....seven months later

So last blog was in November.  I thought it was pathetic that I hadn't blogged in seven weeks.  This time it's almost seven months.  Seven long months of trial and error, tests and more tests, with little to no results.  MRI's of my back, abdomen and brain revealed nothing new.  Blood tests normal.  Neurological tests normal.  I stopped PT back in December because we felt that I had hit a plateau.  All bad?  Not so much.

Here is the good news.  I have stepped away from medical professionals for the last few months and have discovered some things on my own.  First, since I stopped PT, the face and hand tingling has gone away.  This leads me to think that the adjustments on my neck were causing the bone spur to push against the spinal cord at the site of the stenosis and was creating that sensation.  But I have continued my exercises and stretches that I learned in PT, and they have been very beneficial.  

Now for the best part.  After doing a bunch of reading and research, I decided to try a variety of running styles and see if they would have a different effect on my back.  Treadmill, track, trails and of course asphalt and concrete were continuing to bother me and cause my back to lock up.  Even at slow pace and short distances.  Then just six weeks ago, at the beginning of May, I started to run barefoot on the beach.  Not only barefoot, but with toe strike instead of heel strike (which is what I've been doing for over 25 years).  I am basically training my body to run a whole different way, and this has been quite a workout for my calves, achilles tendons and the front of my feet.   In fact, the rough sand can be abrasive and has caused chaffing and blisters.  So I've discovered new footwear that is basically like a glove for the foot.   You are practically running barefoot, but the bottom of your feet is protected.  The Vibram 5-Fingers are awesome, and if you are interested, I would also get the finger socks to line the inside, especially if you want to try running on the sand.  The sand gets in there and can cause blisters and chafe, but with the socks, they are fantastic.

Anyway, I started out with a mile, then two, three, etc. and today, just over a year after my injury, I ran six miles on the beach.  I'm still a lot slower than I was, and the sand has a lot more give then all of the other surfaces, but I'm running... with minimal discomfort.   So that's the last seven months in a nutshell.  Now that I'm less frustrated and progressing on my own, I'll do a better job updating details on how this new avenue goes, as I test harder surfaces again.  I didn't get to do that Super Bowl 10K in February, but now my new goal will take me back to the scene of the crime.  Next Memorial Day, 2011, I want to run the Bolder Boulder again.  If I'm able to do that with no problems, marathon training may not be too far off.