New Knees and an Ultrarunning Again

It has been a very long time since I have written anything on this blog about my running. For the past seven years I have been busy researching, writing, and podcasting about ultrarunning history. I continue to put on my race each year, in its 21^st year, the Pony Express Trail 50 and 100.

My personal ultrarunning has been an adventure. In 2018, my nearly bone-on-bone knees began severely affecting my running. Things got progressively worse, as can be seen in the times for my 100-milers after 2018. My finishes at Across the Years at the end of 2021 and Grandmaster 100 in early 2022 were so painful, I finally was convinced that my 100-mile career was over with 108 100-mile finishes.

I took up long-distance cycling, which produced no pain, and routinely went on bike rides of 100 miles for fun. I successfully fast-packed the Uinta Highline Trail with a very light pack, but it still was very painful.

My orthopedic surgeon, who had performed knee scopes on both knees in past years, was retired, so I went to a new one. He took x-rays, and immediately said that I was a firm candidate for knee replacements and referred me to the expert in my county. I went to him, and he suggested that I first try injections to try to cushion things. I didn’t really notice a difference. I continued to run some, but just a three-mile run would be terribly discouraging because of the bone pain. Running was no longer fun.

As I helped at an aid station at the Wasatch 100, a running friend came through and he asked why I wasn’t running. He then pointed to the scar on his knee. His knee had been replaced a couple of years earlier. I was shocked! I had him explain what he had gone through to run ultras again. That got my attention.

I eventually was convinced to take the plunge and get my knees replaced. In February 2023, my right knee was replaced, the one with the most pain. The left was replaced two months later, which the doctor said was in worse condition. He said he was shocked at what I was able to do on those worn-out knees. In July 2023, my right knee wasn’t healing right. I couldn’t walk downstairs without severe pain. Back in September 2022, I had experienced a bad bike accident, with a cut and bruise deep on one of my quads near the knee which produced terrible scarring. He performed arthroscopic surgery in July 2023 and trimmed away the scar tissue. Problem solved (mostly).

The recovery from the knee replacements was long, hard, and very discouraging. At times it felt like I was dying, headed to be an old physically disabled man. The nerve damage was significant. Tendon tightness behind the knees caused numb feet, and still does. I developed neuropathy. Sleeping was difficult for several months. I felt best up on my feet, so I would wake up and put together puzzles. I put together more 1,000-piece puzzles than I can count. Then I compiled years of my ultrarunning history writings into books.

For the first year, I thought I made the worst decision of my life. But I worked hard. I never experienced much muscle atrophy because before the surgeries, I got the legs in very good shape, and afterwards worked hard to recover the muscle strength. I bought a recumbent exercise bike that helped. I did lots of stairs. I went to a physical therapist for a couple months.

I quickly could bike, and again could go on rides up to 100 miles. I tried to do some running, but it was so slow and I could only tolerate a few miles. I no longer felt the terrible bone pain, but it was very uncomfortable, and not enjoyable.

But I didn’t give up. A year had passed, and things improved. I tried skiing with some friends during the spring of 2024. I had not really gone skiing for about 20 years, since I took up running. The first day was terrifying, but I did it. I went again a couple of days later, and was surprised at how well I did.  Before the spring skiing season was over, I went 17 times, could even ski some mild moguls, and felt like I was nearly as good as I was in college days.

So, I tried running again and did regular 3-mile runs. My times continued to lower and I enjoyed it more. On July 4, 2024, I tested things out by running a 5K. I finished in a surprising 28 minutes. Not bad for a 65-year-old with new knees. I also went on a tough four-day 50-mile backpack with my buddies and then did a solo 50-mile fastpack on the Uinta Highline Trail.

On July 24, 2024, I tried to run a marathon. My PR was at Boston in 2010, with 3:23, at age 51. Well, I finished in a slow 5:40. It was somewhat discouraging, but still, I finished. But I felt no soreness the next day. A couple weeks later, I ran another marathon and my time improved a little. Then I ran a flat 13-hour ultra on the Salt Flats and covered 40 miles with no problems. I was on my way back. I even mountain biked the White Rim Trail, nearly 100 miles, with friends, in two and a half days. I had not mountain biked in 40 years, but it came back fast.

To make this long story short, on my new knees, during the past four months, I have finished seven marathons or ultras, and capped it off this week by running 100 miles on the treadmill in 20:33. Four days later, my legs are ready to run and ski again, no soreness. I’ve already skied three times this season.

It really took me nearly 18 months to believe that knee replacements were the right thing to do. That was a rough year and a half. My knees still are not comfortable, but I don’t have the terrible pain anymore. Because of the nerve damage, they feel like I am wearing knee braces. I mostly have gotten used to that.

But nearly all doctors tell you not to run after you get your knees replaced. They warn you that plastic parts that replace the meniscus will wear down in ten years instead of twenty. Why am I doing it? Well, there have been no true studies that show running wears down your replaced knee parts faster than not running. Doctors just have a theory with no academic study, or even examples to point to. They want to protect their work. I believe that a person in excellent shape has the muscle and tendon strength to protect those knees more from jarring wear. There is a good Facebook group, TKR Runners, for runners who hope to run after getting total knee replacements. In that group, I am an outlier, an ultrarunner. People are shocked, but inspired by what I am now doing, less than two years since this journey began. I’m very careful, and now pretty old, so I don’t do crazy, dangerous things.

Best of all, I feel alive again and now doing things that few people who are 66 years old are doing with perfect knees.