ACL Update – Week 16
Sent, 20-June-2017
Ohh wow… I can’t believe that I nearly forgot about sending this email. It’s been ages since the initial injury, and I’ve been walking and moving around so well that this almost feels silly to be writing. Life isn’t much different than it was before the injury, honestly… I’m climbing a lot less intensely, and we’re doing smaller trips… but my running endurance has gotten pretty good, and Sarah and I are both living life pretty well (knock on wood!).
So I think this might be one of the last “ACL recovery” update emails. I’ll probably transition over toward either “life status” emails, or back to regularly posting updates on the blog. We’ll see. Any thoughts from the gallery are welcome 🙂
But ACL! Knee! Running!
This weekend was pretty intense, but last week was actually quite low-key. Hiking Dog Mountain two weekends ago was rough, and necessitated a full two days of rest afterward for me to come close to recovering. And even then, we stayed pretty low-key for the rest of the week.
I did PT, of course, but only two of the five days of the week – it was good, but the fatigue from the hike was very real. Motion is strong, though. I can jump and jog farther and longer, and by the time I went in for my PT appointment on Friday morning, I was feeling very good again.
Ed (Physical Therapist) agreed. He’s started me into sprints and side-to-side movements finally. I’m not cutting while running, but I am starting to pivot around my knee, and I’m doing more and more single leg jumps (which are some of the harshest movements that the ACL can do).
Over the weekend, My Dad and Step-Mom visited, and we all got some pretty good workouts in… Sarah and I did some early-morning jogging (over 2 miles!!!), and then the four of us walked another 3+ miles over the course of the day. It was tiring, but very rewarding.
We’re moving on. I’m hitting PT a bit harder this week, and making sure to go for runs early in the morning at the track by the high school. I still don’t enjoy running… but having Sarah and Ollie next to me definitely makes it easier 🙂
– Ben
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ACL Update – Week 17
Sent, 04-July-2017
I missed last week! I’m sorry everyone!
But I missed it for a positive reason; life is busy! In a good way! Last week was my last week at work (two years really flew by…) And so now the focus is fully on recovery and moving… Which dovetail into each other really well, since moving involves a lot of walking and carrying.
Let’s start with last weekend:
Running and hiking were the names of the game; Sarah and I did a few low-key runs in Portland, and even did a nice hike on the Leif Erikson trail in Forest Park. Not as heavy as Dog Mountain, but it was a lot better, I think. Less strain, and more energetic.
This weekend was more focused on the move and climbing: Sarah and I spent Saturday, Sunday and Monday alternating between climbing, and purging the house & redoing the kitchen.
First: climbing!!!! We hit the gym Sunday. Woo, fun, whatever. Then we climbed outside on Monday! OUTSIDE! MULTI-PITCH! We re-climbed Rooster Rock, the first climb Sarah and I did together outside, nearly two years ago. Since last week was Sarah’s birthday, an ascent of Rooster Rock was her request. And I am not one to deny Sarah her requested present.
So we climbed! And summited, and sunbathed, and then rappelled. And it felt really good!
My knee had been hurting more last week, but after a PT appointment and some stretches, it’s felt much better this week. Stronger, more flexible, and..
Honestly, I don’t notice it all that often. Unless I stay off of it… Then, if I let it rest too much, it starts hurting more. Ed (the therapist) says that’s fairly normal; just an effect of the weakness that I’m still recovering from.
So here goes! Full time PT, full time adventure!
Pictures are from our climb up Rooster Rock, plus one bonus picture from our fancy dinner date to celebrate Sarah’s birthday and my last day of work!
-Ben