Building A Better Bumblebee

Grumble. Mutter. Fret.

:looks out window, where he isn't running:

Sigh.

Mark B wrote:Grumble. Mutter. Fret.

:looks out window, where he isn't running:

Sigh.

That doesn't sound like a story with a happy ending...knee issues?

nkrichards wrote:

Mark B wrote:Grumble. Mutter. Fret.

:looks out window, where he isn't running:

Sigh.

That doesn't sound like a story with a happy ending...knee issues?

Hi, Nancy.

More like leg issues. As in, I wish I could swap the whole dang thing out from the hip on down.

As my knee got better over the past couple of weeks, I started having some problems cropping up in my feet and/or ankle. I'm guessing that I was compensating, trying to make it easier on my knee, and then irritated something else lower in the kinetic chain. It seemed the wisest to simply stop everything and let it settle down. Except the feet/ankles sort of alternate in discomfort, and my knee still gets tight and a little achy from time to time. I'm not sure if I'm pushing it too soon or if it's something else.

Regardless, it's making me crazy. I have stuff I want/need to do this year, and this is keeping me from getting ready for it. I also really benefit from regular exercise to keep my moods regulated, especially now that I'm off coffee. And being inactive? Well, it causes problems of its own. I'm never more sore than after I've sat at my desk at work for a few hours, unconsciously grinding my feet into the floor. I guess I need that sensory input.

Anyway, I'm sure I'll get through this, probably with enough time to get ready for my events in June and July. It just doesn't always seem like it. Which explains the *sigh* in my earlier post.

---

For what it's worth, I have a theory on what happened. My legs were being thrown off by overworn shoes (and I also have had tight hips), and I did a little slip-and-catch in the mud a few weeks ago a day before my knee started hollering at me during a run. My guess is that something was stressed before the slip, which made it worse without being obvious about it, and it finally failed during that later road run. (Which was weird, because it seemed like it came out of nowhere.) So I probably have some sort of a minor strain/sprain that'll take time -- what, six weeks, maybe? -- to heal completely. My feet hurt because I'm shifting my landing even while walking to baby my knee, and it's straining tendons that got strained a year or two ago.

At least, I hope that's what it is, because the alternative would be worse. I have been fortunate to have rock-solid knees while I ran, and I don't want that to go away.

Well I hope your diagnosis is correct and that all you need is a bit more time off and you'll be good to go. 

I know what you mean about needing to be active!  Marty still scratches his head when I comment that I'm tired and don't feel well and continue on to say I'm headed out for a run.  But it does make me feel better mentally and physically!

Hope you...and your family and coworkers...survive the next few days and that you're back out there soon.

nkrichards wrote:Well I hope your diagnosis is correct and that all you need is a bit more time off and you'll be good to go. 

I know what you mean about needing to be active!  Marty still scratches his head when I comment that I'm tired and don't feel well and continue on to say I'm headed out for a run.  But it does make me feel better mentally and physically!

Hope you...and your family and coworkers...survive the next few days and that you're back out there soon.

Boy, I hope so!

It's my day off -- and usual long run day -- and I lazed around this morning feeling at loose ends until I finally couldn't stand it anymore and went out and did about an hour of yardwork. Not the sort of activity you'd put in a training log, but at least it got me moving and outside for a while.  I only stopped because I ran out of room in the greenwaste bin.

I guess I'll have to give myself a target date for when I ought to give in and see a doctor if things aren't resolving. Suggestions?

So I may have gained a bit more insight on my injury today. (Yes, I'm admitting it's an injury now.)

I was standing there, minding my own business, shifting my weight around as we waited for Alec's music lesson to start. When I shifted my weight back to the back inside edge of my shoe (posterior medial) I felt a weird sensation on the inside (medial) side of my knee. Hm? I belt over and did some exploratory poking and prodding and found about a four inch strip of something that was tender to the touch.

Had to Google it, and I found this image:



That tender area corresponds very closely to the medial collateral ligament (MCL) - one of the most common areas for knee injury out there, according to one source I read. When I caught myself awkwardly while slipping in mud, I may have strained or sprained it -- or at least irritated it enough for it to really freak out the next day. Maybe. I haven't had specific pain there, or a feeling of my knee about to give way, but lateral movements have been uncomfortable... and I read that MCL sprains are often accompanied by ... bone bruises on the opposite side of the knee joint. Hm.

That might explain it. Which actually makes me think it might be a better idea to get it checked out sooner rather than later, just to be sure and to make sure I don't screw it up any more. Looking at how MCL injuries are graded, it seems to be the mildest level. But after a few days of getting better, it's sort of plateaued.

(There are tendons that run through that same area, including the sartorious muscle, which may have given me problems higher up in the leg before, so that's also a possibility, as well.)

---

Postscript: I just emailed my primary care physician if I need to see him, or if he can just refer me to the proper person directly.

---

Postscript II: Just heard back from doc. He's ordering an MRI, gave me a list of things I could do -- none of which are weight-bearing, of course. (Except he said lunges and wall squats would be good, which is kind of amazing to me.)

XT/Core (45 min)

Dedicating myself to work whatever I can at this point (doc has ordered an MRI), so I decided to see what would happen if I increased the number of sets of my core work. It was surprisingly undifficult. It was like the first set warmed up me for more. Go figure.

3 x 50 each, each side: Clamshells, side leg lifts, leg circles.
3 x 50: Bridge (both legs)
1 x 1 minute plank

I'll see what the doc has recommended for other work that fits my time and budget. I don't have access to a gym, so the quad/hamstring machine work he recommended will have to be something else, and the deep water running isn't going to happen, either.

Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

ounce wrote:Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

The 50K and the six-hour event. Yes. No pressure, nope!

Alita looked at the video and said no way. Looked too much like twisting the drumstick off the thigh piece, I suppose.

Best to leave that to the professionals.

I don't blame Alita...I wouldn't do that either! 

When do you get the professional opinion?

If I were in your position I'd swim or bike more but I know that neither of those are options you enjoy and as we've seen cross training isn't as effective as actually running.  Hopefully you'll be back out there sooner rather than later.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

The 50K and the six-hour event. Yes. No pressure, nope!

Alita looked at the video and said no way. Looked too much like twisting the drumstick off the thigh piece, I suppose.

Best to leave that to the professionals.

I was a trainer in high school and was doing that as a sophomore to big, ugly lineman (this was before chloroform).  Even if you just cradle under the knee with one hand and gently go lateral and medial with the other hand at the base of the calf, you can see if one knee is looser than the other.  Hopefully, it's the afflicted knee.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

The 50K and the six-hour event. Yes. No pressure, nope!

Alita looked at the video and said no way. Looked too much like twisting the drumstick off the thigh piece, I suppose.

Best to leave that to the professionals.

I was a trainer in high school and was doing that as a sophomore to big, ugly lineman (this was before chloroform).  Even if you just cradle under the knee with one hand and gently go lateral and medial with the other hand at the base of the calf, you can see if one knee is looser than the other.  Hopefully, it's the afflicted knee.

Unless there's a way to self-administer that, there's no way that's gonna happen. She afraid of hurting me.

Just got my MRI appointment for Friday morning, so that's good. I wish they could do it right now, but that's not reasonable.

I don't know if it's the power of suggestion or something else, but I'd swear my right leg feels less stable now. Even something as simple as walking through the grocery store causes discomfort, and it just plain feels weird.

I wonder if I pushed the cross-training too hard yesterday.

One note: This knee has been 'scoped before. Back in 2000, my kneecap drifted out of the groove ("deranged") and despite months of PT would *not* move back. They finally had to cut through part of the retinaculum (a lateral retinacular release, to be precise) to allow it to go back where it belonged. It worked like a charm, and it hasn't given me any troubles since. And the crazy part? It happened not as a result of some sports injury or overtraining -- it was because I had become very inactive and allowed my leg muscles to get weak.

Second note: I can't help but ponder on the fact that this current problem cropped up after I moved back into shoes most of the time after doing mostly barefoot and sandals (barefoot lite). I think whatever I did to myself happened when I did that slip-n-catch in the mud, but still...

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

The 50K and the six-hour event. Yes. No pressure, nope!

Alita looked at the video and said no way. Looked too much like twisting the drumstick off the thigh piece, I suppose.

Best to leave that to the professionals.

I was a trainer in high school and was doing that as a sophomore to big, ugly lineman (this was before chloroform).  Even if you just cradle under the knee with one hand and gently go lateral and medial with the other hand at the base of the calf, you can see if one knee is looser than the other.  Hopefully, it's the afflicted knee.

Unless there's a way to self-administer that, there's no way that's gonna happen. She afraid of hurting me.

Just got my MRI appointment for Friday morning, so that's good. I wish they could do it right now, but that's not reasonable.

I don't know if it's the power of suggestion or something else, but I'd swear my right leg feels less stable now. Even something as simple as walking through the grocery store causes discomfort, and it just plain feels weird.

I wonder if I pushed the cross-training too hard yesterday.

One note: This knee has been 'scoped before. Back in 2000, my kneecap drifted out of the groove ("deranged") and despite months of PT would *not* move back. They finally had to cut through part of the retinaculum (a lateral retinacular release, to be precise) to allow it to go back where it belonged. It worked like a charm, and it hasn't given me any troubles since. And the crazy part? It happened not as a result of some sports injury or overtraining -- it was because I had become very inactive and allowed my leg muscles to get weak.

Second note: I can't help but ponder on the fact that this current problem cropped up after I moved back into shoes most of the time after doing mostly barefoot and sandals (barefoot lite). I think whatever I did to myself happened when I did that slip-n-catch in the mud, but still...

I've never figured out a way to self-administer. 

Regarding 2nd note, I would just stop wearing shoes.  Go git you a pair of cowboy boots!  (Can you tell that rodeo time starts down here, tomorrow?)

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:Bummer on the MCL.  You KNOW you're still required to do the 50K in June.

Look at the attached link and get Alita to perform the assessment on both knees.  Check if the afflicted knee is noticeably looser than the good knee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J0vsp5kYliE

The 50K and the six-hour event. Yes. No pressure, nope!

Alita looked at the video and said no way. Looked too much like twisting the drumstick off the thigh piece, I suppose.

Best to leave that to the professionals.

I was a trainer in high school and was doing that as a sophomore to big, ugly lineman (this was before chloroform).  Even if you just cradle under the knee with one hand and gently go lateral and medial with the other hand at the base of the calf, you can see if one knee is looser than the other.  Hopefully, it's the afflicted knee.

Unless there's a way to self-administer that, there's no way that's gonna happen. She afraid of hurting me.

Just got my MRI appointment for Friday morning, so that's good. I wish they could do it right now, but that's not reasonable.

I don't know if it's the power of suggestion or something else, but I'd swear my right leg feels less stable now. Even something as simple as walking through the grocery store causes discomfort, and it just plain feels weird.

I wonder if I pushed the cross-training too hard yesterday.

One note: This knee has been 'scoped before. Back in 2000, my kneecap drifted out of the groove ("deranged") and despite months of PT would *not* move back. They finally had to cut through part of the retinaculum (a lateral retinacular release, to be precise) to allow it to go back where it belonged. It worked like a charm, and it hasn't given me any troubles since. And the crazy part? It happened not as a result of some sports injury or overtraining -- it was because I had become very inactive and allowed my leg muscles to get weak.

Second note: I can't help but ponder on the fact that this current problem cropped up after I moved back into shoes most of the time after doing mostly barefoot and sandals (barefoot lite). I think whatever I did to myself happened when I did that slip-n-catch in the mud, but still...

I've never figured out a way to self-administer. 

Regarding 2nd note, I would just stop wearing shoes.  Go git you a pair of cowboy boots!  (Can you tell that rodeo time starts down here, tomorrow?)

Giddyup!

You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

We're looking forward to seeing Deadpool, actually.

Would it be accurate to call your approach a Ketogenic diet?

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

We're looking forward to seeing Deadpool, actually.

Would it be accurate to call your approach a Ketogenic diet?

absolutely (don't even have to look at the definition).  Johns Hopkins came up with the Ketogenic diet and while it doesn't work on all patients, it works on some by changing the chemical makeup of the brain which would inhibit or manage seizures.  The Ketogenic diet came into play before the first seizure medication was invented in the 1930's, Dilantin (phenytoin).

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

We're looking forward to seeing Deadpool, actually.

Would it be accurate to call your approach a Ketogenic diet?

absolutely (don't even have to look at the definition).  Johns Hopkins came up with the Ketogenic diet and while it doesn't work on all patients, it works on some by changing the chemical makeup of the brain which would inhibit or manage seizures.  The Ketogenic diet came into play before the first seizure medication was invented in the 1930's, Dilantin (phenytoin).

Is that why you happened upon it?

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

We're looking forward to seeing Deadpool, actually.

Would it be accurate to call your approach a Ketogenic diet?

absolutely (don't even have to look at the definition).  Johns Hopkins came up with the Ketogenic diet and while it doesn't work on all patients, it works on some by changing the chemical makeup of the brain which would inhibit or manage seizures.  The Ketogenic diet came into play before the first seizure medication was invented in the 1930's, Dilantin (phenytoin).

Is that why you happened upon it?

No, but when I started reading about low carbohydrate performance, I snapped that it was almost the Ketogenic Diet.  So I have to qualify my 'absolutely' because a Ketogenic Diet is zero carbs.  My minimum is 5 carbs a day.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:You know, they can make you cowboy boots based on your unique feet.  You might have to fly them down to Fort Worth or El Paso, but that's not a big deal, is it?

I read that Maffetone link you put on FB.  http://philmaffetone.com/future-fat-burning/

I believe he's right when he says Nutritional Ketosis will never become a hit because it whole food based and it has a tendency to reduce people off medications.  Can't piss off big pharma and big food!  Plus, it's not sexy.  I had read a couple of years ago how ketosis is a good diet for cancer patients and Maffetone mentions it, too.

Might be too many decades have passed to re-educate about saturated fats.  Maybe when you're 80, there'll be some new person that has the market on marathon training programs that says, "KETONES RULE!!"

Could be!

I think I mentioned before that Alita and I did the South Beach Diet about 12 years ago with pretty impressive results. Weight came off, blood numbers improved dramatically and we felt generally healthier -- and that was before I resumed running. Very cool.

Anyway, my point is that I have some experience with the sort of regimen Maffetone talks about, though I don't know how far South Beach gets people to nutritional ketosis. I've always associated ketosis with the most strict phase of Atkins. How does it differ?

---

I'm having good days and bad days with the knee right now. The day I tripled my sets on core exercises, my knee was more sore and felt weird the rest of the day. Yesterday was better but today it's bugging me again. It felt great when I got up, but then I felt a pop when I bent over to pickup the paper this morning and it started feeling irritated. My knees don't pop. So something is going on.

I found a knee assessment page on the Internet and did a few self-tests, like standing on the affected leg and twisting one way or the other, then doing a one-legged squat. Twisting elicited no pain or discomfort. The one-legged squat led to some icky sounds under the kneecap but no pain. Swelling is nonvisible, and palpating the areas around the patella doesn't spark anything, either.  I can also wiggle the patella side to side without pain.

So... I have no idea.   ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

Well, the MRI will tell you of any structural abnormalities.  I tend to think that core exercises, like yoga and running, need to increase gradually.  Go see a movie, just not "Hail, Caesar!" unless Alita is a George fan.

As far as ketosis, measuring ketones come in 3 ways that I'm aware of.  First is Ketostix, where the person pees on the stick and gets a level of ketones in the urine.  It's very cheap, but it's not an accurate method.  Most of the non-athletes will use this method because it's easy to do, makes them feel warm and fuzzy, and because these people are morbidly obese, usually.  Can be bought at a pharmacy.
Second is blood ketone, where a person uses a meter and a $2.27 ketone strip to prick the finger to get a blood level in 10 seconds.  It's accurate and gives an actual number or "Lo" if there are no measurable ketones in the sample and cheaper than option three.
Third is a ketone measurement by blowing into a tube that gives green light for you are in ketosis or a red light if you are not.  I think it costs $5 a blow, it could be less and/or re-usable.  Two years ago, it was new.  But you never know how much in ketosis you are.  Being an accountant, I like figures.

Oh, one more thing unrelated to running.  The University of Houston is hosting the Republican debate, tonight.  The location is an 800 seat on-campus opera house.  After all of the candidates' staff and supporters, there were 25 seats unused that were made available to the faculty and students.  U of H has 43,000 students.  A lottery was held to select the 25.

We're looking forward to seeing Deadpool, actually.

Would it be accurate to call your approach a Ketogenic diet?

absolutely (don't even have to look at the definition).  Johns Hopkins came up with the Ketogenic diet and while it doesn't work on all patients, it works on some by changing the chemical makeup of the brain which would inhibit or manage seizures.  The Ketogenic diet came into play before the first seizure medication was invented in the 1930's, Dilantin (phenytoin).

Is that why you happened upon it?

No, but when I started reading about low carbohydrate performance, I snapped that it was almost the Ketogenic Diet.  So I have to qualify my 'absolutely' because a Ketogenic Diet is zero carbs.  My minimum is 5 carbs a day.

I go skiing for the day and look at the conversation I have to catch up on upon my return...knees...diets...

Five carbs is definitely not much. Glad it's working for you.

---

So, the MRI is done. It was one of the older "open" models that made me flash back to the closing scene in "Terminator" with the giant crushing machine. I was waiting for the top to end up being a piston and the lower half of my body suddenly becoming 2D.

The tech said a radiologist won't get around to reviewing it until Monday. When I asked if I could peek at it, he said no, he'd already sent it. Hmph.

nkrichards wrote:I go skiing for the day and look at the conversation I have to catch up on upon my return...knees...diets...

Hey, at least we didn't start a new tic-tac-toe game in your blog!

It is good to keep up, because unexpected things keep happening. I'm really hoping that whatever I did to my knee is minor and will resolve itself soon. If it's worse, that just means it'll take a little longer.

Mark B wrote:Five carbs is definitely not much. Glad it's working for you.

---

So, the MRI is done. It was one of the older "open" models that made me flash back to the closing scene in "Terminator" with the giant crushing machine. I was waiting for the top to end up being a piston and the lower half of my body suddenly becoming 2D.

The tech said a radiologist won't get around to reviewing it until Monday. When I asked if I could peek at it, he said no, he'd already sent it. Hmph.

Waiting is not going to be fun...

It would have been interesting to get a look at it before it disappeared into the electronic world.

Here's hoping it's going to be a short and simple recovery!