So I really wanted to title this post My Body Failed Me but I know that it gave me signs and I guess I just needed to hear them better.
I ran 5 miles today and with every step I felt that annoying pain up the outside of my calf and almost behind my knee and even mild pain on the outside of my foot where the tendonitis originated as I crossed the finish line of the NJ Marathon almost 3 months ago. (Seriously….I feel like a broken record and I must be boring y’all with this constant injury mumbo jumbo)
This photo brought to you by the color turquoise and the dog breed Labradoodle
Anyway, I still managed to enjoy the run despite the pain and just started to think about how I got here and how I plan to move forward in the healing process. First thing on the agenda when I return from San Francisco is finding a new primary care doc who specializes in sports medicine =) I’m thinking of adding acupuncture to the mix and perhaps another hiatus from running as well. In September I need to be 100% healthy because I’ve got lots of stuff planned for the fall Including Ragnar Napa and 3 half marathons. I pray that the 4 weeks of August are all I need to banish this tendonitis once and for all.
After the run Duncan and I picked up my friend Lisa for a 3 mile walk down by the beach. Poor Doodle had to ride in the back seat. Not his style. He prefers shot-gun. But he’s a gentleman and let Lisa ride up front =)
apparently there was a sand castle building event the day before….
Oh, and yesterday I officially kicked off my car shopping experience by test driving a couple of vehicles…
Something happened during the process of healing this injury…a whole new perspective.
I think I’ve embraced the journey a bit more this time around. Last time I hurt myself I didn’t seek medical care right away. For 6 months I tried to run through the pain and when I couldn’t I’d skip a week of training. This time I sought treatment right away (and if it wasn’t for the whole medical insurance referral mishap i’d have probably been treated even sooner). I listened to the docs advice initially and refrained from running for 3 solid weeks which is an eternity for me. And then I almost listened to her when she told me to wait another 3+ weeks (only ran 2 times: the Oakley Mini 10k and the Queens 10K and ran them very slow) I’ve made a solid cross-training plan after buying my first adult bike ever, even took this opportunity to be a spectator too. I’m enjoying the physical therapy experience (although this isn’t technically a new perspective because when I went last time I enjoyed it as well) I know that they’ll work on the spots that still cause pain using massage, heat, laser, electro and ultrasound therapy. I know that for the hour or two that I am there, I am actively working on healing and getting stronger.
getting ready for my stability exercises
I’ve grown to enjoy my bike rides and yesterday I even got a new perspective of the Verrazano Bridge.
Verrazano Bridge from the left side instead of the right
There are 2 HUGE hills that you have to climb in order to go under the bridge and see it from the other side. I’ve been chicken to even try going up that hill with the bike and even on foot. But yesterday I felt adventurous and went for it. I put the bike in the lowest gear and tried with all my might to ride up the hill. I admit I had to walk it up a short distance but for the most part I mastered the hills. There were 3 large inclines in total.
Runkeeper even told me it was my highest elevation so far.
The first half of my ride i stopped to take pictures but I finally got in my groove for the last 5. I also pedaled for 20 minutes (3.3 miles) at physical therapy just before I went on this ride.
NYC Skyline in the distance
keep those non-running smiles coming Sally!
It’s hard to tell how long and steep this hill was to climb in the picture but trust me it was long and steep!
I’m also using this time to see a new perspective when it comes to my weight. I admit there were times that I would run 20 miles and then eat with reckless abandon. And I also admit that the anxiety and fear of weight gain since the running hiatus began was fairly high at first. But I’ve settled into a reality of acceptance that I’ve put on a couple of pounds (even with the biking) and that’s ok. I know in a few weeks as I get back into running, I’ll drop a few of these extra lbs. And I’m excited to keep biking (and strength training which I’ve slowly been working on but not sharing with the class because I’m waiting for enough weeks to go by that I can say I’m being consistent) in the program to help prevent future injuries.
With this now, more grounded and centered response to my injury I’m laughing at myself for crying hysterically when I had to bail on those couple of races in May. I mentioned before that I have a friend who’s mom was just diagnosed with ALS. I was being a jerk for pouting, well past the first day anyway. (Always give yourself a solid pity party day).
I ended my day yesterday (I was off from work) with an evening stroll through some trails and along the beach with my shadow…
my shadow
And until I get a new perspective on breakfast I’m off to go have my usual….waffle and coffee.
Have a great weekend everyone!
Tell me one time you can remember getting a whole new perspective on something. And if that’s too deep then just tell me what you had for breakfast today =)
It’s raining yet again here in NYC. Duncan is still less than thrilled.
Yesterday I was able to squeeze in a 30 minute cross-training sweat sesh at the gym on my lunch break.
I hit the rowing machine for 10 minutes and the bike for 20. I pushed myself on the bike with random intervals of intense resistance at slower speeds and less resistance but more speed. I had compression socks and my ankle brace on but paired with capris meaning i was a far cry from a fashion plate. It’s ok though because I was actually feeling mismatched and un-pretty on the inside too. 🙁 Running really has helped my self-esteem in leaps and bounds….without it I’m starting to feel that esteem dissipating.
Saw the foot doc this morning.
Appointment started out great. She pushed in a bunch of spots and asked if I felt pain. Nope. No pain there. None there either. Then she went on to say how lucky I was. And so I thought I was going to get good news….but then she dropped the bomb…
“I recommend no running for the rest of the month. Keep biking. You don’t want a setback. Then come July you can try a mile or two. See how you feel the next day. If you have no discomfort then keep increasing your mileage.”
That sounds reasonable to most I’m sure. I took it better than expected but was already plotting ideas in my head. I then asked her if I had any limits on walking and she said no. I also inquired about going back to PT which helped me so much last time and she agreed. So I’ve got a script and now just waiting on a referral for insurance purposes, but by next week I will at least start getting some massage, ultrasound, strengthening and balance work and hopefully acupuncture too.
So here’s my plan (and this is a decision I’ve made for myself and don’t ever take my advice because i’m nothing but a blogger). I AM going to participate in the two 10ks that I have signed up for, The Oakley Mini 10k this Saturday and The Queens 10k next Sunday). Based on course time limits i’ll need to keep a 14 minute per mile pace so that means I can walk most of the race and just pick up the pace here and there to get me across the finish in time. And I won’t do any other running for the month of June. I’ll continue to build mileage on the bike and shoot for 30-40 miles over the next few weeks (I’m at 21 so far).
That’s as good of a compromise as I am willing to make. =)
As for July. I will ease into a running schedule that will get me back into the swing of things but with only 4 weeks before the San Francisco marathon it looks like I have no choice but to drop back to the half which I am really bummed about. But seriously. My friend’s mom was just diagnosed with ALS. (Lou Gehrig’s Disease). I have no right to complain. Speaking of….Duncan and I will be participating in the Walk to Defeat ALS in support of the ALS foundation on June 21st and have started a little fundraising effort. If you would like to donate here is the link. I have had cancer hit my close circle of friends so much that I never even imagined a second horrible illness would invade. A month or so after my husband passed away I joined a support group for young widows. There was a woman whose husband died from ALS. Her stories were some of the most heart wrenching stories I’ve ever heard. There’s also that amazing husband wife duo of Chris Benyo and Denise DiMarzo who ran the NJ Marathon just 6 days after the Boston Marathon.
That’s them right behind me. So inspiring. Please ignore the heel strike. #fail
I’ve been holding back tears much of the day today. It’s so embarrasing that I get this emotional about not being cleared to run. I am smart enough to know this is only a minor blip in life but I wear my heart on my sleeve and can’t seem to suppress those emotions. I miss it. I really really miss running! My eyes get really green when I cry.
green eyes and ham
I remember the day my hubby came to my office to surprise me with the “good news” that he was officially on disability. To him, that meant a vacation of sorts but when I looked at the paperwork it said “REASON: Stage IV Melanoma. I knew stage IV was the last stage and it hit me in that moment that he might die. I started to cry and he just said “wow, your eyes are so green right now”. He couldn’t “go there”. His denial was probably the coping mechanism that kept him going. I’m rambling now. But hey, why not. It’s my blog and I’ll ramble if I want.
OK, on to funner things….They opened a new Urban Outfitters right across from my office. I took a peek and ended up leaving with this cute iPhone case.
And how great is this?
I just use a timer camera app called Timer Camera (genius name right?) but this would be a cool alternative.
And then I used a gift card that still had money on it from my birthday to get a caramel latte at Dunkin Donuts. MUCH BETTER!
This is officially the longest I’ve been sidelined with an injury. What’s the longest you’ve been sidelined?
Yup, without fail there’s always a new month to begin when one ends. Time doesn’t stop. Life is a continuous journey. There might be some detours or very “slow lane” days but we’re always moving forward at some speed.
I’ve obviously had a detour with my tendonitis forcing me to sweat out the small stuff in a new way. Yesterday I pushed a little further and completed 13 miles for a new PDR (personal distance record) on the bike! (meanwhile I just saw in my Facebook feed that my friend Alex rode his bike 108 miles today. Cray cray!)
personal distance record on a bike.
I’m liking the bike but I really do miss running (21 days running without running!). Hoping that when I go back for my re-check at the foot doctor in 11 days (not that I’m counting or anything) I get cleared to start back again. In the meantime I’ll continue with the detour and look forward to cycling maybe once a week in addition to running once i’m healed =) Yesterday’s ride was really lovely. Some pretty pink flowers have bloomed literally overnight and they match my bike so well! And the sky was filled with puffy white clouds. I swear I can stare at clouds and see cartoon characters just waiting to be created….
A picture perfect day in NYC
visualizing this view but a red bridge and chrissy field below…8 weeks!
So May comes to a close with all of 8 running miles. Not exactly what marathon training should look like but hey—that’s life. Well, I did work hard on practicing carbo-loading ALL MONTH and have 5 lovely added pounds to carry around with me for a bit….hopefully just a few weeks because it’s making me sad and I hate when I get down on myself about weight gain. Phooey!
My social calendar for June will start off nice and quiet but will get quite busy come the second half of the month, so I’m just going to take it easy and enjoy a little loafing around the house. And so long as the foot cooperates I’ve got two 10Ks on the horizon this month. The Oakley Mini 10K and The Queens 10K. Definitely won’t be shooting for a PR though.
Today I’m going to shoot for a short bike ride and then do some major cleaning or napping….not sure how productive I feel like being =)
Are you being productive today or is it a lazy weekend for ya?
I’m leaning toward the Subaru Forester…
Recent Comments