Hi! I’m so glad I found Hiprunner!
So, here’s my story, I’ll try to be brief, lol.
I have always been involved in athletics my whole life. As a child, I started in gymnastics and dance (yes, dancers are athletes too!) I then started competitive artistic roller skating, which I loved! I wasn’t any kind of champion, but that’s not always the point. Around the age of 14, I stopped competing but still skated until I was 20. I still have my skates! I went through puberty throwing myself into the air at high speeds, falling many times, and doing spins which put a lot of rotational torque on my hips, especially the left one, which is now my tin hip. After skating (and cheerleading, don’t hate), I didn’t participate in any real organized sports but was always doing something. Tennis, hiking, whitewater kayaking, river swimming, etcetcetc..
Then, in 1997, I went rock climbing. Goodbye university degree in engineering, hello obsession. I can NOT wait to climb again on my new swivel hip! I also fell in love with my touring skis and trail running.
At age 35, I decided to stop being a climbing/outdoor bum and wanted to grow up. I joined the the US Army. Yep, I survived. Circumstances had me out early and now I’m retired.
The story of my Tin Hip:
Two and a half years ago, I saw the ortho guy and he said the news was grim, you have severe osteoarthritis, wo uld you consider a replacement? I cried out in horror, BUT I’M TOO YOUNG!! So we did an arthroscopic surgery to fix the labral tears and shave the femoral head. A year later, I was in EXCRUCIATING pain. I couldn’t walk, stand, or sit without wanting to cry. For such an active person, this was hell. So I finally made peace with the idea of losing part of my body. I made the appointment and got robotized on September 12, 2013.
I received a lot if great input on how to prepare, including reading The How to Run With … (Click Here to View Full Post and Comments)