New hardware

Well, I'm now up to running about 1 mile every day. Once I got over the fear of knee buckling everything went well after that. Even though I had been doing a lot of biking the last little while I still found my cardio kind of lacking when I started running about a mile. This mornings run felt great and I'll probably gradually work up to a couple of miles in the next couple of weeks. I've already signed up for a 5k run this December.
 
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That is great news, Dutchie. I'm so glad you are doing well.
 
Well, I'm now up to running about 1 mile every day. Once I got over the fear of knee buckling everything went well after that. Even though I had been doing a lot of biking the last little while I still found my cardio kind of lacking when I started running about a mile. This mornings run felt great and I'll probably gradually work up to a couple of miles in the next couple of weeks. I've already signed up for a 5k run this December.

That's just awesome dutchie! I'm so glad for you.:singing:
 
Another quick update, I'm now running about up to 2-3 miles a couple of times a week and another couple of shorter ones as well for about 10-14 miles per week. Still cycling but now that I'm running more that has decreased as I would rather run then cycle. There is still some tightness around the outside of the knees sometimes but all and all they feel great. I have moved up my 5k schedule and signed up for a 5k run the first week of October. I'll be seeing the surgeon the first week of October for 6 month checkup and will be having xrays as well. I'm now curious as to whether he can tell that I've pushing the envelope with my recovery. ;) All and all I'm impressed with my recovery to date and hope it stays on track. Heck I'm now even thinking of doing a half again next summer. :)
 
This is incredible news, Dutchie! I am so happy for you. It sounded kind of bleak there for awhile. Did you ever think you'd get back to running?

To be able to run barefoot again, to be able to run again, would be a true blessing to me. You guys, don't take it for granted. Immerse yourselves in every aspect of running, and enjoy it for as long as you can. Running truly does lift your life.
 
TJ, did I ever think I would run again? Of course, that was one of my motivators that got me through physio and rehab. Also about a month ago I read some of Dick Beardsley bio and found that he was able to successfully return to running after having both knees replaced. I also went through something similar about 20 years ago where I broke both heels and ankles in a fall. It took me a lot longer to return to running, about 2 years that time. My expectations are simpler now, and that is too enjoy my runs and not worry about the pace I'm running at or how far. I do hope to get back to running 1 or 2 halfs per year again though. Having nursed myself through various injuries I've found that recovery is all based on how hard one works at the physio that's required for the recovery.
 
Just realized that it has been a while since I've updated this post. Had my 1 year checkup done on the knees and they were found to be doing great. I've had to go back to phisio for a little while (about 3 months) as the more I started to run , walk more, and a return to work, the more it became apparent that the years of suffering with arthritic knees had caused a lot of muscles in the hips and lower back to tighten up. so back to phisio and rehab I went. All done with treatment now but still working on those tight hip flexors. This morning I ran a 5k with my daughters. One asked me to keep pace with her as she was not sure about finishing. She did finish without walking which is what she wanted to achieve, she also set a goal of 40 minutes but wound up running it in 36 minutes. My other daughter ran it in 24 minutes. My running felt great, but was surprised to find a couple of gravel sections on the course. On a side note I've found that on all my runs the last month or 2 that my pace has picked up quite a bit. Last Sunday on a 3 mile run I was surprised to see that my pace was at a 8 minute mile, that is faster then I've run in the last 15 years. I also noticed that my heart rate was way lower then it used to be. To me it felt like one of those run all day paces. People that are considering TKR, go for it. If one is in good shape going in and willing to work on the recovery the chances of returning to running are excellent. The latest studies have also shown that there is no signs of damage being being done on the replacement knees for those of us who continue with running. Next up for me is a 10k in July. My orthopedic surgeon told me when I asked about running again said that was fine by him, joint replacement is all about giving back ones quality of everyday life.
 
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Wonderful! 8-minute mile? Wow!
 
Feel like the bionic man these days. I was really surprised to see my pace that fast. Maybe part of that was my rehab I was running on a treadmill. That got old fast so I started doing interval training for 45 minutes, that seemed like it made the time go by faster. Right after treadmill it was 45 minutes on the exercise bike. So three to four times a week it was 90 minutes of cardio at about 90% of max heart rate. Yup, I'm a cardio junkie.


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You've been through a lot, Dutchie. It's been quite the journey for you, I'm sure. It's troubling when we don't know what our future holds after a serious injury/surgery like that. I'm glad that you persevered, didn't give up, and put the work in, so you could turn the negative into a more positive future. A year ago, it seemed daunting. Now, I'm not worried about you. You'll be just fine. Thanks for checking in.
 
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