Ottobock Live and Becoming a Speed Demon :)

I was told about an Ottobock presentation going on downtown, and decided to check it out.  Ottobock makes the C-leg I wear for walking, a microprocessor knee which uses a computer chip programmed for the exact stride I would like.  I definitely had no idea that i would be one of a few amputees in attendance.  The event was filled with mostly prosthetists and prosthetic students who wanted to learn about the latest technology.  Luckily I found a few people I had met at the Running Clinic.  It's kind of cool showing up at events and knowing a few people.  having only lived here a year, it's not often that this happens to me, and it is really awesome to see how one opportunity opens so many other doors. :)

My dad and I have been battling my insurance company a while regarding coverage for prosthetics, and currently I have pretty limited coverage.  After the presentation I spoke with several of the reps regarding insurance coverage and the best ways to work my way through the system.  I was nervous to talk to any of the reps about my new quest to run, since I use their competitors running blade :) Sorry Ottobock, but Ossur has the best blades on the market. By the end of the night, I had a handful of business cards, a sparkly Ottobock pen (score. :P), an opportunity to be a part of a study regarding new microprocessor knees, and even an offer for a coffee date with a prosthetic student, which I politely declined :)  It was a little overwhelming, but definitely great networking practice for me.

I also had an appointment with Dave, the prosthetist who started the Blade Runner Club.  Getting to his office was a little tricky, but I managed.  When I arrived he paged the receptionist to "Send her back to join the party!"  I went back and watched another patient, around my age taking his first steps on a C-leg.  I spoke with him and his dad for a while, explaining the difference between a few of the knees and about some of the opportunities around Chicago.  Dave told me to come back to the workshop area to meet everyone which was pretty cool.

Dave and Melissa watched me run, and made some adjustments.  he shortened the leg a little, so that the blade would catch less while swinging it around (basically... I had been "stubbed my toe" as I swung around every so often, causing me to stumble a little.  He shortened it so that I had more clearance between the blade and the ground when swinging it around).  He also decided yet again I needed it to be "more aggressive" and faster.  He watched me run again and then asked me to try something different.  He told me to look straight ahead, focus on the exit sign, and run full speed as fast as I could towards it.  I wasn't really expecting a huge difference.  I was sure I had been going at about the top speed I was capable of.  I tried it anyways.  Holy cow. I was running so hard and fast that I felt the rush of air past my ears (and we were inside).  He seemed pretty content with his adjustments, and told me to go home and run on it for a few weeks.  I found an empty parking lot on my run later that night with a beautiful smooth surface and decided to give it a try.  Sprinting is by far the most fun I've had running, but it definitely drains my energy pretty quickly... Something to work on :) I found a great little track downtown, as well as an awesome indoor pool to swim laps to help with building muscle tone and breathing stamina.  :) I have about a month before my first 5K.  The training has officially begun...