(Blog) my fight to return to running from injuries. The life of a Average Masters Runner

You're inspiring me to maybe try this, too. I've been fiddling with masters running for a few years, now. Part of me wants to take it really seriously, but a lot of things complicate that nothing as prominently as INJURY. Maybe keeping an updated thread on my pursuits would kinda help me along a bit.

results 11 weeks after initial stress fracture to femur

The results have me questioning life in general. Am I going to run again? Can I ever run again? Is this possible benign tumor on my femur something to worry about? If the fracture has healed enough to look more like a stress reaction now, how much longer do I have to not run? Can I get on the Alter G at a significantly reduced body weight or Aqua Jog?

If anyone has good medical medical background and tell me more about what I’m reading that would be great.

https://imgur.com/a/zhBq8aE

Open the image above to get full findings. It doesn’t show it all

Rooting for your comeback! Keep updating us.

84 Days post Femoral Neck Stress Fracture

Seen a Orthopedic specialist that deals with running related injuries on Tuesday day 80. He want me to not run for another 6 weeks. I have not ran in 12 weeks since the incident and he doesn't believe it is ready to go yet fully. He has authorized me to get on the Alter G immediately and start running again. The duration and percentage of weight will be dictated by the physical therapist. So come next Friday I will be in their office hoping to get some top of running. The timeline for me to run on ground again is end of June. That gives me 6-9 months to get in shape for indoors or just skip indoors and continue training for Outdoors in July

I'd vote train through indoor, and run a fully focused outdoor season if you can.

But I've always been a little bit biased against indoor, so take my comment with that additional context.

Week 17 update “Running again”

So I ran 4 times in week 17. All of which were the prescribed directions for Femoral Neck Stress Fracture return to running form. The catch is I’m supposed to have started the return between weeks 8-12 of the plan. But started week 17.

The workouts for week 8 (we 17 for me) was

3 x 5 minutes run and 5 minutes walk for 30 minutes total and only 15 minutes run.

While I don’t have any bone pain and don’t fail the hop test I am struggling with the Labrum tear. On the 3rd run of the week I noticed the labrum pain when I first start each each segment. It’s in the inner groin and kinda down the leg. I am 99.9% certain it’s the labrum. I also feel it in normal walks. Doctor did advise me 5 weeks ago that this would be a real possibility. He said when the pain returned we would administer Cortisone Injections into the pelvic joint and if the pain subsided right away it was. For sure the labrum and that I would possibly need these injections every 3-6 months to be able to run and train.

I am going to hold off another couple weeks before I have the injection unless the pain turns significant enough to keep me from running.

The run itself were fun and great. I’m very heavy right now and I figured even 8 min pace would be a struggle at this juncture of my return. I however found that running between 6:29 and 7:30 pace for these 5 min segments were not bad at all. I tried to maintain 170 SPM. I know without a doubt if I can get these injections and kill the pain I can not only train but work on strengthening around that area so I won’t need the shots in the future.

I have a special place in my heart for indoor track. The though of going to NY to race at the Armory might be one of the most special moments in my running. I love the atmosphere, the challenge of running college meets as a masters runner. I also have that 3K goal of low 9s. If I could train how I wanted I would put all my focus on the half marathon but I’m not sure what this hip will be able to handle in the future.

This is the return to running plan I’m using.

https://orthosports.com.au/pdf-download/Femoral-Neck-Stress-Fractures-%28Part-2%29.pdf

Hey! Just a word on the benign tumor--

I got a stress fracture in my femur my sophomore year of high school, and my xray revealed a benign tumor right by my IT band on the same leg. It has not posed any problems for me since and I am running for a division 1 college now.

Biggest priority is to recover properly and not come back too quickly. Might be worth showing that paper to your physical therapist!

This is all really inspiring.

Stopped running for two weeks due to inability to get into a Specialist for the Cortisone shot into the labrum. I need this treatment to be able to run. Weight has went up more. Tomorrow Monday I will try to run 35 min each day and see how the pain is after a week. Once I get this shot and continue to get it quarterly I should be okay. Its aggravating not being able to run like you want.

It’s been 6 1/2 months since my last entry. Things went really bad in July. My labrum would not allow me to run more than 2/3 days before I had to sit out for 2 weeks for the pain to go away. At that point I lost hope and decided to stop running.

Fast forward to October 10th. I get married and she motivates me to at least start weight training. High volume training to thin out and get fit. Started doing 400/600 total reps 3 x a week with elliptical workouts for cardio. I was 171lbs.

Come December 14th I decide to try running again. I ran 3 days a week. Two of the three days are interval training 200/400 at 10min 3k pace. For a total of 2 miles of intervals with a warm up cool down.

Come January 1st I decide let’s run a 5k on February 13th just to see what type of shape I am in. If I get to there uninsured and run a decent time for only running 9 weeks I will start a full time training load to build for a summer 5k. Goal is to run 3 x 26 mile weeks with two workouts a week, 2 weeks of 30-32 miles a week, then taper down for 7-10 days before the February 5k.

The goal for me would be anything under 19min. Which is slow for me being in under 17min shape at 39years old prior to my injures and ex 14:58 runner, but would be a great run for such low mileage, my age, weight which is currently 149 and dropping and not much fast running.

The last 2 weeks my intervals and tempo runs have been pretty good. I’ve stayed on the treadmill every run but one each week, as the labrum is still torn and the treadmill doesn’t seem to aggravate it like the concrete did.

I started week 6 today and completed the following workout. It felt hard but not race hard.

Run (Treadmill)

Warmup

2.02 miles at 7:24 pace (15min)

Workout (5min recoveries between each)

2k in 7:22 = 5:56 pace (5k goal pace)

1 mile in = 5:56 pace (5k goal pace)

1200m in 4:18 = 5:46 pace (3k pace estimated)

800m in 2:40 = 5:20 pace (mile pace estimated)

400m in 1:14 = 5:00 pace (hard pace estimated)

Total of 6k (3.75 miles) of intervals at average of 5:44 pace

Cool down

1.59 miles at 9:26 pace (15 min)

Now this workout wasn’t as hard as the two x 1 mile I did 3 weeks ago at 6:00min pace which means I am improving. Getting rid of the last of my weight is going to be very important in the next year to chase my goal of running 9:20-9:30 in the 3K next indoor season. My body composition is also completely different now due to all the high volume weight training. Think white Lopez lomong at 41 years old and slow. I do think this will benefit my finishing speed. I feel great. I’m 5’6” 149lbs currently and want to get between 135-140.

My goal in 4 weeks is to try to run under 18:40 and stay in injured by keeping mileage under 32 a week and staying on the treadmill besides Saturday. I’m not sure how the labrum will respond but I will at some point maybe need the cortisone shot to continue but at this time am doing the training safely while continuing the lifting. I know I have the speed to go under 9:30 in 3K next March 2022 it’s just a matter of building my mileage up slowly and staying healthy.

Not a good idea to post your name, dob, and mrn, as someone can steal your identity.

With your injury history I think you’re choosing workouts that will have you sidelined again soon. Why not ease your way back into it?

And contact LR to delete the posts with your personal info.

A couple workouts that aren’t that taxing on a good treadmill isn’t going to affect me to much. Running 26-32 miles a week is easing into it. After February it will be back to mileage and tempo runs for awhile maybe even fall. I have felt pretty good. Even the tibia issues I had in 2017-2018 have gone to the wayside. It doesn’t hurt to get out of bed.

If I was doing 50-60 miles a week I’d be concerned but 26-32 with my easy days being 8:30-930 pace and only running 5 days a week I’ll take my chances.

Stuffs been on there for 7 months I doubt I need to worry but I do pay for a couple security companies to monitor my credit

I have a PT a see but weekly, I am eating better and sleeping more than I did last year. The strength training alone has made me so much more balanced and strong structurally in my mid to lower body as well as my upper body. I also have the luxury of anytime I feel sore to just not run that day and instead hit the elliptical or aqua jogger. I also don’t step foot on concrete to run but once a week.

Got through my second workout this week. It was pretty good feeling. Never really felt terrible or suffering. Just threw som stuff together as it really doesn’t matter at this point. Just want to get fast running in 2 days a week and easy all the rest. Every run besides one in on the treadmill at 1.5% incline. 3 weeks and 3 days out from my 5k time trial race to get a baseline for a actual real training block under my coach. Today I threw some stuff together that might not make sense but gives me some confidence of going under 18:40 based off all the other workouts I’ve done the last 5 1/2 weeks.

3 mile tempo 20min at 6:40 probably a little slower than 6:25 tempo pace

3 x 1K in 3:41 or goal 5K pace 5:56

3 x 200m in 40 seconds or 5:21 pace.

5 min rest between tempo and 1K

3 min rest between 1ks

2 min rest between 200s

Time to check in with the Letsrun Family. I have had a solid 9 weeks of Mileage building and Tempo/Threshold workouts to date. I had a setback in January with a freak injury on the arch trainer where I hyperextended my knee resulting in a calf tear. Luckily 3/4 weeks of elliptical and slowly easing back o the treadmill I got going good 9 weeks ago.

Mileage build last 9 weeks is going great for 3K training. Hoping to top out at 70MPW in the next 5 weeks before getting into the real workouts.

In 5 weeks I hope to run the 3K at the Georgia Relays just to acquire a baseline for fitness. Since all I have done is run tempos and thresholds. Nothing fast. Anything Close to 10min would be a great starting point for my training. Then race some races in the summer into August.

Mileage so far

40

45

55

40 down week

50

52

57

60

50 down week

Long runs have been 15 miles with threshold work in the middle of them. Overall pace average under 7min. With paces up to 5:45.

Getting about 12-15 miles of week at the tempo threshold zones.

Monday did a 20 min tempo around 5:54 average in the Florida humidity so I feel pretty good.

So I have 5 more weeks of mileage before Georgia relays. Hope it continues to go well for me. I will say all the one leg stability work I did the last 4 months makes 60 miles a week feel pretty easy as opposed to 4 years ago. It’s amazing how stable you can feel when you are strong in the mid section.

Funny the only thing holding me back from racing in 4 weeks is the lack of Nike Dragonfly Spikes. Once again Nike drops the ball allowing idiots to buy multiple pairs then place them on these internet sites for a 300% mark up. If I can’t get a pair of these spikes I won’t race outdoor track this summer including 4 weeks from now.

I won’t race at a disadvantage to everyone else using these while I’m in Victories

Masters_Runner11 wrote:

I won’t race at a disadvantage to everyone else using these while I’m in Victories

while it seems clear that the shoes are giving people an advantage, this seems like a horrible reason to not race. if you're healthy (and reasonably fit by whatever standards you want to use), you should race--that's the masters mantra, or should be...

that's my story and i'm sticking to it,

cush