At Four Thousand Feet

After a good deal of encouragement from a few very persuasive friends, I decided to participate in the Eastern States 20 Mile Run this past Sunday. Starting in Kittery, Maine, the race runs along the entirety of the New Hampshire seacoast, rewarding runners with stunning views of the Atlantic for the majority of the course. Heading into the event, my primary goal was simply to finish. I knew it’d be a bit of a struggle for me, especially considering that I’d hiked 12.7 miles the day prior. Nevertheless, having never run a 20 miler I found comfort in knowing that whatever time I posted would end up being an instant PR.

Sunday dawned crisp and clear – just warm enough to warrant shorts and a t-shirt which I was most pleased about. After a slightly stressful drive over to Maine, I met up with my good friend Sabrina at the Traip Academy in Kittery. Miriam and Adam arrived shortly thereafter, and the three of us sat about engaging in last-minute race preparations. I was a nervous bundle of energy, constantly fiddling with my shoes and waist pack. With twenty five minutes to race time, we slowly made our way over to the start. The crowd increasingly started to gather. In what seemed like no time at all, we were off.

Not wanting to start off too fast, I settled in towards the back of the pack and used the first few miles as a warm up. The race brought us down Walker Street, where we soon took a sharp left and crossed the bridge into New Hampshire. Running through Portsmouth was an absolute pleasure. The streets were filled with cheerful spectators, and I knew we’d soon be hitting the beach.

At the 4 mile mark we took another sharp turn towards Odiorne Point State Park. By this point, the pack had dispersed quite a bit and I’d fallen into a decent rhythm. Rounding the bend, I was thrilled to see Adam’s bright blue car parked at the side of the road. He was kind enough to snap a few pictures of me as I ran by:

Aid stations were interspersed along the course at 3 mile intervals. Every time I reached one, I was happy to have my waist pack with me, as it enabled me to refill my water bottle quickly and efficiently without having to slow down.

Hitting the half marathon mark, I knew I’d soon be entering unchartered territory. Although I’d completed several hikes in the 20 mile range this past winter, my longest run of 2010 clocked in right around the 15 miles. My mind was temporarily filled with nervous thoughts. Yet as the last few miles steadily ticked by, I slowly came to realize that my worries were unfounded.

Making the final right hand turn back onto route 1A, I knew I had the strength to make it to the finish – even battling a headwind! Picking up my pace ever so slightly, I started to pass a few of the runners in front of me. In the distance, I noticed two figures standing alongside the sidewalk. My parents! Seeing them gave me the last little boost I needed to get through those final minutes. With 1/3 mile to go, I let it all out…

The race clock suddenly came into sight. I was going to finish in less than 3 hours!

Crossing the finish line, I was overcome with joy. I’d done it. I’d run 20 miles – in 2 hours, 53 minutes, and 46 seconds. Wrapped in a big bear of a hug from my Dad, I couldn’t stop grinning…

Congratulations to the girls on a successful race! I highly encourage you all to check out Miriam’s fantastic race report.

Today I accomplished something that, four months ago, seemed far beyond my reach. I broke through a barrier of sorts – reaching and surpassing a little number that has toyed with me for weeks now.

I ran for over 10 consecutive miles. And not only that. I ran 100% pain free.

When diagnosed with a hip labral tear back in September, I established the “10 mile, pain free” standard as a benchmark. How (and why) I settled upon that number I do not know. Yet in my mind I equated running 10 miles with full and total recovery.

After talking things through with a specialist down in Boston, I knew that there was a slight (but very real) possibility that I’d never run long distances again without surgery. Nevertheless, I pressed on, building up my mileage in baby steps.

Who’d have known that today was to be the day?

Not even the most devious of ice patches on the mean (and terribly plowed, I might add) streets of Manchester could have dampened my spirits.

Dare I start setting running goals for the year?

When I met with the doctor down in Boston last month, I was told that it could take as long as nine months for me to start running pain-free again. It’s been just under nine weeks since I sustained my hip injury. Imagine my surprise when I was able to crank out 3.3 miles on the treadmill last night. Although I have been incorporating short stretches of trail running into my hiking as of late, this represents the longest distance that I’ve been able to continuously run in over two months.

I’d be lying if I were to classify the workout as “pain-free” – the discomfort is still there. What’s most remarkable to me, however, is that the pain has gone from being absolutely debilitating to, well… more of a nuisance than anything else. A manageable annoyance. It no longer appears to be affecting my stride, and by focusing on my posture and cadence I’m able to draw attention away from the nagging hip at times.

While it certainly feels wonderful to hit this milestone, I know that I still have a long way to go. Running is wholly about enjoyment for me. I refuse to let it become something that I detest simply because I’m pushing through pain. As tedious as low-impact exercise machines can be, I’m confident that they’ve contributed significantly to my progress – and I will continue to suffer through my 2+ hour elliptical/arc trainer workouts until I’ve recovered enough to run entirely pain-free.

Thank goodness for hiking on the weekends! I could never be a 7-day gym rat.

Three trip reports/hiking albums to come this week. I can’t believe I’ve fallen so terribly behind. Here’s a quick picture from the Willey Range, courtesy of my friend Dr Wu. To think that all of the snow we had two weekends ago has now entirely melted…

Some positive news on the hip front. This past Monday I met with my orthopedist down in Nashua. While I was unable to actually view the MRI images for myself (the office gave them to me on a disc, which I rather foolishly left behind at my parents’ house), the doctor did inform me that my labral tear is quite small. Given its size, this could very well mean that the injury may become asymptomatic with time. I’m hopeful for this outcome, but at the same time realize that medical research is indicating that these tears can never heal on their own.

Next week I am meeting with a highly regarded orthopedic surgeon down in Boston to discuss further treatment plans. My primary concern at this point has to do with potentially causing long-term damage to my hip if I choose not to get the tear repaired. Although there is no definitive answer as of yet, certain doctors believe that labral tears put one at a much higher risk for developing premature arthritis – and I certainly do not want to have to undergo a hip replacement at 35. That being said, I would like to avoid surgery if at all possible. Therefore, if recommended I will most likely pursue a conservative treatment route at first. If this means additional recovery time, so be it.

Enough of that. The most important outcome of my visit was the fact that I was given the go ahead to start exercising again! Low impact at first (elliptical, bike, etc.), with an eventual build up to full activity as the pain subsides.

Although running is still completely out of the picture, each and every day I’m noticing considerable improvement in my hip. Walking is almost pain free for me now, and my joint flexibility is steadily returning. This past weekend I went for my first walk of over 1 mile in 17 days – 3 miles in the pouring rain through horse fields and on a gentle, wooded trail. By the end of it I was completely drenched, but nonetheless absolutely ecstatic to with my progress. The next day I was able to push myself to 4.5 miles. The weather was just perfect, and I found myself pining for the mountains quite a bit. It’s difficult to think that I’ve been away from the Whites for over a month now. Ah well, at least I got to spend some quality time with my dogs:

Last night I hit another milestone – 30 minutes on the elliptical followed by 20 on the arc trainer with next to no pain. Usually I find exercise machines (with the exception of treadmills, which I have a marvelous ability to zone out on) remarkably tedious, but I was so excited to finally get my heart rate up that the workout flew by. I averaged 178 BPM for the entire 50 minutes, which was just excellent. It’s good to know that my fitness level has not deteriorated too much…

Finally, things are starting to take a turn for the better. Dare I say that life is pretty good?

After two weeks of uncertainty, excessive (mind-numbing, going-absolutely-crazy-sitting-alone-in-my-apartment) rest, and a scary MRI (involving a very long needle to inject contrast dye directly into my hip joint), I finally have a diagnosis: hip labral tear. The acetabular labrum is a ring of cartilage that surrounds the hip joint. Since the blood supply to the area is very limited, injuries to the cartilage are permanent. It’s possible that with additional rest, the injury will become asymptomatic with time. However, if things do not get better, it’s likely that I’ll need surgery in order to return to my former activity levels.

The good news is that the doctor has cleared me to hike/run as much as is tolerable. As of this morning, I’m able to walk with only very slight pain, so I’m hopeful that I’ll be able to do a small hike this coming weekend. Running is still out of the question, though.

At this point, I’m hoping that I’ll recover to the point of not needing surgery. That being said, I’m not sure if I could exist happily with the thought of never being able to run nor hike long distances ever again. I’m at a bit of a loss for what to do, but perhaps it’s too early to be worrying about these sorts of things.