There have been lots of changes to my 2017 running plan in the past few weeks 😔. If you read my last post you already know that my running streak is over. The last time I ran was July 12th, so it's been over a week since I've been out there on the road...
I ended up going to see my orthopedic surgeon and he did a quick check of my leg/ankle and told me I definitely have a "stress reaction" but I needed an x-ray to rule out a stress fracture. Fortunately the x-ray was negative (i.e. no fracture seen) but I still had a left medial tibia stress reaction.
A stress reaction is what the bone undergoes before a stress fracture occurs. Which means if I had continued to run through the pain I would have ended up with a stress fracture...
Typically stress fractures require a minimum of 4-6 weeks off of running/other impact activities. The recovery time for stress reactions is much less (thankfully) and so I was told to take 2-3 weeks off.
Fortunately while I'm off running I got the clearance to continue my marathon training on the elliptical and rowing machine, or with cycling, swimming and/or pool running. The variety is key since in isolation none of those activities provide the same amount of thrill as running does. I'm trying to stay focused on the fact that I can still train, because in the grand scheme of things this is a setback but not a road block.
In addition to losing my running privileges for the next few weeks I also lost my wisdom teeth (all four) yesterday. So since yesterday morning I've been dealing with pain and swelling and trying to drink my calories. You don't realize how much you love chewing food until that exact moment when you can't 😩. My wisdom teeth weren't impacted but were causing crowding and needed to come out in preparation for the braces I'm getting next month. Because they weren't impacted I think the worst of the pain is over, despite the swelling being worse today. The pain and swelling are forcing me to stay in bed and take it easy, so that's been benefiting my leg as well...
With all the recent changes to my training plan and mandatory rest days that I've had to take, I made the difficult decision to defer my Chicago Marathon entry until 2018...
The plan to run both Berlin and Chicago was a tough feat to begin with. One which required an ideal training cycle without injuries. Even before my injury my training wasn't going according to plan, so there's no way I'm going to be ready for two back-to-back marathons. As much as I love Chicago and the marathon (it was my first after all) I've never done Berlin before, and the Berlin trip is already paid for (and 100% non-refundable). I'm going to lose the money I paid for the Chicago Marathon registration but I can cancel the hotel and I didn't book my airline tickets so deferring Chicago was the most logical decision. I'm still bummed about it but... it could be worse right?
So between my stress reaction, the loss of my wisdom teeth and my Chicago Marathon deferment, the past week has been busy. I'm taking it easy tomorrow as well (although I plan to go into work) and then hopefully I'll be back in the gym doing my non-impact cross training on Saturday...
What's your favorite non-impact cross training activity?
Have you ever had to defer a major race?
Do you still have your wisdom teeth?
No comments:
Post a Comment
Thanks for your comment!