The General Update
Here I am on the morning of January 1, 2020—the year of the future—closing out 2019’s periodic surgery stats updates. We are officially at the point where I hope that these stats can be reconceptualized as training stats, because I do hope that I have progressed to the time when I can slowly start training again.
Hence the post title.
My progress has been good, and my doctors have been pleased with how everything has gone. I will say that I was doggedly obedient during my entire rehab, so if one of these osteochondral allograft procedures is in your future, do your PT, and do it consistently, and do it well.
In early December, I had my thirteen-month checkup with my surgeon, and he confirmed at that time that I have permanently lost some range of motion in my right ankle. I haven’t lost much, and on many days, I don’t notice the change. However, it is valid to say that this injury, and the treatment for it, has permanently changed (and to a degree, limited) the construction of my right ankle. This injury, in other words, was as significant as advertised.
However, my surgeon also said that it is not worth worrying about this particular change and that as long as it doesn’t limit my activity in ways that are really restrictive, it is #NBD. I am fine with this.
The Plan for the Future
Well, we’ll see. My intention is to be very deliberate and very methodical and not to rush anything. For the most part, running leaves me with little residual pain, and I haven’t yet hit a point where my ankle has told me to lay off (though it is frequently creaky, and I have battled with some patellar tendon pain in my left knee, probably because my stride is a little off, given that my right ankle doesn’t fully bend in the way that it should).
The general plan is to get my long run up to ten miles, at which point my weekly mileage will creep above 20 mpw (spread over four days), and then to alternate between long runs and elliptical sessions on every weekend. I’m thinking something like:
- Saturday long run of ten miles
- Saturday long elliptical session
- Saturday long run of ten miles
- Saturday long run of eleven miles
- Saturday long elliptical session
- Saturday long run of eleven miles
and so forth . . .
But we will see.
If all goes according to plan, maybe the New Jersey Half Marathon as a kind of test/tempo/workout/long run thing in late April. If that happens, then the plan will grow from there. If not, then the plan will grow from some other point this spring.
And with all of that, I present the last of the surgery stats. It’s a new year. Time to set some goals and to begin working toward them.
Surgery Stats
-11/9/19—first day burning over 1,000 calories in one workout session since July 2018 (8 mile long run)
-12/8/19—first race since July 2018, the Jingle All the Way 5K
-12/28/19—first time running over one hour continuously since July 2018 (9 mile long run)
–January 1, 2020