Hips passed a huge test, coming up on the 5 year mark

[Woodstock Hippy]

This passed Saturday, I ran the Berkeley Trail Half-Marathon in California.  It was brutal, it was beautiful.  5800 ft of climbing and descending.  The pounding on the downhills left my whole body very sore, but mostly in my quads.  My glutes were worn out after.  Even my biceps were killing me.  My left side has always been a little weaker than my right and I could feel it in the muscles.  But these fake hips came shining through. 


It's been almost 5 years and my fake hips have been nothing but excellent!!

[Pat Walter]

Fantastic!  Thanks for sharing.  Keep up the good work.  Good Luck.  Pat

[shoraztri]

Hi Woodstock Hippy,
Thats great news on your 5 year "test". Putting those hips thru that effort and strain, certainly means that BHR is proven and is a definate option to go with.
All the best .
Cheers,
Kiwi Boy.

[Woodstock Hippy]

This has been a tough week of recovery.  Swimming with the pull buoy, my strength finally came back yesterday.  Easy bike rides on the trainer, I might go outside this week.  Running, ugh, first try on Wednesday I gave up after 55 seconds.  Yesterday I did better, started ok but I could feel it in my glutes and quads.  Packed it in at 23 minutes.  Run and swim again tomorrow.


It ain't easy being 66 years old!

[petemeads]

It's not much easier being 65 I reckon! You hit the nail on the head when you describe the recovery process - I could do more but for the effort it takes and the lack of short-term reward, today's training run got cut short because I had not rested/recovered enough over the last few days and so was struggling to justify the full 10k. 30 years ago I could run 8 miles every day and 12 on Sunday. Have to comfort myself with percentages that are very similar to when I was running & training more regularly - and picking up the odd 60+ prize! Can't blame my BHR, or even my natural hip, for getting old...


Pete

[shoraztri]

Hi Guys,
Yes, its all about RECOVERY. I sure notice it now, more than ever. I need 3 days between my Running, and find I am way better off. Holding back that keeness is hard, but the rewards and dividends outweigh running inside this time-frame.   At a mere 64yrs young, one has to look after ones self better.
Cheers,
Kiwi Boy.

[Woodstock Hippy]

Finally got in a decent run yesterday.  Just 30 minutes of big rolling hills, but it felt good again.  Quads feel much better, knees still a little funky and the hip and glute muscles are finally starting to feel better.  Today after a good stretching routine, I'll get out for a 40 mile bike ride.  I usually alternate between run/swim and stretch and stretch/bike, 7 days a week.  When building up my run I go 2 days run/ 1 bike.  I had six weeks for the build up to this California trip and I built my long run up to 2 hours through rolling hills.  I was confident that I could go 2 hours to 2:15 at Big Sur Half.  That race is big rolling hills, but that race was cancelled by the fire in the area.  We found the Berkeley Trail Half and signed up, but this was a whole different race; long steep climbs with steep pounding downhills.  It beat the crap out of me.  I ran/hiked in 2 hours 50 minutes and I beat the second place guy in 60 to 69 by and hour and a half!  It was brutal.


In three weeks I have a 2-12-2 duathlon; much more like what I like to do.  I should be feeling ready to race again by then.

[Boomer]

Woodstock,

Glad to hear that you are putting some miles on the new hips. You set a fine example for the rest of us. I am about to post an update of my own. You have been an inspiration for years.

Boomer

[Woodstock Hippy]

Boomer, hope all is well!  My retirement has been awesome thanks to these hips.  If it wasn't for HR, I'd be sitting, probably in a wheelchair, watching TV all day.  Instead my wife and I travel all over, mostly to short distance triathlons.  Hawaii, California, Florida, South Carolina, lots of local races.  We are having a ball.


This long run/hike was way out of my usual racing.  Took me 12 days to recover.  Yesterday my wife and I did a 40 mile bicycle ride through the mountains.  I had no legs at all.  It was one of the slowest rides I've ever done on my favorite route.  Today I ran 40 minutes and finally felt back to my old self.  Swam in the afternoon,


At 66 I am finally giving in to my wife's demands; she's making me get a snowblower!

[Boomer]

Woodstock you rascal. 12 days to recover? What nonsense. You have never sat still for more than 8 hours in your life and only while you are sleeping. Come to Colorado some day and let me take you to altitude.

[Woodstock Hippy]

Well, it's been about a month since I ran that race and Here's my new verdict.  My hips came through just fine.  The rest of me, well, not so good.   I've been working every day on my stretching and strength and just started running again with 30 minute easy trail runs.  My left glutes have been the real problem and when I came in from a 50 mile bike ride yesterday, I noticed that all was feeling good again back there.  Again today, I'll go through the full one hour of hip PT, then run, then swim.


I'm back, a little wiser, no more brutal down-hill running.  It's short course triathlon for me.

[blinky]

You had to try.


I am almost a year out and that is how I feel. Over the next year or two I am going to see what I am capable of. It may well be that i will decide that runs over three miles aren't worth it and that sprint tris are the way to go. We will see.

[shoraztri]

Hi Woodstock Hippy,
Good to see your update and progress,. Its all positive  , so keep it up. Even though you are now tackling the Short Triathlons, its miles better than clocking up kms on the couch !!!..
Being out there and doing inspires us all, and shows that there is plenty of life left in us "older dogs". 
Am just starting to fire up the body for our NZ Tri season here, and will mix up both Sprint and Olympic Distances.
Cheers All Round.

[Woodstock Hippy]

I've found that I have no strength for lifting my knees when I'm standing.  I've started doing knee lifts, first with no weight and now with 2 lb ankle weights, every day.  Strength is coming back and the muscle spasms or cramps or fatigue is going away.  I'm back to running every other day, doing stretching and strength every day, swimming at least 3 times a week, but still taking it easy on the bike.


That race kicked the living crap out of me.  I feel like it's finally coming back together after 6 weeks.  Aiming for a 5k running race right before Christmas and a sprint triathlon the first week of January in Florida

[shoraztri]

Hi Woodstock Hippy,


Good to see that you are addressing those problems on the knees and leg strength. Im sure that you will progress well and that everything else will fall back into place.
Good Luck in the upcoming racing and Tri.
All the best,
Cheers.

[Arrojo]

Congrats, Woodstock Hippy!  I think it's important to understand we are all older now - the loss of speed and additional aches and pains likely has nothing to do with the new hip and everything to do with our bodies being older.