Thread Drift

[snapdragen]

That Mr. person?

[OakLeaf]

You got it. Maybe I'm hypersensitive from my years of working with abused women, but the fact that stayed after several people asked him to leave, but then disappeared from the forum as soon as he'd driven her away, says everything I need to know about it. And, he's the only person I'm aware of that's been explicitly unwelcome here. I can't think what might offend the "conservative Republican" - if that person refused to be on the same forum with out lesbians, that's something else ...

Hang in there Blueberry. (And Crankin is right, some natural light can only help your concentration ...)


Yep, English majors in law school are a dime a dozen. I'm one (double major, English and math). Law is a language art, after all; while there are interpersonal skills that come into play particularly in litigation, most of the nuts and bolts of practicing law have to do with comprehending and manipulating words.

I've got another cold. Sigh. Not too bad, but considering that the last one completely wrecked my training, I don't even know if I'm going to bother to run the half on Sunday or not. Yuk.

[emily_in_nc]

I've got another cold. Sigh. Not too bad, but considering that the last one completely wrecked my training, I don't even know if I'm going to bother to run the half on Sunday or not. Yuk.

So sorry, Oak! I hate it when that happens. Terrible timing, too.

I'm having a little pity party here myself as I have had one stupid injury after another lately that has kept me from running, and sometimes doing yoga as well. First I managed to break my pinky toe with a hard stub to a chair leg. That had me pretty much house-bound for a few days and off long walks, yoga, and running for a few weeks.

Once I healed up from that I got back to running, gradually increasing mileage again, and I was feeling great. Over a period of a couple of weeks, I noticed a very slight tenderness in my right Achilles tendon (not during a run but at other times) but stupidly ignored it and kept running. I was only running 3x a week (never consecutive days) and no more than 3.25 miles at a time. Nothing huge since I was still rehabbing from the broken toe.

With a 5K event coming up on Oct. 24th, I thought I'd add one speed-work run per week and went out this past Saturday morning and added four faster intervals to my overall run. Felt great at the time, but the next morning I realized my Achilles hurt much worse, going down stairs hurt, and even picking up from a walk to a very light jog was painful. I have since read that adding speedwork can trigger this injury.

Since then I've been taking it easy, icing, etc, but I can't avoid stairs (we live in a 4th floor walkup). Also googling suggests that it could be a soleus strain with referred pain to the ankle instead of Achilles tendonitis, but I am not sure. In any case, going down stairs hurts, running is out of the question, and from my research, this could take awhile to heal no matter what I do.

I'm frustrated because it seems like every time I actually start making small gains in my running, I either get sick or injured. This is the first overuse injury I can recall having; most were just klutzy things like the broken toe and a hand thing I did last spring (banged against a metal signpost on my bike and either bruised deeply or broke something in my hand). And a very bad cold in late winter earlier this year dragged on for weeks and kept me out of commission for quite some time as well.

Sometimes I feel like the universe is trying to tell me something, and that running is just never gonna happen for me.

PITY PARTY!!!!

[Pax]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

[emily_in_nc]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

That's a good attitude, Pax, but I sure am sorry that your knee replacement hasn't been as successful as you hoped. My step-father experienced the same thing, and I feel so bad for all he has gone through that he still has issues with pain and flexibility there. I know he's better, like you, but he'd hoped for even more of a change. I still see how difficult it is for him to get out of a chair, for instance. He can do some light hiking, but he'd hoped to be able to backpack (with a light pack), and I don't see that happening.

[Catrin]

I've been a state of pity party regarding my newly replaced knee for the last several months. Now I'm in a zen place, I'm making peace with the fact it will never be as good as I'd hoped. I still limp about 30% of the time, my flexion and extension are fair but not great, and it keeps me from doing much of what I want to do. BUT, it works, doesn't hurt as bad as it did before, I'm a little more mobile than I was, so I'll take it and just do little bits of things. I walk a little, ride my bike a little, swim a little. It's all good.

I feel your pain Pax! On the one hand things are a bit better than before the surgery, but my knee doesn't seem to yet be working all the way normally yet after 10 weeks...but I keep reading that it is early yet. My flexion and extension are fine, but the knee still wants to give out occasionally and I don't feel safe walking outside without a cane just in case. I try to keep a good attitude, but some days, like today, it is frustrating. Is it so much to hope for walking normally with both knees feeling about the same? Apparently it is too much, for now. It also still hurts - but I DO have quite a bit of patellofemoral arthritis - and that hasn't changed. The pain IS less than before the surgery though

On the other hand, I can hike gentle trails, (with brace and stick), can play with kettlebells (though not as hard as I would like), and not much else. THAT being said, it is a lot more than it could be, and I'm thankful for what I can do. Trying not to push myself too far as I'm prone to doing. I think I would be less frustrated if there weren't obvious signs that I've lost upper body strength - my shoulder mechanics makes it very hard to gain that kind of strength so I begrudge loosing anything there. I've given up on the idea of competing again, but I want to focus on being as strong and healthy as I can be. If that means hiking with brace and stick permanently, then so be it

<\whine>

[Crankin]

Oak, I think the person who left the forum, stating that she felt unwelcome as a conservative, may have also been somewhat freaked out by lesbians. She didn't say this, but I was reading between the lines. I think she realized that her views were somewhat different from everyone else's and couldn't get past that, to talk about cycling. I am sure there are plenty of conservative cyclists... somewhere.
On the physical part, well, I mentioned this in another thread. I've had a year of lots of immunological/allergy stuff and a mild resurgence of my supposed fibro symptoms. However, I have a friend (a cousin, sort of) who really does have fibro, and what she experiences is similar, but I just don't have to stay home and do total rest like she does, nor do I have an cognitive symptoms. Work doesn't tire me out, like it does to her. I just have less tolerance for intense exercise. However, it's cyclical, so I am hoping it will eventually get better. Since I am returning to my previous health club, I will be doing a lot more stuff this winter, in addition to my nordic skiing/snow shoeing. Lots of spin classes and I will definitely be at Tabatta and circuit training 2X a week. The club is practically next door to the condo, so I am looking forward to that. So, my mantra is to keep out there, maybe just less distance if I am not feeling well. But, my head is ready for more. Hoping for a mild enough winter that I can ride a little outside in January and February, for the first time in a couple of years, to get more miles. I am hoping adding more yoga back in, will help, too. What worries me is that I have been having thoughts of cutting down my work more, but I have no idea why. I would be bored without more structured activities. Not going there...

[ny biker]

PITY PARTY!!!!

I'm in! Things have not gone well for me since I had a bad cold last April. One thing after another, not serious (though I did have CT scans looking for a tumor in my head and chest), but cumulatively dragging me down and keeping me from doing what I want to do, what I need to do to stay sane. Add in some problems at work and I'm a bit of a mess these days.

I hope everyone who's down feels better and is back on track soon.

[snapdragen]

Gads, I hated that time. I agreed with everyone, but because I was a mod, I had to *play by the rules* and let him stay. May have made a few enemies back then.

[Crankin]

NY, jeez, you just scared me, with the CT scans of head and chest. You've had a lot of what I have (I don't have asthma sx quite as severe as you do, doesn't impact my riding). I am sure I have a sinus infection. I was sick about a month ago, thought I was better, (I was) and now it's back, even more. I've had years of sinus x rays, scans, etc and nothing is wrong. My ear hurts, too. It's the same every time. I just don't feel like going to the doctor or taking an antibiotic. My doctor is close, but I might just go by the minute clinic.
Heading for bed and it's 7:50!

[emily_in_nc]

Sorry so many others on here are injured or sick...it's frustrating to want to be active and be limited by your physical being!

My Achilles/soleus (whatever it is) seems a wee bit better today, so I am slightly, cautiously optimistic. But I am certainly not going to hurry back into running anytime soon. It still hurts to go downstairs but a bit less, and I have to take each stair piecemeal like a little old lady (one foot down, then the other down on the same stair, repeat for four flights each time out of our apartment!) It takes forever, and I am NOT a patient person. But I try to focus on how much worse it could be; at least I can still walk and go to yoga.

Healing thoughts to us all!

[Pax]

Sorry so many others on here are injured or sick...it's frustrating to want to be active and be limited by your physical being!

My Achilles/soleus (whatever it is) seems a wee bit better today, so I am slightly, cautiously optimistic. But I am certainly not going to hurry back into running anytime soon. It still hurts to go downstairs but a bit less, and I have to take each stair piecemeal like a little old lady (one foot down, then the other down on the same stair, repeat for four flights each time out of our apartment!) It takes forever, and I am NOT a patient person. But I try to focus on how much worse it could be; at least I can still walk and go to yoga.

Healing thoughts to us all!

I feel for you, I injured my retrocalcaneal bursa one time, a tiny little bursa between the heel bone and the achilles... it hurt for months, one tiny little place and it messed me UP!

[OakLeaf]

Oh man. Pax, sorry to hear your knee isn't what you hoped for, but I'm glad you've come to an okay place with it. Healing thoughts to all the walking wounded!