No means no!

Well, I never did update you guys on the knee and what the MRI showed. So, here goes.

The MRI showed that the surgery most likely hasn't stimulated any cartilage growth, meaning...

I have no cartilage in my knee, a nice weaker spot where they removed some bone and patched the hole with some engineered calcium, and LOTS OF PAIN! Have I mentioned the pain? Cause, yeah, it's pain!

But anyway, we can't focus on that. I'm moving to England next week, where my knee will be tested quite a bit. Speaking of which, check out the new digs....

FYI...this blog might not get updated just because I can't keep up with myself most days, let alone 2 blogs. So, to keep posted on things, check out the new one.

Updating and new blog

I'm sitting here tonight watching the marathon happening live. It's so strange to realize that while I'm sitting here 12 hours behind the time of Beijing, I'm watching runners complete the marathon halfway around the world, live. It makes me wonder how things are going to feel when I live in a different time zone than my family and friends. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

Let's see, what's happened since I last posted? When did I last post? Well, I sold the house. I moved my stuff to a storage unit. I moved myself and my dog to an apartment with a great roommate. I've been living out of a suitcase. I received my final scholarship rejection letter...er email. And I'm completing my final couple of weeks at work. Wow! That's a lot of stuff for a few weeks.

Watching these Olympic games has really affected me mentally. I'm just so frustrated about not being able to run...or do much for that matter. I keep making the excuse that my knee hurts, but it's a fact. I went back to my orthopaedic surgeon and the x-ray showed that the plug was still in it's position...that's a good thing. But that doesn't explain the pain. I had a MRI a couple weeks ago and I'll get the results on Monday. Hopefully that's clear, but I hope the doctor has some magic plan to help me with the pain. I NEED to get back to working out.

If I feel better in the morning (I have a cold) I'll take the dog for a short run. Lately, I can get him out for about 1.5 miles of running/jogging/walking. It's at least something. And he's quite the pushy running partner. Good thing I have a sled dog huh? I at least want to get back into a rhythm again in the next few weeks, before I move again. Having a routine will certainly make the move across the ocean a little bit easier on me. I really hope so anyway.

Which brings me to my final news. I'm starting a new blog. My goal is to keep both that one and this one active, but we'll see how that goes. I'll be doing well to keep my family and friends updated with what's happening overseas, let alone what's happening with my running/swimming/workouts in general. There's no content yet, but here's the link for those of you that want to keep up with this stuff.

Progress

Just a quick update. My bedroom and upstairs as a whole is packed! Woo! Half the house down! Well, except for my bathroom and clothes. But I still have to live here...


And like always, Phantom was a big help...

Boxes, boxes, and more boxes

The packing process has officially begun. Granted, this should all be exciting because it means a) I sold the house!!!, b) I'm moving on to get my graduate degree, and c) I'm moving abroad. But somehow the whole process has been a little bit overwhelming.

I took this week off of work with the sole goal of packing up my bedroom. As of this morning I had packed exactly 12 boxes, none of which had anything to do with my bedroom. Eleven of those boxes had already been packed from when the house went on the market. The 1, solitary box that I packed this week was full of my DVDs. Yeah, progress.

But today I stopped procrastinating. I finally have packed 20 boxes (or 9 total boxes in 4 days, in case you were counting). But it's progress. My desk went from spotless to this...but at least the drawers have been packed up. That's something, right? And my linen closet is empty, except for my sleeping bag and inflatable bed. My CDs have all officially been added to my itunes library, because I can't take my CDs with me. And my paper shredder got a real workout after I found things from about 5 years ago that I no longer needed.

My dresser also became the location of anything I just didn't know what to do with yet. I'm hoping to finish up the things that I know I can go ahead with packing tomorrow. Then again, it is the 4th of July and a big part of me just wants to enjoy it. The last 2 years have sucked on this particular day so I'm hoping to avoid any need for pain meds. *knock on wood*


Throughout the entire packing process today, I think the only smart one was Phantom. He has the right idea now too. And I think I'm going to join him. Who knew packing only 8 boxes could wear you out like this?!

One Year Later

I've been trying to write this post for a week now but somehow I just can't commit the time or effort to doing so. I think most of it has been the fact that I'm still processing what this last year has meant. At any rate, this is long overdue.

One year and one week ago today I had knee surgery. It was my third knee surgery overall, second that year...all on the same knee. That surgery was the final straw, the one to break the camel's back and end my running career. At least that's what the doctor said then. It's been a struggle this past year, not just with running, but I'm trying to stay on topic right now.

In the past year I spent 8-10 weeks on crutches, mostly without putting any weight on my left leg. I got some amazingly strong arm muscles and had a new appreciation for the use of body glide even when not running. I started swimming a little more, then quit. I biked some, then determined that the bike is just not something I enjoy. I did months upon months of physical therapy, each time wanting to scream out in pain. I hired a personal trainer and went for at least 4 months with little or no pain in my knee. It was great, but then one day, not so long ago, I pushed it too far. Ever since then, the slightest little thing bugs my knee. It's really rather frustrating.

But...

The strangest thing is this...

I CAN run. Not far, and not for long, but run I can. And run I will continue to try to improve. Maybe there aren't any more marathons in my future, but 1 mile would mean the world to me. Hey, we're starting small here. And right now, my goal, is to run 1 mile, without stopping to walk, by the end of July.

Yeah, I know that seems so small, but to me, coming from hearing the words 1 year ago that I'd never run again, that's huge. But, I am going about this a whole lot differently than before. I'm not just running. Because in this past year I have found a new love, one that has actually taken the place of running in my life. That's the rower. So, while I continue on my rowing training and slowly build up to being able to row for 1 hour straight (which isn't that far away fyi), I will throw in a few short runs. I think 1 mile in the next 5 weeks is totally achievable. And I'm glad that 1 year later I'm able to be in a much different frame of mind than I expected.