To run, or not to run

© Marie Anne St. Jean

So ... guess who's graduated to running again in the last few months?  This crazy ol' grandmother, that's who!  I'm not running far nor fast, but I have worked up to be able to do a 5K without stopping to walk, and that's quite an accomplishment for me!

I've dropped about 25 lbs since the first of the year, and it's definitely made a difference in being able to put one foot in front of the other.  I still have a good ways to go, but am confident that eating right and continuing to walk and run daily will get me there.

I had a bit of a scare after getting the results of my bone scan a couple of weeks ago.  I've been walking forever and had started running some weeks before, but knowing that my Vitamin D level is still low and I've already had the insufficiency fracture in my right tibia several years ago, I asked if we could do a bone density test to see just how bad it was before I stepped off to do much more running and risk another injury.

The results weren't pretty.  My spine is worse than my back, but I definitely have osteoporosis with radiologist reporting "high risk for fracture".  Hooo boy, now what do I do?  I freaked out for a bit, figuring this had me sidelined yet again.  It hurt to run on the road, but I'm ok on the treadmill, so after talking with my physical therapist, we decided it was ok to continue what I'm doing, as long as I pay close attention and stop if I feel pain.  So far, so good, and I even ran my first 5K last Saturday!

Since it was on a paved bike trail, I wasn't sure if I would be able to run the whole thing, so I prayed about it before heading out, and just hoped to beat 45 minutes total, even if I had to walk part of it. Well I surprised myself ... I DID run the whole thing, felt NO pain in shins or knees, with a finish time of 39:18 - I couldn't believe it!  That's an average 12:40 mile/4.73 mph pace, which is the fastest I've ever done, even on the treadmill.  After cooling down, I went back and manned a water station for the half marathoners, and jogged up and down a short patch of trail for probably another mile, then jogged the last 1.5 mile in with a friend who did the half.  I'm happy enough that I made it and in a good time for me, but the biggest praise is that there was no injury.  Thank you, Jesus!

© Marie Anne St. Jean

So ... I'm going to continue to march run and do what I can until my body says otherwise.  Because of the pain/time involved in getting back from the injury several years ago, I have to be really careful and pay attention for signs that I've done enough, but as long as I slow down or stop when that happens, I should be good.

Osteoporosis or no, I'm not ready to hang up my sneakers just yet.

~ Marie Anne

My first official/unofficial 5K race - for Jessie!

Well,  I'm going to do it.  Most of it will be done at a fast walk, and maybe a very slog jog for part of it, but I'm going to hop on the treadmill this afternoon and run my first 5K.  It will be my first official (well, with me officiating) 5K in decades, but since I'll be competing with myself here in my home and not in the actual race, my time will be unofficial by race standards.  No matter ... Just doing it at all and showing support for Jessie and her family is good enough for me.

Jessica Torres was severely injured in an auto accident several years ago, but her family never gave up on her.  I served with Jessie's dad years ago when we were both stationed in South Weymouth, MA, and Tony, his lovely wife Lenore, and their son Derrick are wonderful people who still believe the best is yet to come in Jessie's progress towards healing.  This 5K race for Jessie is one way we can help support them while they support her.  Even if you can't be in Tennessee for the race, you can still help with a donation, and of course prayers are always welcomed.

I'm still having knee trouble (with both knees now!) but have started physical therapy and ohmy, the therapists are working miracles.  Separate posts forthcoming about that, but I'm definitely glad I'm pursuing it.  I'm taped up with kinesiology tape and going to complete this 5K in one sitting if it kills me.  I just need to remember that pushing too hard is what got me into trouble in the first place, and pay attention to my body.  I know I can walk the distance a couple of times over with no trouble, so if I don't kick it into a jog for too much of it, I should be ok.  I want to do my best, but I also don't want to lose ground that I'm finally starting to gain after the knee injury more than two years ago.  It's been a long journey filled with setbacks, and I want to keep moving in the right direction.

So ... I'll be lacing my running shoes and revving up the treadmill at race time, scheduled for 5:00 pm eastern today (4pm Memphis time), May 30 2015.  I'll post my officially unofficial results later, embarrassing or not!

~ Marie Anne

Finally, Help for My Knee!

Finally, some relief for my knee!
(Photo courtesy of  Buzzmills)

If you've been following my blog at all, you know that I suffered a stress fracture and major knee injury (believed to be a torn meniscus, but got differing diagnoses) and even after more than two years, I'm left with painful bursitis and a visible effusion (like water on the knee).  I'm finally to the point where I can walk without major pain and even get into a very slow jog on the treadmill for short distances, as long as I don't overdue it.

Still, while I no longer really need a brace for my knee, sometimes it feels like it doesn't want to lock, and it does start throbbing if I do too much.  I haven't been able to find anything that works to help ease the pain and provide support, and I've tried a number of different things.

• Ace wraps didn't stay on.
• Elastic sleeves of a similar, yet thicker material were too tight yet still wouldn't stay in place.
• I can't recall the name of it, but that tape that sticks to itself sticks so good that you can't get it unraveled to reuse (horse people would know it as vet wrap, but this is much more narrow). 

I was getting tired of throwing money away and not getting any relief, so I'm very happy to report that I think I finally found a product that will help my knee and get me on my way to a full recovery.  (No, it's not some wacky supplements either, although I do believe some of those have helped me too).

I'm not going to reveal just yet what it is, because I've been talking with the company that makes this product and been told that they'll pass along a good deal to my readers who might want to try it, so hang tight, and as soon as I finalize the details, I'll have that information for you in a future post.

My goal is to complete a 5K next month so I'm going to have to step up the training, as much as an overweight 57-year-old with tired bones can, anyway. Since my left knee has been a little tender lately too (no doubt due to compensating for the injured right knee for more than two years), I'm going to pick up a second product for that one too, and hopefully prevent injury to that knee.

Keep an eye on my Facebook page, follow me on Twitter, and make sure to watch for the blog post where I share what this product is, and how those of you with stressed knees can get one too.

Keep putting one foot in front of the other!

~ Marie Anne

Knee Injury, Be Damned

Photo from Quick Home Remedies

In an attempt to get back in shape, I started a walking program two years ago and worked my way up into intervals of a very slow jog.  I felt great!  Had no trouble breathing, stamina was good even with all the extra pounds, but then my legs started to hurt a bit.  So what?  I'm a retired Marine and you know how us jarheads are, so I pushed through it.  Pain is a sign of weakness leaving the body and all that.

Big mistake.

A combination of my uneven road full of potholes, plus the pounding my lower body was taking when I took up the slow jog, coupled with thinning bones from being an old-timer - all took a nasty toll on me.  I ended up in excruciating pain at the end of one session, tears-in-the-eyes kinda pain, and couldn't even get up out of the chair.  I won't bore you now with the details of how the VA 'took care of me', but suffice it to say that they didn't.  A couple of different diagnoses, one of them outright wrong, kept me sidelined and in pain for months.  The best I can put together from the original MRIs and radiologist report is stress fracture and torn meniscus.

Fast forward two years and I've still got pain in the right and now left knee as well (no doubt due to taking up the slack for the right knee for so long), but pain in the left is usually only evident when I move a certain way.  I last had an MRI a year or so ago and the diagnosis at that time was bursitis.  From everything I've read, it fits.  The third bursa, on the lower inside of the knee, can be problematic with those who are getting on in years and/or overweight, and that matches up to the area that's causing me trouble.

The swelling is still very evident in my right  knee (the site of the original injury) and I have to be extremely careful when not on an absolutely level surface because if I hit a dip or pothole, boom, I'm on my butt.  I need to find a competent orthopedist at the VA and see if they'll consider aspirating my right knee to draw the fluid out of there.  I think two years is enough time for them to see that it's not going to go away on it's own, don't you?

Now as long as I take care about where I put my foot down, I can manage to get around quite well without causing further injury.  I've started taking joint supplements and bought a Fitbit to keep me motivated, and I've been meeting my walking goal of a minimum of 10,000 steps every day, and some days do more.  I'm determined that this injury and lack of proper medical care is not going to keep me fat and sedentary for the remainder of my years.

I'm taking my life back.

~ Marie Anne

It's Past Time to Get Fit

Photo by Zenia Blanco

Hey stranger.

I let this blog go dormant because "I" went dormant.  The stupid knee injury two years ago had me sidelined for a long time, and it's still not healed properly yet.  Regardless, I've jumped back on the bandwagon, knee injury be damned! I still have bursitis in my knees but it's not as painful now that I'm walking more while still pampering them.

I'm not going to let that get to me, though.  I've invested in a Fitbit and love everything about the gadget itself and the motivational people and tools on the site.  I'm doing very well so far with keeping up with my daily goal of 10,000 steps and I hope to increase that as I start to drop some pounds and continue this journey to getting fit.

Have a Fitbit? Look me up and let's connect!

I'm also trying to stay low-carb again, so between that and the increased activity level, something should start happening soon.

I'll elaborate more about the knee injury and other things related to my diet, weight, and fitness shortly, so keep your eyes open and come back to visit often.  I'll share my progress, what's worked for me, and other helpful tips about nutrition and fitness.

It's good to be back!

~ Marie Anne


There are a couple of different types of Fitbit devices, but this is the one I have (Fitbit One) and I love it!

Using Massage to Rehab Sore Muscles

Guest post by Renee Sanchez

Many people suffer from sore muscles whether it is due to exercising, long days at work or even just through the natural aging process.  No matter the reason for your sore muscles, you’re probably just looking for relief so you can relax and sleep at night.  There was an experiment conducted by researchers to find out exactly what happens when muscles go through the massage processes.  The following are the steps that were taken and what was concluded from the experiment

The Experiment

The experiment required subjects to offer tissue samples through a biopsy procedure before and after the subject exercised.  First, the subject offered a sample of a leg muscle while it was resting and before the exercise routine began.  After this incision was allowed to heal so it would have no impact on the results, the same subjects were placed on a station bicycle until they were exhausted and could go no further.  Another biopsy was taken directly after exercise from one leg.  The other leg was massaged for ten minutes and it too had a sample taken along with the leg that was not massaged.  After a period of rest, they took more samples in order to see the progress of the injuries and repairs

Over Exercise Injuries

When the muscles are over exercised there are small tears in the muscles that can lead to reactions in the immune system such as inflammation.  This is caused when the body goes into overtime to fix the cells that were torn during the overexertion.   It has always been thought that massage helps to repair those little tears because it caused higher blood flow through the damaged tissue but was never tested before.  This brave set of subjects allowed themselves to be cut time and time again to get the samples needed to determine if massage was really that beneficial or if the tissue would have repaired itself without the need for massage

The Results

It was found that massage not only increased the blood flow to the damaged cells but also aided in the production of certain compounds which aided in healing.  One compound, known as Cytokines, which aid in the inflammation of the cells, was also reduced.  Mitochondria, the compound that helps turn Glucose into energy were increased in the muscles that were massaged.  In layman’s terms, the massage did indeed help the overexerted and damaged muscles rebound from the stress that was put on them to heal faster and more effectively.  There are drugs on the market that offer the same results but many would rather have a good massage rather than taking drugs, which may also restrict the healing process in the long run.

So if you exercise a great deal and you find that you’re exerting yourself a bit too much, you may want to invest in a handheld massager like the Hitachi wand.  Unless you want to spend a great deal of money on massage therapies every time you workout, this is the next best option.

Author Bio:  Renee Sanchez has been aiding individuals in their recovery from sore muscles for many years.

On Bended Knee .. or Not

Stock photo by akeg

So ... my knee injury from last September still isn't anywhere near healed.  After more than 7 months, I'm still walking with a severe limp, and while I can bend my leg, I'm extemely limited as to what I can do.  I can't kneel -- not at all, not even to get into my bed on a soft mattress, nor can I lay on my stomach to sleep.  The pain to my kneecap is excruciating, even to the touch.

The original stress fracture was to my tibia (my right shin), and since I'm not experiencing any pain there, I'm sure the fracture has long since healed and that the knee pain is caused by something else.  I suspect effusion (water on the knee), because it feels like jelly and my knee doesn't lock like it should.  It will give way if I'm walking on uneven ground, or if one of my dogs even rubs up against that leg (which 70+ lb Molly loves to do).  It could also be torn meniscus, I suppose, as both of those things were mentioned to me after the initial MRI, but scoffed at by the orthopedist.

I haven't wanted to go back to orthopedics here at the Chillicothe VA because of the ridiculous (lack of) treatment I received there.  I finally gave in and sent a note to my primary care team, told them what I'm feeling and asked that someone review my earlier MRI and x-rays and suggest what to do next.  They were very prompt in their response and said they'd ordered another MRI, which is set up for May 13.  Once we get the report from the radiologist, we'll see about a referral to a different VA,  perhaps Huntington, WV or Dayton.

Exercise is at a standstill since I'm still dealing with limited mobility, which means the weight loss is too.  I'm making a concerted effort to watch the carbs again and hoping that I'll get a proper diagnosis and treatment for my knee and get back on the wagon all the way around.

Wait .. I don't want to ride in the wagon.  I want to walk.  God (and a good orthopedist) willing, I will be again soon.

~ Marie Anne

Bring it On

Like this tree that pushed through rock to
survive, I will push on until I find daylight.

Going on record here that I am taking my life back, in more ways than one.  I was doing pretty well with fitness and weight loss when I started this blog, then blew out my knee in September, which sidelined me completely.  The injury also had me eating all day/every day in order to take several meds necessary to just get through the day.  Almost five months later I'm still not healed, but at least I'm ambulatory, and for that I'm thankful.

Today is about changes.  I want my life back.  I want to get back on the low-carb bandwagon and kick the carb addiction to the curb.  I did it before -- lost 55 lbs in a short time almost effortlessly -- so I know it can be done.  I need to take charge of my life again and quit letting other people and other things determine how I act and react.  I need this not only to improve my health, but also to improve my outlook and feel good about myself.  Enough is enough.

Overweight.  Very high cholesterol.  Staring diabetes in the face and although not formally diagnosed, already seeing negative effects of crazy glucose levels taking a toll on my body.  Can't concentrate.  Emotional basket-case.

No more.  MA is back.

Bring it on.

Stubborn Marine Paying the Price

The intense pain I've felt in my legs and mostly right knee hadn't lessened any, in fact was getting worse, so I finally admitted I couldn't deal with this on my own and went to Urgent Care at the VA this afternoon.  (Read this post first if you missed what happened).

I drove myself and I was holding onto the wall and in tears by the time I navigated my way to check in.  The nurse at the desk saw me and immediately grabbed a wheelchair, for which I am very thankful.  If the number on the pain scale didn't stop at 10, I would have been at a 12, and I hovered around a 10 until meds kicked in some time later.

If Pain is a Sign of Weakness Leaving the Body ...

... then I must be pretty strong.

Even though I'm only doing a combination walk/jog and at a slow pace, I've been hurting the last few days out.  I didn't mention anything because I was hoping it was nothing big and I'd be able to work it out, especially since I now had good running shoes (and then of course there's the Marine thing of not wanting to admit weakness).  My shins have been hurting and it's been difficult to pick my feet up off the ground at the jog, so it was really more of dragging my feet along at a shuffle. I decided I wasn't going to do my workout on this crappy road I live on and figured it I went out to the local track, my legs would thank me.

They didn't.

Can I Run in My Walking Shoes?

Most people have some sort of sneaker or athletic shoe in their closet, and some might wonder if that's good enough to start jogging or running in.  The answer is an emphatic no.  Running might seem like just a fast form of walking, but that's far from the truth.

Even if your slow jog is no faster than a walk (like mine is right now), your body is still using different muscles in different ways.  A different part of your foot is taking most of the impact when it strikes the surface whether walking or running, and also not at the same intensity.  When running, your feet are pounding the ground with much more pressure, and you need a shoe that will be able to absorb the shock, or you're setting yourself up for injury.  Make sure to wear the proper shoe, one that will provide the right amount of support, flexibility, and stability for the activity that you're performing.

Your everyday sneakers or tennis shoes are probably ok if all you're doing is a short walk here and there, but if you have feet or leg problems, are overweight, or walking often or for longer distances, wearing a good walking shoe is wise.  If you're going to be doing any jogging or running at all, however, a running shoe is a must.  If your training plan calls for both walking and jogging, lace up your running shoes.  It's ok to walk in your running shoes, but a bad idea to run in your walking shoes.

If you've been jogging in your walking shoes, you'll notice a big difference when switching.  Running shoes are usually much lighter and more flexible, and I'll bet you'll find that you're able to lift your feet higher and go for a longer distance than with your clunky walking shoes.  I wore new running shoes when I did my :33 walk/jog last night and was amazed at the difference.  I felt like I was flying (ok, maybe just gliding), rather than simply dragging my feet along the pavement during the jog portions of my workout.

Wearing improper shoes is probably one of the biggest causes of jogging and running injuries.  Since shoes are really the only equipment that's required to start your fitness journey by walking or jogging, don't take any shortcuts -- invest in a good pair.  If you can only afford one pair of fitness shoes, splurge for the running shoes.  Your joints and muscles will thank you.

~ Marie Anne