It has been quite a while since I have run the US snowshoe nationals. With the championship being held in NH in 2027 and with the Raffio's putting the race on, I could not miss it.
I've raced a bunch of times at Canterbury Shaker Village including snowshoe racing, so this will be close to a "home course".
Well, there were moments this week where I almost felt "okay". BOTH of my knees were growling at me by the end of the week and my foot/ankle (arthritis) was also making a statement. I'll get the MRI results on Monday but have a pretty good idea of what is coming. Making the best of it while I can.
Week - 75
Month - 259
Year - 3,081
Life - 170,081
This is a fascinating account of how FinishLynx was created. An interview with my long-time friend Doug Deangelis at the Smithsonian. I've known Doug for nearly 40 years and never really heard the full story of FinishLynx.
 |
| 2021 Jim Angell, Me, Doug |
 |
| 1994 advertisement for FinishLynx color camera |
 |
| Doug wanted some colorful singlets so I loaned out some of mine. I'm in front, Dave Cremin, Eric Beauchesne, and Art Demers. |
I got the MRI findings for my left knee which has been terrible since racing the 5 mile last month. I’ll be seeing my ortho on Monday to go over this and figure out what is next. I’ve been running and so far it hasn’t gotten worse and maybe even a little better after the Medrol dose pack and the topical anti-inflammatory drugs. It feels okay while biking and maybe even a bit better post-ride (blood flow with no impact may be the reason for that). Findings in RED and then results from Google on what it means.
FINDINGS:
Medial compartment diffuse high-grade (predominantly) chondromalacia.
Medial compartment: The inner side of your knee where your thigh bone meets your shin bone.
Diffuse: The damage covers a wide area rather than a single isolated spot.
High-grade: Advanced damage (typically Grade 3 or 4), meaning deep fissuring or near-complete loss of cartilage down to the underlying bone.
Chondromalacia: The softening, breakdown, or deterioration of joint cartilage
Medial tibial rim microfracture with rim edema.
Medial Tibial Rim: The inner edge of the top of the shinbone (tibia) where the knee bears much of your body's weight.
Microfracture (or Subchondral Insufficiency Fracture): A tiny, stress-type fracture just beneath the smooth joint cartilage, often caused by repetitive pressure, minor trauma, or underlying joint wear.
Rim Edema: Swelling and fluid buildup in the bone tissue right around the fracture line, indicating a recent or actively healing injury.
Thin medial meniscal tear primarily affecting the outer margin, along the capsular attachment, sparing the free edge. May require probing at arthroscopy to appreciate.
Outer Margin / Capsular Attachment: The meniscus is a C-shaped piece of cartilage that acts as a shock absorber in the knee. The outer margin is the part anchored directly to the knee joint capsule. This area has an excellent blood supply compared to the rest of the meniscus, giving it a high potential to heal if properly stabilized.
Sparing the Free Edge: The "free edge" is the thin, inner rim of the meniscus that extends into the center of the joint. Because this inner edge is perfectly intact (spared), the main body of the meniscus still looks normal from the inside of the joint.
May require probing to appreciate: Because the tear is hidden far back along the outer wall and the inner edge looks normal, it can easily hide from view during a standard visual inspection. An orthopedic surgeon must use a physical instrument (a small metal probe) to lift, pull, or press on the tissue. Only by manipulating the tissue will the hidden separation along the capsule reveal itself.
About 1 cm. Interval grade 2 (intermediate grade) MCL sprain. No focal retracted component. No lateral meniscal tear. No high-grade chondromalacia lateral compartment.
About 1 cm. Interval grade 2 (intermediate grade) MCL sprain: The MCL is the ligament that runs along the inner side of your knee to keep it from buckling inward. A grade 2 "sprain" means the ligament is partially torn. The "1 cm" and "interval" descriptions outline the specific span or zone of the ligament that has been stretched and damaged.
No focal retracted component: This is excellent news. When a ligament tears completely, the two ends can snap backward like a broken rubber band (retraction). Because there is no retraction, it confirms the ligament is still connected and in continuity, which means it has a high capacity to heal on its own without surgery.
No lateral meniscal tear: The meniscus is the shock-absorbing cartilage wedge in the joint. Your outer (lateral) meniscus is perfectly fine.
No high-grade chondromalacia lateral compartment: Chondromalacia refers to the softening or thinning of the protective cartilage that caps your bones. "No high-grade" means the cartilage on the outer side of your knee joint is healthy and has no severe wear-and-tear.
Patellofemoral high-grade chondromalacia, most notably 4A, trochlear groove. Mild lateral subluxation and tilt. Prepatellar and prepatellar tendon swelling with periostitis at the prepatellar plate. Periretinacular edema. Effusion. Capsulitis.
Patellofemoral high-grade chondromalacia, most notably 4A, trochlear groove: Chondromalacia refers to the softening and breakdown of the cartilage protecting your joint. Grade 4A is the most advanced stage, meaning the protective cartilage has completely worn away in a focal area, leaving the underlying bone exposed ("exposed bone"). This is located in the trochlear groove, which is the bony V-shaped track on your thigh bone where your kneecap sits.
Mild lateral subluxation and tilt: Your kneecap (patella) is not gliding down the center of its track. Instead, it is shifting slightly outward (subluxation) and tilting. This "maltracking" is likely the main cause of the heavy wear on your cartilage, as it unevenly concentrates pressure on one side.
Prepatellar and prepatellar tendon swelling with periostitis at the prepatellar plate: There is significant swelling in the soft tissues and tendon directly in front of your kneecap. Periostitis means the highly sensitive outer lining of the bone (the periosteum) is inflamed, which is a common source of sharp or deep aching pain.
Periretinacular edema: The retinaculum is the band of tissue on either side of your kneecap that helps hold it in place. "Edema" means there is fluid buildup and irritation here, likely because it is being stretched or strained by the kneecap tilting outward.
Effusion: This means you have an excess accumulation of joint fluid inside the knee capsule, usually produced by the body in response to cartilage irritation and friction.
Capsulitis: Inflammation of the fluid-producing capsule that surrounds and seals your entire knee joint.
Quadriceps tendon is intact. Patellar tendon is intact. ACL, PCL, remaining posterolateral corner (fibular collateral ligament, popliteus tendon, conjoined tendon and lateral capsule) and IT band are intact. Remaining muscles are unremarkable. Remaining tendons are unremarkable. No AVN. No large loose body. Neurovascular bundles are unremarkable.
CONCLUSION:
1. Region of fat behind the PCL near the posterior medial meniscal root attachment to the tibia, suspected small lipoma. Less likely an ossified body. Consider x-ray. About 1 cm.
2. Medial compartment diffuse high-grade (predominantly) chondromalacia. Medial tibial rim microfracture with rim edema.
3. Similar very thin medial meniscal tear primarily affecting the outer margin, along the capsular attachment, sparing the free edge. May require probing at arthroscopy to appreciate.
4. Interval grade 2 (intermediate grade) MCL sprain. No focal retracted component.
5. Patellofemoral high-grade chondromalacia, most notably 4A, trochlear groove.
My left knee continues to be quite painful, so I kept to lower mileage. Mixed in more biking and also got checked out by my orthopedic. MRI to follow and follow-up on the 28th with results. I passed 3,000 miles for the year on Sunday and also reached 170,000 miles lifetime. Onward!
Bike – 138.3 miles (8 hours)
Running:
Week – 64
Month – 184
Year – 3,006
Life – 170,006
I broke out my long-sleeve biking shirt in deference to the cooler temps.
Picked up some rocks on the Rockingham rail trail.
Next up was some town high points with Albee. Al was heading back from NY and stopped by camp on Tuesday night. We were up at 5 a.m. and on the road to visit the highest point in a few Vermont towns. I have run in all cities/towns in MA, NH, RI, VT, and CT and now I’m working on visiting the highest point in each town. With about 1,200 in those states, I’ve got plenty of adventures ahead of me. We started the day in light rain near the high point of Isle La Motte. This one was a bit tricky as much of the area is posted “no trespassing”. We did some easy running as we were along the edge of some fields (and even activated a game camera) and wanted to get into the woods as daylight was coming. The woods were very open if we could avoid some old, barbed wire fences. We found the high point and the benchmark (a steel disc mounted on a small concrete post) nearby. We headed out via some carriage roads and found our way past a B&B which probably would have been a safe place to park and enter the woods. Next up were a couple of high points that involved very short hikes (200 meters) zipping in and out of the woods along the property line. At that point we were in Alburgh VT and I had located a rail trail that looked promising. Al was up for a run so we hit the trail for a 4 mile stretch of the legs. The trail was dirt/grass but in good condition. I’d like to go back some time and explore more of it, it appears to be about 4 miles from end to end over the former Rutland-Canadian division/Island Line railroad. Then it was back to bagging as the sun broke out and it got windy. We headed to St Alban City for an interesting climb up a ski slope followed by a trail hike and a short bushwhack. The park was HUGE with trails seemingly everywhere. They also had disc golf on the slopes and in the woods. Our next high point was a change of pace with over 2 miles of “whacking” in a mix of open woods, ferns, and overgrown ATV trails. The 2 mile hike took us a little over an hour and featured a spooky looking hunters shack on the 1,111’ summit. It was getting a bit drizzly as we made our way up the terrible road to a solar farm near the top of St Albans (the town, not the city!). The true high point was within the fence at the FAA facility, so we made our way around the fenceline and did not test the security although near the high point the outer fence had been knocked down by a tree and there wasn’t any signage on the fence. Our final high point was Sheldon which could be easily accessed if the property owner allowed. Al checked in with the owner who was aware that the property sat on the high point and not only allowed us access but also suggested we park higher up on the grassy path he maintained. The hike was an easy 160’ climb over a quarter mile of mostly ATV paths. The woods were strewn with tubing between the trees as it is an active maple sugaring location. In all we visited 7 town high points before Al hit the road and I headed back to a rainy campground. I was glad to have chosen a lean-two or it would have been an extra-soggy trip.
