how long til I can REALLY run? And need new shoes ?

[rag33]

Hi everyone, I'm 10 months post op. Couldn't run for a good year prior to surgery since I couldn't even walk. For the 5 years prior, I'd gone from half marathon trainings to barely getting through 5k. I'm now up to 8k but it's so slow...part of it's in my head, but part of it's my hip. It doesn't hurt, but it just reminds me when I've overdone it like the scar will be sore or my glute with kind of cramp. I'm wondering how long it's taken people to get back to running for real after surgery? Also, I need new shoes. I saw that people on here wear Hoka. I have pretty narrow feel and  have been running in Asics Cumulus for the past 20 years.  All suggestions are welcome! Thanks a lot !

[Paprika]

It took me about 12 months to regain my pre-surgery speed but I was running fast until about 4 months pre- surgery. Are you still doing PT exercises (clamshell etc)?  I find them helpful for maintaining the muscles and tendons that get strained on long runs. On shoes, I would stay away from the Hokas (no flex) and try shoes with a low offset from heel to toe and flexible sole. Good luck!

[rag33]

Thanks ! I'd had issues for a while before my surgery so had already lost my speed. I just hope to get it back eventually but I need to work! My PT never had me do clamshells but I do them anyway. I do feel a difference when I don't do my normal routine (squats, lunges, hip hitches and clams). Thanks for the shoe advice too!

[petemeads]

Hi rag33 (and paprika - how are you doing?) - I had my BHR op in Nov 2014 and was back to (nearly) 70% age-grade at 5k within the year. I use the age-grade as a comparator because I am really old...
I then chose to run a 13.2 mile test, to see if I would be able to consider half-marathons again, just before my annual checkup. Got round, but had no speed to speak of for the next couple of months. Went back to shorter runs and spent the second half of 2016 at 70% or better every week, felt great. The fly in the ointment was the other hip, which was done in May 17 with a THR because of poor bone.
Have run fast-ish since but less consistently, and had a couple of months over Xmas last year limping with the new hip, but since getting back to running have been extending the distances and doing more hill/mountain adventures with jogging and scrambling, so pace over 5k is down again and 69% is current best.
Raced 10 miles a couple of weeks ago, first time since 2010, hips not the limiting factor...
Regarding shoes, I race 5k in low, light, fast shoes (Saucony A8) but have just bought some Brooks Levitate which are heavy and bouncy and stiff and I really rate them for comfort and shock-absorbtion. I seem to be increasing my stride-length as a result, according to Garmin. Still tempted to try another half-marathon, not at all tempted by the full though...

Pete

[fastboy64]

Hi Pete, rag33 et al,

I think that it is difficult to judge what running speed is good or even acceptable following hip surgery - there are so many variables.

I am coming to the conclusion that how you feel is more important!

I have just competed in national aquathlon champs (England) and managed a 20:47 5k split as a 55 year old less than 2 years post op - is this fast? should I be pleased?

My PB is 17:59 as a 47 year old just before the OA started to kick in. I had to stop running completely from age 49 - 53. I had my HI ceramic hip resurface op September 2017 and started running 6 months post op and after just about 4 years of no running.

I found the hip rehab and strength and conditioning relatively easy. What I had underestimated was the extent of the de-conditioning from running and the ageing process. My ankles, calves and quads took a good few months to get going ... Even now 18 months after starting back running I have to be careful.

The point of this ramble is that I am really conflicted about my current level of performance  - part of me thinks 20:47 is just nowhere near as fast as I could / should be (I had set myself a target of going sub 20 this summer) and yet I also think that I've improved my speed by 2 mins over 5k in a year and with a good winter training with more strength endurance, I will be faster again next year?!

The big thing here though is that I feel good when I am running and my hip is performing well so I think that as long as I continue to enjoy the training I'll have fun seeing what speed I can get back!

What is really interesting is that I am currently not in the least bit tempted to go long again (half, full marathon) - not sure if this is because I enjoy 5Ks and aquathlons or maybe I instinctively know I would struggle?!

I like to run in saucony jazz and race in saucony fastwitch :-)

David

[petemeads]

Hi David. I use the WMA age-grading calculator 2006/2010 to get Masters percentages for my efforts, almost identical to the calculation that parkrun uses. Your recent 5k PB equates to 74%, which is the best I ever managed at any age. Your sub-18 PB is 80%, which is pretty damn good at 47!
If you can sneak back under 20 mins next year that would be 77.55% at age 56 which seems very achieveable to me and I am very jealous...
I had a return to regular running at age 58 and managed to race a couple of halves that matched my 20 years previous PB in percentage terms, just before I got to 60. Then I discovered parkrun, learned how to race 5k and got to 22:03 / 73.7% PB within a couple of months. Then came the hip replacements... Not quite matched that percentage yet, 340-odd parkruns later, but not far off it a couple of times.
Not much we can do about age, but I am reassured that I am not much worse than I ever was, despite the metalwork.
I too am not sure I want to get into longer races, I just need to race 5k and jog all day in the hills...

Cheers,
Pete

[blinky]

I wanted to chime in on returning to running. I am a decently successful runner, able to run several half marathons a year, none of them fast, all comfortable.

I followed a C25K program at six months post op, the one Arroyo, who has enjoyed a highly successful return to running, posted. What I did those first few weeks did not look much like running. I didn't wear my Garmin because I didn't want to know how slowly I was moving. Three weeks in I had to take time off because my right hip was not quite ready to advance. The break did me well and I was able to pick up where I left off. Later, the schedule was too aggressive for me again. I was able to stick with it, but then had to reduce my volume and recover. At one year post op, I ran a 10K in a little over an hour. A year later I ran a half marathon just to finish. Since that time I have been able to run three halfs in a six month time period (I live in South Texas where it is hot, so I run long only during the cool months of the year!), but only get my 5k time down to under 30 minutes and my 10k time down to just under an hour. My half time is hovering just under 2:30.

Running feels great. I recover quickly. I have been proud of being able to beat some of my kids' young friends in longer events because I don't go out too fast and collapse. So why can't I get faster?

1) I got deconditioned. The last time I ran fast with ease was almost ten years ago when I was 48. Back then I could run sub 24 5k and around 4:00 marathons. At 50 yo, I was running 2 miles with difficulty. I had surgery at 53. What little speed I had was earned thru years of consistent running. I lost it during those years of being in pain.

2) I got busy with other things. Pre op I spent time fantasizing about running and thinking about how much I missed it. But I also got on with my life. I traveled, I started a new job, I went back to school. I filled the time I used to spend training with other things. And I am still doing those things today. I don't have the focus I used to have. I have said "now I will start running fast again!" and begun running intervals or tempo runs and worked on increasing my speed, but then I'll go out of town and stop doing it. 

3) I got older. My hips are in great shape, but my knees, my back, my other parts are older and more beat up. When I train consistently I improve, but as soon as I slack off, those gains are gone!

I still hope to get faster, but it isn't the priority it used to be.

[rag33]

thanks everyone. That's so helpful and impressive ! Also nice to know that at 44, I can still be a runner !

I do find that I'm finally enjoying running again. when I was running with the pain, it was more of a trial than anything else and I was no longer enjoying it. At least I'm enjoying it again. I was running 22 minute 5k in my 20s but I am definitely deconditioned, older and heavier (ahem). But I went out yesterday to test my legs and I managed to do 5k in 27 minutes so I'm like that's ok.  But then my hip reminded me the rest of the afternoon that it's only been 10 months.

It's so helpful to have this community. People still tell me I'm nuts, how could I got back out running, why would I put my body through this after everything I've been through. But you all understand. thank you !