Long Slow Slog
Friday, 14. November 2008, 16:43:32
Today my 20 minute run through the woods felt good.
This is not some minor and insignificant blather. I was born with bad knees. However, the condition was marginal, so I never knew about it. Somewhere around age 15 I discovered I had a very high endurance capacity, which does not at all fit my very heavy frame. Distance athletes are supposed to be slender guys, not built like stone walls as I am. It was so much fun discovering what I could do I became an avid, if somewhat slower, distance runner.
When I entered military service the first time, my knee problems had yet to hint their presence. I did well physically, in spite of being officially overweight for my height. But my family as a whole was simply not yet ready for the stresses, which reflected my lack of spiritual readiness. My tour was cut short and I went home with a compassionate discharge. I kept up the running, though.
Then I got my spiritual house more in order and went back to finish the mission for which God called me into the military. I was 32, and had to go back through Basic Training. It was far, far easier the second time around. Not only was I "drafted" into leadership for the sake of my experience, and I was in far better physical shape than most of the younger recruits. I got the highest initial PT Test score in the company (graded for age, of course). I had trained for several months specifically for the events on the PT Test.
During my permanent assignment, I continually "maxed" the PT Test (290+ out of 300 possible). I ran all over that part of Europe, sometimes engaging in half-marathons. Again, a little slow, but able to complete the event. I also hiked and biked, but I loved the running most. It was so hilly, and I loved running up hills. My real advantage in timed events was my ability to run down those same hills at full speed without losing control.
All the while, the cartilage in my knees was slowly grinding to shreds. One day, it really began to hurt -- all the time. It took several rounds of medical testing before we found a orthopedist who knew what he was doing, and had my knees scanned with dye. The cartilage was all frayed and fuzzy. My military career was over. So much for my plans to get airborne qualified.
I came home, and the condition degraded. I got a cane, then crutches, then a wheelchair. Finally, after two years on the waiting list, I got surgery to stop the damage. Repair was considered unlikely, but stopping it getting worse was a pretty good bet. By God's grace, I got one of the premier knee surgeons in the US, doing a volunteer rotation with the VA medical system. The right knee was the worst, and he performed a Fulkerson Osteotomy. The other was not so bad, and he theorized it hurt because it had to carry the load for the other. That proved correct, eventually.
I still had tremendous pain afterward. There were spells I could walk fine, and spells all too long when I couldn't, due to swelling in both joints. It was sure my running days were long gone. Yet, God had other plans. 15 years later, He reduced the pain and swelling. Yeah, it was a miracle, because there was nothing any human did which changed the condition of my knees.
I began walking, stretching the distance and pace over 6 months. Then I began a few short jogs up the hills on my long race-walks. Oh, the joy! The running came and went as my knees struggled to firm up again after 15 years off training. That fresh start began almost two years ago.
Currently, I try to run every other day. When the ground isn't too muddy, I hit the woodland trail. It's much more demanding, and much more pleasant on my old knees. This, on top of my daily 20 miles of cycling. The cycling seems to keep the soft tissues firm in support of more wrenching stuff like running.
Yeah, when it feels good to run even that short distance after all these years, that's a miracle.
This is not some minor and insignificant blather. I was born with bad knees. However, the condition was marginal, so I never knew about it. Somewhere around age 15 I discovered I had a very high endurance capacity, which does not at all fit my very heavy frame. Distance athletes are supposed to be slender guys, not built like stone walls as I am. It was so much fun discovering what I could do I became an avid, if somewhat slower, distance runner.
When I entered military service the first time, my knee problems had yet to hint their presence. I did well physically, in spite of being officially overweight for my height. But my family as a whole was simply not yet ready for the stresses, which reflected my lack of spiritual readiness. My tour was cut short and I went home with a compassionate discharge. I kept up the running, though.
Then I got my spiritual house more in order and went back to finish the mission for which God called me into the military. I was 32, and had to go back through Basic Training. It was far, far easier the second time around. Not only was I "drafted" into leadership for the sake of my experience, and I was in far better physical shape than most of the younger recruits. I got the highest initial PT Test score in the company (graded for age, of course). I had trained for several months specifically for the events on the PT Test.
During my permanent assignment, I continually "maxed" the PT Test (290+ out of 300 possible). I ran all over that part of Europe, sometimes engaging in half-marathons. Again, a little slow, but able to complete the event. I also hiked and biked, but I loved the running most. It was so hilly, and I loved running up hills. My real advantage in timed events was my ability to run down those same hills at full speed without losing control.
All the while, the cartilage in my knees was slowly grinding to shreds. One day, it really began to hurt -- all the time. It took several rounds of medical testing before we found a orthopedist who knew what he was doing, and had my knees scanned with dye. The cartilage was all frayed and fuzzy. My military career was over. So much for my plans to get airborne qualified.
I came home, and the condition degraded. I got a cane, then crutches, then a wheelchair. Finally, after two years on the waiting list, I got surgery to stop the damage. Repair was considered unlikely, but stopping it getting worse was a pretty good bet. By God's grace, I got one of the premier knee surgeons in the US, doing a volunteer rotation with the VA medical system. The right knee was the worst, and he performed a Fulkerson Osteotomy. The other was not so bad, and he theorized it hurt because it had to carry the load for the other. That proved correct, eventually.
I still had tremendous pain afterward. There were spells I could walk fine, and spells all too long when I couldn't, due to swelling in both joints. It was sure my running days were long gone. Yet, God had other plans. 15 years later, He reduced the pain and swelling. Yeah, it was a miracle, because there was nothing any human did which changed the condition of my knees.
I began walking, stretching the distance and pace over 6 months. Then I began a few short jogs up the hills on my long race-walks. Oh, the joy! The running came and went as my knees struggled to firm up again after 15 years off training. That fresh start began almost two years ago.
Currently, I try to run every other day. When the ground isn't too muddy, I hit the woodland trail. It's much more demanding, and much more pleasant on my old knees. This, on top of my daily 20 miles of cycling. The cycling seems to keep the soft tissues firm in support of more wrenching stuff like running.
Yeah, when it feels good to run even that short distance after all these years, that's a miracle.
WIDGETIZE