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Chronicles of a fish: the days of surf and turf
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littlemsfickle wrote: »Hey, just came across your log - and was surprised to see someone with a similar story to me. I got a stress fracture in the neck of my femur last year - pretty serious injury that could have needed a hip replacement if it hadn't been picked up on MRI. I got a screw put in but am still having trouble building up my running. I think low bone mass density in female athletes is a problem that isn't really recognised as much as it should be. I've looked into it and there is very little in the way of research on how to manage osteopenia/osteoporosis in female athletes despite it being common (sorry I'm a medical student and bit of a sports medicine nerd!)
Just wondering - did you get a stress fracture in the shaft of the femur or was it from trauma? Hope the healing is going well, and that your x-ray today is good news:)
Hey, littlemsfickle! (auto spell correct wants to make you littlemsdickle
)
Wow, so sorry to hear about your fracture, and even more sorry to hear that you're having issues building your running back up. If I may ask, what kinds of issues are preventing you from building it up? Pain? You mention low bone mass density - have you had a DEXA scan done? Gosh, and while I'm asking so many questions, were you running some crazy mileage leading up to your stress fracture? Are you thin? How is your diet?
Low bone mass density is a funny thing - when we think of osteopenia/osteoporosis, we think of sedentary older women. In fact, my primary care physician denied my request for a DEXA scan after I was diagnosed with a stress fracture in the femur. She said my age (pre-menopause) and lifestyle (runner and non-smoker) meant that I was NOT at risk for low bone density. It took my sports medicine physician, who understands the special issues related to female endurance athletes and the possible contributing causes of stress fractures, to see the need for this scan that picked up my osteopenia. Thank god for sports medicine people - I cannot stress enough that if you have a sports related issue, then go see a sports specialist! So, yes, you are correct - this is something that is not recognized in the mainstream.
As far as how to manage it....I get the impression one of the most important things you can do is eat a healthy diet with proper amounts of calcium and Vitamin D. I've been told fortified fatty milk is a good delivery of calcium and Vitamin D - of course you can also read other theories on the internet - but so far I am sticking with whole milk and side orders of yogurt, low fat chocolate milk, and ice cream. Oh, and broccoli and leafy green vegetables. And of course you need some impact activity, like running. I welcome a dialog on this topic if anyone out there has anything more to add in the way of experience and/or knowledge.
And my stress fracture is in the mid-shaft of my femur....which is a little crazy and confusing since I thought I had a knee issue (which tells you something about my ability to recognize pain), so the MRI was of my knee, but the knee was fine, however the MRI radiologist picked up on the fracture above my femoral condyle, but he said he could not see then entire fracture. Today's radiographs clearly show the location of the fracture in the middle of the femur - I even have pics of it. 0 -
Okay.....so the x-rays show.....<drum roll>....."radiographically, the fracture is healed."
Hallelujah!! And, WHEW!
Okay, what this means is the radiographs show good calcification, and no need for future x-rays. It doesn't mean the healing process is complete - that, I was told, will take another 6 weeks. BUT, I can go ahead and start pool running now, then in 2 weeks I can ease into some gentle land running, then 2 weeks after that I can gradually increase the land running mileage and intensity. If I experience any pain, I am to discontinue that activity for 5 to 7 days before trying it again...but as long as all goes well for the next 6 weeks, I was told complete recovery is expected.
Oh, but I was also told Boston is out. Boo. Yes, I am that much of an idiot that I was still holding on to the possibility.
So instead, I'll be on the sidelines in 18 days with the most important job of cheering our resident sexy-legged hoochie on in Beantown. Run, Oryx, run!!!
And I guess without further ado....let the IM training begin!!!0 -
April 1st, 2015
Swim
15 minutes easy @ 1:24/100 yards
20 x 100 yards @ 1:15 off 1:130
15 minutes easy @ 1:24/100 yards
Nothing too remarkable here....(other than my new goggles fogging up like crazy and really annoying me!)....just a decent session.
Actual swim: ~3,729 meters in the steamy tub0 -
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Wohoo, great news Dory Super happy for you.
The radiologist didn't try to lock you in a room so he/she can do experiments to better understand how you've fractured your femur (without knowing it) and pretty much healed it with your training? Amazing stuff. Glad you're on the road to a full recovery 0 -
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How hard can you bike - is it still easy spinning for the next while? Sounds like you will be able to go outdoors as well now!
The limiter is pain - if there is pain, then I am to back off what I'm doing. I've been given the green light to hop on my bike and ride, so it looks like I've got a hot date with The Mad One this weekend in the out-of-doors. Whoop whoop! But, I'll be smart and keep is slow and easy, avoiding as much stress as possible on the leg. I live in a lumpy county, but I'll try and pick a relatively flat course to stick to for now.Kurt Godel wrote: »Great news about the healing, well done and good luck.
(But you're a terrible patient, any lingering flicker for Boston should have extinguished long ago. Own. Worst. Enemy.)
I am a horrible patient. But my glass is always half full....and I rarely give up hope.:) 0 -
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Thursday, April 2nd, 2015
Trainer
The goal tonight was to spin for an hour while keeping the cadence between 95 and 100, and to try and keep effort easy. Oh, and I was going to have a little peek at my power, if you can even call it "power". So, this meant I had to dig out the Garmin Edge (it hasn't been used since IM Maryland last September ), and I had to replace the batteries in the Vector pedals.
Well, in a nutshell, this was an eye opening hour on the Cat. :eek: Good grief, did I ever have any bike fitness? Ever?? Because the effort was too high to keep the cadence where it was supposed to be, and the power was sissy-girly power. Heck, it was so low that I'm surprised it even registered on the Garmin. I've got a lot of work to do.
And, because I had a meeting over the noon-hour and had to do this spin after work...and, because I had 30 minutes of easy swimming to do immediately after this spin, I was perched on the Cat in my speedo and bike shorts for ease of transition.
Actual trainer: 60 minutes of 95-100 cadence spinning on the Cat
Swim
Still sweaty from the spin, I hopped in the tub for an easy 30 minutes of splashing. With the wave current pace set to 1:24/100 yards, I did this in 10 minute increments done as: swim/pull/swim.
Actual swim: ~1,928 meters0 -
Friday, April 3rd, 2014
Swim
6 min warmup @ 1:24/100 yard pace
4 x 100 yards @ 1:15, 10 sec rest
4 x 30 sec sprint/45 sec rest
10 x 200 yards @ 1:17, 10 sec rest
3 min cool down @ 1:24/100 yard pace
Not too much to say about this - the 100s and 200s were totally fine. The 10 seconds of rest is just the right amount of time to drift to the back of the tub, un-fog the goggles (I hate fog!!!), adjust the cap, and get going again. The 4 x 30 second sprints were to be all out bursts of speed, so I set the wave pace clock to 1:10 for the first one thinking it would be a walk in the park. Ha! Not so, my friends. I was holding on for dear life! But the 2nd one was a wee bit better....and the 3rd one better than that....so I made the bold move and upped the pace to 1:09 for the last one, and I made it just fine. I always find it interesting how performance can improve with each passing interval...until you reach a critical point.
Actual swim: ~2,919 meters in the tank
Run
The "trot-toria" is now open for business!!! Whoop whoop!!!
I did this immediately after the swim, and all I've got to say is....pool acoustics still rock - Celine Dion's got nothing on me! (okay....barf....did I just inject Celine Dion into my log?? ah, jeez....)
The first 30 minutes of this little trot were tougher than the second 30 minutes, but I kept the wave down to a 2:07/100 yards pace and I stayed good and relaxed. I could tell I've lost some of my aqua-running fitness, but I know I'll get it back....however, the best thing of all tonight was that there was no pain while I was running!!! None. Nada. Zilch. Yippee ki-yay!!
Actual run: 60 minutes of pain-free trotting in the tub0 -
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Saturday, April, 4th, 2015
Bike
Yep....you read that right - "Bike". As in....proper-on-the-road-out-in-the-fresh-air "Bike".
But, ohmygod was it crazy windy!!! :eek: And cold. I had to dig out some gloves to wear, and by the time I finished the ride, my feet were frozen and my core was chilled. In fact, I had to hop in bed for an hour when I got home just to warm up. Brrr!!!
But the ride went surprisingly well. I was a bit apprehensive at the start - worried that my bike fitness was so bad that I wouldn't be able to go the entire 2 hours I was targeting, and worried how my femur would hold up with the lumpy terrain in our county. I kept things very conservative, however the wind added a degree of difficulty to this ride that slowed me down even more than I was already going...and I minded my cadence, trying to keep it between 80 and 100. I was pleased with my endurance, and my leg held up pretty well, only feeling the healing injury a very, very small portion of the time. When I finished the ride, I was shocked at how slow my average speed was, and I'm even a bit embarrassed to report it here...but what the hell, there's only one way to go but up!! Plus, for me right now, the most important metric is time in the saddle. Next might be cadence since I'm a natural born masher. The speed will come, I just need to be patient.
I loved being out on The Mad One - what a great bike that is!! I've got two great bikes - so lucky!! And it was nice to be out on the road again. I even saw some old friends in the form of two fantastic and well behaved dogs I hadn't seen since last fall when I was out on the road last.
Actual bike: 34 miles in 2:19:xx for an average pace of 14.5 mph :eek::o, average cadence of 86, and elevation gain of 1,788 feet.
Swim
5 x 800 yards - done as easy, moderate, pull, pull, cruise
The easy was @ 1:24/100 yards.
The moderate was @ 1:19/100 yards.
The 2 x pull was @ 1:20/100 yards.
The cruise was @ 1:21/100 yards.
Everything was manageable, but the 2 x pull were the work. My poor shoulders, lats, forearms and triceps got a wakeup call!!
Actual swim: ~3,600 meters in the tub0 -
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Sunday, April 5th, 2015
Run
When I awoke this morning, I could feel yesterday's bike and swim in the body, but it was a welcome feeling. However, because of that welcome feeling, today's tub trot was more an enjoyable-with-muted-intensity aqua-jog rather than a full-on battle-of-the-wave.
I did this at a wave pace of 2:02/100 yards (slightly faster than Friday's trot), and I had Green Day as my company. The leg was absolutely fine - no pain whatsoever - which is interesting since I began to notice the healing injury about 75 minutes into yesterday's bike ride. The first 60 minutes of this run were good, but by the final 30 minutes I started to zone out a bit, and it started to feel like an out of body experience happening. ?? I don't know if the "heat" started to get to me (the pool is 85 degrees, and it can get a little stuffy in there when I'm running, but I did have the garage doors open), or if I was low on energy. My gut tells me I was low on energy, so as soon as I hopped out of the pool I grabbed something to eat, and I felt much better.
Actual run: 90 minutes of easy trotting
Trainer
After getting some nutrition into me, I hopped on the Black Cat and did an easy hour spin. I had originally considered getting in an hour ride on the road, but I have to respect the leg. I've come too far, and I've plenty of time.
Actual trainer: 60 minutes of easy spinning0 -
Monday, April 6th, 2015
Good grief!! I take one day off and have to fish my log out of page two of the training logs!!
Yep, that's right...this was a rest day. And I didn't do anything that resembled training in any way, shape or form. I read an article a while ago that supported the idea that rest days should be just that - rest - and that they should then contain no training of any kind - none. So, I chilled out and read a book instead. That damn Bill Bryson is hilarious!!
Tuesday, April 7th, 2015
Trainer
15 minutes warmup
30 x 1 min on/30 sec off
15 minutes cool down
The 30 x 1 minute on were done as building effort through each set of ten while keeping my cadence at 90+. This went pretty well - started each set of ten in a lower resistance gear, then upped the resistance after every third interval. #20 and #30 were a proper flogging...and the entire session was a welcome old-fashioned sweat-fest. Really loud tunes helped to carry me through each minute of effort. They were loud enough that even my furry companion, Norris, left the room in search of more tranquil surroundings.
Actual trainer: 75 minutes of sneaky lunchtime kitty love
Swim
15 minutes warmup @ 1:24/100 yards
20 x 100 yards @ 1:15/100 yards w/10 sec rest
15 minutes cool down @ 1:24/100 yards
The body felt rested. The body felt the lunchtime trainer session. The body felt pretty good.
The first 10 x 100s were no trouble....the second 10 x 100s were a little more effort, but manageable. I know the wave pace I swim at looks more flattering than reality, and sometimes while I'm swimming I wonder if the factory-set wave pace takes the size of the swimmer's body into consideration. ??
Actual swim: ~3,738 meters in a tub of water0 -
Wednesday, April 8th, 2015
Pool trot
Just a little trot-taria action in the early evening. I had the garage doors open to let the chill commingle with the steam that was rising, and I had the tunes turned up to let Green Day, Puddle of Mud and Nirvana commingle with the gentle rain that was falling. The first 30 minutes of this little run were done at a wave pace of 2:02/100 yards, and the second 30 minutes were done at an accidental wave pace of 1:57/100 yards. I say accidental because I didn't intend to up the pace for the second half because I was sort of having to really work it for the first half so as not to get behind. (my run fitness has some work to do to get to where it was!!) But at some point I looked up, saw the new pace, and just went with it. And truth be told, about 40 minutes into the run I had finally gotten into a nice groove and was happily using the aquatic resistance in a constructive way. All good!!!
Actual run: 60 minutes of splashing and dashing0 -
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Whats the L/R balance from the Vectors looking like?
Versus pre-stupidity?
"Versus pre-stupidity?" I've done lots of stupid things in my life, but I assume you are talking pre- triple whammy of: Donadea, Ballyhoura, and Dangerous-Dancing-and-Dipping-with-Dave.
Tuesday's average L/R balance was 45/55, but it's interesting - when I look at the sections of that session that contained the work, there was a slight increase in discrepancy between the two legs - my right leg did even more of the work than what the total average indicates.
But to your question - my right leg has always been dominant (left femur is the one that fractured), and pre stupidity the balance for an indoor session was around 46/54 or so.0 -
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