I went for my first short walk today taking the dogs to Renwick School and walking around the grounds...about 20 minutes.  They hadn't been out since my arthroscopy on Tuesday and they really enjoyed the chance to run again; same for me soon I hope!  I was able to drive the car to the school and did that and the walk without any pain whatsoever in my right knee. First time in months!  Wonderful thing this arthroscopic surgery!

Feels Like a Miracle!

It's over!  Arthroscopic surgery on Tuesday morning  for a large complex tear medial meniscus, Grade 3. Yesterday following the surgery my knee was quire painful, but today and after sleeping for nearly all of 48 hours since, I have no pain at all!

Apparently, once a meniscus cartilage has been torn it will not heal unless it is a very small tear, blood supply being low in this area.  In my case, it being a large complex tear, rather than trying to repair it, the torn pieces were removed from the knee.

I have several quad strengthening exercises to do...20x10 each day as well as the stationary bike.  I'm bandaged from upper thigh to near the ankle so not able to do much until this is all removed in 5 days; then I can drive and walk about more comfortably.  Recovery time is 6 to 12 weeks, but I hope it won't take that long.  I'll need more patience than I'm known for for it to heal successfully!

Very happy with the results so far and the thought of running again!

Tomorrow...

I met with the orthopaedic surgeon this afternoon and tomorrow, yes tomorrow,  he'll do arthroscopic surgery on my right knee. The plus side of being in a health fund!

My guess was right about the MRI report in that he thinks the pain is from the meniscus tear...at least he's hoping that's the cause!  I am so lucky to be getting it done tomorrow and not having to wait weeks or perhaps months..  At 11:00a.m I have to front up!

More news to come after that.....  All good, I hope, but I have to expect that there will be no running for some time yet. A come-back in 2011 would be nice.  I hope there's some motivation left by then....it's very low at the moment.. It's been so long I think I could very easily hang up the trainers for good!

Thanks to all for 'being here' for me right now.  I can do with a friend.....or two, or three!

My Guess...

......the trouble with my right knee!

In today's mail I received a copy of the MRI results.  Now, I realize the two pages of  technical and medical terms will take more than my brain to decipher but, from what I understand, I have an oblique undersurface tear, posterior horn medial meniscus.  If that is the case, it's exactly what I thought after spending hours on the net over the past 8 weeks  - that long - looking for an answer!

What the two page report really means, and what needs to be done about it, I'll hear from the orthopaedic surgeon on Monday afternoon.  All up though, I think the news is good!

Happy days might be here again!!  I know I'm dead sick of these days!

Change is as Good as.....

Since scenery is the only thing I can change right now,  I thought I'd go for a new look on my blog.  At least I've been occupied for a couple of hours getting to understand a few of the newer blog templates and gadgets, thus taking my mind off my miserable right knee.

I never knew there were so many things one could do to a blog, but not being too tech minded, I've stuck to a couple of basics and will explore others in my spare time ......of which I have plenty!

I looked at all the gadgets and now I want to put up a sliding picture show but I can't get the Slideshow gadget thing to work!  I've tried numerous ways suggested on Blogger Help but no success so far.  Any help would be appreciated!  In the meantime I'll keep trying......if at first you don't succeed etc.  etc..

While I was waiting for sleep last night I mentally started making a list of all the things I can't do now while my knee is so painful; it's an exercise in self-pity, I know, but here it is:

Things that matter but which I'm unable to do:

I can't run
I can't jog
I can't walk
I can't drive the car
I can't do the gardening
I can't sleep well
I can't lie on my side
I can't go up steps
I can't go down steps
I can't sit down...I crash!
I can't get up after sitting...I lead with my head!

While I'm awake now it's only fair, I suppose, to list the things I can still do!  But.....


I can think of very few!  This is real bad news, but here it is:


I can use a walking stick
I can read
I can watch television
I can think....even if it's only about the things on the ever- expanding list of the things I can't do!