Coming back from Injury
I am cautiously optimistic. I went running for the first time since having ureterocele surgery and it was pain free! I take that back, I was free of the pain that led me down the path of having the surgery in the first place, which was pain in my lower abdomen near my bladder. I was not pain free with respect to the fact that I haven’t run in over 6 months! It always amazes me how sport-specific training is lost when you stop training for that sport. In those 6 months I have been swimming and biking like never before. Other than the 2 weeks I took off after the surgery, I pretty much maintained a normal bike/swim schedule, but rarely ran (which is, ironically, the kind of training I like best). Boy were my joints and running muscles rusty. I only ran for 18 minutes, but it felt like much longer. It did, however, feel quite good to be running again and I can’t wait to get back into a normal training schedule and start prepping for some races. Of course, time will tell if this was just a fluke or if the surgery truly did fix the problem.
So, my challenge now is to put together a training schedule that will build back up my running base w/o sacrificing the gains I’ve made in the pool and on the bike. Naturally, I am consulting Daniels’ Running Formula which contains a whole section on taking time off and recovering from injury. The key, of course, is to build back up slowly. Luckily, I think my endurance base from biking and swimming will help. I will most likely start out running 2-3 miles at a slow pace (8.5 - 9 minute miles) and then build up from there.
Hopefully, by the end of the summer, my form will be back and I will be back competing in triathlons.
August 2nd, 2006 at 8:29 am
I just had ureterocele surgery yesterday and was wondering how you are doing 2 months later. I had slowed down on my fitness because of the pain. I’m suppose to be able to start back as soon as I feel like it.
August 2nd, 2006 at 3:06 pm
Hope you are doing all right after the surgery. My first couple of days hurt, esp. when using the bathroom.
I wouldn’t say I am back to full speed yet, but that is b/c I moved to North Carolina in the meantime and have only just begun more in-depth training again. I have a follow up appt. for an ultrasound next week to see if the hydronephrosis in my kidney is down. I run 2-3 times a week and bike 1-2 times a week as well. I am to the point where I can feel I can put together a training schedule and start building up miles. On the bike I feel totally fine and in the water. Running is still not where I want it to be, but I can run 3-5 miles comfortably every other day if I want.
All in all, I feel pretty good, with no side effects related to the surgery, and am setting my sights on some late season events down around my new home.
Good luck w/ your recovery.