March 31st - Happy Easter

It's late so today's post will be be short.  Today's bike ride was more intense than those in the past couple of weeks.  Either that or it was hot in the house because I worked up a pretty good sweat.  Forty five minutes was pretty easy today even with the varied gear selection.  I'll stay at 45 minutes for a couple more days and then jump up to 50 minutes.  Until then I'll work on building some more bike strength by pedaling in harder gears.

My walk today was good as well.  I took Rosco with me and he really enjoyed it.  Having him with me kept me moving pretty quickly.  After my walk I did a core workout and increased my sets.

Today's workout:
Core 12x25
Planks 4x45 seconds

Usually I go to PT on Mondays, but this week I will be going Tuesday and Thursday morning since it is that wonderful time of the year called Spring Break.

March 30th - Apparently WE let the dogs out

I decided to increase my minutes on the bike to 45 today.  I was considering going to an hour but I didn't want to push it too much.  I am having good luck varying the gears and playing with the resistance without any pain so that is encouraging.  It was a good ride and I think I am getting close to training ride intensity at this point.  At least I am sweating like its a training ride.

We decided to take the dogs on our walk today and that caught the attention of every other dog in the neighborhood.  I thought that it would slow me down a bit but the dogs did great and they need the exercise too.  I was hoping that my walking gait was becoming more normal but Kelly said that every once in a while she can see a very slight limp.  I try to be conscious of how I am walking and work on keeping my stride as even as possible.  I do notice that walking downhill causes a little discomfort which in turn causes me to favor it a bit. 

As I wrote yesterday, I am going to start tracking my weight and body fat percentage.  The Health-o-meter scale I have may not be the most accurate on body fat percentage but it does a pretty good job with weight and will at least let me know if I am heading in the right direction.  I am going to check my stats each week on Saturday mornings when I wake up before I eat or do any workouts to keep things consistent.

Here is the rest of the workout today:
Pull-ups 6x15
Push-ups 6x20
I made sure to do some new hand positions and worked in some swim strength moves as well.

Weigh in:
160lbs
16.3% body fat

March 29 - Normal is good

I noticed that I am walking with even more of a normal gait today after my 45 minute walk on the track.  I decided to reward myself with an extra hour of sleep this morning since I have been so religious with my PT exercises, bike riding and walking.  Instead of riding at the insane hour of 4:45am, I did my 40 minute ride after school. 

Spring break is here, and while I will still be doing all my workouts, I will be using next week to ice and rest as much as possible.  I hope to get as much healing time as I can, but boredom is going to be an issue.  There is already a pretty good butt imprint on the couch from the last few weeks.  I'm really looking forward to being cleared to get back in the pool and out on the road for some rides. 

One of the things I hope to do is to cut 5 - 8 pounds before Ironman Lake Placid.  The lighter I am for the event, the easier it will be to get through the bike and run while conserving as much energy as possible.  I have been trying to eat as well as I can by eating mostly fruits, vegetables and a small amount of meat or chicken everyday.  My NutriBullet smoothies make it easier to make sure I am eating all my veggies every day.  I have also decided to take a bold step and not drink any booze until I am officially an Ironman.  I haven't had anything to drink since a few days before my surgery and I think that it will help me cut a few pounds.  Don't get me wrong, I love beer, so it will make that first post-race drink that much better once I hear Mike Reilly, the Ironman announcer declare me an Ironman.  I haven't weighed myself in a while because in the month after the initial injury to my knee I did pretty much nothing exercise-wise and I don't really want to know what that did to my body composition.  I will begin weekly weigh-ins this weekend.

Today's workout:
Core 11x25
Planks 4x45sec

March 28th - It puts the lotion on it's skin...

Had a good ride this morning.  Another 40 minutes followed by my PT exercises.  I was hoping to get some new ones soon but she still wants me to do the ones I already have.  I was on my feet a lot today and was able to get in a walk during my planning period.  I started with 20 minutes on the treadmill and when I was ready to beat my head against the wall I decided to do the next 25 minutes on the track.  Walking in circles was slightly less boring but at least it was outside in the fresh air. 

I had a PT session today.  Dr. Karyn called me out on a slight limp I had when I went to her office.  I have noticed that when I sit for a while my knee gets stiff and takes a few steps to loosen it up again.  I think the fact that I was on it a lot today had something to do with it as well.  I'm looking forward to having spring break next week to allow for a week of rest and healing. 

The exercises I did at PT today were pretty humbling, but she did say that I have come much further in a shorter period of time than most patients are able to.  She almost gave me the green light to start swimming, but we both decided that it would be better to wait until after spring break. At the end of the session she did some massage work on the tendons at the back of my knee and my kneecap and worked some Vitamin E cream into the incision.  Hurts so good only begins to explain it...
The only new thing I need to do is to make sure I rub some moisturizer into my knee every day to keep the skin pliable.

I did get an email today that said my new brace shipped today.  I'm looking forward to trying it out and seeing how it hold up.

Workout for today:
Pull-ups 6x15
Push-ups 6x20

March 27th - Cramping my style

This morning I had a cramp at the top of my calf the size of a golf ball.  I could actually see the knot in the muscle.  When I was finally able to stretch it out, it was one of those knots that you can feel as they stretch and it felt so good.  I spent most of the day without the brace, but I did wear it to school so I could justify wearing my soccer warmups.  I'll probably milk that for the rest of the week and return to "professional dress" (which, to me means khakis with my sneakers) after spring break. 

I had another good 40 minute ride this morning.  Tomorrow I think I will vary the resistance a little more and work in some different gearing to see how my knee responds.  I wasn't able to get on the treadmill during planning today because of a meeting but I did make sure to get a 45 minute walk in at really good pace around the neighborhood after track practice.  I have noticed that walking downhill causes a bit of discomfort but it's nothing that I think I need to worry about.  Aside from the knotted up calf muscles, today was pretty good.

I did my core workout today without the brace for the first time, and that went well too so I added one more set:
Core 11x25
Planks 4x45sec

March 26th - Learning to love the treadmill

If you know me, you know that I cannot stand the treadmill.  I would rather be outside running (or in my case for the next few months, walking) than doing my best impression of a hamster on a wheel.  However, because I was woefully unprepared for the terrible weather we are having my planned walk on the track during my planning period turned into a 30 minute slog on the treadmill in the ECMS weight room.  It looks like a mid-day walk is going to be on the agenda from now on, at least on the days I don't have meetings or other work related things to pretend to do during planning. 

Most of the pain is gone.  I still can't put any pressure directly on the knee itself because of the swelling, but now I would classify things as occasionally uncomfortable rather than painful.  Things are still progressing very well and I was able to do a 40 minute ride this morning.  I'll stick with 40 minutes for a few days and work on varying the resistance until I increase to 45 minutes over the weekend.  I'm doing pretty well with my new toothbrushing routine.  I've never had good balance on my right side, so getting to 20 reps of calf raises without falling over will be interesting.  I'm getting close though.

I hardly wore the brace today.  I'm looking forward to getting the new one to see how well it stays in place.

After a rest day yesterday I decided to increase the reps on the pull-ups.  Here's today's workout:
Push-ups 6x20
Pull-ups 6x15

March 25th - PT is supposed to hurt

Had another good day today back at work.  I spent most of the day with the brace off but I did wear it while I was walking around at the track meet this afternoon.  I had a really good 35 minute ride this morning and I am thinking of jumping up to 40 minutes tomorrow.  PT went well today.  She told me to expect the swelling that I still have to stick around for up to 6 weeks.  I got a couple of new exercises today as well.  Instead of just standing on one foot to brush my teeth I have to now do 20 calf raises on one foot while I brush my teeth.  And I have to work up to 20 in a row without falling over.  I couldn't do that BEFORE the surgery.  I also have to work on bending my knee to match the amount of bend in the left one.

One exercise that we found out I'm not quite ready for is raising from a lunge position to a standing position.  I can do the movement without a problem, but I can't really put any pressure on the front of my kneecap in the kneeling position.  I had 2 pads under the knee but it was still pretty rough.  The swelling behind the kneecap is preventing that at the moment.

On a good note, Dr. Karyn said I can pretty much ditch the brace altogether unless I am in a crowd (like a hallway full of middle schoolers) or on rough terrain.  I did go ahead and order a different brace that I may need when I start running again and when I start playing soccer again.  She didn't think it was necessary to spend hundreds of dollars on a brace so this is the one she suggested: The Breg Shortrunner

Positive number 2 is that after spring break (next week) I will be able to start riding on the road (still using flat pedals though, no clipping in yet) and I will be able to get back in the pool and start swimming with a pull buoy. 

Today was a rest day aside from the bike, so no push-ups, pull-ups or core work today.  Tomorrow I will try working out without the brace and see how that goes.

March 24th - Chicks Dig Scars

Today was another great day and the recovery seems to be moving along in leaps and bounds.  I had a great ride this morning after church and did 35 minutes on the bike.  I decided it was time to switch back to cycling shorts and believe me, my crotch was quite happy with me.  I also started to feel like a real cyclist again.  Since I increased the time yesterday, I figured it was safe to increase the resistance today.  After warming up in the small ring, I switched to the big ring and did the rest of the ride in the 25 tooth gear.  It was great to work up a real sweat and get an actual cardio workout. 

I also increased the time of my walk today.  Kelly and I went out for 45 minutes and it was even better than yesterday's walk.  I had no pain from the beginning for the entire walk and it was at an even faster pace than yesterday too. 

Finally, I decided it was time to get rid of the last of the Steri-strips on my knee.  Looks like I'll end up with a scar about 4 inches long down the front of my knee.  You can also tell that almost all of the swelling is gone and my knee is starting to look like an actual knee again.  There is some swelling behind the kneecap and it makes for a weird feeling every now and then. 

Here's the rest of the workout for the day:
Core 10x25
Planks 4x45sec

March 23rd - 18 minute miles...

Dr. Karyn said my homework for the weekend was to walk (faster than a stroll) for 30 to 45 minutes.  After my morning workout and 30 minute ride, Kel and I went out for a walk and covered just under 2 miles in 36 minutes.  I tried to walk with the brace on, but I made it about to the end of the driveway before it started to slip down so I ditched it.  The walk went very well.  I was able to walk at a good speed with only a little discomfort.  It started out a little stiff but loosened up quite a bit as we went.  I plan on walking again tomorrow for 45 minutes.  I will probably up my time on the bike to 35 minutes as well.  My cadence on the bike was 79 - 80rpm today so it will be time to shift up a gear soon to increase the resistance.  I am still in the small ring, but I am starting to get some good cardio work in along with the strength stuff I am doing.  The real cardio will begin when I am able to pedal in the big ring.

I did notice some crackling and popping as I was on the walk today.  I'm guessing it's just the new ligament stretching and everything moving around the swelling that it still there.  But there was no pain that caused any kind of concern so that was good. 

Here's the rest of the workout from this morning:
Pull-ups 6x12, 4 negatives
Push-ups 6x20

March 22nd - Slow day

Not much exciting to report today.  I finally got a good night's sleep without the brace.  I was also able to take off a couple more of the Steri-strips.  The large incision down the front of my knee is healing pretty nicely but I am definitely going to have a nice scar.  Dr. Karyn made a recommendation on a new brace so I am going to talk to her more about it on Monday and then probably order it that night.  The only good thing about the current brace is that I have to wear shorts to school because my pants don't fit over it.  Good thing I don't wear skinny jeans...

I moved up to 30 minutes on the bike this afternoon to start trying to get more of a cardio workout.  It went pretty well.  I noticed a little more soreness than usual afterwards today as well as an mild shooting pain that I haven't had before.  I'm hoping that it's just because I added some time on the bike and I need to get used to it.  I also need to start working my quad some more so that it catches up with the left one, so I started doing the quad flex sets again.  That could also be the source of the pain. 

Tomorrow, I am supposed to go for a 30 to 45 minute walk so we will see how that goes.  Here's today's workout:

Core 10x25
Planks 2x45sec, 2x30sec

March 21st - More Good News

As I get more and more fed up with the brace I'm supposed to wear when I am out of the house, it just so happened that I got a bunch of good news at PT today.  First, she told me that the swelling behind my kneecap and the residual pain is normal and actually shows progression in healing.  Second, she tested my range of motion and measured it at 120 degrees.  When I started PT my knee would only bend 91 degrees.  My good knee bends to 135 degrees and she is pretty sure that the residual swelling is all that is keeping the repaired knee from reaching that angle.  Finally, and best of all, she said I don't need to wear the brace when I sleep anymore.  It will be great to get a full nights sleep again. 

I am hoping to up my time on the bike starting this weekend to 30 minutes or more.  She also wants me to start taking brisk walks of 30 to 45 minutes.  Swimming should begin in 3 weeks, depending on the amount of progress.  Dr. Karyn is also looking into a new brace for me since I will need to wear one when I finally start playing soccer again.  I'll use that to replace the brace I have now.  I'll possibly have to wear it when I start running. 

Overall, today was a pretty good day.

Here's the workout for today:
Pull-ups 6x12
Push-ups 6x20

March 20th - This brace wasn't made for walking

Holy crap I can't stand this brace. It makes walking normally pretty tough and it doesn't stay where it's supposed to. I'm looking forward to being rid of it for good. I had a lot of soreness today especially after being on my feet too much at the track meet. It will be good to go to PT tomorrow and hopefully get a massage.

I'm keeping it short today because I'm typing on my phone. PT exercises went well and here is the rest of my workout:
Core - 9x25
Planks - 2x45sec, 2x30sec

March 19th - An Uneventful Day...That's a Good Thing

Day 2 back at work went pretty well.  I was able to sit for most of the day again as well as keep ice on it.  I'm still getting the same pain at the top of my knee that started yesterday.  The rest of the exercises went well this morning however.  I did another 20 minutes on the bike, all in the small ring on the 13 tooth gear.  It's getting easier to put a little more power to the pedals and I'm starting to get an actual workout from my rides on the trainer.  I'll stick with 20 minutes the rest of the week and possibly add a few more minutes this weekend.

I have noticed that I am able to bend my knee a little bit further and that more of the swelling has gone down.  Wearing the brace is about to drive me insane, but the PT says that it's the surgeon's call as to when I can get rid of it for good.  It's pretty bulky and doesn't really stay in place that well.  I guess it is good for protecting my knee from wayward middle schoolers though.

Yesterday was a rest day, workout-wise, but I picked it back up today:

Pull-ups 6x12
Push-ups 6x20

March 18th - Back to the Grind

After spending the last 2 weeks on the couch trying my best to give my knee frostbite, it has finally come time to return to work.  It will be good to get back into the daily routine of getting up early and getting in a morning workout.  Today I stuck with 20 minutes on the bike after doing my strength/ROM exercises and I'm still pedaling at about 70rpm with a small amount of resistance.  I did notice some new pain today at the top of my kneecap that showed up when my knee is at full extension. 

The first day back went pretty well.  I was able to sit most of the day while the kids were working which allowed me to ice my knee a good bit.  I still have to wear the brace, but it is extremely annoying...it doesn't stay in place very well while I am walking.  According to the FMLA paperwork that I got back in the mail today, the doctor wants me to wear it for a full month.  That means that hopefully on April 5th I can ditch the brace for good.  We shall see...

I started my second week of PT today.  As expected Dr. Karyn introduced some new exercises and got rid of most of the old ones that were getting too easy.  I still have to do the bicycle motion exercises, which are the most painful ones (yay), but I will also be adding some wall sits/slides, modified lunges and I'll be increasing my single leg stands.  Interestingly enough I'm supposed to do those while I am brushing my teeth.  At the end of the PT session she massaged some of the spots that have been giving me trouble (top of the kneecap and top of the calf muscles, which have been cramping quite a bit lately), and she removed a few of the Steri-strips to clip some more of the stitches.  The incision seems to be healing really well, and as soon as it does I think it will be time to start heading back to the pool.  I plan to ask more about that at the next session or next week.  I still think it's a little ways off so there is no need to rush it.

Since my PT appointment was late today, I decided to make this a rest day.  No core, pull-ups or push-ups today.  I'll be back to those tomorrow and I may add a few more minutes to my morning ride.

March 17th - A Little Early Today

Another great day today so far so I decided to post early, as not to forget again.  The strength/ROM exercises are downright easy at this point, and I am REALLY looking forward to the new ones that I'll get tomorrow at PT.  It will probably be like starting all over again and I'm hoping it won't feel like a giant step backward.  Swelling is still an issue although it's getting better by the day.  I am icing as much as I can this weekend because I won't have the time to ice once I head back to work tomorrow.  I might have to see if I can commandeer a freezer and try to ice during my planning time over the next couple of weeks.

I moved up to 18 minutes on the bike today and raised my cadence to 70rpm.  I also shifted up a gear because it was just too easy to pedal and the knee was feeling really good.  (I did this on my own without direction from the PT so I'll have to let her know tomorrow and see what she says about it.)  I also noticed that I no longer have to use the middle of my foot to pedal...I can use the ball of my foot without any pain.  That's one step closer to being able to clip in again and get back outside.  That will probably still be quite a ways off because I don't think I'll have the lateral strength or stability to clip out in an emergency situation.  It actually felt like I was working out today because I started to break a little sweat during my ride. 

Here's the rest of today's workout:
core - 9x25
planks - 4x30sec

It's back to work tomorrow, so I will have to come up with a new routine.  Looks like I will be doing my PT exercises and bike riding in the morning before school with hopefully enough time to ice while I eat breakfast, and follow up with my other workout, PT session or exercises and icing after school. 

March 16th - Little By Little

Another pretty good day in which I saw some improvement.  I did notice some pain and soreness that I hadn't before but all in all everything seems OK.  The pain at the screw is still pretty intense when I do my exercises, but taking a couple seconds of rest seems to take care of it enough that I can finish the set.  I have been icing A LOT today.  It's paying off too...the swelling has gone down considerably.  I can actually make out the real shape of my knee rather than the softball that was attached to my leg.  I do have some cramping at the top of my calf which i am hoping will go away as the new strength exercises are added next week. 

I stuck with 17 minutes on the bike today but I really tried to crank up the cadence (relatively speaking, of course).  Today I was able to pedal at around 53rpm with a smooth motion.  I have the roller engaged for a bit of resistance, but I am still using the absolute lowest gear (small ring, 28 on the cassette). 

Here's the rest of today's workout:
Pull-ups 6x12
Push-ups 5x20

March 15th - A Day Late...

So I'm a day late with this post...got caught in a NORMAL day yesterday.  Kel and I went to see some friends in the morning, we hit the grocery store on the way home and then had pizza with Pete and Lauren and the kids last night.  Things will really start to get back to the way they were (routine-wise at least) on Monday when I head back to work.  I will try to keep posting daily but there is no guarantee that will happen, especially as my knee allows me to do more and more.  The weather is getting very spring-like and I am just itching for the day they let me take my bike out on the roads.  I'm seeing more and more runners out there and I have to say the jealousy I feel is increasing everyday.  I alternate between wanting to stop and remind them that they should be thankful for being able to run in such nice weather and wanting to run them over with my truck.  

Of course I did all my strength/ROM exercises yesterday.  It's getting pretty easy now to make it to 50 reps, however I do feel quite a bit of pain at the small bone screw that holds the new ligament in place when I bend my knee.  I'm looking forward to the new exercises Dr. Karyn is going to give me on Monday.

Here's today's workout:
Core 8x25, 2x30sec plank

March 14th - 3.14ish reasons to be happy today

Today was a better day than I expected.  I did my strength/ROM exercises in the morning before PT, and saw even more improvement during the session today.  The only thing that is really prohibiting full flexion is the swelling behind my knee and a small amount of pain.  I'm able to do the complete sets of each the exercises and I am getting stronger on the bike.  I was able to up my cadence quite a bit and cover 1.5 miles today.

PT went very well today.  She introduced some new exercises on the Reformer and gave me a new one to do at home: stand on one foot for 30 seconds.  She also said that next week I'll be able to end the current exercises and start some completely new ones.  I'm looking forward to starting these because they will be even more focused on rebuilding the strength around the knee.  I will also start adding more minutes to the bike sessions starting tomorrow.  She also clipped the ends of the sutures and hopefully the Steri-strips will start to come off soon.

Things are also progressing well with the brace.  I don't wear it at all when I'm walking around the house, and now when I am out I no longer have to have it locked in full extension.  I am walking pretty normally now without having to think about it too much either.

I'm still icing as much as I can to try to get rid of the swelling, especially before and after doing the exercises.  I also still have a small amount of pain that seems to come and go, but overall I think it's starting to diminish.

Here's my workout for today:
Push-ups 5x20 (various hand placements)
Pull-ups 4x12, 5 negatives

March 13th - Pretty slow day

No PT today, but I did make sure to do two sessions of my strength/ROM exercises.  It was also pretty cool to get back on my own bike, instead of the stationary bike at the PT studio.  I can't clip in, and I am still pedaling at a very low cadence with no resistance.  I also have to pedal with the wrong part of my foot because the swelling and some pain still make it hard to fully bend my knee. 

I was able to catch the second half of the track meet today after my dentist appointment.  It was good to see the kids and both the girls and boys ran well, putting a beating on Madras.

Aside from the PT stuff and the bike I did a core workout of 7 x 25.  I tried to mix it up the best I could. 

Another positive: I spent most of the day walking around the house without the brace, and only put it on to go to the dentist and the track meet.

March 12th - It's been one week...

Today marks one week out from my surgery.  Recovery is progressing nicely, but as the weather keeps getting nicer, its getting harder to stay positive about this whole thing.  I want to be out there pounding the pavement and turning the cranks with everyone else who is gearing up for the tri season.  It probably doesn't help that I spend my days watching ESPN and Fox Soccer Channel. 

I went to PT early today after doing my strength/ROM (range of motion) exercises.  She gave me 2 more new ones to do at home home which brings me up to 6 exercises at 50 reps each. Doing them twice a day takes a little bit of time, not counting the 15 minutes I am supposed to spend on the bike and the push ups, pull ups and abs routines I put together on my own.  I moved up to 15 minutes on the bike at PT today and noticed that I have much more swelling than I've had in the past few days.  Dr. Karen says that is to be expected, and I'm hoping that I won't have to go have the swelling drained. 

A couple things that are keeping me positive are that Dr. Karen wants me focusing on walking normally around the house WITHOUT the brace, I can see the results of the exercises and therapy, and I am already nearing the amount of knee flexion that Dr. Baker wants to see a month from now. 

I get a break from PT tomorrow, but I'll still need to do the exercises twice on my own and ride for 15 minutes on the trainer as well as do some core work.

Here's what I did today:

PT - 15 min on the stationary bike
2 sessions of strength/ROM exercises
5x20 push ups (non-modified)
5x12 pull ups

March 11th - I RODE A BIKE!!!

So PT started today and best part of the story is I RODE A BIKE!  Yes, for 8 minutes I was pedaling a stationary bike under my own power.  I don't care that in that 8 minutes I covered a whole .1 mile (yeah there is a point in front of the 1) at a cadence of 17rpm and burned 10 calories.  The point is I RODE A BIKE!

Here's a recap of the best day that I have had since the day of surgery.  Dad headed home today.  It was great to have him here and it was a huge help.  I have a better understanding of those who pay others to cut their grass and change their oil...too bad I'm way to cheap for that to ever happen.  Since PT started today, I also decided that I needed to get back into some sort of workout routine.  Along with the quad strength and stability exercises I found that my knee tolerates pull-ups, core work and modified push-ups pretty well.  It has been over a month since I did any kind of physical activity so I decided to start small.  Here's what I did on my own after I borrowed a bench from the weight room at school:

pull-ups - 4x10
core work - 5x15
modified bench push ups - 4x10 

Then it was time for PT.  I have decided to go to ProHealth Physical Therapy and Pilates Studio in Peachtree City.  The therapist is nationally recognized, published in numerous Pilates publications and is called on to present at many orthopedic associations.  She is also known for pushing her patients very hard to reach the desired result.  I should note that one of first questions she asked was "what is the stationary bike situation at your house?...because I'm going to need you to be riding 15 minutes a day from now on."  I was almost speechless at that point.  After the initial evaluation and taking a few measurements, we got right to the exercises.  It was pretty cool to see how much my range of motion improved just from a few new exercises.  After showing me the rest of the exercises she put me on the stationary bike for 8 minutes.  The pain on the first pedal stroke was pretty intense, but as I continued it subsided a bit.  For the record, I took 3 ibuprofen as soon as I got home.  All in all I got 4 new exercises, she told me to end a couple of the old ones AND she told me I can ditch the crutches.  I do have to keep the brace for a while for stability, especially when I do my own workouts.  Today was definitely a good day, and I will be back at PT tomorrow at 10am for more punishment.  Bring it.

March 10th - real quick

I think I got a handle on the swelling today.  Did a much better job taking it easy today and keeping it iced.  I've stopped the Percocet for now and switched to ibuprofen.  Most of the pain is gone but I do notice some discomfort after I do the exercises.  I'll save the Percocet for after the PT sessions...I have a feeling I'm going to need them. 

I got behind the wheel again for the first time since Tuesday and everything seemed to go well so that makes me feel a little better.  

PT starts tomorrow and I am really looking forward to it.  I'll let y'all know how it goes...

March 9th - Might have done a bit much today...

Ok, so I may have tried to do a little too much today.  The knee was feeling good...to the point that I kept forgetting to take my pain pill.  Much to the relief everyone else in the house I was able to take and actual shower today.  I continued with the full regimen of the exercises and because I have such a hard time sitting still, I helped Kelly wash and wax her car.  All of that seems to have resulted in more swelling than I have seen so far.  I'm sitting here icing it to get the swelling down.  The surgeon opted against draining it yesterday and I'd like to keep it that way.  Still looking forward to PT on Monday to really get this recovery started. 

March 8th - Follow up Appt #1

Dad's here helping out for a few days.  It's great to have him here - he cut the back grass (which has needed it for about 6 weeks because of all the rain), and he changed the oil in my truck (which has also needed it for about 6 weeks).  We went back to the surgeon today for my first follow up appointment to see how things are progressing.  He explained in better detail about the procedure and since I wasn't completely jacked up on various narcotics, I actually understood what he said this time.   After some x-rays, they removed the initial dressing, cleaned up the sutures a bit and reset the brace.  Here's what it looks like under the bandage:

 I have gotten quite a bit of mobility back but I still have a ways to go.  Now that the dressing is off, I can bend it about 35 to 40 degrees.  I'd like to be closer to 90 degrees in 3 weeks.  Physical therapy begins Monday.  The therapist is highly recommended and is nationally recognized in the orthopedics and Pilates world.  I'm hoping that her Pilates background will help me restore core strength and lead to quicker recovery. 

As for this weekend, I have made it to the recommended reps/sets on the initial exercises and I'll keep doing those until the PT says otherwise. 

March 7th - a little bit at a time

Apparently my body doesn't like too much Percocet.  I was taking 2 pills every 5-6 hours to stay ahead of the pain but I kept waking up with a headache and wanting to puke...1 pill it is from now on. 

Exercises are going well, added 2 reps to each from yesterday.  I'll keep doing that until PT starts and they give me the new ones to do.

Surprisingly Kelly has agreed to stay married to me through this and she is doing a great job as my nurse.  Dad will be here this afternoon for a few days which should give her a little break.  I'm looking forward to the follow up visit with the surgeon tomorrow.  I'd like to see how long he wants me in this brace and on crutches.  The sooner I am done with them the better!

By the way, there is really nothing on TV during the day...I fear I am getting dumber by the minute.  Oh well, I just have to stay a step ahead of the 6th graders.

March 6th - Day After Surgery

This is the first major surgery I have experienced, so I'm not really sure what to expect.  Last night was the most painful so far, but it seems to have subsided a bit today.  I know that is mostly due to the Percocet.  I have also added 2 new exercises from yesterday.  Even the small movements are painful but I can already tell that range of motion is improving.

Exercises today:
25 ankle flexes each hour
3x10 quad flexors twice a day
3x5 leg lifts twice a day
3x5 heel slides twice a day

The Story So Far...

For years my weapon of choice for fitness has been running, with Over 30 men's league soccer thrown in on Tuesdays to keep the boredom away.  It wasn't until a high school friend came to Atlanta on a business trip from Colorado that I decided to make the jump to triathlon.  After picking his brain about getting into the sport, I got even more confirmation from co-workers at the school where I had just started teaching.  Once I began talking to our school's Resource Officer and one of our PE teachers (who just happens to have the disease Charcot-Marie-Tooth, a form of muscular dystrophy) and listening to their stories of Ironman Florida did I decide that completing an Ironman just moved to the very top of my bucket list.  Over the past couple of years I have completed a few sprint and Olympic distance races as well as two half-Iron distance races.

Fast forward to July 2012.  I decided that the Ironman event I wanted to complete was the 2nd longest running Ironman event in North America, Ironman Lake Placid.  I chose this because my hometown is in upstate New York and it would allow for me to have a great support team for the event.  Knowing that IMLP sells out in minutes online, I took a trip to Lake Placid to volunteer and guarantee my entry into the 2013 event.  This involved a long day handing out nutrition at an aid station on the run course, followed by taking in all the craziness at the finish line until the midnight cutoff and finally sleeping in the back of my sister's Hyundai Tuscon in a parking lot so that I could be in line for registration at 5am. 

On February 5th of 2013 my goal of completing IMLP was put in serious jeopardy. In the final two minutes of an Over 30 Soccer playoff game, I planted a foot wrong while playing defense, heard a pop come from my right knee and dropped to the floor in a heap.  I knew at that moment that it was not good, and the thought that immediately popped into my mind was "oh crap, I just tore my ACL."  I was able to walk but I knew that I had to get it looked at ASAP.  The initial diagnosis of a torn ACL was confirmed by an MRI, and surgery was scheduled for March 5th.

Surgery was a success, and here is what my leg looks like for the next couple of weeks:

So why did I start this?  I needed a way to keep me motivated and focused on a goal that may be highly improbable.  The surgeon has doubts about my level of readiness by July 28th, but I have talked to two PTs that are willing to work with me to give it a shot.  I'm hoping to use this blog as a way to track my progress and log the exercises that are prescribed.  Hopefully, I will progress in such a way that completing this event will be an achievable goal.