MRI #2

I just got back from having my 2nd MRI taken this year. Back in February, it was on my right shoulder and that resulted in a laundry list if issues: torn labrum, impingement, arthritis. After going through several weeks of physical therapy, my shoulder is now feeling fine. The MRI taken today was on my right leg (tibia area).

Three weeks ago, I saw the doc because I was experiencing pain in my lower right leg during and following running. I had an x-ray taken and pointed out where it was hurting. Based on the location of the pain and lack of anything seen in the x-ray, he suggested that I had medial tibial stress syndrome (shin splints) and that there was little chance that it was a stress fracture. I was told I could continue to run and to follow the standard practices to get rid of the shin splints (run on soft surfaces, stretch, ice, use shoe insoles, etc.). So, I continued to run and the pain started to go away but then slowly came back when I started to increase my distance for Vineman. When I went back to the doc for my follow-up appointment this Monday, I showed him where the pain currently existed, which was higher than previously...about halfway between my ankle and knee. He indicated that the location of pain carried more risk of being a stress fracture and advised that I have an MRI to take a better look. That explains the reason for my 2nd MRI procedure this year. Good thing I have a nice insurance policy!

I now have a follow-up appointment next Wednesday to go over the MRI. If it shows nothing, I'm good to go for Vineman. If there is indication of a stress fracture, it is likely that I'll be told to not run. At that point I'll have to figure out what to do for Vineman. Walk the half marathon? Just stop after the bike leg? Not sure...I'll cross that bridge if I have to come to it.

I haven't run since Monday and my leg is feeling OK right now. I think I'll test it out with a couple mid distance runs over the weekend. This is not an ideal situation two weeks before Vineman, but I guess that's life. On the bright side, my swim and bike are feeling great right now.  

Completely unrelated, but here's a pic of a turkey wrap I made while camping at Wildflower. Mmmmm...

Ouch

I’ve been fairly busy as of lately which has caused me to neglect posting on this blog.  I wish I could say that part of the reason I’ve been busy is because I’ve been putting in extra miles of run training in preparation for Vineman in July, but that is not the case.  The fact is that my right leg has been bothering me over the past couple weeks and after extensive internet research and discussions with other runners, all signs are leading towards a tibial stress fracture.  I have an appointment with my Orthopedic Doctor tomorrow, so I should have a better indication at that point. Right now, things are not looking good for my participation in my next three races: Redondo Beach Triathlon this weekend, SDIT June 26, and Vineman 70.3 July 17.  I guess I should not speculate until I see a specialist tomorrow, but I’ve had hunches on several things lately and have been correct about all of them.  Hopefully I’m wrong about this one.  Stay tuned…

PV Half Marathon Preview

Tomorrow I will be racing in my first half marathon - the Palos Verdes Half Marathon.   Although I’m excited for the race, I don’t feel that I’m quite 100% prepared.  This will be my third consecutive weekend of racing, and as a result I haven’t had the opportunity to put in the distance over the past several weeks to prepare for a 13.1 mile run.  But, I’m still going to race.  I was previously signed up for a half marathon back in January, but missed that race because it ended up being in the middle of an extended ski trip I took to Utah and Wyoming (which by the way was well worth the DNS).  This time I am in town, so I have no excuse not to race.

My plan is to take it easy and not hurt myself.  My overall conditioning is definitely at a good place, but I am slightly concerned about how my legs will handle the 13.1 miles.  For this reason, I plan to leave my racing flats at home and instead wear my trainers for the added cushioning.  I am also going to try to hold back a little. I have a long season ahead and don’t want to overdo it at this point.  That being said, it’s likely that when the gun goes off my race instinct will kick in and my current idea of taking it easy will be long forgotten. We’ll see...

One thing that is exciting about this race is that it is in my ‘hood (sort of).  The race course will run along the shoreline of Palos Verdes, a route that I regularly ride during my triathlon training.  It’s a beautiful area with views like this…

And this…

Hopefully the morning fog will stay away, and the scenery will calm me when my knees start to hurt around mile 10 :/