I Knew Something Was Wrong

…Very wrong. 

It was Mid-December and suddenly I was experiencing pain in my right Tibia when I ran.  As an athlete, I’ve experienced my fair share of pain.  It tends to be a side effect of endurance racing. 

Last summer my tri coach had me doing a lot of hill training and even though it was much needed, my left Achilles started rebelling.  It got horribly inflamed and I could feel it stretch and release as I walked/ran.  I kept training and running and racing- BUT I was careful to keep it monitored (with use of ice, heat, compression, etc.).  I’d had tendonitis before, so I just did everything to make sure it did not get worse or else I would be risking a rupture of the tendon.  Hill training stopped temporarily, but I continued to run.  Eventually, in mid September (about 3 weeks before my marathon), my Achilles was completely pain-free. 

Racing through the pain-I could certainly feel it, but it was not too bad. 

Three months later  (Mid-December) I was simply “in maintenance mode.”  No formal training and no goals in place yet.  Just trying to keep up some level of fitness to give me a base for “base-building” for the upcoming 2016 triathlon season (usually a 5-10 mile run-maybe some 3 minute intervals on occasion).  I always say it is much easier to stay in shape than to get completely out of shape and back into shape.  I felt fine, until…

“Why is my right leg bothering me so much” (I thought on the treadmill-only about 3 miles into my run that day)

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“Oh well, I’m sure it’s nothing.  I’ll just ice it and rest it a few days and hopefully it will feel like brand new.”

After the initial onset of the pain, I continued to run for about a week, but it just got worse.  At the end of the week, I could not keep form and I was limping post-run.  Right then and there I decided to stop.  I did not want to risk injuring myself further. Last run:

My last run in 2015. 

I made myself quit doing anything that bothered my right Tibia.  Believe me-NOT running is MUCH harder than running!  It’s like taking an addict away from their addiction. 

Three weeks later, I went to the orthopedic and he gave me some good and some bad news.   He said that I made the right call by backing off quickly and recognizing when I had an injury that I should not have been pushing through. 

WOOOO HOOOO!  FIIINNNNAAALLLYYY learning to listen to my body!  (I learned this lesson the HARD way a few years ago, but now I’m actually being a SMART athlete!) YAY!!

But, after an X-ray and using the tuning fork, he said that it was the beginning of a stress response-swelling and increased pressure against the bone.  Maybe the first stages of stress fracture, and if not, it would have become one had I continued to “Push through.”  I haven’t been running in almost a month, and now I’m in PT. 

How did this happen?  Well, there are a number of reasons that this could happen.  Training amount/intensity (too much too soon), weak hips (imbalance), etc.  Right now it appears that my right foot is probably over-pronating, so I’ll need to do some exercise that strengthen and correct my form (as well as stretches to keep things from getting too tight/pulling on the bone).  Foam Roller, ice, and ultrasound therapy are my BEST FRIENDS right now!!

As hard as it was to make the decision to stop, I am SO THANKFUL that I did.  Now the challenge is making the decision to be positive and optimistic about healing.  In the past I have grumbled my way through injury, but I ended up being a stronger athlete in the end.  So this time, I’m making a daily choice to look for gratitude in my temporary loss of running:

1. It did not interrupt my 2016 triathlon training, it just delayed the start of it! Nothing wrong with an extra long off-season J Extra time to focus on organizing my room!

2.  I can still bike and swim, so I just do that.  Hey, 2 out of 3 isn’t sooo bad, right?!  My biking needs the most improvement anyway!

3.  My injury could have been MUCH worse.  Only 4-6 wks off is NOT that bad in the big picture. I’m learning about things that I need to work on which will make me a stronger athlete in the long RUN.
4.  I am going to enjoy running SO much more when I get back.  You don't know what you got 'til it's gone!