In need of a reality check or some support & guidance - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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In need of a reality check or some support & guidance
For some reason I've no idea why I've just this last week decided that I want walk at least one of Disney's races and that I would love to be able complete the coast 2 coast challenge. Now this wouldn't have seemed crazy a fair number of years ago when my normal walking pace was probably not too far off of the 16 minute mile mark. However, now is a different story altogether. I've had arthroscopic surgery on one knee & injured the other and both are pains literally. What I've recently realized though is that it's not the joints themselves that hurt but the soft tissues around the joints. Which has me thinking that if I re-build the strength in the muscles surrounding my knees & get in better shape in general I just might be able to pull this crazy seeming idea off. I've gotten copies of the exercises my stepdad was given before & after his knee replacement so I'm going to start with doing at least some of them for 15 minutes at least every other day. Walking more is relatively easy since I don't drive in order to go anywhere I have to walk even if it's just a half mile to the nearest bus stop. So, I just need to start going out & walking even when I don't need or want to go anywhere and if it's yucky out I can go to the mall & walk. As for getting in better shape in general there's a Planet Fitness opening up across the street from my bank a little over a mile from me that I'm going to check out & possibly join. At $10 per month for the basic membership it's definitely affordable, it's close to home & it's west of me which is the direction I normally go which means I'd have no excuse for not going other than sheer laziness. Reality checks, support &/or guidance is welcome. Thanks.
I got this crazy idea of getting off my butt three years ago. I was about five years smoke free and I just wasn't happy with myself. Then I was online one day and stumbled across Disney having races! What the? How did I never know this? So I started just walking on the treadmill....sloowwwllllyyyyy. Like 2.5 mph was kicking my butt. But I kept going. I cried the first day I did three miles in 45 minutes! Am I superfast now? No. Marathon weekend I averaged 14 min miles and I'm ok with that! I finished with thousands still behind me!
So what's my advice to you? Do it! Don't expect miracles to happen at first, but don't give up! Set a race for you in the horizon to do (like Wine and Dine) and register for it. Do a few 5ks in your area to get used to the whole racing idea and keep going! Wintertime sucks, and I saw on the news that today (1/19) is the saddest day of the year because most break their New Years resolutions by now. Getting into running races was the best thing I could have done for myself, wearing a race shirt and hanging up my bling at home keep me going!
If you decide to join this crazy wagon of running, get yourself to a running store, not a mall, and get the right shoes fitted for you. See you on the roads!
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Kim
"I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."-- John Bingham
Six years ago, I had major reconstructive surgery on my right knee. At that time I was told I would need a total knee replacement in 10-15 years. Since that would mean my first knee replacement in my 50s, I decided to do what I could to stretch it to the 15-year mark, and to do that I would need to lose weight. After losing a little over 40 lbs., I went back to my orthopedic surgeon to evaluate my repaired knee. His words to me were "It is a normal knee." I asked, "So I can do anything I want short of running a half-marathon?" His answer: "If you want to run it, run it."
I'm working my way to running in the Princess Half in either 2016 (ten-year surgery anniversary) or 2017, and am currently working on a 5k to 10k program.
My advice -- first consult a physician to figure out what is going on with your knees. You don't want to blow them out. Next, maybe invest in a few sessions with a personal trainer to set up a cross training program (DH gifted me with sessions at our Y the last two Christmases). DEFINITELY, get the right shoes. Talk to serious race walkers and find out where they go, and buy two (yes, they'll be expensive, but your body's worth it) pairs -- one for now and one for when pair #1 wears out (which happens in about 500 miles on average). When you retire pair #1, go buy pair #3, that way your "flanks" are covered. Running indoors (my Y has an indoor track and running on a treadmill scares the snot out of me) is like NASCAR without the wrecks -- a lot of going in circles -- but it beats trying to get back to race shape after a Ohio winter (which can start in October and last into April). If you have a smartphone, look into some of the Couch to 5K apps, which paces you through getting ready for a 5k. There are some free ones out there.
My advice is set a goal and make your plan. I will encourage you to go see an physical therapist or exercise physiologist to make sure all of your mechanics are are good then start training.
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Physical therapist is my thought to. Get the right exercises for your body, not someone else's. They will help you develop a program of exercise and moves to get you where you want to be. Good luck!
Do it! But as others have said, I would also strongly suggest seeing a physical therapist to see what you can do as you really don't want to do more damage by exercising wrong. Then go to a local running store to have your gait analyzed so that you can get shoes that fit how you walk.
Three time marathon runner here and multi half marathons - post arthroscopic knee surgery!!
Seriously, if I can do it you can too. Half the battle is mental and it appears as though you're winning that battle already. Great advice thus far. Start with the right shoes doing the right exercises and eventually you'll get there. Time is on your side!
Baby steps for little goals. When I started, I was walking 20 minute miles. Eventually I got that down to 15 min/miles and also increased the distance. But we're talking months here! Then just keep setting new goals for yourself!
My first 5k was 7 months after I started. It was not pretty. I was frustrated and sad, but found another one 3 weeks later. Then I worked hard for those three weeks and that next 5k was amazing! So I highly recommend to find some local races to get a feel for it!
Keep up your great idea, and keep us posted as to how it's going. Fantastic support here with these Passporters!
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Tanya
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I'm in agreement with everyone else here...and I'll add another two cents that I didn't see (sorry if I missed it)
If anyone tells you not to walk/run because it is bad for your knees, that's a bunch of BS. There have been NUMEROUS studies that have been done that have shown that walking/running actually promotes better knee and lower joint health, as the human body was designed to walk/run in straight lines. Just look at how many people are running/finishing half and full marathons at advanced ages. If running was so bad for your knees, then why aren't those that are in the 70 plus finisher categories not finishing in the wheelchair division, instead of finishing on their two feet?
What IS bad for your knees are every sport that DOESN"T stay in a straight line...soccer, football, basketball, baseball to name a few.
Getting up and getting active is the biggest step, and you're on an excellent plan just doing that. As the others said too, invest in a session or two with a physical therapist, get them to assess your body and give you the tools you need to fix it properly. A GOOD PT will not push you to add months of sessions, and will only want to see you for the bare minimum needed.
Keep up the amazing work, and we all look forward to hearing more about your journey. Having a goal of doing Coast-to-Coast will help keep you motivated to get out there and do it!
Tim
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Hey, check out my blog all about being active with a disability -> activeandblind.com
all of it! I did a few 5ks and ran to cross train for figure skating...then signed up for the Princess Half in 2013 without running further than a 5k. You can totally do it with the right plan, training and shoes..
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Thank you, everyone. I'll definitely be baby stepping my way as right now I feel like I'm just learning to crawl. I really appreciate all the advice but even more than that the support and encouragement. I agree the folks here are wonderful there is no way I would have started this thread anywhere else on internet. Here I figured even if I was given a reality check it would be done kindly and not just a "Forget it" accompanied by a hard slap upside my head. I'll definitely post about my progress and hopefully will be able to meet some of you at the Wine & Dine in 2016. Thanks again for all the great advice and support. It's welcome and I'm sure I'll end needing more in order to pull this off.
Just seeing this thread now! You have gotten great advice already so I will just say "you can do it!" We all had to start at the beginning with baby steps. The Coast to Coast Challenge medal is my favorite medal of all! Hoping to earn my second one this year.
Thank you, everyone. I'll definitely be baby stepping my way as right now I feel like I'm just learning to crawl. I really appreciate all the advice but even more than that the support and encouragement. I agree the folks here are wonderful there is no way I would have started this thread anywhere else on internet. Here I figured even if I was given a reality check it would be done kindly and not just a "Forget it" accompanied by a hard slap upside my head. I'll definitely post about my progress and hopefully will be able to meet some of you at the Wine & Dine in 2016. Thanks again for all the great advice and support. It's welcome and I'm sure I'll end needing more in order to pull this off.
Pshh girl you got this! If all of us can do it, so can you!!
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Kim
"I am a runner because I run. Not because I run fast. Not because I run far. I am a runner because I say I am. And no one can tell me I'm not."-- John Bingham
Just wanted to come back & post an update. I went to the doctor yesterday about my knees and was diagnosed with osteoarthritis. The doctor recommended among other things that I find something other than walking for exercise & save the walking for the necessary stuff. He also seemed to be impressed by how much I do given the condition my knees are. I'm definitely looking at knee replacement surgery for both knees at some point in the future. So I wont be walking anything close to a half marathon at any pace unless I decide to & am able to do it at some unknown point in the future after I've had both knees replaced. Thank you again for the support, encouragement, suggestions & information.
What might be workable would be a fitness center with a "forever swimmer," one of those small pools for one person that has an adjustable current. That way, you're exercising leg muscles without weight-bearing that stresses your knees.
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Sorry to hear about your condition. That must have been very disappointing.
Water aerobics.
I started classes this past summer and loved how much of a workout you could get (worked up a sweat and used a lot of different muscle groups) but how easy it was on the body and joints. I'm looking forward to doing it again when the pool opens up this summer.
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all of it! I did a few 5ks and ran to cross train for figure skating...then signed up for the Princess Half in 2013 without running further than a 5k. You can totally do it with the right plan, training and shoes..
Hoping to earn my second one this year.
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