Tuesday, June 30, 2009

17 weeks and my birthday

I came into existence exactly 30 years ago today.

I told myself I would enter this new decade running. That I would jog on my birthday. Rain or shine. Limp or no limp. Pain or no pain. And that's exactly what I did.

I'm sure we looked pathetic. The movement of running was there but it was the speed of a normal person walking. The crows were laughing. It started drizzling. But we persisted for a good 1.6 kms.

Then, the thighs started shaking and the rain came down harder. Time to call it a day.

I actually felt pretty good after the "run". No swelling, no pain.

We might try again real soon.

Friday, June 26, 2009

16 weeks, 3 days

Namaste!

We did yoga today for the first time and it felt great. A few moves were avoided due to lack of strength but, overall, was able to do quite a bit. It was a nice change from doing plain ol' stretches.

I guess you could say that we've recently begun our return to sports. Since the last entry, we participated in a volley-ball "game", threw a football around and "played" Ultimate frisbee. Okay so we mostly stood there and hoped the volleyball/football/frisbee would come straight at us. We still don't have the confidence or go-ahead to do any sharp movements.

Regardless, it is better than just sitting on the sidelines the whole time.

4 more sleeps before we try jogging...

Sunday, June 14, 2009

14 weeks, 5 days

Today is Sunday. We decided last week that every Sunday we would go biking along the river because the city shuts down a few streets specifically for that purpose.

Last Sunday, we did about 15 km. This week, we are going for 20km.

The real thinking behind all of this is that once I'm better, we are going to do a triathlon or most likely a duathlon (swim/cycle). I'm not sure I want to jog more than I have to after miraculously healing 3 meniscus tears. Would you mess with a miracle??

My friend started competing in triathlons about 8 months after his ACL surgery. Check out his blog: http://www.pbrun.net/.

I don't plan on doing them after 8 months but let the training begin!

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

14 weeks

Full flexion. Yeah, that's right... full flexion! Let me say it one more time because it's just too darn exciting: full flexion!!

It might have taken longer than average but, in the grand scheme of things, does it really matter?

To top it off, as of next physio session, we only have to go in once a week.

I am über happy.

Saturday, June 6, 2009

13 weeks, 4 days

Because I haven't been poked and prodded enough...

Mireille decided it would be a good idea to try acupuncture to get rid of the last bit of tension and pain in the knee. She heard good things about this acupuncturist. He's been known to cure people of cancer. Surely, he could do something for me.

We've had acupuncture in the past but nothing like this. This guy is hardcore.

Mireille's used to having the needles lightly tapped into the skin. This guy shoved.

Mireille's used to having the needles lightly moved around to stimulate the area. This guy used heat.

And, when I say "heat", there were ashes all over me. He must have burnt the remaining nerves so I wouldn't feel anything anymore.

All kidding aside, I am feeling pretty good. I haven't had much of a limp since.

Wednesday, June 3, 2009

13 weeks, 1 day

Mystery solved.

The song is called "Bruises" by Chairlift. Oh, and it does say "knees" twice in the chorus. We're liking it. Apparently, it was featured in an ipod commercial. Who knew? Probably everyone but me...

I know this is going to sound strange but Mireille went out and rented the CPM machine again. Yes, that massive piece of equipment that drove us nuts right after surgery. I tend to crunch and tighten still when bending. Mireille hopes the machine will help smoothen things out. We'll give it a shot for a week and see what happens... Can't hurt.

Today, we tried the hamstring curl machine for the first time. We definitely have no hamstring muscle left! 10 pounds was nearly impossible. Someone even had to spot. However, walking after we felt fantastic. We might be onto something here...

Lesson learned: the quads are important but don't forget the hammies.

Monday, June 1, 2009

12 weeks, 6 days

I heard a catchy little tune on the radio and have no idea what it's called or who it's by. Help, please.

It goes something like this:

"I've got bruises on my knees for you... I've got grass stains on my knees for you... I've got holes in my brand new jeans for you..."

Ok, maybe it doesn't say "knees" twice. I think you can understand why I have that word on my mind.

In fact, most of the lyrics may be wrong. I caught the tail end of the song and only heard the chorus once.

What song is this??