To Infinity and Beyond - Becoming a Better DopeyBadger (Comments Welcome)

[canglim52]

Good luck!!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Sorry to hear about your calf pain. Sending so many good wishes your way for a pain free run tomorrow!!

Good luck!!

Thanks! We'll see in a few hours!

 

[Sleepless Knight]

Hoping you get the run in today that you want to. I'm finally feeling like my knee is actually improving. Whether or not it will get back up to my recent speed increase I don't know, but I'm getting more and more confident every day that it will get back up to able to finish the race without crippling myself for days after.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hoping you get the run in today that you want to. I'm finally feeling like my knee is actually improving. Whether or not it will get back up to my recent speed increase I don't know, but I'm getting more and more confident every day that it will get back up to able to finish the race without crippling myself for days after.

Happy to hear things are improving for you!

So an update: So far we have completed 8/8 races on Mirror 150cc and only have one race left (Special Cup) to get a star on! Rosalina may happen tonight!

.... Hehehe... Oh... a run update?

Yea, so the run wasn't nearly as positive. It's certainly better but I think the underlying issue is still there. I'm going to try a working theory tonight and see if that helps with the issue.

 

[IamTrike]

Happy to hear things are improving for you!

So an update: So far we have completed 8/8 races on Mirror 150cc and only have one race left (Special Cup) to get a star on! Rosalina may happen tonight!

.... Hehehe... Oh... a run update?

Yea, so the run wasn't nearly as positive. It's certainly better but I think the underlying issue is still there. I'm going to try a working theory tonight and see if that helps with the issue.

Congrats on the Mario Kart success.

Sorry to hear that your run wasn't as positive.

 

[Andie16]

Sorry about the run. Sending you good vibes for your new theory (and the Rosalina takedown ).

 

[canglim52]

At least there is progress, hope your theory works!!

 

[ZellyB]

Sorry to hear the run wasn't a full success. Hope you can determine the underlying problem and get it full recovered. Hope your working theory gives you good information.

Rosalina is toast!

 

[GollyGadget]

Sad to hear things aren't quite 100% yet. Sending you good vibes for tonight.

 

[TeeterTots]

Bummer! Was hoping to hear you were 100%!

 

[SarahDisney]

Sorry to hear that the run didn't go well. That's always a bummer. Hopefully whatever you try tonight will help!

Looking forward to tomorrow's Rosalina update - good luck! (and running update too, I guess)

 

[DopeyBadger]

Congrats on the Mario Kart success.

Sorry to hear that your run wasn't as positive.

Sorry about the run. Sending you good vibes for your new theory (and the Rosalina takedown ).

At least there is progress, hope your theory works!!

Sorry to hear the run wasn't a full success. Hope you can determine the underlying problem and get it full recovered. Hope your working theory gives you good information.

Rosalina is toast!

Sad to hear things aren't quite 100% yet. Sending you good vibes for tonight.

Bummer! Was hoping to hear you were 100%!

Sorry to hear that the run didn't go well. That's always a bummer. Hopefully whatever you try tonight will help!

Looking forward to tomorrow's Rosalina update - good luck! (and running update too, I guess)

Thanks all!

The thought process centers around why issues before Dopey, none during Dopey, and issues immediately post-Dopey. At first I thought the shoes (Triumph), but I didn't use the shoes yesterday and still had some issues. When I ran slower, things felt worse. When I ran faster, things weren't as noticeable. I've noticed an issue with my circulation since November/December. I've always had cold hands, but now I'm thinking I have Raynaud's since I've got the classic finger symptoms of pale white fingers, then rush of blood back into them (need to see the doc about this). No specific finger and sometimes I can be fine immediately upon entering the house and then 10-15 min later my finger goes white. Now I'm even having the issue when driving and holding the cold steering wheel. So the thought process is that maybe I'm starting to have poor circulation in my right leg as well (leading to a less than 100% operating calf which is putting stress on the surrounding tissue to pick up the slack). Since my circulation might be poor maybe the muscle is staying really cold at relatively easy pacing.

As a possible remedy, I'm going to try and wear my Zensah calf compression calf sleeves while running and see if they improve circulation and keep my calfs warm. I'm sticking them in the dryer right before use to give them a little extra warmth. It's a shot in the dark but worth a try. Still don't know why I'm having a progressively worse case of circulation and that warrants a visit to the doctor to see if they've got some thoughts.

 

[TeeterTots]

I think you’re on the right path with this thought. Someone had suggested DVT, but this definitely seems more arterial than venous given it’s worse with activity. Definitely time to see the Doctor (or PA....lol) if you suspect circulation issues. Hoping for the best!

 

[dmross]

Oh it was so worth it to catch up on this thread! There is a perfect time and place for gaming, and you found it.

After my Feb 24 race, I can write you a recap. Coming up soon. I'll make it data-ful with some numbers and such from Strava/Garmin.

 

[DopeyBadger]

So I gave the compression sleeve trick a try. I decided to go with the Triumphs since I don't think they are truly the cause. I also decided to go ridiculously slow and not push the pace whatsoever. Unfortunately, that first mile was absolutely brutal. Every step was pretty darn uncomfortable. After 0.5 mile, I turned around disappointed. However, just as I was about to shut it down things seemed to start to turn around. So I decided to try for 2 miles. The second mile actually felt a little better than did the first. After 2, I decided to go for three (which was the original goal). The third mile felt even better than the first two. Not normal, but not as bad. I stopped after three since that was the original plan. I came back in and jumped on the elliptical Steph bought about a year ago which I haven't used. I wanted to see if that gave me any issues. While I was going pretty slow (HR of 90) I didn't seem to have any issues. So maybe the elliptical could serve as a backup plan. Although it felt completely awkward.

Rosalina has continued to evade me. Twice I finished the special cup with 1st, 1st, 1st, and 3rd (darn Rainbow Road) in the four races and received an "A" rating. Darn them! I need a "Star" to earn Rosalina. I will get her eventually.

I think you’re on the right path with this thought. Someone had suggested DVT, but this definitely seems more arterial than venous given it’s worse with activity. Definitely time to see the Doctor (or PA....lol) if you suspect circulation issues. Hoping for the best!

Thanks! I've got an appointment with a PA this afternoon.

Oh it was so worth it to catch up on this thread! There is a perfect time and place for gaming, and you found it.

After my Feb 24 race, I can write you a recap. Coming up soon. I'll make it data-ful with some numbers and such from Strava/Garmin.

Thanks for reading! I'm excited to hear how things go for you. And I'll never turn down a data filled recap!

 

[ZellyB]

Well, so mixed results on your run, but maybe encouraging that it seemed to improve as you went. I just cannot get used to elliptical use. It just feels so awkward!

Rainbow Road!!!!!

 

[IamTrike]

I'm glad that the sleeve seems to alleviate it at least a little bit. Elliptical isn't terrible as a backup. Have you looked at incorporating HIIT cross training or regular cross training into running plans? Maybe this can be an experimental start.

 

[DopeyBadger]

Well, so mixed results on your run, but maybe encouraging that it seemed to improve as you went. I just cannot get used to elliptical use. It just feels so awkward!

Mixed results for sure. Maybe I'm on the right path, but a n=1 is far too low to be able to make any conclusions. Hopeful to say the least.

Rainbow Road!!!!!

Right?!?!? Oh G had some great one liners - "All you have to do is stay in the middle", "Dad stop heading towards the planet and stay on the road", "Stop being so wiggly and drive straight", "Ugh, this is a hard one".... on and on and on. Got my own peanut gallery/backseat driver.

I'm glad that the sleeve seems to alleviate it at least a little bit. Elliptical isn't terrible as a backup. Have you looked at incorporating HIIT cross training or regular cross training into running plans? Maybe this can be an experimental start.

So far so good. Certainly being able to do anything is better than nothing moving forward so I can retain some fitness for whenever I can alleviate the situation completely.

My current thoughts (which mean's its certainly possible it will change) on cross training are the following. Some people do it on their current plans and I work around it. Doing cross training in addition to running will make you a better athlete and fitter in general. But if you're limited for time (as are many of the people I work with), then if your goal is an "A" race for time more running is likelier to make you a better runner than will a combination of cross/run. I take it on a case by case basis, but don't actually schedule any cross-training. I just tell them to continue whatever they're currently doing. One trap I don't want people to fall into is to fill in the off/recovery running days with a hard cross training day. At that point, someone might fall into the same "Survive the training, and not thrive because of it" trap. Now once someone starts to maximize running gains or amount of time I'm willing to schedule for running, then they can look towards cross as a place to make additional gains. Also, if someone is in an offseason from racing (which when does that happen for a lot of recreational runners) is a great time to try some new cross training to make additional gains. But, I'm always open to learning new things.

 

[avondale]

So I gave the compression sleeve trick a try. I decided to go with the Triumphs since I don't think they are truly the cause. I also decided to go ridiculously slow and not push the pace whatsoever. Unfortunately, that first mile was absolutely brutal. Every step was pretty darn uncomfortable. After 0.5 mile, I turned around disappointed. However, just as I was about to shut it down things seemed to start to turn around. So I decided to try for 2 miles. The second mile actually felt a little better than did the first. After 2, I decided to go for three (which was the original goal). The third mile felt even better than the first two. Not normal, but not as bad. I stopped after three since that was the original plan. I came back in and jumped on the elliptical Steph bought about a year ago which I haven't used. I wanted to see if that gave me any issues. While I was going pretty slow (HR of 90) I didn't seem to have any issues. So maybe the elliptical could serve as a backup plan. Although it felt completely awkward.

Rosalina has continued to evade me. Twice I finished the special cup with 1st, 1st, 1st, and 3rd (darn Rainbow Road) in the four races and received an "A" rating. Darn them! I need a "Star" to earn Rosalina. I will get her eventually.



Thanks! I've got an appointment with a PA this afternoon.



Thanks for reading! I'm excited to hear how things go for you. And I'll never turn down a data filled recap!

Hey, I've had Raynaud's for years (so has my mother). It's more common for women than men to have it. It typically affects fingers or toes, and most folks have it usually affect one or the other more - for me, it's fingers. The coloration and numbness are the key signs: fingers go numb and white, and then if it continues, your fingers can go to blue and purple. Extended numbness can cause tissue damage, because you literally don't have blood circulating there. The cold triggers an exaggerated spasm to the blood vessels to constrict.

If your doctor confirms Raynaud's, you can take calcium-channel blocker medications to treat the numbness. There are several, so sometimes you have to try a few to see what works. This treats the symptoms, but not cause, which is unknown. Also, the obvious solution: try not to get cold. Easier said than done, especially if things like a 68-F room can trigger an episode.

Raynaud's can be a sign of impending lupus - or not. You can get Raynaud's by itself. I see a rheumatologist every 6 months to monitor for lupus, but so far, so good!

For me, I take 240 mg of Diltiazem once a day, and it usually stops the numb fingers. However, I still tend to have an extreme overreaction to cold in terms of overall body temp - when I get an after-run chill from cooling down, I will get cold almost to the point of shivering for about 3 hours. My rheumatologist isn't sure if this extreme cold reaction is really from the Raynaud's or just from me.

The description of the numbness and coloration of your fingers matches pretty well with Raynaud's, as does the situations, like a cold steering wheel. (Get gloves! )

But, Raynaud's is not really related to poor circulation in general, since the underlying cause is different - Raynaud's is from constriction of the blood vessels just in the extremities. Raynaud's sufferers don't experience it in places like legs or arms. If you feel like you've got poor circulation causing the problem in your calf, it's more likely DVT or some of the other issues that other folks here have suggested.

It seems like a meeting with a rheumatologist or other expert might be in order. I hope you get this figured out!

 

[DopeyBadger]

Hey, I've had Raynaud's for years (so has my mother). It's more common for women than men to have it. It typically affects fingers or toes, and most folks have it usually affect one or the other more - for me, it's fingers. The coloration and numbness are the key signs: fingers go numb and white, and then if it continues, your fingers can go to blue and purple. Extended numbness can cause tissue damage, because you literally don't have blood circulating there. The cold triggers an exaggerated spasm to the blood vessels to constrict.

If your doctor confirms Raynaud's, you can take calcium-channel blocker medications to treat the numbness. There are several, so sometimes you have to try a few to see what works. This treats the symptoms, but not cause, which is unknown. Also, the obvious solution: try not to get cold. Easier said than done, especially if things like a 68-F room can trigger an episode.

Raynaud's can be a sign of impending lupus - or not. You can get Raynaud's by itself. I see a rheumatologist every 6 months to monitor for lupus, but so far, so good!

For me, I take 240 mg of Diltiazem once a day, and it usually stops the numb fingers. However, I still tend to have an extreme overreaction to cold in terms of overall body temp - when I get an after-run chill from cooling down, I will get cold almost to the point of shivering for about 3 hours. My rheumatologist isn't sure if this extreme cold reaction is really from the Raynaud's or just from me.

The description of the numbness and coloration of your fingers matches pretty well with Raynaud's, as does the situations, like a cold steering wheel. (Get gloves! )

But, Raynaud's is not really related to poor circulation in general, since the underlying cause is different - Raynaud's is from constriction of the blood vessels just in the extremities. Raynaud's sufferers don't experience it in places like legs or arms. If you feel like you've got poor circulation causing the problem in your calf, it's more likely DVT or some of the other issues that other folks here have suggested.

It seems like a meeting with a rheumatologist or other expert might be in order. I hope you get this figured out!

Thanks! All of this resonates quite a bit for me. Thankfully never had the fingers turn blue/purple. Obviously avoiding the cold (certainly easier said than done) and getting gloves for driving are good ideas. I've had the episodes of shivering post running as well and the onset usually isn't immediate. It usually occurs 30-45 min after the run is over and I've been in the house for awhile. This is all great stuff. Thanks again!