I Got PPS-ed Today at Physical Therapy

I’ll explain the title in a bit, but just to clarify, “PPS” (“The Patient, Physician, and Society”) is a class we take during the first two years of medical school.

"Tell me more about that..."

Anyways, I’m feeling a bit more resilient about my hip/back/IT band/whatever else today. Well, except for the fact that I am horrified that I’m probably going to get fat not running and eating Christmas candy.

I'm starting to embrace the pool, but not the smell of chlorine. PS - does this picture look photoshopped in to anyone else?

I went to physical therapy at Hospital for Special Surgery today. I know – chiropractor + PT?!? I thought I was over-doing it, too, with my “multidiscplinary approach” to my injury management. I wavered on not going (maybe I could look stuff up myself?), but, in the end, thought of my “plan” as follows.

I need the chiropractor for the “now.” Dr. Levine helps keep my pain at bay (by inducing more pain with Graston/ART?) and re-adjusts my ever moving SI joint, which, after adjustment, leads to almost immediate relief of all of my symptoms. Plus, he works me in last minute and such.

Why won't you stay in place? WHY?!?

However, seeing as I can’t get my SI joint adjusted and IT band manually dissected ever day, I need a physical therapist to help me develop the proper strength to keep everything from falling apart. The physical therapist is for the “later.” Although I can look up stuff myself, I do need expertise to make sure I’m not missing something plus authority to make me do the actual exercises.

Now and Later - like the chiropractor and physical therapist. No? Not a good analogy?

As suspected, I have horribly weak hip a-B-ductors, as evidenced by me not being able to keep my pelvis in a even plane when walking up and down stairs. In turn, during the stance phase of running, my hips don’t have the strength to counter balance internal rotation of the femur, causing excess strain on the IT band. Plus, my glutes don’t work well, or something like that. Sorry for the horrible explanations, this is all from memory.

I wish I had listened more about the importance of one's gluteus medius muscle in anatomy...

Further, she was able to explain to me why my medial most hamstring would be feeling as if it was pulled. Basically, when my SI joint gets all dysfunctional (moves inappropriately), my left hemi-pelvis tilts backward, causing excess pull on many muscles, including the one in which I feel pain.

Walking around the physical therapist’s office, I felt sort of, well, lame. There was a girl next to me with her ankle externally fixed and another working on neck control. I felt sort, I don’t know, like a whiner complaining over some pain that was keeping me from running.

External fixation of an ankle...

I mentioned to the PT that I felt sort of bad being there seeing as “my problems really weren’t that bad nor acute or severe.” She immediately legitimized my problem telling me, “No, this is bad! I’m a runner. I know this sucks horribly and you miss it.” This made me instantly feel better and I went off on my merry way to the pool, happy as a clam.

Speaking of clam shells, I've been doing this in hopes it will improve my glute medius. IT BETTER WORK.

It was then, after my pool sweat sesh, that I realized I had been PPS-ed. In PPS, they teach us this “PEARLS” mnemonic in an effort to remind us of how to build rapport with patients. You can achieve a good doctor-patient relationship by using your “PEARLS.”

You can buy me the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" peals, should you feel so inclined.

p = partnership

e = empathy

a = apology

r = respect

l = LEGITIMIZING

s = support

We used to make fun of “PEARLS” a bit. But, homeslice PT totally made me feel better by using “L,” legitimizing my physical pain and emotional pain of not running. Snaps to her.

I can’t believe I fell for the PEARLS. I guess they do work, after all.

Of course, I asked the PT when she thought I could run again. Instead of giving me a promised time frame, she told me that I have to be able to do 3 specific exercises with good form and control. The three exercises are specific to my problem and, if I’m able to do them correctly, I should have relearned the correct neuromuscular control in order to run.

I still can't believe I've become one of those "I need to run" people. My 22 year old self does not know who this person is.

For some reason, that made me satisfied. The whole “go by pain” thing hasn’t been working too well for me, as I think pain is too subjective. I have a hard time knowing if the pain I’m experiencing is legitimate or not enough to warrant a problem. I’m ok tolerating some pain, which isn’t going to help my injury.

I did ask her if she thought I’d be able to run by the New Year. She said I should be, but come to think of it, I didn’t specifically state 1/1/2012.

I also asked her if she though I had a torn labrum, stress fracture, or impingement syndrome. She said probably not, but if things are better in a month, we’d go to imaging.

Lord, I hope I can at least social run in a month!

I miss this. Sweet sorority squat, Megan and Ali.

Finally, before I go, if you think you’re tough, go watch this video. Here I was complaining about walking 3 miles, and Beth persevered through 20 miles of walking during her 100 mile race.

CHIME IN: What do you think of Beth’s video? (I ran in her pace group in my first marathon) Recognize yourself ever being PEARLS-ed by your doctor? Been to physical therapy and/or chiropractor an had success (you better say yes)? 

Until next time…

I’m Not As Hungry Anymore and It’s Not Cool

Before I go on into what’s rocking my week, I want to lament over the fact that my appetite has gone way down since I’m not running. When I eat, I get sad, because it’s just not as fun anymore when you’re not starving.

Anyways, let’s begin.

1. NIKETOWN STILL HAS MARATHON STUFF

Before the marathon, I swore I wouldn’t buy anything as “I don’t need any more running stuff.” A week later, totally regretting that decision. Thankfully, a little bird told me NikeTown still has NYC Marathon stuff, so I don’t have to miss out like I did on the NYU School of Medicine snuggie that I didn’t order.

Perfect for studying in a freezing cold library.

2. GRETCHEN AND COOKIES FOR KIDS’ CANCER IS UP FOR LOREAL WOMEN OF WORTH

Cookies could win a lot of dough. Could you vote? http://www.womenofworth.com/honorees/honoreesdetail.aspx?id=Gretchen_Witt&yr=2011

It takes about 15 seconds.

For this little guy...

3. SELF-AWARENESS THAT I AM ONE OF “THOSE” PATIENTS

I filled out my medical history today for an appointment I have tomorrow for ye ol’ leg/hip/back and realized I am one of “those” patients who writes extremely detailed answers to the intake questions. I mean, I wrote a paragraph next to a question (that doesn’t pertain to my leg, fyi) basically explaining what I thought was going on and definitely used some jargon.

Also, some of the questions on those intake sheets are hard. For example, “Do you diet?” I mean, I don’t eat everything I want all the time. I want Insomnia Cookies tonight, but I won’t go because I care about my arteries and visceral fat. What does one call that? Or, my personal fave, “Are you at your ideal weight?” Wrote a little explanation next to that one to. Yes or no checkbox is not for me.

It also occurred to me that the doctor could suggest imaging and, further, an MRI. I hope not because, although I’ve never had an MRI, that tube looks scary.

MRIs - not for the claustrophobic.

I kind of hope she tells me I can run even if I’m in pain so I can Turkey Trot. I’m sure that’s what she’ll tell me.

4. BIKRAM YOGA

But, I already told you about that…

I do want to let it be known to anyone who sees me attempt anything that requires flexibility that I was once flexible.

I think I'm 9 in this picture....

5. BIC BANDS

You guys know I die for those sparkly BIC bands and how devastated I was when I lost my orange sparkly band on Staten Island. And, guess what…

THREE OF YOU CAN HAVE YOUR VERY OWN BIC BAND!

And, better yet, you get to pick which one you want! So, if you don’t love yourself a sparkle like I do, you don’t have to get a sparkly one.

Rules of the Game:

1. Comment below telling me which BIC band you plan on getting if you win.

2. Tell me what charity you would want BIC bands to donate to if you were them (and why if you can). (Remember, BIC bands gives part of their proceeds to a different charity each month.)

3. Go like BIC Bands on facebook (and then tell me).

4. Go follow BIC Bands ontwitter (and then tell me).

Personally, I was thinking of buying a red or green one soon for the holiday season. Obviously.

You have until next Tuesday to enter. May the odds ever be in your favor!

Also, even though I’m still not running, I still dream and scheme in my Believe I Am Training Diary every night. I love that little thing and its pink spiral. My goals are secret, for now. You can take guesses though. It won’t be hard to guess. Trust me.

Until next time…

Take 3 Bites

When I was a camp counselor, we tried to encourage all of the campers to try 3 bites of everything. I think my parents also tried this on me for awhile, but then gave up as I was the pickiest eater alive. I didn’t eat a banana until age 17 and didn’t try mashed potatoes, broccoli, or guacamole until college. I almost tried an olive the other day, as I’ve never had one of those, but chickened out. I guess my picky past (and present, too) underlies my passion for Picky Bars.

The texture of this product has been approved by myself and my brother who is much pickier than I, if that's possible.

Side Note: I received an email from my mom this morning along the lines of “CRISIS! WE ARE OUT OF PICKY BARS.” I’m not sure how she wanted me to fix this problem seeing as I am a 12 hour car ride from her. Apparently, my brother has followed my picky passion.

Anyways, if you read this post, you’ll know I am a yoga skeptic. However, I’ve been to bikram twice this week and actually kind of like it. I guess you really do have to try 3 bites of something to make a decision.

I like bikram because its the same thing every time, so it becomes a game to me to see if I can do each pose better than the time before (ok, fine, all 2 times that I’ve been, but you do do each pose twice each time, so that makes it 4 times total). Fortunately, the place I’ve been to isn’t too serious. Its light and fun. When the yoga people get too zen and into the meditating stuff, they lose me.

I do quite enjoy the organized nap time though.

Unfortunately, I have been called out BOTH TIMES for not paying attention. I’m sorry yoga master, but sometimes I just like to zone out and think about when it will get cold enough for me to start wearing my patagonia fleece consistently.

Patagonia Synchilla -- my 2nd skin in the winter. Get yourself one ASAP.

I guess I’ve also liked bikram this week as its let me get my sweat on in a mah-jor way while I’m still on my running hiatus. And, I swear, it gets your heart rate up. I bet over 110 or 120 beats per minute. Maybe I should wear a heart rate monitor (if I had one). Experiment? Or maybe I’m just out of shape.

Let's learn! The point of maximal impulse for the heart (meaning where you can feel the heart beat best if you put your hand on your chest) is in the 5th intercostal space in the mid-clavicular line.

Also, I wore my BIC band all throughout yoga. It didn’t come off even when I was attempting some backward bending things and failing miserably. Unfortunately for me, I’m not afraid of falling over so I do that often. I like to think it provides entertainment for the others.

OK, THE MOMENT YOU’VE ALL BEEN WAITING FOR: Who gets the Picky Bars I promised?! I had to figure out how many stamps it would take to send, which is why it took me so long to choose.

The is me and the RC, one of the inventors of Picky Bars. I look so well fed next to her. Whenever I hear the word "inventor," I always think of "my father, the inventor of Toaster Strudel, would not be happy to hear about this." NAME THAT MOVIE.

MegMarie, AmandaVids, and Gina you are the lucky recipients. I’ll email you guys to get your mailing addresses. Also, it may get smushed in transit. I am sorry.

TELL ME: Anyone else a picky eater out there? Anyone else formerly not like something and then had a turn around?

True story: I hated running for the first 23 years of my life and have perfected ways of a) getting out of running or b) feigning like you did a whole run. I can give you my secrets if you wish. I can also give you my secrets for faking pushups, but it does require a long pony-tail.

Until next time…

Reconstruction

They say that you can tell how high a new building is going to be by how deep its foundation is. I’m not sure if that’s true. Don’t quote me on that.

Side Note: Who on earth is “they” when anyone says “they say?” Collective wisdom? Experts? Dumbledore and Hagrid?

Dumbledore knows all.

Anyways, so I went to bikram yesterday. Besides homeslice instructor realizing I can’t pay attention (literally calling me out – “Meggie, focus on the mirror and not looking around” – I’m sorry I can’t pay attention, I like to think), I realized my left leg/back/hip/wtv is wacked. Maybe I’m being hypersensitive to anything that feels off, but, I think it does feel like that – off, out of wack, something like that.

Seriously, can anyone actually do this? I can't even start to straighten my leg. Its embarrassing.

My left leg/back/hip has bothered me off and on since I was 17. It’s typically been my medial hamstring (possible adductor, not sure) and lower back. The IT band was new this year. Regardless, my left leg comes to bite me in the butt a few times a year and I’m over it. I have to get it fixed. Or get a transplant, but last I checked, they don’t offer leg transplants.

You can get a kidney transplant though. This is a kidney. Renal physiology is complicated. Be thankful for your kidneys. Give them a pat right at the edge of your bottom ribs in the back to thank them.

I’d love to tell you how I’m going to be back running again soon and how I’m plotting my course to my spring redemption. However, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m going to take my sweet time and take the whole month of November focusing on getting my body 100% ready to run again. Strength first, running second.

I like to think of my strength as my foundation. Clearly, since I got injured before NYC and then ran NYC sort of injured, my foundation isn’t sound. If I want to run another marathon and run it faster than before, I need to dig out a deeper, more solid foundation. For this point, at least for me, I don’t think that means going out and running 50 miles a week (which is more than I’ve ever done, anyways, so I’m not sure where I came up with that number.) To me, it means fixing whatever is wrong on my left side from the hip/SI joint down and strengthening the appropriate muscles.

Let's learn leg anatomy! See the sartorius (more of an anterior muscle) - it helps pull your leg into cross legged position. See where all those nerves are in the back of your knee? That's the popliteal fossa, if my anatomy memory serves me correct. It was 4 years ago, don't quote me.

I could be wrong though. Maybe I do need to go out and run a lot or something.

So, the month of November will be focused on my leg and, of course, TURKEY TROTTING. When I say running secondary, that doesn’t mean zero running. It just means running isn’t the first priority to me like it sometimes becomes when I’m training for a race and tend to skip out on other things like yoga, foam rolling, etc. I mean, hello, I already have the hair feathers. I can totally channel a Native American and trot it up, emphasis on trot.

This is true dedication to Turkey Trotting.

Side note:  I like how I talk like I’ve been doing this running thing for so long as if I have established habits (ie “after a marathon” — yes, all 3 I’ve done). I’ve been running for almost 3 years. So, basically, don’t listen to me.

My very first race with Erika. It was for Miles For Melanoma, which is why we are matching. Clearly, we were having a stimulating conversation. And, clearly, I was only focusing on finishing + not walking.

So, come December, hopefully I’ll be back at it, but we’ll worry about that on Nov 30th.

One last thing. It has occurred to me that maybe I should be worried about fitness losses if I’m going to take my sweet time getting back into running. To be honest, it sort of does, but I also kind of think about it like the following.

I know how to hit a forehand. If I went out and rallied with someone right now, I’d definitely spray or shank a few balls here or there because I haven’t picked up a racquet in a few months. It doesn’t mean my forehand got worse or I’ll never again be able to hit the ball like I used to. It will just take some time to get there. And, if you think about it, getting “there,” wherever “there” is, will take less time than it did the first time around because my body already knows how to hit the crap out of the ball a solid forehand. I feel like my running is the same. My body already knows how to run as fast as I trained it to previously. It will just take some time to get there again.

Unrelated but I just wanted to remind you that I did make it to Staten Island with my orange sparkly BIC band. Said headband is still somewhere in Staten Island. RIP. Hi Kelly and Baker!

Or so I tell myself. Sometimes, I think I should change the name of this blog to “Lies I Tell Myself to Make Me Behave Like a Normal, Rational Person.”

I’m more worried about my clothes not fitting anymore than anything else. And, don’t be surprised when there is another post in a week titled, “OMG! I’M STILL NOT RUNNING AND AM FAT AND OUT OF SHAPE! THIS IS TERRIBLE.”

TELL ME: Anyone who ran the NY Marathon already end their break? If so, why? If not, how much time are you breaking for? Anyone had any weird leg issues and has any bright ideas for me? Or better yet, just tell me something cool you did this weekend.

Dear Self…

That’s right, I wrote a letter to myself. I can’t take credit for the idea. I stole it from former UCLA gymnast and 2011 World Team Gold Medalist, Anna Li. Here’s one of her floor routines, just so you can know who I’m talking about.

Anyways, I remember reading that Anna Li wrote a letter to herself before her senior season at UCLA, writing to herself how she hoped she would feel at the end of her collegiate career. I’m not exactly sure why she did it, but I thought it be a good, umm, writing exercise?

I wrote a first letter to myself a few weeks ago, before the whole IT band thing happened and my main focus, at the time, was achieving my time goal. It helped me focus myself on what I wanted to feel like at each part of the race and how, ideally, I would like the whole thing to play out. It was actually the first time I used the lined, journal side of my amazing Believe I Am Training Journal, which I still insist that each and everyone of you reading this buys (for the guys, its ok, pink is totally in for guys, too).

The back cover - can we call this super hero "Super Taper?" Yes?

However, I’m thinking I need to write a new letter to myself. For a few reasons…

First, to be honest, I’m very overwhelmed by this whole marathon thing. I’m not exactly sure why, either. In past years (when I have not been running it), I thought the energy was awesome and was jealous of people who were getting to run it. Now that its me running it, all the runners descending upon the city, ads, events, etc, make me anxious. Suffice it to say that even though I haven’t been running much, my heart rate has definitely had some spikes in zones it would only see while running. So, I think writing another letter to myself would help me refocus myself on what I actually want to get out of this whole experience and will help, umm, un-overwhelm me.

If I mention heart rates, I obviously have to show a picture of an EKG.

Second, one would reason that I need to change my expectations slightly considering I’ve run 3 times in the past 2 weeks. Of course, because I am very competitive and pretty stubborn, my A goal hasn’t changed. But, I guess my level 0 goal is to finish, considering I may have that knife in the knee happen during the marathon at which point I most likely wouldn’t be able to run the pace I would need to achieve my A goal. Plus, as all of you all reminded me, there are so many variables in a 26 mile race that it’s best to have multiple goals so there isn’t one “do or die” goal you have to hit.

I’m pretty stubborn and know my competitive self a little too well. I will probably be slightly disappointed if I don’t achieve my A goal. I’ve dreamed of it since August. It’s hard for me to let it go.

I will be enormously disappointed if I don’t finish. Yet, with my IT band thing, it is a very real possibility. I need to come to terms with the fact that I might have to readjust my goals depending on how my leg handles the race.

In my first letter to myself (which is a lot of rambling, fyi), my over-arching theme (or recurring thought, I guess) was that I wanted to walk away from the experience with a smile on my face. This may be the only time I get to run the NYC marathon and I don’t want to take it for granted or be ungrateful for the experience.

I don’t think disappointed and smiling really go together. So, clearly, I need some sort of attitude adjustment. One of the reasons I like writing blog posts is that it helps me process things in my life by turning it into a cohesive (well, not always) post. I find writing therapeutic and cathartic at times. So, I will probably be writing a little letter to myself in the very near future about how I want to feel come Sunday evening. You best believe it will also be in my Believe I Am Training Log.

Maybe I should print this and pin it to my bib or something...

Emotionally, I’m excited, terrified, anxious, scared, uncertain, yet thrilled to be taking part. Although I’m sure I seem like an ungrateful, competitive whiner, I truly am excited that I get to run in one of the greatest marathons in the world (and possibly the largest, I think). It really is a once in a lifetime opportunity.

Physically, I feel very well rested, but with a lot of pent up energy.

Leg-sically, I ran today for 20 min. Its better, but its not perfect. I can definitely feel some friction, but its much better then previous runs last week and its not too painful. I’m hoping adrenaline will provide some analgesia on Sunday and I won’t notice a thing. I also plan on icing and taking ibuprofen (until Saturday when I will switch to Tylenol because it doesn’t affect your kidneys like NSAIDs do, just an fyi)

A nephron, which is the "workhorse" of the kidney! If you want an explanation of why you should take Tylenol before and during a marathon, I can tell you. And It has to do with this little guy.

Mentally, I have to take it one day at a time. I’ll have to take it one mile at a time on Sunday and keep reassessing my situation as I run, I guess.

So, that’s where I’m at people.

Oh guess what I also did – I’m pretty sure I freaked out a real life Kenyan runner. I saw Sally Kipyego, who was with the RC and, of course, I recognized her and screamed, “OMG!!! I LOVED YOUR INTERVIEW ON FLOTRACK! YOU ARE AMAZING! CONGRATULATIONS!”

I’m sure she thought I was a real life Buddy the Elf.

I wanted to ask her to give me all of her secrets, besides being Kenyan. Missed opportunity.

TELL ME: WHAT DO YOU THINK OF WRITING A LETTER TO YOURSELF? EVER GET OVERWHELMED BY A RACE? MOVIE RECS FOR WHEN I BEGIN HIBERNATION PERIOD?

Until next time…

P.S. Aqua jogging gets old very fast.

Baby Sweat

Oh yeah – that’s right people. I ellipticalled for 20 minutes today and it was exhilarating. My little nucleus accumbens was firing like crazy I’m sure. What’s the nucleus accumbens you ask? It’s a little nucleus (think of it as an activity station) in your brain that is sometimes dubbed the “reward center.” This little guy also plays a crucial role in addiction. The neurobiology of addiction is actually fascinating.

Just so you can know where the nucleus accumbens is.

Ok, I’ll stop nerding out on you all.

Anyways, so I went back to Dr. Levine for some more ART and he says my IT band feels better. BUT NOT GOOD ENOUGH TO RUN TOMORROW.

His reasoning is as follows. Today was the first day that my leg has not hurt walking since I re-aggravated the ol’ IT band last Thursday. Since it appears the IT band is on the upswing (or so we hope), why would I want to run tomorrow and potentially mess up all the healing that’s taken place since last Thursday? A reasonable person wouldn’t want all that tortured rest period ”super-taper” going to waste, now would they?

Surely, you've haven't forgotten about super-taper, right?!?

The problem is I haven’t exactly been reasonable and rational lately, which is probably why Dr. Levine asked me, “So, why are you wearing running clothes right now?”

BECAUSE I WANT TO PRETEND I’M GOING TO RUN — THAT’S WHY.

Ok, lies – I was wearing running clothes because they’re more comfortable than real clothes and, as always, I want all the world to know I <3 Sweat.

20 minutes of sweat is better than no sweat, right? I'm sure Ali agrees.

So, I’m trying very hard to listen to what other people tell me to do and not to let the crazy person that has invaded my body take over, which result in me taking myself on a 6 mile run that could potentially deter me from MARATHON GREATNESS. And, we don’t want that, do we?!?

I mean, this is completely what I anticipate myself looking like all marathon long. You see the resemblance, right?

Seeing as I have to do something before I lose my mind (and 20 min on an elliptical isn’t going to cut), I’m going to go senior citizen tomorrow and aqua jogging. I’m just really upset I don’t have one of the following awesome swim caps for the occasion.

Exhibit A --- and these models do NOT look like senior citizens to me...

Exhibit B --- she also does not look like a senior citizen.

I know, you can’t win them all. The NYU one I got from my friend who is the assistant coach (shout out to Spenser Popeson) will have to do. However, cool swim cap or not, I have to do something to burn off my excess energy so I don’t take off at the start of the marathon like a kid running from house to house trick-or-treating.

Paperclip, Paperclip's Older Sister, and I

Well, at least that’s how Paperclip – excuse me – Buzz Lightyear trick-or-treated last night.

Quick Tangent: Speaking of Halloween, best trick-or-treater at our  house last night was the girl whose father said, “Well, she’s really enjoying this, but Daddy’s getting his cardio – whew!” I almost wanted to yell, “Sir, do not take your cardio for granted!”

See, I have seriously morphed into a legitimate crazy person.

In case I don’t write between now and the marathon, I want to give big good lucks to the following: Kelly, Susan, Lindsay, Emilia, Celia, Lauren, Shannon, Gia, Skinny Runner, Betsy, Katie and Mike. If I missed anyone, I’m really sorry!

If you’re watching the race, you need to cheer the loudest for Lauren (Fleshman). Yell something about Picky Bars or sparkly headbands or beer…or something like that. Or just your usual “Go Lauren!”, yet, I feel we can all get more creative than that.

If you watch the 5K the day before, you need to cheer very loudly for the newly engaged couple, Steph and Ben, who I usually refer to as “the RC” and “the RCF.” You can yell something like, “Oh my word, your ring is blinding me!” or “Is that the guy that can talk like Donald Duck?!?”

All three will be really skinny. I am sure this will help you distinguish them from all the other professional runners.

Ok, now for the question I will pose to you all – WHAT NAIL COLOR SHOULD I WEAR FOR THE MARATHON? Possibilities include:

• Smokin’ Hot by Essie (gunmetal color)
• Lapis of Luxury by Essie (which was “belief blue,” but its very summery)
• Carry On by Essie (a deep plum, but that’s the color the IT band injury happened with so I’m thinking no)
• black (because it’s fierce)
• orange (because it’s my lucky color)
• Rock the Croc by Essie (because its my favorite “fall red”)

If I can find it, I may go with the new “Baubing for Baubles” by Essie – which is a deep sapphire blue, so it can be the new “belief blue.”

I hope its not so new that I won't find it....

ALSO, TELL ME: What was the best Halloween costume you saw? And Kim K divorcing already? Glad I caught the wedding special before that happened!

I saw a Jamaican bobsled team. Very clever.

Until next time…

[P.S. I'm sorry if this post made no sense whatsoever.]

Hitting the Reset Button

I’m a big fan of the “mental reset button.” In between sections of the MCAT and Step 1 of the USMLE Boards, I would close my eyes so as to hit a “reset” button to start the next section fresh, forgetting about what happened in the previous section. [I also thought it would help my eye rest from starting at a screen -- don't ask, I don't know why I thought that either.] Sometimes when I’m running, if it’s laps of Central Park or a track, I pretend each lap I hit a “reset” button to help me forget about the last lap and focus on the next one.

Tangent: Speaking of buttons, for a while I actually thought the Staples “Easy Button” was a real thing. I guess I thought you just had some standard order and when you hit the button it just ordered it for you through internet magic or something. Extreme blonde moment.

Apparently, this button is just a prop and of no real use.

I’m at home for  long weekend and today was the perfect reset day. It was rainy, cold, dark, and gloomy. I got my hair highlighted and, yep, I got some hair feathers of a more autumnal variety. I mean, hello, I think it’s PERFECT for Thanksgiving. I’m sure the Native Americans at the first Thanksgiving put some turkey feathers in their hair after teaching the pilgrims how to harvest their crops and what not.

Feather head dress. Hair feathers. Totally similar.

I got some treatment (ultrasound, stim, ice) on the lower extremity that shall not be named and freaked out a bit there as the PT scared me into thinking 1) I was taking too much time off on my super taper and 2) that I might gain weight so I need to go do something. To be honest, the gaining weight thing is that last of my worries. In fact, it wasn’t even on my radar. In my opinion, I’d rather be 100% better in 8 days or so and a pound heavier than go run a lot tomorrow or something to prevent weight gain and re-exacerbate the lower extremity that shall not be named, preventing me from running in 8 days or so. Just my opinion. I am a tad worried about taking so much time off, though.

Super Taper's powers also include not worrying. Super Taper is working on this, it's not her best super power.

After I left the PT’s office, at the advice of a wise person, I determined I was spending too much time thinking about my damn leg and not enough time on if I was going to go to regular Target or Super Target. So, from this point forward, everyone in my world is not going to talk about the marathon or at least pretend its really far off.

Which brings me to — Reasons I love my family:

1) Interaction with my mom in the kitchen this morning:

Mummy (her self-dubbed October name, duh): “Meggie are you running that marathon of a run here this weekend?”

Me: “No, Mom, that’s next weekend in New York.”

Mummy: “Yeah, but there is like one here this weekend – the Buddy’s Race for Cancer or something.”

Me: “Mom, that’s a 5K.”

Mummy: “Yeah, I know, but all of your races sound so far to me that I call them all marathons.”

2) After telling my sister why I can’t run right now:

Ally: “Well, what did you expect running that much?”

Me: “I don’t run that much.”

Ally: “You run like 20 miles a day. Its insane.”

Me: “You wanna run the Turkey Trot with me at Thanksgiving.”

Ally: “No, running is terrible. It’s miserable.”

Side note: I’m still determined to get Ally to do the Turkey Trot with me.

So, if you’re entering Meggie World in the next few days, you know the rules.

Also, I’d like to introduce you to the lady of our house:

"The Lady" -- She has no name. Suggestions?

I’m not sure where my mom got her from, but when she first got her, she thought about sending her back. We then all quickly changed our opinion as, clearly, she is awesome. She is dressed up for every holiday. This is her Halloween costume this year. Last year, she had a mask.

My 2nd favorite Halloween decoration in our house.

TELL ME: IS YOUR FAMILY A RUNNING FAMILY? OR WHAT SPORT DOES YOUR FAMILY “REVOLVE” AROUND? THOUGHTS ON WHAT THE LADY SHOULD BE NEXT YEAR FOR HALLOWEEN? AND, DO YOU THINK SHOPPING AT TARGET CAN COUNT AS NEUROMUSCULAR STIMULATION?

Because deep water running sounds boring. Really boring.

My family definitely revolves around tennis. Of course, my family supports my running, but whether I run a marathon or not doesn’t really matter to them.

Also, A BIG SHOUT OUT to KATIE, CHRISTY, and LAUREN who are running the Marine Corps Marathon Sunday. Go wish them luck!  [I'm sorry if I missed someone.]

Until next time…

The Weather Matched My Mood

Today was one of those days I just want to stay at home at watch Rachel Zoe all day…rainy, misty, kind of cold. Perfect reading day, actually. You know, one of those days you want to spend in your snuggie or, better yet, HEATED HUGGIE.

This look is dead sexy. Straight off the runway.

Dog clothes freak me out. Dog snuggies are even worse.

The weather actually perfectly matched my mood. I ran for 50 min today which, in hindsight, was too much, seeing as my knee/IT band/angry tissue started hating me again and hurt with walking and bending. I had violins following me around all day and, at a few points, almost cried, at which point I reminded myself that I was being ridiculous. I really wasn’t freaking out so much over the fact that running 50 minutes reaggravated my IT band or whatever. I was more sad that all of my hard work was going down the drain.

True Life: I was terrified of pool drains as a child after I watched a 20/20 special about kids dying from getting their hair caught in them. I've been watching 20/20 from an early age.

I was talked off the ledge by a few nice people and realized that I still have 10 days to get better and that, in reality, I just need one good day of running. That’s it. If gymnastics taught me anything, its that you can definitely throw some tape on whatever ails you and suck it up for one day.

I was brainwashed as a child to think this had magical properties.

I also went back to Dr. Levine today after leaving a message that probably sounded like a anxious person yelling, “CODE RED: MY LEG IS FALLING OFF.” I got ice and stim and feel much better. Dr. Levine told me to focus all of my energy into my leg being 100% better. That means no running, elliptical, biking, or anything with a bending motion that hurts my knee until Tuesday. No tennis because the torque isn’t good for the SI Joint. I can swim if I so choose. Basically, I have to treat my body as if its a princess.

But, duh, we already knew I was a princess.

Cinderella is the bomb.

So, this has led me to the perfect Halloween costume: SUPER-TAPER.

Duh, Super Taper is a super hero.

Super Taper’s powers include: resting, icing, not being sad or freaking out, foam rolling, healing, movie watching, book reading, and relaxing.

Thankfully, I’m going home this weekend so I’ll have my partner in crime (my sister, Allison) to accompany Super-Taper in my marathon movie sessions. Allison hates running so she will want to hear nothing about it, which is fine by me.

So, that’s my plan – focus on 100% getting better, not freaking out about not running, not being sad because I will run NYCM come hell or high water, and judiciously picking out the best movies to watch all weekend.

TELL ME: WHAT ARE YOU BEING FOR HALLOWEEN? ANY MORE MOVIE RECS? TV SERIES YOU LOVE THAT I SHOULD START?

If things aren’t better by Tuesday, I encourage any of you to come join me in singing kumbaya and meditating or something while also seeking out doctors who can shoot some cortisone all up in there.

And, for those of you who have asked medically related or anatomy related questions, first, you should speak to your actual healthcare professional always, seeing as I’m not a real doctor nor am I an expert in the musculoskeletal system. However, I’ll do my due diligence for you and get back to you. I’m no soft tissue or anatomy maven, but I do know good places to look for answers.

Until next time…

It’s Wednesday, People…

Typical…

FYI: I realize my homonym misusage has been awful lately. I’m sorry. I swear that I am educated.

1.  MEETING UP WITH GOOD COOKIES MOM

Follow @GoodCookiesMom and @Cookies4Kids

Remember that bake sale I held back in October? Well, today I met up with Liam’s mom, Gretchen, to talk about everything from pediatric cancer research to the benefit of NYC.

A particularly cute picture of Liam, who was made an honorary fireman by Engine 1, Ladder 24 of the FDNY.

Strolling with Gretchen through Central Park reaffirmed why I was so passionate about raising money for this charity. First, if you notice, the charity is not named “The Liam Witt Foundation.” This is intentional, as Gretchen wanted anyone involved to be able to do so in honor of whomever they want, whether it be Liam, their child, or all pediatric cancer patients.

In addition, the aim of the charity is transparent. Cookies For Kids’ Cancer has partnered with 5 of the top pediatric research institutions in the country (Dana Farber, St. Jude’s, Texas Children’s, CHOP, and MSKCC). Research groups from each of these distinguished institutions then applies and the medical advisory board for Cookies, which is essentially a brain trust of the top mind’s in the pediatric cancer world, decides which ideas will go most quickly from laboratory to clinic and, further, which show the most promise to affect difference in outcomes. Research discoveries from these 5 institutions then, in essence, “trickle down” to all patients being treated at any hospital in the US, seeing as the medical community is so electronically connected and free flow of ideas and communication is, in turn, easier.

I could go on, but let’s just say I scheming ways to make more money for Cookies…

2. PAPERCLIP THINKING HE IS ACTUALLY BUZZ LIGHTYEAR

To Infinity and Beyond!

That’s right. My favorite 3 year old is going to be Buzz Lightyear for Halloween. The problem is that when he dons the actual costume, he thinks he is actually Buzz, meaning he will try to jump off things thinking he will start flying. His mom had to sit him down and tell him the harsh reality – the costume does not make you fly like Buzz.

3. BATH AND BODY WORKS BLACK HOLE

I swear that every time I go in that store, I don’t come out for another half hour, at the very least, and get sucked into buying God knows what, but usually copious amounts of themed hand sanitizer.

I already had the Halloween ones, but now I have the ENTIRE holiday season from October to December covered, including one of those hand sanitizer holders with Jingle Bells. I mean, how could I NOT buy that – its bananas.

100% necessary purchase. Hello, I can't get sick. Must sanitize.

4. GOING HOME THIS WEEKEND

I haven’t seen my sister since July. I think this is one of the longest times we’ve been separated since she emerged from the womb in 1988.

Mere days after Ally became my BFF.

She's always loved me...PS - that Little Mermaid pillow is bomb.

Of course, I’m excited to hang with the rest of my fam, too.

5. DR. STEVEN D. LEVINE, CHIROPRACTOR EXTRAORDINAIRE

Homeslice is the rock in my emotionally volatile world lately, meaning that when I see ads for the marathon I want to rip them down and when the security guard of my work building asked me, “When’s the big run?”, I almost wanted to cry (PS- No idea how he knew I was running it, but I love him and we chat everyday so I know he was trying to be nice; PPS – No idea if there is supposed to be a comma after the question mark, but go with it.) Facebook updates and tweets about the marathon make me want to deactivate both accounts as they make me sad for some reason. I don’t know why I’m being so hypersensitive about it.

I went back in today for some manual torture and the man with the magically strong hands reassured me that everything is going to be alright come November 6th.

Today’s ART associated anatomy lesson! When the gluteus maximus is reflected away, lo and behold, there are a million other muscles beneath there that the medical/chiropractic/physical therapy/etc student must memorize, not to mention their innervation, origin and insertion, and function! My personal fave are the gemelli muscles – there is an inferior gemellus and superior gemellus, each flanking the obdurator internus. They are called “gemelli” because that means “twin” in Italian, I think – could be Latin. The piriformis is the one that is a pain in the butt to a lot of runners – pun intended.

Ok, I’ll stop boring you.

Anyways, if you wondering where I stand, as I’m sure you all are just DYING to know (kidding), I ran for 30 min today and it was better than Saturday, but not 100%, meaning there wasn’t a sharp pain, but something was there. Sometimes I describe that kind of pain that its dull or sharp as “the absence of nothing,” but I’m not sure that entirely makes sense to anyone but me. I ran all 30 min pretty slow and anytime I sped up the tightness got worse.

MORE ANATOMY - YES!!!

I got more ART after this today and Dr. Levine assures me that everything feels alright and it will all be ok.

Mentally, I’m trying to hold down the fort, but its not always so easy to not get upset and then chastise myself for getting upset over something that really doesn’t matter, even though its something I’ve put a lot of time into and care a lot about. I am living, healthy, and leading a very charmed life overall, thus far. I am focusing on today and that is it. Tonight I am better than I was this morning because homeslice broke up more adhesions for me and my sacrum + lumbar spine is readjusted. And, today I am better than yesterday because I ran.

TELL ME: WHAT’S ROCKING YOUR WORLD THIS WEEK? 

Until next time…

Time Is Of The Essence

I’m sure my last few posts have you thinking I need to be prescribed Xanax for the month before big races, right? When re-reading them myself, I sound like some time-obsessed, over-achieving, fear of failure freak. While I may be some of those things, I think an explanation of why I feel so pressed to achieve my big running goals ASAP is warranted.

Me, in a few years...

You see the girl hunched over writing something? I imagine she is an OB/GYN resident, which is what I will be in a few years. Just an fyi for those who don’t know, people in the short coats are med students, while long coats signify your have an MD. A med student’s white coat pockets will typically be stuffed with various guides (“the red book” which is now green, Maxwells, picky bars for emergency hunger in my case) and papers with their notes for H and Ps, presentations, etc. The more senior you are, the less there is in your white coat pockets.

Me eating a picky bar after a long run last year. The really red face is totally normal for me - not to worry.

As a resident, you work a lot. The technical maximum cap on weekly work hours is 80 hours per week. I do know residents who have worked more than this. With such work hours, I surmise that my ability to train for a marathon, and train well at that, might suffer. I do know residents that have run a lot and even have done marathons and, in one case, an Ironman(I won’t be doing that, sorry). So, while I do plan on keeping up the ol’ running habit in residency, I have my doubts about being to train well for a big race.

Being able to train like I do right now is really a luxury for me. Its why I’m trying to take advantage of it while I can and its why I want NYC and any other races I do this year to go well for me.

Would this freak you out if you saw me like this in a recovery room?

That’s Meggie the sickly med student above. I ran my last marathon (New Jersey) during my surgery rotation. About a week and a half after the marathon, I came down with a evil virus, probably from immune suppression from marathon + little sleep + subsisting on graham crackers and OJ all day. In fact, the attending I was assisting (read: retracting for) asked me if they needed to put a pulse oximeter on me or if I needed to have my nose suctioned under my mask. In between cases I would huddle in blankets as the ORs were so cold. I know – its a really good look for me.

But, speaking of med school – LOOK AT MY BEAUTIFUL POSTER!!!

Gloss is boss. Definitely get the gloss finish if you ever make a poster.

My real goal and reason for my “year off” is to get some quality research in and, hopefully, a publication or two. I’m here in Orlando because of this little baby I worked on last spring. Big shout of to Dr. Licciardi and Dr. Knopman for helping this little med student out big time.

Getting my abstract accepted as a poster has afforded me the opportunity to attend ASRM (American Society of Reproductive Medicine)’s annual meeting, which has been an unbelievable opportunity for which I am extremely grateful to NYU. Not only have I heard lectures on the most cutting edge research in the field, but have been reassured by my interest in the research that OB/GYN is the perfect field for me.

ASRM forgot to include a Harry Potter outing.

Unfortunately, the ASRM planners FORGOT to include a Harry Potter outing. I mean, hello, don’t you think Professor Snape could whip up a fertility potion? YES.

TELL ME: How do you fit in running with your long work hours? What is your job now and what is your career interest?

Until next time…