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8 months of quad pain. (Read 129 times)


Feeling the growl again

     

    I dont trust anything that this coach says. I just do what he tells us to, because I have to... I checked my chart from my blood test from 2 weeks ago, and

    RED BLOOD CELL COUNT 4.74 Million/uL 4.10-5.70
       HEMOGLOBIN 11.0 g/dL 12.0-16.9
       HEMATOCRIT 34.1 % 36.0-49.0
       MCV 72.0 fL 78.0-98.0
       MCH 23.2 pg 25.0-35.0
       MCHC 32.2 g/dL 31.0-36.0
       RDW 16.5 % 11.0-15.0
       PLATELET COUNT 220   140-400

    they have also not placed me on iron, as they want to see what happens next.

     

    Unfortunately they did not do serum ferretin...you usually have to ask for it...it reflects stored iron in your blood.  But even without that, you are below normal on hemoglobin/hematocrit so this will surely have a significant impact on your running.

     

    I am not sure what they will thing will "happen next".  You are anemic and continuing to train hard.  Seems almost assured that what will happen next is that you will either not improve or get worse.  I would suggest you talk to your parents about getting a second opinion from a doctor who has experience with endurance athletes.

     

    In 2004-2005 I was training hard but could not get a good training cycle under me.  I couldn't figure it out.  Finally, I found out I was anemic and had low iron stores (serum ferretin).  The team coach for a Division I college team even looked over my bloodwork and didn't prescribe any action.  After much research and consulting a doc with more specific experience with endurance athletes, I started on iron.  Months later I was running better than I ever had, and within 6 months I set my lifetime PRs.  My iron levels had corrected to normal as this happened.

     

    Clinical anemia as typically experienced by most doctors is much more severe that the level which will affect runners.  So many docs don't react to moderately low numbers....ones which are very impactful for runners.  You may want to talk to more than one doctor.

    "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

     

    I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

     

    brady steele


      I took the paces from the calculator, and printed them off. They are taped up in my locker, so I can see the pace for any workout. I figured that running slower is better than running fast for a mile and stopping because of my quad pain.
        I took the paces from the calculator, and printed them off. They are taped up in my locker, so I can see the pace for any workout. I figured that running slower is better than running fast for a mile and stopping because of my quad pain.

         

        Have you told your coach about this pain?  If not, you really should. If so, what has he said?

         

        Good luck. Be sure to let us know how you do!


        Feeling the growl again

          I took the paces from the calculator, and printed them off. They are taped up in my locker, so I can see the pace for any workout. I figured that running slower is better than running fast for a mile and stopping because of my quad pain.

           

          Agreed you should talk to your coach about this.  If he is pushing everybody to keep up with the fastest runner and you are running significantly slower, you don't want him to think you are just goofing off or not listening to him.  Even though a lot of us think he is wrong he is your coach and you should have a dialogue about this.

          "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

           

          I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

           

          brady steele


             

            Have you told your coach about this pain?  If not, you really should. If so, what has he said?

             

            Good luck. Be sure to let us know how you do!

            my coach has known about this pain since day 1. He has pretty much given up on me, and only really cares about the top 3 guys now. He will come up every now and then and ask about it, but he doesnt ever listen to anything else I have to say to him. The only advice that he has offered me is this: Whenever he sees me, he refers to me as part of the wimpy steele family.


            Feeling the growl again

              my coach has known about this pain since day 1. He has pretty much given up on me, and only really cares about the top 3 guys now. He will come up every now and then and ask about it, but he doesnt ever listen to anything else I have to say to him. The only advice that he has offered me is this: Whenever he sees me, he refers to me as part of the wimpy steele family.

               

              I won't say what you coach sounds like to me....

               

              Well, if he has given up on you then you have the freedom to do what you need to do with less fear that he will get angry you are not doing what he told you to.  Get it right, work in the off season, and embarrass him next year for writing you off.

              "If you want to be a bad a$s, then do what a bad a$s does.  There's your pep talk for today.  Go Run." -- Slo_Hand

               

              I am spaniel - Crusher of Treadmills

               

              brady steele


                 

                I won't say what you coach sounds like to me....

                 

                Well, if he has given up on you then you have the freedom to do what you need to do with less fear that he will get angry you are not doing what he told you to.  Get it right, work in the off season, and embarrass him next year for writing you off.

                 

                Will do.

                  my coach has known about this pain since day 1. He has pretty much given up on me, and only really cares about the top 3 guys now. He will come up every now and then and ask about it, but he doesnt ever listen to anything else I have to say to him. The only advice that he has offered me is this: Whenever he sees me, he refers to me as part of the wimpy steele family.

                   

                  Sorry to hear your coach has this approach. That can make for a miserable experience.

                   

                  Perhaps your coach needs to watch the movie "The Long Green Line" which is about the York HS XC team and their coach Joe Newton.  If you don't know Joe Newton, he's been coaching at York HS in Illinois for a  over 50 years and has won the IL 3A XC title about 25 or 26 times. The movie highlights how he treats every runner, regardless of ability, as a key member of their team.  They celebrate when a slow kid couldn't complete the course, is finally able to.   If I were you, I'd buy that movie and hand it to him to watch. Tell him how inspired you were by their sucess and how much fun an XC team could be. Maybe, just maybe, he'll pick up on the techniques Joe Newton uses.

                  JPF


                    Slightly OT, but you hear about these clueless school coaches all of the time and I can't help but wonder.  I mean, if I were, hypothetically, a football coach drafted into coaching the XC team and knew nothing about it, I think I would, crazy as it sounds, pick up a book and try to learn something.  There are a million books out there on distance running and nobody says to do what this guy seems to be doing.  Plus, in this case at least, it seems like he's stumbled into some decent athletes and is on his way to completely squandering them.

                    brady steele


                      So I had a 5 mile steady state today. The McMillan Running Calculator says that my pace should be 5:59-6:14. I was running 6:30's and had to stop at 2 miles because I couldn't deal with the pain...

                      brady steele


                        Got a new pair of shoes today. Let's see if they make any sort of impact on my running. I went from the 4mm heel Saucony Kinvara 3's ( went through 2 pairs, switched because they started my whole injury by hurting my calves) and then I went to an 8mm Saucony Ride 5, I felt alright in those, but I feel like I need to go back to the support I had pre injury, so now I have the 11mm Brooks Ghost 5. Let's see what happens. (I was running in 12mm pre injury for about 2 years.)

                        brady steele


                          BIG BIG BIG UPDATES!

                           

                          I havent posted in a while, as I have been taking time for things to fall into place.

                          Lets start from the beginning:

                          1.) I visited an orthopedic doctor, and got X-Rays, MRI, and multiple things done with my legs. They all came back normal.

                          2.) The orthopedic doctor sent me to a physical therapist, which I currently visit 2 times a week, with nothing feeling better.

                          3.) All the while that this is occurring, I have been going back and forth with my pediatric doctor, getting blood tests done for my anemia, which has been worsening.

                          4.) Recent blood tests have come back to show that I now have an iron deficiency. I feel as though this is great news for me, because I can take supplements to begin to even that part out.

                          5.) My blood levels are slightly worse than they were the last time I reported, with my White blood cell count cut in half from the last time.

                          6.) I am being sent to a Hematologist, and will have further tests done, to truly uncover the problems that I have been suffering from...regarding my blood.

                          7.) I have been instructed not to run for 4 weeks (by order of the ortho) and have been biking to retain some form of health. Been biking whatever my trainer gives to me E.X: 30 miles at aerobic training pace.

                          8.) I dont feel a change in my quads, except that the tired, burning feeling (The thing that I am suffering from), pretty much only hurts in my right quad, and I feel nothing in my left. 

                          joescott


                            Brady, I'm glad you are getting some answers and some medical progress.  Thanks for the update.

                            - Joe

                            We are fragile creatures on collision with our judgment day.

                            brady steele


                              Things escalated pretty quickly from my visit to the Hematologist. Got 8 tubes of blood that were used for various tests, and some weird results. One things is that my iron is really really low. My sustaining iron (or something like that) is 3%, and it is supposed to be atleast 50%. They put me on iron pills, twice a day, and I am slowly starting to feel my energy coming back. Another thing, Apparently I have internal bleeding at some point in my GI Tract.(This is said to be the reason for my continuation of lower blood levels.) They said that they wanted to see me asap, and the doctor said it is one of the rare things he has seen. I am due back to the hospital on wednesday.

                              scappodaqui


                              rather be sprinting

                                Things escalated pretty quickly from my visit to the Hematologist. Got 8 tubes of blood that were used for various tests, and some weird results. One things is that my iron is really really low. My sustaining iron (or something like that) is 3%, and it is supposed to be atleast 50%. They put me on iron pills, twice a day, and I am slowly starting to feel my energy coming back. Another thing, Apparently I have internal bleeding at some point in my GI Tract.(This is said to be the reason for my continuation of lower blood levels.) They said that they wanted to see me asap, and the doctor said it is one of the rare things he has seen. I am due back to the hospital on wednesday.

                                 

                                Brady, it could be very important to go back to the hospital.  I recommend a colonoscopy or an endoscopy.

                                 

                                I too had low iron, weird fatigue, and stomach bleeding last year, and it turned out that the low iron and fatigue were symptoms of a bleeding ulcer, which perforated and almost killed me.  I underwent major surgery for it last year and recovery was agonizing.  Anemia is a CLASSIC symptom of ulcers, because you're losing blood and nutrients through the hole in your gut.  The worst thing is if it's a duodenal vs. a peptic ulcer; a duodenal ulcer is lower down and if stuff goes wrong it's possible you could need a colostomy ><.

                                 

                                Ask them questions about ulcers.  I have a gut feeling (as it were) that that might be your issue.  Best of luck with everything.  Having had an overly tough coach who pushed me to injury myself, I truly feel for you.

                                PRs: 5k 19:25, mile 5:38, HM 1:30:56

                                Lifting PRs: bench press 125lb, back squat 205 lb, deadlift 245lb

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