Reminders:
1) Rotator cuffs are not meant to be torn.
2) Some people don't learn from a first time.
3) Some rotator cuff tears are incompatible with running.
I'm now getting back to some running after having torn my left
rotator cuff (to complement the tear of the right a few years ago),
in such a way as that running would re-inflame it. 3 months nearly
totally off. Arrgh!
The tear itself was probably from swimming, but I put paid to it at
a 10 mile race a couple of weeks later, in February.
I did discover a couple of things, as swimming was (is) obviously
out, running was not so obviously out, and biking (due to holding
handle bars) was pretty much out, but walking was ok on the shoulder.
One was, after working some on the walking, and with some memory of
a racewalking lesson a year ago, I could walk a pretty good clip.
Two months after the tear was my favorite 10k race. So I walked it.
First 5k, I was trying to mark the back of the pack, but was a bit
fast in 41:15. After that, I went for speed, and did the second 5k
in 36:39, 77:54 total for 10k. I'll say with some first hand
authority now that people dismissing runners averaging 12 minutes per
mile as 'oh, I could _walk_ faster than that' are pretty universally
just blowing smoke. I did average a bit faster than 12 min/mi, but
was moving much faster than my already faster than almost everyone
regular walking pace. More recently, I've managed to turn in a
36 second walked 100m, and 77 for walking 200m. I'm kind of tempted
to work on getting to an 11 min/mile 5k, and walking a 10 minute
single mile.
Second discovery, as I ran my first stretch over 10 minutes last
Tuesday (with 20) and first 5k (a race) Saturday, was that the couple
times a week of walking for speed maintained far more of an aerobic
base than I'd expected. I was surprised to be able to sustain the 20 minute
run last Tuesday, even at the mostly sedate pace I was going. Even
more so the 5k. So ... leaning on the walking is good even for
the running. (Not great, the time was what I used to consider my
easy jog pace when I was running regularly. But I went in 2 runs from
3 minutes to 5km, thanks to the walking, vs. the 3-4 months it took when
I was restarting.)
Shoulder still didn't like even 5k of racing, but at least didn't
inflame. Fingers crossed that I can start getting out for 20-30 minutes
consistently of running.
Still working on the record for goofiest injuries. Normal runners
get plantar fasciitis, ITB syndrome, twisted ankles, etc. I get
taken out of running by shoulder injury from swimming.
--
Robert Grumbine http://www.radix.net/~bobg/ Science faqs and amateur activities notes and links.
Sagredo (Galileo Galilei) "You present these recondite matters with too much
evidence and ease; this great facility makes them less appreciated than they
would be had they been presented in a more abstruse manner." Two New Sciences