I Survived

Thank goodness for good friends. And indulgent friends.  And friends who hit you upside the head when you need it and friends who totally GET it.  

At 7:30 this morning, I picked up a friend for a hike and bless her heart, she didn't run the other way when greeted with "I'm supposed to be 30 minutes into my first marathon right now" when she innocently enough asked how I was.  And then again at 10:20 when we were on our way home and I reminded her I was supposed to be on the downhill side of the marathon right now -- and I would have known by then how bad it was hurting and probably a bit of an estimate on my time.  

She just let me go on.  

And then I skyped with another friend early in the afternoon who had the nerve to also ask how I was so I had to respond "I'd be happier if I was a marathoner right now!".  He was less indulgent (which was fine, honestly) and said 'you'll get your marathon."  Blah blah blah.  Duh.  Of course he's right.  But I picked this one last October damnit and it was supposed to be mine.  I wasn't letting go easily.  Or happily.

But the award for the one who got it the most goes to XL MIC who pops into my gchat at just the right moment with a "man it is rough today, how are you doing?"  So I could just let loose with someone who understood.  And not only understood, she was feeling the same since this was to be her re-entry to marathoning after a long absence.  So we boo hoo'd a bit and made plans for the SF Half, an invalid training plan and danced around CIM.  We'll get it done this time.  I'm sort of insisting at this point. 

In other, less grumpy news, I hiked 6 miles today and ran 5 miles last week.  Oh how it both pains me and excites me to type that.  But we'll concentrate on the excites me.  

I was having such ankle pain -- the doc said I was probably compensating and I figured I was but I couldn't figure out how to make it go away.  I tried wrapping my ankle which seemed to work but the second I took it off, the pain would come back so I figured I had to somehow make my foot not hurt so I'd stop walking weird (this wasn't conscious -- because really the foot pain is minimal) so I hit upon wrapping my foot and that seemed to work.  I don't think it is a long term solution because effectively it elevates my right foot having the mid section wrapped -- but it seemed to make my foot happy and my ankle even happier.  So doing that for a few days now has taken the ankle pain to nothing so now I'm left with some weird foot pain in the arch of my foot towards my heel -- I don't think that is stress fracture pain -- because really it has been almost 12 weeks -- but I'm watching it.  The runs last week and the hike today left my foot tired but not in pain, if that makes sense.  

I'm kind of renewed now with the fitness stuff.  I've managed a pathetic baseline so this week I'll ramp it up -- not a lot of running -- but definitely enough to keep me motivated with the other stuff. 

So the week ends positive.  I'm excited to read all the Eugene recaps -- because it seemed like everyone and their brother was running it today.  So all is good.  

I'd be lying if I said that the email from the Eugene Marathon with final marathon instructions didn't make me a little sad.  I know there will be other races but it still is a huge letdown to have this one pass without me since I decided to do it last October.  And it was going to be my first. 

Ah well.

CIM here I come!

But first, I suppose I'd best start running.  

After a fairly successful last Thursday, I managed to overdo it on Friday (maybe a smidgen of dancing was involved!) and thus I just did spin on Saturday and didn't even try to run.  Then on Sunday, I went for a 6 mile hike -- again instead of running.  Today my foot feels pretty good so if I get out of here early enough I think I'll go over to the track and try another two miles.  

Baby steps.  Literally.  HA.  

Thankful Thursday

So I ran today.  I gave up on the fact that I'd wake up one morning pain free.  My foot feels fine, but my ankle is still sore -- it is the weirdest thing but I just got fed up waiting so I put on an ankle support (from the drugstore) and went to the track. 

I just couldn't do one more Thursday spin class, I just couldn't.  The instructor is so pleasant and in non spinning life, I'm sure I'd like her a ton.  But I just don't like her classes.  I've learned there is definitely an art to matching the music to the workout and bless her heart, she doesn't have it.  She plays music (that I mostly actually like) that has a constant beat -- no ups and downs.  But we are supposed to ride faster and slower with no system, no pattern, no music, no nothing.  That is so difficult for me -- my body naturally wants to just match the music.

So I ran.  

I gave up on the fact that I'd wake up one morning pain free.  My foot feels fine, but my ankle is still sore -- it is the weirdest thing but last week the doctor said there wasn't anything wrong with it and possibly I was just compensating.  Since I was fed up waiting for my entirely pain free morning, I put on an ankle support thingie (from the drugstore) and went to the track.

Two miles.  That was it.  I thought I'd bust out 3 miles but I also told myself I'd stop when I felt it in my foot -- and that was at the two mile mark.  Up until then, my ankle noticed I was running by my foot felt fine -- I just took it nice and slow.  But right around the two mile mark my foot started feeling so tired -- just tired.  So I stopped and walked home with a smile on my face.  

I'm going to do it again on Saturday.  Wish me luck.  

 

9 Weeks

I got in for a visit with the doctor today and I do like him.  He didn't have particularly good news but he did understand my frustration and has a great sense of humor.  Plus I also learned a few more things about what was going on with my foot.  

First off, it is a lateral metatarsal stress fracture.  When I do the quick and dirty google search, that is the fifth metatarsal which totally makes sense and completely explains where my pain was. I was missing this before.  (oh and now the information I have to read later on tonight!).  He did note that even though it has been almost 9 weeks, it isn't uncommon for the fracture to take 12 or more weeks to heal -- which is sad really.  And I have to think these old bones might even take longer (web sites said 6 to 8 weeks drat it all).    A few things to note (and it is easier to do it bullet style as I can't remember the sequence of the conversation):

• My ankle is fine.  It's been hurting but he thinks it is just because I've been compensating.  So if an ankle brace helps, great but there was nothing loose, strained or otherwise going on in there.  
• He said he could put me in a boot if I wanted.  But he thought it would be an unnecessary inconvenience and not really help at all
• He was fine with me wearing heels -- when I told him my foot didn't hurt at all in heels he then went on to explain that is because that changes my weight to the ball of my foot -- so I've actually been doing the right thing by heels. Who knew (I don't wear super high shoes -- but I've always got heels on when I'm not in running shoes).  
• I told him I was going crazy -- and he totally understood.  He laughed when I told him about my No Run = Cranky + Moody t-shirt and suggested that I add on the back:  Endorphin Deprived.
• He also said he's thought many times that he needs to provide support services (of the mental kind) to get us crazy runners through these injuries.  He then went on to tell me about a another woman he is treating with a hip stress fracture and how frustrated she was.  I told him if I ever get a hip stress fracture to just shoot me -- I probably couldn't handle it to which he said that he'd just buy me more t-shirts.  HA!  He said there were plenty of things we could come up with to put on them.  
• But -- this is all common -- from the injury to my reaction (which I was full aware of).  He said it is funny how the people who sit around all the time and could handle this sitting part were the ones who never got the injuries.  But the active folks get them and then fall apart.
• He did tell me to do whatever I wanted as long as there was no pain -- so I mentioned spin and he said that he bets I like spin now more than I ever wanted too!!  He totally got it and I loved that about him.    
• When I do start running -- I'm just to make sure that any soreness goes away in 24 hours.  So run to that point. 
• I go back in 4 weeks.  

So all in all -- business as usual.  I just need to calm down.  

I signed up for a race June 16th -- a 5 miler.  Apparently I'm living on the edge and like potentially throwing money away.  

Happy Monday!

8 Weeks

A quick little update as I approach the 8 week mark of no running.  I'm still not better.

Ah well.

I keep hoping I'll wake up one day and be all healed.  But alas, nope.  Doesn't appear that is going to happen.

On the positive side, my foot is getting better.  Just not fast enough.  But now it hurts more in the ankle so I suppose I really need to get back to the doc to figure out why.

Also, I've finally embraced spin.  Don't love it but am finally getting the hang of it enough that I was even able to go into that zone out place that I can go while running.  That was lovely.  The Saturday instructor is my favorite -- she can pull together a great work out.

The new job is going well -- but I'm still recovering from the old one.  Don't mean to be dramatic and honestly I had no idea how much of a toll the old job had taken on me but boy had it.  Yikes.  This new one is still a bit stressful -- but only because I'm new.  The place is so much better -- so once I get over being new, I anticipate it will be very good.  They also have a group run scheduled on April 17th -- now how cool is that?  Surely I'll be able to pull off 3 miles in two weeks.  Keep your fingers crossed for me.

I'm not even going to Eugene -- no sense in it at this point.  I can't imagine even running a half in 3 weeks since I'm not running now.  They unfortunately don't defer entries so I'm out the fee as well as my airline ticket.  Goodness.

Anyway, that's it -- must get back to work.