Saturday, July 9, 2022

A Runner Walks Into A Doctor's Office...

Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.

Ok, that title should be the start of a joke... do you remember my fall on the trails from a few weeks ago? The one where I thought I broke my finger? Well, the finger ended up being fine, but my knee has been giving me some trouble since then. With a 5k on Sunday that I wasn't planning on DNSing, I finally broke down and taped my knee, following instructions on YouTube. My knee felt so much better! But on Tuesday, when I returned to the pool, I had pain with some of the pool running movements. I contacted our sports medicine department at my work and the athletic trainer was kind enough to schedule me with Dr. Skiba on Thursday. I am happy to report that he doesn't think anything serious is wrong with my knee except for a bone bruise. He did tell me that it could take several months to resolve. But he and his AT approved of my tape job, so I ordered another box of RockTape to prepare myself for some more taping!

I'm really lucky to have access to Dr. Skiba. He was the medical consultant for the Breaking 2 project, which was sponsored by Nike back in 2017. If you haven't seen the documentary, it is well worth a watch. I refer a lot of my patients to Dr. Skiba and I've always wanted to meet him, but obviously not as a patient! He could not be nicer and more down-to-earth. We talked briefly about that project and he said he really enjoyed working with Eliud and the other two runners. It's pretty exciting having such a well-regarded and knowledgeable sports medicine provider available locally!

Weekly Rundown:
Sunday: Stampede 5k
Monday: bike ride 25 miles
Tuesday: pool running
Wednesday: trail run 7 miles
Thursday: strength training
Friday: run 6 miles
Saturday: SUP, waterskiing

Running

After 2 years of cancelation due to the pandemic, my hometown races, the Stampede 5k and 10k were back on this year! I've both distances many times and I've posted recaps with many of them too. Today, I'm just going to recap it here. 

Because of my knee pain, I was a little worried about this one. The weather wasn't bad-- it was 75F and sunny at the start. My fellow Trail Sister Leanna met me at the start line and off we went. From past experience, I knew that this race has a lot of kids and people who aren't runners and who go out fast and fade quickly. So we started in the middle, which worked out well. I didn't have to do much weaving! I stopped twice, once very briefly at 1.5 miles for water and at about 2.5 miles because I was gassed. You can see it in my splits: 8:32, 8:30, 8:55 (!), 1:08. I gave it my all and finished 27:05, which was good enough for 2/14 in my age group. Considering that I will be aging up to a new group in September, this made me very, very happy. I haven't done any speed work this year nor run that fast in a long time! Leanna came in about a minute behind me and finished 2d in her AG as well. We were rewarded with a pint glass and you know I filled my with beer later that day!


We've had a lot of rain this week and when I headed to the trails on Wednesday, I expected lots of mud. There was mud and puddles, but plenty of dry patches too. The foliage lining the trails was moist, brushing my legs as I ran. Yes, it felt as icky as you would expect. It was quiet in the woods and I only passed one other person who was walking on the main path. I did a good job calculating my route and finished just under 7 miles. I had some fun with this run and shared it in a reel on IG

Woooo, it was steamy on Friday morning--72 degrees and 90% humidity--when I headed out for my early morning run. Shockingly, I felt good enough to run the first three miles at a decent pace without stopping! On the back half, I stopped a few times for walk breaks but still didn't feel too bad. This was such a pleasant surprise and set a nice tone for the day as I headed into work.

Cycling

Monday is usually a CrossFit day, but with the box being closed for the holiday, I decided to saddle up my bike and go for a ride. It was quite warm and humid when I headed out. I was nervous about this ride because it would be the first time I rode the route since my crash 4 years ago. People certainly aren't driving any better! I went really early and only had a few close calls--one with a large pickup truck with a giant American flag in the back. He didn't signal a turn and turned in front of me, blowing exhaust at me as he roared by. The rest of my ride was uneventful. I rode to a beautiful preserve where there are now single track trails for mountain biking and running. I am planning to go back there to run some of them! 

Strength Training

Sammy Jo had me work on some glute medius stuff this week, starting off with banded side steps and banded squats. We also worked on banded shoulder mobility in preparation for the overhead squats she had planned! Using the empty 35# barbell, this was the first time that I actually felt comfortable in the wide grip overhead position. The goal was for me to stay upright, with my arms straight and the bar over my head. Mission accomplished! I alternated these with some hamstring work using the slider disks. 

Lake Life is the best life

We drove up to the lake on Saturday to enjoy the perfect weather! The hubs wanted to mow the lawn so I took my SUP out on the lake for a paddle. It's been a long time since I've done that! I felt really strong-that work SJ has me doing at our strength sessions has really paid off. Even though the wind picked up while I was out there, I was able to paddle without a problem. After lunch, he took me skiing in a little bay where the wind isn't a factor. I had a nice ride out there! And wouldn't you know it, the MadCity ski team (from Madison) was getting ready for a show. We saw the Wonder Lake ski team last weekend when we were visiting my parents. Both shows were similar, but I think the MadCity ski team was better! 

I love the reflection on the water!

Aftermath...

Do I really need to talk about yet another mass shooting? Last Monday's parade shooting was a little too close to home. We live about 10 miles from Highland Park, where the incident took place. Our local 4th of July Parade was taking place at the very same time. It's incredibly frightening and overwhelming to think about how vulnerable we all are when we are in an open, crowded area. A few years ago, there was that terrible mass shooting in Las Vegas. A group of us bloggers was planning to run the Rock N Roll Las Vegas Half Marathon, but after that incident, I could not bring myself to go there. While I got support from many people, there were those who called me out for it, telling me that I can't live my life in fear. 

With the continued rise in these mass shootings, what are we supposed to do? We can only hope that the authorities are looking out for us, but in this case, our red flag laws in Illinois were not followed. This guy had a history of violence and threats, yet he was able to purchase guns legally in Illinois. How did this happen? Was it because his dad co-signed his application for a gun owner's card? 

As with the reversal of Roe v Wade, the only thing we can do is vote for the candidates that support our position on gun control. THIS.HAS.TO.STOP.

I apologize for the lengthy post. I hope everyone had a peaceful week. Did anyone race over the holiday weekend? Have you ever had a non-injury that caused you pain? How are you adapting your workouts to the heat and humidity?

I'm linking up with Deborah and Kim for the Weekly Rundown. 










30 comments :

  1. Yay for your local race coming back and double yay that you placed in your age group!
    I bet all that upper body strength training pays off as I could see how keeping your balance on the SUP in the wind could be challenging but you've got that mastered!
    Have a great new week Wendy!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Miranda! I'm really feeling good right now, even with the little knee thingy going on...

      Delete
  2. It's great that most of our races are coming back...a small taste of "normalcy" to savor in the midst of all the turmoil. That pic on the SUP is really cool with the reflection!

    ReplyDelete
  3. No one should ever tell anyone else how to live their lives. It really shows a shocking lack of compassion -- just because it's right for them, it doesn't make it right for you.

    As I said to Marcia, I have no answers. I wish I did.

    I'm sorry about the bone bruise. Months? Yikes! But obviously you can run on it well enough for an AG award, so it's not slowing you down. :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not affecting my running at all, so i am grateful for that!

      Delete
  4. Glad it's "only" a bone bruise and I hope the healing goes faster than expected. I have no more words about the tragic incident. Only that I'm paying even more attention to politics and world events, putting aside the spin media puts on everything and coming to my own conclusions. This stuff is happening right under our noses because most of us haven't been paying attention.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Some of us have, but we've gotten shut down by friends who say 'oh, I'm not political'. See what happens when our democracy disappears..

      Delete
  5. Nice job on the knee taping! What a cool doctor to have. And, that must have felt REALLy good to take 2nd in your AG, since you're at the upper end.
    It's too bad my sister no longer lives in Highland Park (although I'm glad she wasn't there on Monday...) She now lives in Steger which is south of the city. Because it's such a short visit I doubt I'll be able to get up to where you are- but we're going to make our plans soon and I'll let you know for sure. And, I totally hear you on the Las Vegas thing. It's true that we can't live in fear, but every time something like this happens it's a reminder that it could happen to any of us at any time. One of the things we're planning for the vacation is blueberry picking- and my sister and I confessed that we each had the same thought, "Very unlikely we'll get shot while blueberry picking, it should be safe." Crazy that we have to think like that!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Right? I'm up in Wisco where the gun culture is obviously large, but I don't worry as much about a mass shooting here. I did have a scare one fall when I was running on the IAT and there were gunshots very close to the trail. I think someone was having a little 'fun'.

      Delete
  6. I am glad that it is only a bruise and that the taping is helping. I never really know if it does anything. However, I am taping my bunion before every run and it is working well. As you know, I am also very upset by the state of the world but I don't think there is anything we can do about it which makes it even more upsetting

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well, there is...but sometimes it means doing or saying uncomfortable things.

      Delete
  7. I am glad that you were able to get a diagnosis on your knee. I'm a huge fan/believer in KT Tape as I've used it for injuries in the past. It looks like it's working well for you so far which is great!

    Like you, I am very sad and frustrated with the state of this country when it comes to MANY things. I really just don't know what to do anymore. We soldier on because we have to do that in order to go to work, etc, but is that really the healthy option?

    ReplyDelete
  8. What a fun week Wendy! Sorry about the bone bruise, but glad it won't hold you back. You are very lucky to have access to such a great doctor!

    I wondered if you were close to Highland Park. I just don't understand why anyone needs a gun LIKE that (though honestly I'm against all guns). I will be casting my vote from London absentee....But it doesn't feel like enough. The heartbreaking stories from the parade are just awful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It just was so close to home--it feels like these mass shootings can happen anywhere now. The guy didn't even have a motive. Just wanted to do it.

      Delete
  9. Does the return to racing feel so good? So sorry about your injury, ouch! At least you have a great doctor who can help out.
    I'm so angry, sad, confused, etc. about everything going on right now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so grateful to have access to Dr Skiba- both for my patients and me!

      Delete
  10. It does sound like the start of a joke, but it's never a laughing matter! I'm glad your knee is one the mend and taping helps!
    I think the Highland Park shooting underscores how helpless we are against gun violence, at least with our current Congress and Supreme Court. I heard that since he never was charged with a violent crime, his record was clean when they ran the background check, and with your father vouching for you (!) I guess there's no sense in blaming the lack of a red flag law. It's like you get one free pass at shooting people before you can be stopped from owning an assault weapon. :-(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I am not a lawyer, but I think his father should be held responsible for signing for him. I can't imagine living with the guilt that he contributed to this.

      Delete
  11. Sorry about the knee but glad that it's not serious and the taping is working.

    Congrats on your race!!! I ran a 4 miler on July 4th.

    I'm a frequent pain no injury kind of runner lol

    ReplyDelete
  12. That's so cool that you have access to such a great doctor. We all need a Dr. Skiba in our lives!
    Also congrats on winning 2nd place in your age group. Amazing how you did that without any speedwork.
    You're going to do very well in your new age group!
    When is your next race?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Catrina! i don't have anything on the calendar until October. But you never know, I might jump into something before then...:p

      Delete
  13. How absolutely wonderful that you have the likes of Dr. Skiba so close to you! And so glad he didn't have too bad news regarding your knee. Your strapping job does look incredibly pro! And even with that - what a great performance at that race! Ditiro aged up for some running and cycling events and loves how close he is getting to the podium for his age group now!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. He's in a competitive age group! Actually, males remain competitive even into old age. I've noticed that there aren't many women running in the older age groups, but the ones that are running are still quite fast!

      Delete
  14. Good news about your knee. It's great that you have access to such a well-regarded sports doc. And congrats on your AG!

    I feel so drained by all that has been happening - how many mass shootings will it take?! I fluctuate between anger and sadness. When are people going to wake up and recognize that they must vote in every election - we can't just accept this.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Let's hope that the Jan 6 hearings will wake people up! I don't want to live in an autocracy and I'm sure nobody else does either.

      Delete
  15. Congrats on placing second in your age group! I love getting pint glasses as awards instead of medals. And yay for getting back on your bike!

    ReplyDelete