The Novice Guide to a temporary life on one leg

Most of us have experience of walking or running with some sort of restricted capability of our lower limbs.  Whether the restriction is as a result of pain management from a minor or serious injury, the result is either limping or adapted movement to manage pain and protect the perceived weakness in the affected limb.

I am very experienced in limping.  It is something I have done to varying degrees since I was thirteen years old.  My body has coped very well with the physical challenges I have imposed on it, but as I get older the over compensation injuries get worse.  From hip to knee to foot, they have all suffered over the years in my never ending self-discovery quest.

Without the help of an amazing physiotherapist and a genius orthopaedic surgeon I probably would have been forced to stop running a long time ago.  Physical pain gets harder to manage as I get older and my body takes longer to recover.

However, when limping is not an option and you find yourself with very strict instructions not to put any weight on one foot for a prolonged period of time, normal life becomes very difficult.

However, adapting to change and perceived problems in a positive way is one way I believe that we can evolve into greater beings.  Seize opportunities when we can and have some fun along the way.

Here are some of my top tips to a temporary life on one leg:

      If you can, hire or buy a second-hand wheelchair

A wheelchair allows the “good” leg to rest and if you get a self-propelled one you can achieve a great upper body workout.  Having a wheelchair in the house also allows you to prepare and cook dinner and also to safely transport a cup of coffee (or beer) from one room to the next.

We found a fabulous local mobility shop with an extremely helpful owner.  He allowed us to have a nearly new wheelchair for a cheaper than hire price.

Wear gloves when using a wheelchair or crutches for longer than 15 minutes.

Padded fingerless fitness gloves are best for crutches and padded gloves with full thumbs for wheelchair use.  I learned the hard way and got myself a couple of huge blisters on my thumbs when I used the fitness gloves without thumbs for first wheelchair adventure.

Do not negotiate stairs on crutches after a few beers.

I probably don’t need to explain this one!  All I will say is that no further physical injury has been sustained in the learning of this lesson.  Only my pride was hurt.  Please also refer to number 9 for guidance on how best to manage this situation….

Put padded tape on the handles of your crutches.

Good quality bike handle bar tape is the best.  I applied it to my crutches after my last operation 5 years ago and it is still going strong.

Teach yourself balancing tricks and body awareness using crutches.

Someone suggested that I tried break dancing on my crutches and although they were only joking it did get me thinking….  Since then I have spent time playing my crutches to see how the position of my body affects my stability.  I started by trying to lift both feet off the ground and remain motionless for as long as possible.  When I first tried it I managed less than one second.  Yesterday I managed nearly 5 seconds.

Limit your hopping.

Hopping can potentially propel the body forward very quickly.  I know this as I have been practising, BUT it does puts huge strain on the body and risks injury.  It also makes you look like a toadstool as the muscle development on the working leg and bum/ hip area gets greater and the bad leg gets weaker…
Today I hopped more than I should have in order to avoid the strain that the crutches were placing on my hands.  The result is that my whole body is aching, from neck to toe.  Please avoid being a silly billy like me.

Set yourself challenges SMART Objectives

By SMART I mean Simple Measurable and Realistic Timescales.  For example a sub4 minute mile in a wheelchair on a mostly uphill grass course is probably only achievable by a Paralympian.  Sub 30 minutes is possible for me.  The challenge of working towards achieving the objective gives the opportunity to devise a plan based on my running and fitness experience and it is fun learning new stuff like how to keep a wheelchair on a straight line when the camber is on your stronger side.  And once I crack the Sub 30 I will give myself a little pat on the back and then go for Sub 20…..

Use your bum and one crutch to open doors.

Sometimes people help a person on crutches by opening doors, but mostly they don’t and anyway there will be many occasions when no one else is around and you need to get into a room with a door.  Best technique for doors opening away from you is to use your butt to open it and then squeeze through the gap.  Outward opening doors should be approached with great caution and when you do open it, wedge the crutch against the bottom of the door, but please take care that the rubber bit does not catch on the door and make you lose your balance.  If it does, whatever you do, do not allow the protected foot to hit the ground.  Sacrifice your knees if you need to. 

Do not crawl or get in/out of the batch without knee pads and shin guards.

My leg and knee currently resembled the legs of a polka dot pony.  Baths, wooden floors and stairs, and negotiating many other obstructions while kneeling or crawling has resulted in a rather large number of little bruises on my left leg and knee.  Full protection horse travel boots are my recommendation for this

Always remember others.

In the past two weeks there have been several occasions when I have nearly thrown all my toys out of the pram.  I get very frustrated at my temporary disablement and I erupt in an emotional mess.  But then I remember the amazing people out there that are forever disabled.  They raise their game and put us to shame with their heroic efforts each and every day.  And I also remember those that help me every day and whom without their help I would not be able to manage.

(all images courtesy of Ian J Berry and bloomingponies.co.uk)

10 days of rest and still smiling

It is now 10 day since I last ran.  For someone that normally runs at least once per day this has been very difficult.  Yes, I know all the train hard and recover philosophies and do abide by them, but my rest/ recovery days normally involve a very gentle jog or two.  I love to run, love the freedom that it gives me and the experiences that I have when I run.  I love the countryside and all its inhabitants, especially the ones that one meets during dawn runs.  

I normally run with Siberian Huskies, the epitome of endurance athletes who care not about medals or prizes or whether they are fat or not.  They run because they love to run, just like me.

Ten days ago I had surgery on my ankle and I am neither able, nor allowed to run.  I agreed to the operation because the daily pain had become too much to manage.  Hobbling every day was becoming troublesome and I needed to plan for the future.  This plan involved corrective action to halt deterioration of my ankle joint and also to correct all the over compensation injuries that I have experienced as a result of my body’s adaptation to 20 odd years of managing a chronic weakness.

My ankle was very badly damaged when I was 13 years old.  Due to an incorrect diagnosis it was not treated properly at the time and it was not until many years later that the full extent of the damage and subsequent deterioration within the joint was known.  In summary I smashed the joint and cut of the blood supply within the talus bone.  Without blood and all that it carries, the body cannot regenerate and cannot repair itself.

But such is life.  With a damaged joint I have led a very privileged life.  I have run thousands of miles on this deformed ankle, run for my country and represented Great Britain.  I have run 100 miles in one go and run a mile in 4 minutes and 13 seconds with assistance from my awesome Siberian Huskies team.   All this has been possible thanks to the support of the people that I love and an inspirational Orthopaedic Surgeon.  They helped me believe in myself and in return I believed in me.

So here I am, ten days into an enforced rest that I agreed to.  The operation involved debridement and micro-fracturing, which in simple terms means drilling into the bone to make it bleed, fill the crater within, the blood helps repair the bone and create fibrocartilage, which although it is not as good as original hyaline cartilage it does provide a greater improved function for the affected joint.  A bit like a volcanic eruption and then the magma settles.  You cannot stand on the magma until it cools as it will crack and hurt!  So I cannot weight bear on my ankle at all for four weeks and then for 2-3 months I can only walk on it with the aid of cast/ boot and crutches.

The first week post operation was about pain management and acceptance of my physical limitations.  Acceptance that I am temporarily disabled and need help, I cannot manage on my own.  That bit has been the hardest.  I am fiercely independent and I find it hard to ask for help.  Thankfully Ian is the most amazing and supportive partner and is always there when I need help.  Pre operation once of my greatest concerns was how the dogs would cope with the situation.  Ian does run, but preferably not pre-dawn and not off road, two essential requirements when running with Siberian Huskies.  I would be exaggerating if I said Ian now leaps out of bed every morning and dashes out the door with a smile upon his face!  But he has run with the dogs most days and they are as content as I have ever seen them.  They are very happy with the fact that I am at home more and appear to understand my situation.  They are very respectful every time I move and have become even more affectionate than ever, especially the boss dude who is almost always by my side, wherever I am.

I work for an amazing company that have been very supportive and I have managed to do a little work post op - thankfully my Doctor was very obliging regarding the official H&S stuff when I explained my desire to continue working in my “restricted” and post op condition.

So how am I coping with the non-running bit?  I set myself some physical challenges each day and try to relate them to running.  I try to go further every day on my crutches and in my wheel chair.  Push myself to the point beyond where I went the day before.  Self-propelling a wheel chair and using crutches is hard, very hard.  It hurts muscles I have not used in years and muscles that one never uses when running.  I am so weak in the upper body that I am currently nowhere near a cardio vascular work out yet.  But when I get frustrated about this aspect I remember the nurse that spoke to me when I was in the recovery room following my recovery.  My resting heart rate was 35, so I guess I am not unfit, just under prepared J

But I have learned one thing in the past ten days that has saddened me.  Life as a disabled person is tougher that I could have ever imagined.  From the physical restrictions of pavements and shops to the attitudes of strangers when one is out and about.   I guess it is ignorance rather than intentional rude behaviour, but it is hard not to be reduced to tears by it.  When did humans get so engrossed in their own worlds that we neglected to consider the implications of our actions on others?  I implicate myself in this question because I am sure that I have in the past been as guilty as the next person.  Although I personally would never allow one of our dogs to jump up at a person on crutches, throwing them off balance, and consider it okay.

Another thing that I have learned, or rather been reminded of in this past week or so…. Beer is a more effective pain reliever than codeine.  For two days I was crippled with stomach pain taking the conventional drugs, when I reverted to my favourite beer, the pain disappeared and inspirational thoughts came forth….

Oh yes, I may be unable to run just now, but I can still dream and dreams are what propel us forward….

I got it wrong....

Prior to my recent ankle operation I thought a lot about how my temporary disability would affect our four dogs, three Siberian Huskies and one Special Husky.  The dogs that I either run or walk each and every day, both in the morning and in the evening, sometimes in between...  I was not worried about their exercise needs being met as I knew that Ian would help with that.  I just wondered how they would cope with the sudden and dramatic change to their lifestyle.  I have been surprised with what I have seen so far….

The one we call “Superbrat”,” boss dog” and “little s**t” has been the biggest surprise.  The dog that screams at the door pre 5am, demanding to go running, likes to run at supersonic speed and has the sort of attitude that most people would consider “arrogant” has hardly left my side.  He watches my every move and when I get up, so does he.  He sleeps on my good foot and follows me upstairs every time I struggle upstairs on crutches.  When not sleeping on my foot he comes to check up on me, many times a day.  Sometimes he just walks up to me, places his head on my lap and them walks away again.  His brother does the same.

His brother is a very nervous dog and while lying in the house will not allow anyone to step over him.  He leaps up and moves away.  Yet when I try to manoeuvre around him on crutches or wheelchair assisted he remains where he is, but tucks his feet out the way.  He hates being brushed and yet this week he has patiently stood or lie on the ground as I brushed him from a wheelchair.

Our eldest dog that struggles every day with breathing and disorientation has appeared to be very quiet and relaxed.  On such a hot day like today I feared he would be huffing and puffing all day long, but no, he was just slept in either the living room or kitchen with the odd little potter up to me to say hello. 

All three Siberian Huskies appear to have accepted the change and are very accommodating in managing their behaviour around me.  I have known these guys since the day they were born.  I guess they know me well and the trust and respect that I have given them is now being repaid in full.

Meanwhile, Spike is the one that I worry about.  We know that he does not cope well with change.  He likes routine and patterns, each and every day.  Feed him in a different spot and he will not eat.  Take him on a different route and he becomes fearful, holding back until his confidence is given a boost by his human companion.   Spike has experienced pain, trauma and surgery.  He has endured long rest periods and exercise restrictions that I would not enforce upon my worst enemy.  For some reason I thought that he would be the one that understood.

But I was wrong.  I need to keep reassuring him.  Cuddles and hugs help, but still he jumps at every opportunity – when I try to go past one crutches or in my chair.  He looks at me with a fearful expression on his face.  He does not understand and it scares him.  The others trust and respect me and know that whatever I do they will be okay, they have nothing to fear.  Spike has never known this level of trust and confidence and I feel very saddened about that fact.  I want to alleviate his fears and let him know that it is okay, he has nothing to worry about, but cannot because the connection that he and I have does not give that to him.

But that is okay, I can give him some extra hugs and try to explain to him how life is different now and it is okay.  One day soon we will run together, just like we used to :-)

His name is Spike

This week someone approached me when I was out with Spike, pointed at him and said “what is that”?

Their words hit me harder than if someone had physically punched me in the belly.  My insides reacted very strongly as my mind tried to process and understand the question and the fact that they referred to Spike as a “that”.

Frog Prince kissing?

Were they enquiring about his genetic make-up or were they so entranced with his aura that they wanted to know what more about the being that stood before them?

As I processed the question in my mind I thought about our life with Spike.

Spike is like no other dog I have ever known or shared my life with.  He frustrates me, annoys me and yet he continues to inspire every day.

Spike is a product of selfish humans, a puppy born of questionable parentage and almost definitely arrived in this world with no forethought to his future.  We will never know what became of his brothers and sisters or his mum.  I doubt they still live amongst us but in my mind they watch Spike from above and share his experiences as if they were their own with little smiles upon their faces.

Spike the lap dog

I would love to say that Spike is a very generous and kind hearted dude and that he thinks of his brothers and sisters and his mum every day, dreaming that one day they will meet again.

But Spike is a dog, he does not think like a human, he thinks like a dog and lives life like a dog. 

However, he may well be “just a dog”, but he is a very special dog with phenomenal self-survival skills and an attitude to life that is inspirational.

All of Spike’s joints are deformed, they don’t fit together properly.  He has had the best medical care and we know the full facts from the CT scans and x-rays.  But Spike defies medical logic and refuses to follow conventional veterinary advice.  He is Spike, and he will jump and run and have fun because he wants to and because he can.

Every day we question whether he should run or not, we worry about his well-being and the deterioration within his joints.  He sticks his two little toes up at us and tells us he will run.  He is Spike and he knows best about what he wants.

Manga Spike

He has very large ears and a rather unusual shape of head. His lower jaw protrudes in the way that a bull dogs does and his teeth have big spaces between them.  His paws are massive and when not running he stands on tip toes to ease the pressure on his elbows.  He also stands on three legs, not happy to fully weight bear on the hind leg that was operated on.  Fully recovered from the TPLO surgery it is degrading HD and subluxation in his left hip joint that causes him discomfort.

Spike shouts at things he finds exciting: a bird high above; a cow that nonchalantly chews the cud; water from a hosepipe; an off lead dog to the side of the path.  To him these things are all fun and he wants everyone to know.  To us he is being naughty and we feel the need to apologise to fellow villagers for his rude behaviour.  He is Spike and he is expressing his feelings to anyone that will listen!

He refuses to come to us when we call.  Why should he, his approach to life is far more exciting than ours.  We try to stop him having fun.  He is Spike and he will do whatever he wants because life is all about having fun.   

He does not want to eat venison, lamb or game.  He would much prefer to eat bananas, cottage cheese, porridge and potato.  He is Spike and mush apparently is best!

He is obsessed with horses, I understand that one, but I would rather kiss their noses rather than nip them!

He has the most amazing blue eyes and they are a doorway into his mood.  When he is happy his eyes shine and he smiles, when he is sad or in pain they darken.  He has a fabulous cheeky little grin, which is best demonstrated when he is intentionally trying to evoke a reaction from me! His biggest smiles can be seen when he runs alongside our Siberian Huskies, when he is truly part of the team.

Spike is a very sweet natured dog, but he does have very strong survival instincts.  When I and Ian are with him he never shows any aggression, he knows and trusts us to protect or help him.  The last two times we had to leave him at a veterinary surgery he turned into a furry velociraptor.  One time his special Vet friend helped him and the other time he had to be heavily sedated before he could be safely handled. 

Spike also has many quirky ways. He will stop on a path if vegetation has overgrown or a twig has fallen on it.  He waits for us to move the obstruction or follow us if we walk though or over.  If he sees a cat on a drive one day, from that point forth he is absolutely convinced that it will be there every time.  He throws strops when you ask him to walk away from the cows or the pigs before he is ready to say goodbye.  He finds it hard to adapt if we move items in the house or change something and shows visible evidence of stress. 

Spike running in the team

Spike is very special in so many ways.   I don’t know what and who made him, but I don’t need to understand how special he is.  As I type this I acknowledge that Spike has just broken one of our well establishes house rules and now lies on the sofa beside me... 

He stayed for all of one minute before the boss dog of the house reminded him of house rules.  Spike may well be Spike but when it comes to talking dog he understands and respects the other dogs in the house.  The boss dog of the house is his hero and thankfully his hero knows this and chooses to helps us humans by reinforcing the rules in the way he best understands.

So how did I respond to the person that asked me the question that provoked a thousand thoughts?  I smiled and said....

“His name is Spike and he is our very special husky”. 

(all images taken by Ian J Berry and me)

The Welsh Beer Mile

The concept of a Beer Mile is pretty straightforward.  Drink beer and run one mile as fast as you can.  If you fall over or “lose your load” you are penalised, well strictly speaking the falling over part will be a self-induced penalty, while “losing” beer means that you need to drink another as the clock ticks.

If you enjoy beer and running, what’s not to like?  Having now run my own Beer Mile, I can answer that one quite bluntly….  All of it!  But it is an experience like no other…

There are rules for running an official Beer Mile.  It should be run over a measured distance and four beers must be consumed: at the start; the quarter mile point, half mile point and finally the three-quarter mile point.  All your Beer Mile questions can be answered here.

The male Beer Mile world record is 4:57 and the female equivalent is 6:17.  Not sure if there is a dog assisted record and if there is, would the dogs have to drink beer too?

I have wanted to try a Beer Mile for a while and a family visit to North Wales for fun, beer and inspirational speed training sessions on the beach provided the perfect opportunity for my first ever attempt.

With the help of our friends at Gallt-y-Glyn we headed to Dinas (near Caernarfon) with beer, glasses and a determination to give it a go…

We arrived at our destination at high tide, which was a blessing in disguise as my recent running with dog on beaches pace has been around 4:30 minute mile pace and run with such effort that I feel sick without the inclusion of beer!  So a makeshift route was soon created.  It consisted of four laps on grass and track on the sea-side. 

The first beer was easy to drink and the first lap was a jog out accompanied by Kez.  The second beer and next lap were uncomfortable with beer sloshing in my stomach as Kroi tried to convince me to run with more enthusiasm.  By the third beer I was starting to think about giving up beer for life, Kez agreed and we trotted round with me holding my stomach.  The fourth beer was like trying to drink beer while struggling with a hangover, it was awful.  I fought the desire to vomit and tried to concentrate on just getting to the finish.  We turned the last corner and I asked for Kroi’s help, he responded by dragging me through the last 1/8 mile at well under sub5 minute mile pace.  I finished and almost collapsed in a heap.  I normally run ultras for fun and this one mile challenge nearly destroyed me!

My time for the full mile, including the drinking of beer was 7:14, with over a minute of standing around time.  Would I do it again?  On the day my answer was a very blunt NO.  But upon reflection and consideration of perhaps drinking my most favourite beer, I may well have another go.

Thank you Russ and Heidi at Gallt-y-Glyn for your help; Ian for the never ending support and amazing photos; Linda, Ruska, Lewis and Cameron for their tolerance; and big shout out to my very special running team of the Siberian Husky brothers, Kez and Kroi.

Spike: Looking back on life so far....

Looking back....

Two years ago I made a very important decision.  I wanted to make amends for something that lives with me every day and will never go away.

His name was Kobi and for 18 wonderful months I lived the dream.  A dog so traumatised by abuse and torture, he had given up on life when he came to live with us.  I wanted to save him and show him happiness and for a brief moment in time I did that.  I showed him love and trust and he repaid me by loving and trusting me in return.  But he could love and trust no other being, human or dog and ultimately the abuse and damage that he endured as a puppy was too much for him to bear.  In April 2012 I held Kobi in my arms as he fell asleep for the last time.

After Kobi left us we fostered various dogs and helped them on their journey of life.  Each time it got harder as we became attached to every dog that shared our life.  We decided to stop being a foster home for Siberian Huskies.

And then, in March 2013, I learned of the plight of a husky puppy that had been severely mistreated and was in need of a foster home.  He had been abandoned at Brentwood railway station very underweight and infested with mange.   A wonderful man and his family found him early one morning and after tempting him with baby food they were able to catch him.  They certainly saved his life that day as he appeared to be on a mission to run onto the railway tracks.  This family knew of a lady in the area that owned huskies and asked for her help to look after the pup.  This lovely lady took him into her home and for two weeks showed him love, fed him well and treated his mange.   This lovely lady worked in a pub and the puppy met many of her friends that worked with her.  They all fell in love with this poorly little pup.   Sadly she could not keep the puppy, now called Blue and she asked for the help of her dear friend involved with Siberian Husky rescue.  Her friend agreed without hesitation.

Little Boy Blue

When I learned that a baby puppy, possibly 3-4 months old needed a temporary foster home, my “no more foster dogs” became a “one last time” and “it will only be for a few months Ian”. ...

And so in April 2013 Blue came to live with us.  We expected a very cute and fluffy 3 month old puppy.  The reality was that the pup was between 6-9 months old but in such poor condition and severely malnourished that he was the size and weight of a 3 month old pup.  He was not cute and I am ashamed to say that I immediately thought that he looked more like an evil Gremlin (from the movie of the same name) than a husky pup.  He had huge ears, a strange shaped head, big front arms and a very frail back end.  His tail had virtually no fur on it and the rest of his body not much more.  The mange infestation was gone, but his skin was still very red and itchy. 

However, I was blown away by the pup’s smile and attitude.  He just looked at us and smiled in a way I had never seen before on a dog.  Some people walked past as we took him from the van to the garden and this pup smiled and leapt forward to try and say hello to them as well.  This little dog loved people even though he had clearly been abused by them in his short life.  His frail body struggled to carry him, but he was so full of determination.  Both Ian and I both believed then that there was something a bit special about this pup. 

Spike with his hero

As his foster home, this pup would only be with us temporarily, just until he was fit and well enough to be adopted and given a home for life.  We initially referred to him as Little Boy Blue and then decided he fitted the name Spike rather well. 

Over the spring and early summer of 2013 we helped Spike gain good weight and condition.  His hind legs took a very long time to strengthen and he would fall over easily, but it never bothered him he just jumped up and continued with whatever he had been doing.  It took many months before Spike even had the strength to shake properly.  He would try to and then fall over.  We feared that he might have a neurological problem, but thankfully that was ruled out.

Our pack of Siberian Huskies taught him all about pack life and Kez taught him the rules of the house.   It was clear from very early on that Spike idolised our pack leader, something that Kroi was remarkably calm and tolerant about.

After a few months of good food, gentle exercise and love, Spike turned into a beautiful swan and it was time for him to find a permanent home.  There were many offers for this special little dude and in the summer of 2013 Spike was adopted by a family chosen for him by the welfare organisation.

36 hours later Spike was back with us, deemed “too bouncy” by his new young family.

We agreed to foster him again without hesitation, committed to our vow to find him a wonderful loving family of his own.

But then it all changed…

Becoming more concerned about his hind movement, we had his hips x-rayed and it was confirmed that he had hip dysplasia.  Not good news, but with the correct care and exercise it could hopefully be managed well.  We were referred to Top Dog Hydrotherapy (Andover, Hampshire) and Spike was soon having regular hydro sessions (running on a treadmill in a water tank).  This form of exercise, combined with gentle running with me, resulted in a great improvement in his movement and soon we were once again looking for that special home for him.

And then it all changed.  One day while out running with him he suddenly stopped dead and for a split second I feared that his hips had “gone”.  But after the initial panic was over I was able to confirm that it was his front right leg that was causing him great pain.

It was confirmed in December 2013 by Fitzpatrick Referrals that Spike had Elbow Dysplasia (ED) there were several surgical options available, depending on where his ED fell on the spectrum – best case a tidy up within the joint, worst case total elbow replacement.  We agreed to adopt Spike, come what may.

The full details are contained here, but in January 2014 Spike returned to Fitzpatrick Referrals and the full extent of his condition was confirmed.  To have both elbows replaced was not possible on ethical and financial grounds.  We were forewarned that Spike may only live another 6-9 months.

We made a vow to ensure that Spike had the best ever “rest of his life”, however long that may be. I remember saying even if he wants beer, he can have beer. But maybe that was one step too far!

So we knew Spike would be with us for the rest of his life. We enjoyed figuring out what he enjoyed, how much he could run and how to balance his running, rest, hydrotherapy, swimming, acupuncture and laser therapy. This little guy lives the life of an elite athlete! He got stronger, his short runs with his husky house mates bonded him with them.

Then he faced his next major setback in September 2014. On a short walk in the village he ruptured his cruciate ligament. Now only able to use three-legs Spike didn’t seem to care. While we winced at his hobbling, to be honest there was little that Spike didn’t try and do, even with only 75% of his legs available! Of course the leg needed to be fixed and he had to endure major surgery and 3 months of very little exercise, during which time he lost a lot of weight and became very depressed.  We came close to losing him.

Leading the way at Brentwood parkrun

At the start of 2015 we had to start all over again, teaching Spike how to walk, then to jog and then to run.  Combined with our training plans and his medical treatments we made it work.

And now, 15 months since the dreaded news, Spike is still here, happy bouncy and running.  He has regular hydro sessions at Top Dog Hydrotherapy and laser treatment by Shelley Doxley.  He runs short distances every other day, he needs lot of rest afterwards, but he is absolutely determined to run and he can run very fast!

He also loves to run with Ian.

Weald Country Park, Brentwood with his pack

Yesterday Spike won a 5k parkrun with Ian, in Brentwood, Spike’s original home and where he nearly died.

And after the run we finally got to meet the person that saved Spike’s life in March 2013.  This person and his family saved Spike from certain death as he tried to run onto the tracks at Brentwood railway station.  Without people like him the world would be a very different place.  Thank you.

Meeting Railway workers at the Station

We took Spike to the railway station where he was found and the pub where he met the lovely lady that helped him before he entered our lives.  It was very interesting seeing how Spike behaved during all those experiences.  He spent a lot of time sniffing and staring at a particular point in the car park.  I can only guess what could have been going through his mind.

Spike’s has many great adventures yet to come, one of which I truly believe will be the most inspirational yet.

With the family that saved his life

I believe Spike can help me achieve a long held dream of running a Sub4 minute mile.  He is getting stronger and quicker each week and last week with Kroi’s help we ran our fastest mile since May 2014.

The only minor inconvenience is that I need surgery on my ankle joint and it will happen in the next month or so.  I have chronic pain in my ankle and surgery to alleviate it is quite invasive and may involve breaking my fibula to get to the damaged section of bone.  I have an awesome surgeon that I trust explicitly and he has already performed 3 operations on this ankle, each one I have bounced back from.   I guess Spike and I are a bit like real life Weebles ;-)

Spike is a very special dog and has many guardian angels that have helped him on his journey of life.  From those that saved him from certain death to those that help pay his medical bills and those that broke the rules in order to help him and those that support him each and every day.  And then there are those that go far and beyond to help his medical and veterinary rehabilitation.  Thank you to each and every one of you, especially North Pole Marathon, we are eternally grateful for your continued help and support.

Let's go catch a dream....

 (Photos courtesy of Ian J Berry, Brentwood parkrun and me)

The Miracle called Spike

Spike's Motto  - "Live life to the full"

We have shared our lives with Spike for nearly two years.   Two years of experiences that I would not wish on my worst enemy, well certainly not the bad bits, but the good bits are worth a lifetime of negatives.

Spike is an entity.  A very special entity that defies medical logic and is determined to prove just how special and inspirational a being can be.  No one ever said that only human beings can be inspirational…..

Since I was 13 years old I have managed chronic pain in my left ankle and as I get older it gets harder to manage.  The negativity sets in and fear takes over.  I don’t like taking drugs, I prefer to manage the pain as best I can, sometimes I can and sometimes I cannot.  Sometimes my mind weakens and I cannot overcome the negativity.  I was doing okay until a couple of years ago, round about the time the entity that we call Spike entered our lives…..

For those that do not know.  Spike has hip and elbow dysplasia.  He has had x-rays, CT scans and been put through every medical examination possible.  We have the factual details and know what we are working with.  He also ruptured his cruciate in September 2014 and had to endure extensive surgery to repair the damage.   My ankle has been operated on 3 times, CT Scanned, MRI and x-rayed and know the facts of my condition.  They are not disputable.  Spike and I don’t have cartilage in our joints.  When we move we click and crunch as bone meets bone.  This is a fact, but sometimes facts don’t matter. 

If you are a logical person that thrives on logic I suggest you read no further.  However if you can throw logic out the window and want to enter a world where the word miracle springs to mind,  then I welcome you to the World that Spike lives in.  A world that we try to control as we want to protect him, but truly he is the one in control….

Every day Spike wakes up and wants to run.  He is a Husky and running is in his blood, it pulses through his veins.  We are his human protectors and we know that if he runs every day then he will suffer.   I wake up every day and want to run, I make the decision as to whether I do or not.

Both Spike and I have adapted our bodies to assist our desires.  Muscle development in the affected limbs helps protect and reduce the impact on the joints.  We walk and run “weird”, but it works for us.  We both hobble when walking, but when we run you would never know that anything was wrong.

We have reached a compromise that Spike appears to accept.  He is allowed to run every other day, which not surprisingly he loves!  The non-running days are a bit of a problem and normally Ian has to manage Spike’s enthusiasm on those days while I disappear into the darkness with our other Siberian Huskies.

On the days that Spike runs, life becomes easier for us – he sleeps for the rest of the day!!  On the days he does not run our poor garden suffers.  He is currently trying to create a Hobbit size hole in one of our gardens, well either that or a tunnel to Australia….

Running with his favourite human

We are trying to build up Spike’s running slowly, but at the same time run at the pace he wants to.  Since December his pace has gradually improved from 8 minute miles to 4:50 minute miles.  He cannot run for a great length of time, and in that respect we differ greatly.  I prefer distance over speed and struggle with motivation to maintain effort over a short distance.  However I have a long held dream to run very quickly for one mile and that is where Spike and my paths collide…..

I need his help to run a Sub4 minute mile.  We have two Siberian Huskies that are easily capable of running 4 minute mile pace for a long period of time, but I am not physically capable of prolonged running at that speed.  When I tire they ease back and let me run at a pace I am comfortable, they are my doggy protectors.  However, Spike on the other hand is not so considerate!  When he runs he wants to run quickly and with reckless abandonment.  He wants to get “there” before everyone…. 

Spike has been solo training and running with Kez since his TPLO operation.  Spike runs a lot with Ian and that partnership works very well.  We are being very cautious with his post recovery training and have so far not allowed him to run with Kroi.  Kroi is a speed demon and when he runs with Spike testosterone generally fuels the run.  They are male dogs of similar age, so not surprising that they are competitive with one another!   

Spike continues to have regular hydrotherapy sessions to help his fitness and muscle development.  He also has laser therapy treatment and is assessed by a vet on a regular basis.  He is not on any regular pain medication and is physically in the best shape he has ever been in.  He also regularly digs very deep holes in our garden, which is quite a feat when you consider the condition of his elbow joints!

Spike is indeed a very special little dog that continues to defy medical and scientific logic.  He is our little miracle….

(Images thanks to Ian J Berry, well apart from one :-) )