On The Sidelines

I had surgery on March 29th on my right wrist. Right wrist arthroscopy, synovectomy and debridement, open 6th extensor compartment and tenosynovectomy.

At the time I didn't know exactly what that meant, other than time off of work. I knew that I wouldn't be up and running shortly after, but I didn't anticipate still being on the disabled list after this much time.

During surgery they found more damage than they anticipated, more than the MRI showed. This pushed my anticipated time off of work from 6-8 weeks to possibly 12 weeks or more. And as of my last appointment, I am not allowed to start running yet.

This has been extremely difficult for many reasons, but the top two are my mental and physical health. In an attempt to work on both my body and mind, running was my therapy and kept me sane. Being on bed rest for a couple weeks and now with restrictions preventing me to do what I love most has put me in a bad place in those top two areas.

I'm mentally going crazy because I so desperately want to tie those laces and go for a run. I took this for granted when I could do it and now that I can't I want it more than anything. I regret complaining about a bad run, because at least I was out doing it.

And I've lost control on my physical health. I did attempt to stay on track with Weight Watchers, however that was short lived since I couldn't drive myself to meetings and I have a problem being home without structure and with full access to the refrigerator. I have gained a lot of weight since my wedding in October and without exercise I find it more difficult to stay motivated to eating well.

So, what have I been doing with all of this extra time? Thinking about what I plan on doing when I am released to start working out again.

I want to jump back into it again. Slowly, of course to prevent injury. I am hoping to start small with distance no farther than 3 miles 2-3 days a week with some strength training in the form of workout DVDs (modified for awhile to prevent further injury to my wrist) for the first week and safely increasing the mileage each week. At this time I do not have access to any cross training equipment (stationary bike or elliptical) but I'm hoping to change that when training for the Dopey Challenge starts and it's necessary to stick to my workout plan.

It's difficult to have the motivation but not be able to do anything. It's also difficult to not have anything coming up to train for (my next possible race is in December). So for now I am planning on making a month-to-month plan in order to get in the best shape I possibly can for when training does begin.

This plan will include running, walking, strength training, food choices, weight loss, measurements, etc. A complete lifestyle change is necessary in order to be successful. It will start as soon as I am released to begin workouts and I will hopefully find the success I need to continue this lifestyle for a long time.

I'm hoping to be released back to running at my appointment on the 20th. Fingers crossed that everything goes as planned!