In search of old age PRs

Another Tanner Park snow loop

Morning: 4.5 miles.  The start of two a days again...in 10 degrees!  This will not be an easy January, February or March.  Liberty Park loop.

Evening: 3.5 miles.  Back to the gym (ugh).  Only $78 to renew for the entire year-sweet! 

Frozen 8 degrees running around Sugar House park early this morning.  I was not alone-several people in the park running!

Gym for core

Group run along Wasatch in 4 degree temperature early this morning.  

I reviewed last year's mileage and found I ran over 2,300 miles.  Hopefully, I can get to 2,500 this year. 

AM: 4.5 miles around Liberty.  It was not this cold last year!

PM: 3.5 miles to the gym for core. 

I could not bring myself to run in the natsy inversion for one more day.  Drove (and contributed to the inversion-lol) to the Olympic Oval and ran 4 x 1600 with warm up and cool down.  That track is fast, or maybe its all skaters flying on the inside!

AM: 4.5 miles.  Liberty park loop.  22 degrees--heat wave!

PM: 3.6 miles.  Gym for core.  Record heat wave continues..at least until the weekend. 

Short hotel treadmill run while working in Denver.  I understand its snowing a little in Salt Lake.

Hotel treadmill

Cold, icy run up City Creek

AM: 4.5 miles.  Liberty park.  2 degrees!

PM: 3.5 miles.  Gym for core. 

Loop up into the Avenues, over to City Creek and then back home all while listening to NPR Science Friday podcast-my geek run.

AM: 4.5 miles.  Liberty Park loop.  Warmer-17 degrees!

PM: 3.5 miles.  Gym for core. 

5 x 1600 at Olympic Oval in Kearns

Gym for core

Morning run at the Olympic Oval.

AM: 4.5 miles.  Liberty Park loop in the morning muck.

PM: 3.5 miles.  Gym for core.  The inversion has got to go away this week. 

Avenues loop.  A little sunshine today, but still too much smog.

AM: 4.5 miles.  Liberty park loop

I was putting my 2 year old in his car seat today and ruptured a spinal disk between L4/L5.  My entire left side is either numb (tolerable), throbbing (lots of discomfort) or stabbing (kill me now).  I will get injections at TOSH next week.  I'm not sure about my running schedule.  I know my nerve is getting pinched, but my back feels fine.  I wonder if I do run could I do major damage to the pinched sciatic nerve?

 Well, I have decided to log my road to recovery, so I'll be putting in my total attempted distances.  This 0.1 was my run from the car to the entrance to Costco.  A few important things:

1.  My left side is much weaker than it was on Thursday before taking the prescribed medication (Thursday my strength was probably 70% vs. Right, now probably 30% vs. Right).  My Dr. has me taken 20MG prednisone x3 a day for the first few days.  I doubt that is causing the weakness.   In addition I have a 500MG Methocarbamol as a muscle relaxer and Hydrocodone-acetaminophen tablets (Lortab) 7.5-500MG for pain.

2.  Friday I was Gung-Ho on the swimming/biking plan, but the weakness has scared me off.

3. I was able to find some success stories on running fast with this injury (sub 3), although not a lot.  Most recommendations are no running; let it heal if there is still leg pain then surgery.  The pain is not a problem, but the weakness is a killer.

4. Saw Walter's 5K time at SLC Track today-sucks not to be there with him.  My ruptured disk makes my first year at Masters challenging!  The nice people at SLC Track and Striders have moved my entries to 2014--thanks!

5.  I'm still on for Utah Valley in June.  I have an Ultra in March that will probably get canned--sorry Craig.

Current plan (subject to daily modification): No running/gym/bike/swim until PT visit on Wednesday.  They want to give me a steroid shot (cortisone-maybe) in the disk to see if the nerve settles down.  I'll probably take this path for a couple of weeks.  If the weakness goes away then I'm good to begin activity again.  If not, then surgery.

Shoveled a little snow today with no back pain.  That's a first, but my left foot is toast.  Also, my inner thigh on my left leg is giving me some flare-up--strange because the nerve should run on the outside of the leg.  

Big accomplishment today of only taking prednisone--no muscle relaxers or Vicodin.  

Did a lot more Internet searching today on Doctors.  I have some good leads on people that have worked on other athelete spines (thanks everyone that made recommendations).  I'm seeing Terry Sawchuck (great last name) on Wednesday for injection/rehab.  If it comes to surgery, I'll probably look at Dr. Armen Khachatryan or Dr. Kade Huntsman.  I'll probably also give Dr. Toronto a call.  

Once again, thanks Dr. Jason Blackham (Ogden runner) on some good advice. 

Doctor research today.  I received some more great recommendations from friends and called Dr. Kade Huntsman, Dr. Armen Khachatryan and Dr. Charles Rich.  Dr. Rich is a neurosurgeon and comes highly recommended from Dr. Russ Toronto, while the other two are well known orthopedic surgeons.  I'm not sure which is the best way to go, but the lack of control in my left foot has me leaning toward the neurosurgeon.  

Today, I was definitely stronger and was able to shovel snow (light loads).  I can tell the fluid is draining off the nerve.  I just need it to go completely away!

Epidural steroid injection today with Dr. Terry Cutshaw from the TOSH clinic:

I waited an extra hour and was offered an appointment move time, but I was not going anywhere (appointment at 11:15, did not get seen until 12:15)!  

He reviewed my MRI and stated that I was a good candidate for surgery due to the severity of the compressing.  He tested my left foot strength which was non-existent.  He told me the shot usually showed about a 20% success rate with people in my condition for pain and weakness (the % is much higher if your disc herniation is not as severe).  I opted for the shot.  

It was a small surgical procedure that took about 25 minutes.  There was mild burning when the needles and dye were injected, but the steroid was fine.  He did grumble a couple of times since he was having trouble on something called vascular uptake (made me very nervous).  Within 1 hour of the injection my leg pain has improved along with a small recovery of strength--but not nearly enough.  I made a follow-up visit with him for next Thursday, but I have an orthopedic surgeon and a neurosurgeon visit scheduled earlier in the week...looks like it’s time to research surgery techniques! 

One day after steroid injection.  

It took some time, but dull pain down my leg has improved.  I still have light pins/needles across my left foot.  Left/foot weakness is still present.  I was able to sleep through the night and can sit at my desk for a longer period of time; however, to resume my active lifestyle I need the strength back in my foot.  Dr. Sawchuck thought the injection only had about a 10-20% chance of working due the size of the disc rupture; however, I wanted to try it first.

A little more about the injection.  I was very nervous, but it was relatively painless.  I did have a vascular uptake problem, but after needle re-positioning by Dr. Sawchuck, he was able to remedy the problem.   

Watched some You Tube videos of the procedure and patients that are back running at full speed within 3-6 months.