My Athletic History

As a kid, I played soccer for several years, but never considered myself particularly athletic. But sometime between late 1999 and early 2000, I began inline skating with a few friends of mine. It was the first and only sport that I felt like I actually enjoyed. With continued practice, I became comfortable doing group skates with my local skate team and was encouraged by how physically fit I was becoming. In late 2002, I decided I would begin skating marathons and began training for my first 26.2 miles. Shortly after I increased my training intensity, I began getting cramps in my lower legs. At first, I thought it was lactic acid buildup, lack of potassium and/or lack of sufficient stretching prior to skating. I did everything I could to prevent the cramps, but the cramps never got better and eventually were so bad that after skating for 10 or 15 minutes, I was forced to stop and remove my skates, unable to continue. After one particularly painful skate with a friend which resulted in tears and my inability to skate further, I finally made an appointment with an Orthopedist who specialized in Sports Medicine.