Category: Jim F’s Reports

It’s been 15 days since my Superpath (SP) by Dr. Anderson. I’ll contrast it  somewhat to my 1st THR 10 yrs ago, same doc.  Had surgery at 9am, in my room at noon, walking with a walker by 3pm.  Have to admit I was a little spaced out on the oxy!  Discharged the next morning.  Very little in the way of soft tissue pain; mostly a cramp like pain.  Off oxy by day +10; on Tylenol now .  Just to say that SP is still a THR so don’t expect a miracle recovery.  The short term is just so much better.  That will also get you into long term recovery process faster.  WARNING: Don’t over do it or you will pay for it with increased long term recovery; plus the LAST thing you want to do is fall down.  Doc Anderson is aware of my ultra distances so he specifically ordered my wife to keep me on a short lease and NO tread mill (chance of a fall)!  Two days ago I was cleared for driving and to do 10 min walks with a cane ( I use trekking poles) twice a day.  I use my GPS watch to track my distance, time and pace.  I’m starting easy with once a day this week and next week I’ll go to 2x/day.  That’s it for now.  So far, so good, but it’s still a THR!… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Well, it has finally caught up with me.  The cortisone shoot is wearing off and it’s time to face reality.  I will have the Superpath procedure on 3/10/15 with Dr Anderson, Milwaukee, WI.  He says that I will be walking mile(s) within a week;  says I’ll be back to ‘normal’ in 3 mo so I plan on walking a 50k on 6/6 but that’s probably too optimistic.

 Anyone out there have the Superpath?  If so, pl comment!

to be continued….… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Hi Fellow Hipsters:

Thought a 2014 summary/update is due. Managed to complete 1/2 marathon, 2 50k trail runs and a 24 hr run/walk plus weekly training mileage avg of 30-40/week with a long run/walk of 10-15mi.   I did cheat a little with my cortisone shot in the left hip; my right THR is performing beautifully.   If you can afford the shot I would highly recommend it.  It’s been almost 6 mo and it’s starting to wear off.  No guarantees how long or effective it will be.  My doc suggested that I try trekking poles to take approx 20% off of the impact on my hips.  After 1 mo and about 150 miles he was right.  Picked up a pair of Black Diamond Distance poles.  I’m beginning to depend on them more each day.   I think they also dropped my pace by 30-45 sec/mile.  I’ve backed off training somewhat in Dec to ‘recover’ a bit.  I’m considering another cortisone shot in Feb-March to get me through 2015 if my doc says ok.  Why not? What harm could it do; he’s just gonna throw my old beat up hip away anyway!

Anyway, have a Very Merry Christmas & Happy New Year.

Jim Fiste

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”  Luke 2:11… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

walked/ran/jogged the Badgerland Strider FX 24 hour run last weekend.  My goal was to run my age: 72 miles, got 73.  My THR didn’t give me any problems but my other hip (left) is starting to go so I had a cortisone injection to dull the pain.  Yeh, I got juiced!  It did help but I still felt every step for 24 hrs.  In July I did a 50K trail run that was brutal on my left hip; esp. the steep down hills.  However, my THR hip performed great.  Lessons learned so far: keep the pounding to a minimum, watch those trail runs, modify your goals, enjoy the challenge,  listen to your body (hip), ibuprofen will be your friend.… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Hello Fellow Hipsters-

Well, it can be done.  Did an 8 hr trail run on a 7 yr old hip replacement.  Came within 1/2 mi of 50k;  this 71 yr old body just didn’t have any more gitty up left!  At 2-3 hrs both hips/femur areas started to give me some pain and I thought “Oh no, here we go” but they subsided and didn’t give me any problems for the rest of the race.  (My left hip is starting to go; just don’t know how long I have)  My avg pace was 15:38 with approx. 90% walking and 10% running (down hill).  Best pace was 14:00; slowest was 18:30 when I stopped to tape up a crack on my heel.  Just a word of warning on that:  if you get started into power walking (like I do now), make sure that you toughen up your heels esp the bottoms.  I really didn’t get a blister; the callous cracked.  They call it a ‘fissure’.  Hurt’s like hell.  I was forced to run more than I wanted to in order to lessen the heel impact.  I’ve started to look into prevention; more on that in a later post.  I tried a supplement routine before and during the run.  See my last post on what it was.  All I can say is my gut tolerated it just fine and I feel better today that I have ever felt;  just a little soreness.  I also applied Volteran gel  (Rx ibuprofen in a tube) on the quads and hip areas before the race.  I guess it helped some.  I use it mostly for the arthritis I have in my feet.

Running season in Wisconsin is pretty much over for the winter.  So it’s maintenance walking/running until Spring.  Hang in there everyone.

Jim F – aka papapops to the grandkids… (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

8:30 pm; 10.5 hrs to blast off.  Time sure flies.  Tomorrow at 7 am is my 1st Ultra (8 hr trail) in 10 yrs (7 yrs since my THR). I don’t have a clue what to expect from this tired old body or my right hip.  Been good days and bad days of training; right femur pain comes and goes.  I’m gonna try 2  anti-oxidant supplements during the run in an attempt to ward off muscle stress. NAC (cystein) @ 600mg and COQ10 @ 100mg; 1 of each/hr.  I let you know how they work out; hoping they help my bod to recoup a little faster, if I can keep them down!  Hoping for 50k. Cheers.

 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Just a quick update on training for my 1st ultra in 7 yrs since my THR.  Less than 5 weeks to go until 11/10 and the 8hr Drip Drop Ultra.  Before my THR I’d be running 60 -70 mi/week by now but now I’m barely making 30+ and a lot of that is speed walking.  That’s actually ok though.  I’ve had to come up to speed on shoes, compression clothes, GPS watches  and best of all: GU!  Love that stuff;  30 yrs ago we ate whatever would stay down!  So far not too much pain.  I did have a physical couple weeks ago and had the doc prescribe Voltaren Gel: ibuprofen in a tube! Great stuff.  Just smear it on where it hurts.

Good luck to all you new hipsters-Keep smiling and if this 71 yr old guy can do it so can you!

 … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)

Hello fellow hipsters,

Ice Age Trail 50 miler, somewhere deep in the kettle moraine of Wisconsin; circa 1982.  I’m a lot more gray now.

Well, it looks like I’m the senior member.  Age 71, retired engineer.  Had my right hip THR Nov, 2005, 8 yrs ago.  I used to weigh in at 240#.  I started exercising to lose some weight and before you knew it I was running ultras (wife says I’m obsessive):  Ice Age Trail 50 mile (ran the 1st 5), Springfield 24 hr (104 mi), 50 ks, 100 ks etc.  I kinda lost track.  Best run I had was in 1980 at the AMJA Chicago Ultra watching Barney Klecker  break the 50 mi world record.  He must have passed me umteen times.

It started as slight pain in my right hip; got worse and before I knew it, BAM! “Jim, you need a THR and your running days are OVER.  But don’t worry; after all you can swim instead.”  That was comforting.  I pretty much resolved that I wouldn’t ever run again and shot up to 200# (my running weight was at 160#). A little over a yr ago I decided to heck with it, I’m hitting the roads.  Got myself some good trail shoes, read up on race walking (low impact) and started slow:  1/2 mi at 20 min pace, then 1 mile at 15 min pace.  Little by little and after 2  months (not weeks) I was up to 3 miles at a 12-13 min pace.  After 6-7 months I ran my 1st 1/2 marathon at a 12 min pace.  It felt GREAT!  I’ve had good days and bad ones.  I had to cancel out on a 1/2 marathon in Aug because I pushed training a little too hard (bad femur pains).   My doc said there was no damage and if I wanted, to suck it up, go for it and ibuprofen will be your friend.  So now I take 2 ibuprofen 30 min before my run/walk and 1 after.   My old training pace was in the 7-9 min range; now it’s 12-13 but that’s OK; … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)