Knee Surgery Journal - Day Three

I am not intending to post every day here but had a couple of things I wanted to add so I figured I could do so now.

I rode my bike indoors on Day one as I said and then went and swam later in the day. I have a pretty standard workout that I do when I swim which consists of four separate 500-yard sets. I call it the “Dane Workout” and it's something that has served me greatly in the past. During the first 500 I was feeling remarkably good. Part of it was because I was swimming in the afternoon, and I am simply not one who functions well in the morning. The workout went downhill soon after that with me having virtually no energy. I barely got my last 500 in under 7 minutes after swimming a 6:35 for the first one.

I got home, made some dinner, and went about the rest of my evening. A few hours later I touched my arm and it was sore where I had received both the COVID and flu vaccines earlier in the day. Almost smacked my head remembering that of course I was going feel a little lethargic in my swim after a couple of vaccines.

The next day I decided not to swim and simply ride indoors on the trainer twice. Both workouts were pretty difficult as I once again was quite tired. Today I did one workout this morning and felt a little bit better. This is also now the third straight day where I have completely cut out any sort of snacking whatsoever on the foods that I thoroughly enjoy eating. I knew there was no way that there was any actual discernible weight loss in just two days time but I wanted to get on the scale nevertheless. I know I have to take into account everything from the fact that I wasn't wearing clothes, I just sweated off a few pounds on the bike, I had rid myself of all impurities in my body (I pooped and peed), as well as it was a different scale from the first time I had weighed myself on Monday.

Sweaty on a trainer. Barely awake.

That all said, I was down 9 lbs from Monday to 213.8 . Again, I know that I have not lost 9 lbs of fat in that time but I know I have started the process towards losing that and much more I feel good in my ability to make all the changes necessary to lose that weight and get back to running and running fast.
I have run 19 sub-three hour marathons in my life. I turned 49 in May. I have not run a single sub-three hour marathon in my 40s and only have a year left to do so. 

Shockingly, I've only run 8 marathons in the decade of my 40s. Part of that comes from a three-year layoff during COVID and then basically another two years dealing with this knee. But I am putting this goal out there that before I turn 50 I will run another sub-three hour marathon. If I do, that will be just shy of 20 years between my first and most recent sub-three.

I want to continue to show people to Ignore The Impossible.

Knee Surgery Journal - Day One

I have decided to keep a rather detailed (or more detailed than telling virtually no one) account of my upcoming knee surgery, my failed meniscus root rear repair surgery, and (hopefully) my return to running again. I hope this will help others find some answers, be inspired, or entertain.

***

The quest to get back into shape starts today, 01.27.25 even before the knee surgery scheduled for 02.06.25 begins. Here's the ugly beginning.

When I finished running #everysinglestreet of Minneapolis, I was in the best shape I had been in for years. I weighed 174 lbs. Felt great. Was ready to start setting some new PRs again.

However, about two months later, after a lackluster half-marathon, my first ever marathon DNF, and

another less-than-stellar half-marathon, I noticed how my left leg was not working properly. It ends up that was the beginning of the end of my left knee working properly. (There were other races, an extended cleaning of my mother's house which probably didn't help, and other things but life has a lot of other components that happen but don't necessarily mean they were the cause of some malady. So I will likely not mention them.)

I took a major downturn in running May-September as I upped my cycling miles to get ready for a half-ironman. That race went poorly (mostly because of weather) and then one month later I tore my meniscus (which I didn't know at the time.) Three plus month of very low running and I finally got the meniscus tear discovery. At my pre-op physical, I am shocked to see I weigh 201, the most I have weighed since I played rugby in college.

Surgery done, I start my recovery, and I knew I was putting on weight. The truth is I don't know what my heaviest was as I didn't weigh myself at that point. However, after working out with weights, I knew I lost some pounds and at a PT appointment hopped on the scale: 223lbs. Egads.

I went to Paris to watch the Olympics, walked about 7-10 miles every day for three weeks even though my knee was killing me most every day. I watched what I ate. I incorporated a steady diet of pushups. Came back, weighed in at 201 again. I was ecstatic. I figured another month or so, with my new diet, and my return to running and I would be close to my goal weight again.

But the knee didn't cooperate. It wouldn't allow me to return to running and while I began swimming again, and definitely got into better shape (I could tell mostly because my clothes fit me better; I didn't get on the scale) I could tell things were not going great. Then I got the MRI and found out the meniscus repair had failed. I needed to have a partial knee replacement.

With my second surgery scheduled I needed another pre-op physical. My weight? 222.8. Ugh. I knew I was up again but I hated seeing the number.

But I am using this as my starting point. My rock bottom. Nearly 50 lbs more than I was just two years ago. But I lost 25 of it a few months ago with just a rigorous walking plan and watching my diet. I will do it again here. 10 days to go until the surgery. I will not leave that hospital at the same weight I am now. Like I am no longer wondering if my kee will eventually get better when it wasn't going to, and got the answer with the replacement surgery, I have the answer to why I feel fat: I am carrying 28% more weight than I was before.

Since I am chronicling this journey, I want to be as upfront as possible with all the facts so others can be inspired or simply root me on.

So, Day One. 222.8 lbs. Then 10 miles on the bike with a 2000 yard swim coming up later today. Snacks and other crap food I love are going out the window. I won't say I won't indulge in them again when I am back to running 70 miles a week but when you aren't burning off two pounds of fat a week JUST in the miles you are running alone, you can't be snacking.

Wish me luck!