Being that it has been almost two months since I posted last I decided to do a mid-late summer update.
With summer classes, training, and physical therapy (I will get back to that), posting on my blog was something I was planning on getting around and doing, but it just didn't happen....until now. haha
Injuries suck! Yep, I'm injured again for the second time this year. 4th metatarsal stress reaction this time, and we found out why. I wasn't stretching my left calve well so my Achilles tendon got stiff which lead to the increase of pressure on the bones of my foot when I strike the ground eventually causing my stress reaction
I'm on week five of my recovery right now and my foot still just doesn't feel right.
I trained for two weeks on an alter-g treadmill which was amazing.
An alter G treadmill allows you to train while putting less stress on your legs by holding up by your waist using air pressure. You have to put these thick compression shorts over your compression short/tights that you are wearing, step in the treadmill, pull up on the handlebars, lock it in place, and then zip your shorts in. Once that is done the chamber of air fills up with air and the treadmill calibrates itself to your weight which then you can can control how much weight you are running at.
Ex: 75% body weight.
I started at 70% and worked my way up to 95% in two weeks.
I was feeling great, I was running pain free and had maintained my fitness. The therapists then said that I was healthy enough to move to training outdoors. My first week back they wanted me at 60 miles though which is nuts! When coming off of an injury like this you want to very slowly move your way up because of the risk of re-injuring yourself even if you have been feeling good! I decided to do 50 miles and the peachtree road race and that is where my mistake was. Impatient and eager to get back into my training I ran a hard week and since then my foot health has back tracked.
I took 4 days off after the 50 mile week running may be 4 miles combined for that time period.
I went back to my therapists and told them what was happening and they they gave me this patch to put on your foot that somehow through battery power delivers anti-inflammatory medicine to your foot. They said "If your foot still hurts with the patch we know its your bone, if it doesn't hurt then it is safe to continue training." And what do you know, my foot stopped hurting. I was so excited that I continued training into what is this week. Using Voltaren gel and Aleve I was able to keep the inflammation down and be pain free all day. I have now ran 7 days in a row hitting 50 miles (which is 20 less than what I should be doing on my training schedule) and my foot is starting to feel tender again. Even with Aleve and the gel I woke up in this morning and something just didn't feel right. I called my therapist today and he said that I should continue training until my bone scan which is on July the 29th as long as the pain isn't sharp. I am in a tough situation right now.
With the time trail the week I move back to school on August 10th this means that I could take time off and be healthy in a week leaving me 3 weeks to gain back my fitness and maybe improve a little, or continue training until my bone scan risking, but risk getting injured and being out for the trial.
Frustrated is an understatement of how I feel right now. I have the heart of a Champion, the desire to push and train my body, but have set back again from something that could have been prevented. I went into the summer in an amazing position to succeed and now that opportunity seems to be fading away. 50 miles a week felt like nothing at the beginning of summer and I was more than ready to move up to the 60s, 70s, and complete the workouts as well, but injury hit me again. ALL BECAUSE I WASN'T STRETCHING WELL.
I already know I'm not running today: I was going to take today off regardless, but I need to think about what is best for me right now. Taking some more time off, or just grinding through the training and seeing what happens in a week and a half.
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