If You Never Tri, You'll Never Know!

Knee Disclosure



Oh uh spaghetti o's... the verdict is in.

Rewind: a couple of weeks ago training for RnR marathon I was running on a treadmill. The treadmill felt a little off and my left knee started aching. I switched treadmills. I continued to feel the little ache but chalked it up to the first few miles on the "off" treadmill. I finished 11 miles. Early the next morning I got up and did 10 more miles (I had missed my 20 miler so was doing an evening/morning double). I didn't feel the ache much in my knee. Anything that I did feel, again, I chalked up to that damn treadmill. 

The next few days and runs the annoying ached continued. But only WHILE running. Walk, fine. Bending, standing, sitting, climbing, squatting, all fine. Just running. Grr. Damn treadmill!! I practiced RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation). I felt pretty confident that it was either a strain or runner's knee. I ran the LA 1/2 Marathon with Amanda and by about mile 4 the pain came. Little more than an ache now, I'd call it pain. HOWEVER, it never got worse and it wasn't run stopping. But now I'm nervous. I did the "runners knee test" and passed, or failed rather; it's NOT runner's knee. Oh hell, I've torn something or fractured something - I have a marathon in a week!! I took the entire week off leading up to RnR marathon. 

No ache no pain for the first 7 miles. YES, I beat it! It was only a strain. Phew, but then it came. The promising part was, it never got worse. It hit a pain level and never hurt more than that. I finished the marathon just fine but made an appointment with my doc the very next day - continued RICE.

Upon seeing the doc, she called it immediately, "sounds like a bone spur." WHAT THE!? Off to x-rays. The next morning I received the confirmation call, multiple bone spurs behind my knee cap. 
"A bone spur is an outgrowth of bone that can occur along the edges of a bone. It is also called an osteophyte. Bone spurs can form in any bone, but are most commonly found in joints, where two or more bones come together. They also occur where muscles, ligaments, or tendons attach to the bone."
The doc related it back to my rheumatic fever. She said the joint damage, inflammation, and continued impact on my knees has brought on the build up. There's quite a bit of arthritic signs. Dang rheumatic fever! That stuff got me good. It could have killed me though; I AM fortunate. 
SO, really not a HUGE deal, but it's uncomfortable for sure. 

Treatment: I got an injection yesterday. That's going to get me through PR 70.3. After the race though, they want to go in for microscopic surgery and smooth out the patella. That's not to say it won't come back, but it will certainly get me through the 2015 race season. It's a very non-abrasive "surgery" that will only put me out for a 1-3 weeks. No worries!! :)

Normally, I'd lay down and cry like a big baby. But this time, I'm SHRUGGING it off... I'm THANKFUL that I've been through 6 Ironman, 4 Half Ironman, 3 marathons, multiple half marathons, and how many other tri's and races and this (besides when my back locked up) is the worst that's happened to me. I also suffered through an IT band issue a lonngggg time ago (pre IM days). This is an opportunity to get stronger in the pool and on my bike. At least until the injection settles in and then the smoothing...

I refuse to allow myself to get frustrated or cry. I will come out on the other side stronger, faster, better, healthier! YES!! And really, so a bone spur isn't that big of a deal.