I set a new personal worst on my five mile run this morning.
There is definitely something not right but with blood tests and medicals proving otherwise I am at a loss as to what the answer might be…
I don’t drink coffee at all Surfermom, but consume copious amounts of tea which I believe does contain caffeine, I could sleep the clock round if I wanted so I don’t think the lack of sleep is the answer, probably too much sleep?
I will continue to turn out no matter how slow I become, but it is starting to annoy me…
What about your leg muscle mass, OGF? A decrease in muscle size could affect both your breathing and overall performance. What about adding squats and lunges to your day?
I didn’t run today after another setback from pushing too much, too early. I’m giving it another go tomorrow.
That’s two of us on the subs bench Surfermom…
I think I may just have thrown some light on why I’m struggling to run…
I awoke this morning to a very painful and inflamed big toe joint, and after ‘Giving it a go’ had to return home after just a few hundred yards.
I suspect it has been the problem all along but I’ve been too stupid or bone headed to accept it.
I’ve struggled with this bunion for over twenty years but it’s never been this bad before, It very rarely hurts when running, but occasionally it makes walking uncomfortable, until now…
It could have been responsible for the fall I had last week, because subconsciously I was trying to protect it and adjusting my running gait which caused me to viciously kick a protruding rock on the lane sending me sprawling on the ground. And that contact with the rock was probably the reason for this mornings inflammation.
If I’m being honest, it was swelled and hurting before yesterday’s run but it seemed to abate once I put a couple of miles behind me, but I didn’t even get out of the blocks this morning.
I should have known how an injury of this kind can affect your whole body, I’ve seen it many times in other runners and even experienced it myself in the past, not just the localised pain but a general feeling of lethargy with occasional hot sweats as the poison spreads to every corner of the body as the injury progresses.
I shall rest it for a couple of days with regular doses of Ibuprofen (the best I could expect from a doctor) and see how it reacts, It usually settles down with some rest then see if I can do a few miles on Sunday…Fingers crossed…
The main thing is, Bob, that you now know what the cause of your setbacks are. If your kidney issues are ongoing and haven’t got any worse and your bloods are fine, then it’s really time to focus on the bunion on your foot.
Is there any chance of an operation to put that right instead of ‘putting up with’ the pain? It may mean that you would need to rest and recover for a while afterwards, but surely that’s better than potentially aggravating the complaint for the sake of wanting to run? See you GP and maybe they can book you in for this bud
Suzie, I hope you’re resting well too with plenty of chai and comforting warmth. Colds are horrendous and really knock one for six. Hopefully the weather outside is lovely where you are and you at least get out on your porch or patio and maybe do some painting or something to take your mind off things? get well soon. :hug:
Tachyon, what’s the score with you also matey? I hear you’ve had an ECG, let’s hope the heart problems don’t reoccur again and you can get back to the gym for some light exercise. Chasing the numbers is great but sometimes you need to ease off a little.
As per my hernia thread, I’m soldiering on as best I can. I have plenty to do with some music projects and resting up nicely. I’ll get there until it all begins again at the end of November with another operation (all being well). I don’t think I’ll see work again until after Christmas and anything approaching physical fitness will be much later still. No rush.
I’ve had the bunion for about 20 years Floydy, It doesn’t look as serious as some of the pictures I’ve been looking at on google…:shock:
Apart from being uncomfortable while on some walks, it has never bothered me while running. It is possible to stop the joint from seizing up by regular bending and manipulation which I have been doing on a regular basis and it has reduced the pain considerably, but kicking the stone last week must have bruised the joint causing inflammation.
The good news is, after resting today the swelling has reduced and It’s looking good for an outing on Sunday, so hopefully surgery can be avoided. I know quite a few runners who have had the operation and are now keen cyclists…
Obviously you don’t want to go that direction unless it’s absolutely necessary, and I understand your concerns, but I do have a friend who had the surgery and then ran well into her 50s.
The one thing you might consider is going with a wider shoe, OGF. I wear two widths wider than my regular shoes so my toes aren’t touching the sides or tops on the inside They look a little silly being so wide, but toes before beauty!
Hope you are still well on the mend, Floydy. Every day gets you a little closer!
First run since March that it was less than 24C. A tropical system had passed over the weekend, leaving the skies scrubbed blue and everything in crystalline hues. Such a pretty day! 5.35 miles.
Trouble is, I’m almost into my seventies Surfermom. Longer recovery times at my age, and I’m not being despondent here, but how many years can I realistically expect to continue being a runner? And also, long layoffs at my age do not bode well…
Bob - What are you going to do then? Just stop altogether? I don’t think so mate, do you?
Yes, you may have to ease off slightly. You can ‘jog’ instead or ‘run’, or walk briskly, or even power-walk but you will not just hang up your Adidas pumps and retire quietly into a corner and watch repeats of Bored Housewives of Atlanta all day long with Mrs. F will you?
No mate, that is not your style. You, me and Suzie are active. We have had that active gene built into us from Day One when we were born into this world, still tired from the move. We were soon toddling about, then we won races and athletics events on school sports days, then cranked it up until some of us (i.e. YOU) ran marathons. And that wasn’t even enough was it? You wanted more, so you didn’t stop and at the age of 69 (is it?) you are still out there pounding those country lanes and muddy woods, dodging vicious farmyard hounds and taking in the sights of chirping birdies as you tramp on your merry way.
So don’t be disheartened Bob. Yes, slow down a bit. Do three miles instead of six, or get a day’s extra rest. Look mate, you were always the first one to tell me to take things easy when I was being tempted by monster weights at the gym and got myself shoulder and lower back injuries. Now look at me! A double hernia and climbing the walls at home completely useless for two months. Not in my best shape, creaking about and having to seriously watch my weight.
But Bob, I know that I will be back to fitness once this medical episode is done with. Start of Jan and I’ll be back at the gym hitting the weights again, albeit in a completely different way.
And that’s the way it goes mate. This thing has taught me a lesson in a not too dissimilar way to you in that you are needing to re-evaluate your exercise routine and compromise in a manner that allows you to carry on enjoying a life of exercise but with strings attached. It may be hard getting used to at first, but you don’t need to prove anything to anyone else but yourself. You are not in competition with anybody else. It’s an ego thing, it’s not wanting to give in. But you can adapt, and that is essential for continuing fitness.
Good luck with it bud. We are sure that you will come to some kind of plan
Sorry guys I think you misunderstood what I was trying to say…
I was replying mainly to Floydy and Surfermom’s inquiry about surgery to my bunion.
There is not the slightest possibility that I will ever give up running…
Surfermom said that her friend had surgery on her bunion and was now continuing to run into her fifties…My answer to that was thus:-
(1) Recovery of a fifty year old would be faster and more efficient than in a (almost) seventy year old.
(2) Bunion operations have a long recovery time…especially in a seventy year old with previous heart problems. Returning to running from such a procedure in later life would be doubtful at best, nigh impossible at worst. Bear in mind I was in my fifties when I had my heart attack, and recovery was swift.
(3) An examination of my toe joint by a doctor or x-ray has not been done, Yet, therefore it could be any one of three things…Bunion - Gout (history of high levels of uric acid) Arthritis, or other…
(4) Under normal conditions and after suffering with an enlarged big toe joint for over twenty years. It is possible, and probable, that this present bout of inflammation and pain will subside without the need for surgery.
(5) It is inconceivable to me that I shall never be able to run at some level…
(6) Therefore finding alternatives to running are just preposterous and have never entered my head…
(7) When fifty year old athletes reach seventy, they might look at life from a totally different perspective…
(8) Surfermon and Floydy, you are two of my bestest friends on this forum and I hope you accept what I have just wrote in the spirit in which it was intended…Tongue in cheek, and I appreciate your support and advice…
Absolutely! This discussion is so, so important given the nature of the forum and the fact that we all are aging in the exact same direction …
You are leading by example, OGF, and we are all learning from you. I for one, appreciate your candor and hope that likewise, that you take all of my “sage :roll:” advice with the “what if” grain of salt that it deserves.
The big question is: What are your plans to deal with your toe? (Nudge, nudge)
Thanks for your understanding Floydy and Surfermom…I’ll never be too old to learn off fellow athletes, but one of the more ugly faces of getting older is the groove (rut) that one sometimes finds oneself in…
Thought of Floydy today, I had cause to go to the house that Dorian Yates used to live in. I was behind him at our then local Chinese Takeaway (Dorian not Floydy:-)) about 25 years ago, he was chunky then!
He was a monster in the late 80’s-early 90’s, Spitty.
One of my true ‘heroes’ when I was into my bodybuilding. I used to look at his programmes in intricate detail and work my way up the scale almost matching his workouts. Like Arnie before him, he was the man in the bodybuilding scene
After a four mile big toe tester on Tuesday, after which the joint swelled up and appeared aggravated (same as me!) I decided to turn out for my Thursday five this morning anyway, and I can report that it went without incident, and thus far, with the help of a ibuprofen, I shall accompany Mrs Fox on her late morning walk…
Good news innit…
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