Hi runner,
Been in your shoes! I had simultaneous bilateral THR at age 53 on May 28, 2005. I was a runner. I had only started running at age 50, and my hips were bad long before that, but I soon became addicted to running. My new DH and I ran together and it was a huge part of our life together. But it got harder and harder to handle the pain, especially after long runs which I loved the most. Shortly after doing a 1/2, while training for a full marathon, I just had to stop running. It was crushing. I was able to continue many of our cross training activites so I was able to stay in good shape.
The third OS I went to was the one that I finally had complete faith in. He spent a lot of time with us to see just what I wanted from my new hips. while he wasn't thrilled that I wished to continue running, he did not forbid it and chose the type prothesis he felt would work best for a high level of activity.
Thanks to the great skill of my OS, my good physical condition and a very supportive hubby, I broke all kinds of recovery records. I was home in 2 days (a hospital record for bilateral), forgetting to use my crutches within 4 days, and back to many activities within a few months. Before the summer was out, I was rollerblading, hiking/climbing, horseback riding, kayaking, weight training, biking and even some short runs on very cushioned surfaces. The winter brought x/c and downhill skiing. It was glorious to be able to do everything again without the grinding pain!
A good friend/neighbor of ours who is a wicked avid runner (does well at Boston) just had one hip replaced last month. He is planning on returning to running.
There use to be a message board on The Running Network of runners with THR, but it got shut down due to spam. I met Marilyn there, who may pop up here too. She is doing tris and just ran a 1/2!
Today, just shy of 2 yrs post op, I can only say how much I love my new hips and the new lease on life they have given me. I am now a competitive rider (hunter/jumper and eventing), starting to race masters mountain bike as well as all the rest of the things we love to do. I have to say, I no longer consider myself a runner. I do miss it, but the horse has filled the gap. I will do hill repeats, and short runs, all on soft surfaces with very cushioned shoes. I realize that I may be shortening the life span of my hips and am willing to accept that risk. On the other hand, my surgeon is tickled that I have such strong muscles that are doing a great job of protecting my hips. He feels I have practically no chance of dislocation and has lifted all restrictions. To me, I did not have this surgery to sit on a couch to make them last longer, I had it to get my life back.
If you would like to email me, I would be happy to chat more with you. Where are you located? What type of replacement, surgery are you having? Best of luck to you.
Andrea