The Surgery
Recovery - Week 1
Recovery - Week 2
Recovery - Week 3
Week 4
Day 22 (Thur) – Charlene and I drove to Salt Lake City today. It was longest drive I’ve had since the surgery, by far.
We agreed when we planned for the race to share the driving duties, to split them between us so we both could get a little rest. Sis started the trip since I’m typically at my worst (pain wise) in the morning. By the 2 hour mark my left hamstring started to complain rather insistently but thankfully the hip and thigh felt good. We switched somewhere around hour 3 while fueling and stretching our aching legs. We switched again around hour 6; she wanted to handle city traffic just in case it was bad, and I was fidgeting a lot for sitting so long.
Surprisingly enough, after a total of 7 hours traveling, the only real protesting at the end of the trip was from my right hamstring (which is normal for me).
We arrived in Salt Lake City early enough to check into the hotel, unpack the car, and then go get a few groceries to carry us through the weekend. It was nice to be able to settle in early enough to eat dinner and relax a bit before trying to sleep, that’s pretty unusual when traveling for a race.
Day 23 (Fri) – Charlene and I spend the majority of the day at the hotel, with only a quick trip to the expo to break up the afternoon, to be sure we were both rested up for our individual efforts tomorrow.
I found myself wasting several minutes in the bathroom this morning staring at the bathtub/shower, dreading and planning on how to get in. My shower at home is a standalone unit, not big tub with a rim to step over. I ended up shaving in the sink rather than trying to get into that tub.
Sis and I attended the BCW expo right after noon, at our leisure. It was a nice little place; not too large so as to tire me and not too small which would have been pretty dull. I asked Charlene to stop at the “Volunteers” desk when we entered, just so I could be sure I didn’t need to check in there before showing up the next morning. I think my attempt to ensure I was ready for my shift(s) tomorrow confused the girl working the desk because she gave nonsensical answers to my questions and offered to give me something to do today (No thanks, pass). We picked up Charlene’s race packet and then stopped to greet the Big Cottonwood Marathon Race Director, Anna. She was pretty nice, and had helped to get Charlene her personalized race bib and had helped me get set up for Volunteer duty. We also met with Nikki at the race info booth, Charlene wanted to talk to her for a little bit and give her a special “Thank You” gift. Nikki stopped during the marathon last year (same race as this one) to help Charlene, after her two disastrous falls, to help her get medical attention. She also stopped to see Charlene in the medical tent after the race to ensure she was being treated properly. Charlene didn’t know her at the time; Nikki was just helping out of the kindness of her heart. Charlene calls Nikki her “Course Angel”, I think it’s pretty fitting.
We both originally intended to call it an early night since we’d have to be up very early in the morning but neither of us was very successful at doing so, just too much was going through our heads. It was really an odd night though we didn’t really realize it at the time, in fact just about the whole day was a little odd: Charlene hit two curbs between the time we drove to the expo and returned to the hotel, she also seemed a little unfocused when we were in the parking lot before and after the expo. We didn’t know it at the time but these may have been clues to how the race would go on Saturday.
Day 24 (Sat) – The Big Cottonwood Marathon. This was supposed to be a day of days for Charlene and for myself, and it was but not in a good way.
We got out of the hotel in good time and headed to the marathon bus meeting area but once we got there road construction blocked our entry. That was OK though, we followed traffic around to another area and then another area and then another area. I needed a parking space near where I would be volunteering during the race unfortunately none of the volunteers directing traffic knew where I was supposed to go. I felt my frustration levels building towards anger each time we were misdirected. Sis did pretty well keeping her cool despite me and the others. When we finally parked we tried to find the table/person I was supposed to check in with for the early shift; that just became case of chasing shadows in the dark, nothing was where it was supposed to be and no one seemed to even know what I was asking about. I tired pretty quickly from crutching around for so long looking for information, if I hadn’t made a promise I’d have gone back to the hotel and said “Screw It”. I tried to keep from giving Charlene my poor attitude; I really wanted her to have a great morning. The longer it took to get me settled was that much more of a risk that she’d miss her ride to the start line, and once the buses were gone she’d have received a DNS (did not start) disqualification. Fortunately we ended up finding the late arrival packet pick up table just a short distance from Sis’s bus, it wasn’t where I was supposed to be but at least it was someplace I could stay and help so Charlene could head to her bus.
I wished Charlene a good race, told her that I was more than confident in her ability to do great on this course, and breathed a sigh of relief as she headed for what might have been the last bus. Sadly it wasn’t the end of my morning travels, the volunteer at the packet pickup table used her radio to find out where I was supposed to check in at; the start line area which I’d already checked twice, so I went back and milled around until I could find someone. I waited around for 30 to 45 minutes until a couple of other volunteers arrived to begin setting up the race merchandise sales area. I helped them until the rest of the volunteers showed up to begin prepping the finish line.
Later in the morning I found the person I needed to check in with and got my first assignment, to help with setting out the finisher’s medals. They were kind enough to drum up a chair so I could sit and help unpack and then set them out on tables. That task only lasted a short time before I was finally assigned to the runner’s results tent. This was the highlight of my volunteer time, and such a great idea. I love the idea of runner’s getting a print out of their timed results and BCW took it a step further by making it a souvenir card to boot.
I wish the race staff would have made an announcement of some kind of big deal when the race started; personally I feel that a marathon should never start without fanfare on the course even if it’s a point to point and you’re at the far end.
Less than an hour into the marathon Charlene sent a text which sent my stomach into my throat, she was having stomach issues just as I had done last year at the same point. I held out hope though, she’d done very well at that stage of the race last year so she still had a good shot. I tried to send her my support but words don’t mean much when your gut is doing flips inside you, especially with what I was to find out later. Before she hit the midway point the race had taken a harsh toll on her, I so wanted to be out there with her or at least be there every step through text but I was swamped with half marathon runners and couldn’t even look at my phone. My heart broke for her when she reached the location of last year’s first of two falls. Almost 10 miles away and I can see her face, her eyes, and her thoughts. I will never forget the crushing panic of facing driving in the snow for the first time after the accident that crushed my arm; I thought that wasn’t far from what she felt looking at that section of road which had left her bloody and almost abandoned 12 months ago. I was supposed to be there with her, to protect my sister from that demon we all knew would be waiting for her, but I could only send her my support via text as time allowed.
When my volunteer shift ended I milled around the results tent a little before heading out to where Sis and I planned on meeting, I had a ladybug sign to give her before she crossed the finish line. I made several stops along the finisher’s chute, trying to find a good spot to meet my sister. She kept me apprised of her progress but I continued to expect to see her any minute, even to the point that I made basic addition/subtraction errors at times when she told me what mile she was at. Foolishly I spent about an hour and a half in the sun waiting for her. I kept eyeing shady spots nearby but I knew that it would take me 5+ minutes to reach the closest one on my crutches which would mean I’d miss Charlene even if she warned me at mile 25 (which she did). I ended up putting my jacket on and my spare shirt over my head and neck to give myself a little protection from the sun. It caused my heat levels to climb but at least I didn’t burn.
When Charlene made it to where I waited to give her the sign I handed it off and watched her push through to the finish line. After that I slowly made my way back to the finish line to meet her. I had to swing wide to get around the runners and spectators, which took a little extra time and effort but I was able to get to the medical tent to meet my sis without much hassle. She told me about the terrible start of the race and much of what she went through on the way down, this damn race was nearly as bloody as last year.
We made our way out of area after she finished with icing her foot/ankle and then trying to take a picture we had previously planned (epic failure). In the end we just got out of there; with her heart and dreams broken and I being physically wiped out and partially sun sick we lost all interest in being around there more than necessary. We returned to the hotel with far less effort and frustration than it took to get to the race, thankfully.
Charlene and I nearly cancelled our post-race plans but I couldn’t let pass the possibility of her beloved Red Iguana Mexican Restaurant picking up her spirits, it was a long shot but it’s all I had. We moved quickly at the hotel to freshen up, ditch her race gear and my volunteer pack, and then went out to lunch.
That was the second time I’d been to the restaurant; it's a nice little “hole in the wall” type place though this time it was sort of a challenge thanks to being on crutches. The server sat us in the very back of the building which wasn't a favor to either of us since we were so tired and it was so tight inside I had a little trouble maneuvering with my crutches, it was just that kind of day for us. The food was good, though not as special as Charlene remembered it normally being. The staff there couldn’t even get a simple mixed drink right; evidently their day wasn’t going a whole lot better than ours.
After lunch we returned to the hotel for rest, icing, and to bid adieu to the balance of the day. I think we both felt that it couldn’t end soon enough.
While I was kicking back, and icing my hip I noticed that my left foot was very swollen, my toes looked like little purple sausages: unfortunately I hadn’t been able to elevate it at all while volunteering for BCW and we didn’t stay around the hotel long enough after the race to ice at all. It took over an hour for the swelling to go down and for my foot to return to a normal(ish) color.
I finally finished my week 3 blog while Charlene slept; she crashed pretty hard shortly after getting back from lunch. I also noticed during the late afternoon that my left calf was starting to cramp up, because of how I held my foot up while waiting for Sis to finish.
Day 25 (Sun) - Sis and I left Utah early, in hopes of getting back home at a decent time in the afternoon so we could have a little time to unwind.
I took the first shift of driving and it felt pretty good except for my left calf still hurting from yesterday. We naturally talked about the race yesterday but we also talked about things we missed by not growing up together. It was hard to not dwell on the race; the wound just ached too much to not rub on it in the vain hope that would soothe it even a little. We tried to troubleshoot her run; we noted the similarities to my own bad run last year, the differences of her good first ¾ of the marathon last year, and the belief that we both have now experienced altitude sickness at Big Cottonwood.
Charlene and I switched as drivers about halfway through the drive. I had to spend a few extra minutes upright at the gas station we had stopped at, both of my hamstrings were already getting very tight and I just couldn't sit any longer.
Later we stopped in St. George, roughly 2 hours from home, to take care of necessities; get coffee for Sis, for both of us to stretch, maybe get a bite to eat, and to use the facilities. As providence would have it, we missed the turn into Starbucks and found something far better. We had to use an entrance a little further up the road to get into the shopping center with the coffee shop and ended up staring directly at a Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory store. Both of us immediately scrapped the coffee idea: We weren’t about to pass up a chance of getting ourselves caramel apples. I'd definitely call that stop a highlight of our trip; we both got a nice emotional boost from an old favorite.
Charlene was great enough to go with me to get groceries when we returned to Vegas, before either of us even went home. She helped make sure I'd be set for work during the coming week; putting my luggage away, putting my groceries away, and helped me get my regular work gear ready. After that we finally took her home so she could settle in for the night (plus the coming week) and be with her family.
Day 26 (Mon) - My left calf hurt like crazy this morning, it felt tight enough to bounce a quarter on it.
I am looking forward to seeing the physical therapist Friday yet I'm also experiencing a little dread over it as well: I haven't forgotten how much the first weeks of PT for my left arm hurt and though this isn’t as traumatic I can’t help but feel the expectations.
By the end of the night my left calf felt a little better. I had iced it several times during the day while icing my hip; I also rubbed essential oils into my calf to help it relax.
I’d talked to my sister about this before but I’ve fully decided not to not register for the Boston Marathon, it’s really hard to give it up after such a great marathon in Arizona at the beginning of the year. I know I’ll be much better served to get my right hip fixed as soon as possible after the left one heals and to be honest I don’t want to go to Boston alone again.
Day 27 (Tue) - My calf was very tight again this morning but after icing several times at work it loosened up quite a bit by day’s end.
I’ve noticed that I seem to be crutch-tripping a lot lately, where the rubber foot at the bottom catches something or it just plain bumps into hard air. I don't know if I’m doing this from trying to hurry or if it's because my arms are just tired or what. I do know that most often I'm tripping on the left side, my repaired arm, but not necessarily every time.
Day 28 (Wed) - It's officially 4 weeks now, since having surgery. I've only a day and a half left of being restricted to crutch travel and zero weight on my left hip. That is the same amount of time until my first physical therapy appointment too, it’s scheduled for Friday.
I’m happy to say that I am feeling significantly better than 3 long weeks ago: my hip is rarely sore these last few days (except for being on the crutches for an extended period of time), sneezing no longer hurts my core, even my wrists don't protest as much as they first did. I am pretty tired most of the time now though, not sleepy tired so much but physically tired. I’ve felt like this often the last couple of years as I moved from one marathon training period to the next almost seamlessly. This really is like upper-body training every day this last month.
I had my first experience with crutching in the wind today; it was interesting, much like running into the wind, you just lean into it.
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