first gym session

First time in training shoes in 7 weeks, and first time in gym.  Didn't do too much, just some light recumbent bike, ad and abductors, body weight PT exercises, and upper body.  Just one set.  

It was encouraging.  The knee feels better afterward, not worse.  

I have to keep reminding myself, I'm only 8 days off crutches and to be patient.  My right calf muscle looks really small compared to my L.   I do think this also has been good for my foot arthritis.  I can do 30 single leg heel raises, lightly supported with weight on hand with the right foot without (much) pain.  Before, I couldn't do any without significant pain.  I can definitely see light biking and hiking in 2 weeks.  

I was disappointed to see the ancient rotary hip glute machine was broken.  No one uses it and I will go in there and try to fix it myself.  It's at least 35 yrs old.  The cable has come off the main cog.  I really wanted to use that machine.  It's so old, the company doesn't support that model nor is there a manual available.  I'm really not sure how to attach it, fixing it will be trial and error.  

Lesley

Watching the Masters Indoor World Championships, one story of particular note.  Lesley, age 67, won the 800m World Title in the W65 age group.  The time wasn't massively special (2:53) but here's the kicker:

Leslie is racing on a Total Knee Replacement

My dad and Lesley's husband, Dr. Tom, met at my first Nationals win in IN in 2012.   I saw them at Hayward in 2022 when Lesley had to pull out of the Masters 800m Exhibition race.  She told me then she had decided to have a TKR.  Tom told me that her rehab was "double" what is prescribed for a typical TKR surgery and he owns one of those Alter G zero gravity running treadmills (like $40k).  

There is one at a facility in Chattanooga that I could book a session on for $10.  Maybe I'll consider it in July.   Anyway, I think this story could be inspiring for people who are struggling with knee replacements and shows that TKR isn't necessarily the end of the story.  I recently had communication with the M65 WR holder in the 5k who just had a hip replacement at age 69.  He fully intends to return to elite level and challenge the M70 WRs.  

I did a few new PT exercises today and will ramp up hopefully to full regime by next weekend.  Just living and walking around is actually PT.  This is just day one of post crutches and it feels weak and vulnerable.  Still put the soft brace on when carrying firewood upstairs and doing an errand.  Any kind of stress or accident now would be a huge mistake so part of this is just being super careful.  So far so good.  Noticeable improvement in a week.

Alter G zero gravity running machine:

PT regime

Schedule for my PT protocol for next few weeks.  Will include more strength exercises after this period.

Some things I can do from home and some things I will start at gym next weekend (end of week 7/ beginning week 8).

Week 7:

Leg

- heel raises/ dorsiflex toe  - 3x2x20 

- ham sets - start with isometeric, then ham bridges - elevate to straight - 3x2x15 (hold 5 sec)

- single leg full weight balance for 5x30 sec.  Progress to uneven surface (cushion)

- shallow double leg squats (30º) 3x2x20

- double leg bridges 3x2x20

- reverse lunge static hold 45º 10sec+ hold  3x10 (3x week)

Upper body / core 

- bicycle crunches 4 - 5 x 50

- pull ups - 1x18, 1x 10

- pushups 1x25

Week 7-8 - additional exercises

- zero resistance stationary bike

- hip adductor and abductor machine

- glute and hip flexor machine

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Aqua running, hill walking, and first resistance strength exercises not until May.  Nothing like repeated deep squat, seated leg extension, ham curl type exercise - needs to be avoided for 4 months or until June.

Recovery update

My limited weight bearing is supposed to officially end on Monday, but I've been walking around my house and office.  I dutifully used crutches this week to walk from car to work, and wore my brace every time I left the house.  It does feel like the healing is a bit slower than last time, however, I do have about 90% range of movement in my knee.   I can walk but tend to keep my leg very straight and not a normal gait.  It's painless when full weight bearing when it's straight, but I sometimes feel pain when it's even bent slightly, 5-15º.  I've been doing some heel raises with about full weight.  Also mobility exercises in the hot tub, just bicycling while seated in the water, no resistance.  I'm not going to jump right into aggressive PT on Monday, but ease into it slowly.  Doing some ham bridges, heel raises, and eventually very shallow body weight squats.  It's good to have the blog from my previous recovery.  I hope to be doing some light hiking and casual biking in 3 to 4 weeks.   Hoping the pain will go away as I start mild resistance.  

Continue to eat a lot of collagen powder, capsules, and glucosamine.   Hopefully it will help over the long term.  Over all, I think I've had a good term of healing, no accidents or incidents where I may have caused damage.  I'm fairly certain the root repair is fairly well healed but the circumferential repair will take longer and may cause pain before this new cartilage 'gasket' is broken in.  Patience is hard.

I am tired of sitting around,  but it's been nice watching the IAAF World Indoor Championships from China.   I'll probably watch all 20 hrs of it this weekend.  Been hanging out on my porch by the porch wood stove on the futon in the evenings.  Still cold at night, getting down to 40º tonight.   Last night I tried to sleep with the brace on and that was a mistake.  The weight of the brace made the leg hurt more and I woke up early with the knee hurting in the usual spot.  After having my coffee and collagen, went back to sleep for a couple more hrs and it felt much better.  

Next weekend, I'll be going to the gym to work on bringing back the strength to peripheral areas like adductors and abductors, hip flexors.  Maybe some zero resistance stationary bike and upperbody.  All I've been doing today is bicycle crunches and pullups.  Really need to get HR up.  

I'm going to use my next post to organized my PT schedule.  Weight is under control, hanging about 144-145. 5-6 lbs lighter than after my first surgery.  

Also, the WMAC indoor championship starts tomorrow in Gainesville.  I'm not real interested in it since I can't participate. I had originally thought I might just enter the 200, and try to get on the US relay team, but that's obviously not happening.  Whether I race again is uncertain.  Probably shouldn't.

 

Not heroic

I have to wonder.  

When masters athletes go too far.  Pushing themselves for the sake of competition and damaging their bodies in the process, in some cases, beyond repair.  That said, I think I have been repaired, although the jury is still out on the ultimate success of my surgery.

I've been extremely careful and only now, beginning the 5th week post op, I'm gingerly and only occasionally putting weight on my affected leg.  It still hurts sometimes, but not badly or alarmingly.  Mostly a throbbing feeling.

I recently was featured in Ray's "Geezer Jock" blog.  One of my masters colleagues was also featured recently and praised as a hero for running injured in an effort to defend his title.  I'm not going to mention names but I feel really sorry for him.  He revealed his MRI on social media taken after his race (finished out of the medals, well back), and it was far worse than the knee I just had repaired.  It is almost certainly unrepairable, especially at his age.

Another colleague had been running bone on bone for yrs and has apparently finally retired.  He has literally dozens of National masters 400m titles.  I see some short sprinters gutting it out, running obviously injured, 'just one more race' and not anywhere near where they used to be, like one former world champion I raced at Penn.   World champ, Allan came out of retirement to race the 60m at Nationals, finished 3rd and said he "did not have a good time."  

Another stellar athlete, WR holder won the 400m nationals in her age group and is competing on a torn meniscus.  It doesn't bode well for her future.  Short term goals for long term damage.  People think they can overcome a torn meniscus with PT.  Some even use snake oil chiropractic treatments like red light, cold laser, etc...  Actually, probably no better than a soak in the hot tub and some gentle massage.  All these things are really bandaids and won't help long term.  

It makes me think real hard about ever training to compete again.  

Two kernels of wisdom that Dr. LaPrade's assistant, Dr. Cook gave me... 

1) There are two types of people.  People who learn from their mistakes and people who learn from other people's mistakes.  

2) You have one chance for a surgical repair, and you want to hit a home run.  

I have 2 full weeks on crutches still left.  Last time I got off crutches and on to the underloader brace at 5 1/2 weeks.  I'm a bit behind that repair because I had 95% ROM by the end of 5th week.  I'm a ways away from that, at least 2 weeks I'd estimate.  Right now I can stand on it with full weight with no pain, but I am avoiding doing it.   Still wearing the brace all the time.  I still have a full 8 days before I have to work, which is great.

Staying at around 144 lbs.  Been eating a lot of fruit lately out of convenience.  

 

4 week mark, looking back and forward

Approaching the 4 week mark post op and still being really careful.  Wearing the brace all the time and only occasionally putting small amount of weight on the R leg just for balance.  Dr said 50% weight is ok but not even doing that.  Last 3 weeks have been a good period of healing.  My ROM is about 100º of flexion.

This weekend is the opening meet at Berry College where last year I raced a 400m in 59.75, finishing 36th out of 37.   I'm thinking it may very well be the last time I'll ever break 60 sec in a 400m.  

Back in 2016, I would have been disappointed if I failed to break 56.  I ran eight 400s that year under 56 sec.  I turned 56 that summer.  It was at this same meet at Berry in 2017 where I ran my last outdoor 400m under 56 sec and two weeks later, ran 55.17 in Daegu at Worlds.  For reference, with my 2017 time of 55.79 at Berry, I would have finished ahead of both those runners in the photo - 4 mo short of age 57.  Daegu would be my final sub 56 sec 400.  I did come really close to breaking 56 sec 4 yrs later at age 61, just 3 1/2 yrs ago in Canada with that WL 56.23.  

4 yrs ago I was beating HS kids on the new indoor track in Louisville at age 60.  Ran a 57.81 on that track in 2021.

Anyway, nice to look back.  

I was recently looking at colleagues races and thinking that I miss it, but also thinking how inane it is.  To win a meet, get that medal, while running a time that is ridiculously slow compared to just a few yrs ago.  The last 200m I ran in May '24 was 27.00.  The only time I failed to break 27 sec in a 200m.  My first 200m split in my 400m at nationals in '21 was 26.8.  Even 27.00 is a respectable time for M65. It would rank #3 in world right now M65.  So, at least I stayed relatively fast til the end, if that was the end.

Dates for 2026 World Masters Championships have been announced for Daegu, and it's end of August.  I am really dubious I could ever be ready to race by then, especially after taking 2 consecutive summers off.  I will likely only have been running a year at most by then.  Probably not worth it.  I'm thinking the healing process will be longer this time.  I have two more weeks on crutches and last time I was transitioning off crutches right after the 5th week.  I got a great deal on a brand new Ossur Rebound Cartilage under loader brace for $100.  They sell new for $900.  We'll see how that feels.  I will hit the 5 week mark a week from Monday and I'm on vacation til then, so time for some good healing.  Eating an ounce of collagen a day including an advanced formula (snake oil?) and a generic.  Types I,II,III,V.   Maybe it will help.

I'm not particularly heavy but definitely have gained 3 or 4 lbs of fat and lost muscle.  I'm about 144-145 lbs.  I went shopping for the first time yesterday.  At Walmart, you can shop on line and they will bring it to your car.  Getting it up the stairs was hard.  Used a canvas bag slung around my back.  2 trips.  I had my first fast food sandwich in probably yrs (other than a sub) yesterday.  Wendy's chicken sandwich and FRIES and sweet tea.  Was very good, but deadly.  

I have not worked out with my abs, pullups, and pushups circuit since Monday.  So, undisciplined.  Will definitely do that today.  

My PT will start March 24 with some gentle ham bridges, zero resistance biking, and various other exercises.  

M95 WR 400m

This is Canadian Masters Track legend Earl Fee.   He broke the M95 400m record today (2:01.40).  He already holds the 400m WRs in M85 and M90.  He is the oldest man ever to run less than his age in the 400m, 89.15 at age 90.  

I was fortunate enough to break his 34 yr old M60 400m meet record in Canada in '21 when I ran the WL M60 time of 56.23.  

I'd be happy to be alive and to walk at 95.

Earl Fee - age 95, 400m WR.

Salute!