I’m injured. And I cannot run.
How I’ve been coping with this injury.
- Crying
- Screaming
- Pretending that it’s not that bad
- Trying to run through it and making it worse
- Crying
- Drinking wine
- Whining
- Shopping
- Googling “quick fix” ideas so I can continue to run through it
- Staying off the internet
- Feeling sorry for myself
- Sitting in a dark room
- Eating candy corn…damn you Halloween
- Crying
- Doing Yoga and bitching about doing yoga NAMASTE YOURSELF!
- Being angry
- Being told to chillax
- Getting angrier
- Considering just getting 40 more cats and becoming a cat lady and never running again
- Binge watching Netflix
- Knitting sweaters out of cat fur
- Downloading every Candy Crush game possible and INVITING EVERYONE ON FACEBOOK TO PLAY
- Crying
- Drinking wine
- Whining
Two weeks ago(and 12 weeks into my training for Twin Cities Marathon), I had an incredible last long run. I did my final(and third) 20 miler at the exact pace I was training for to end the intense part of my training. I’ve ran injury free for 20+ years, my pace has increased, I’ve qualified for Boston, and this training was easy and fun. I felt ready to race in just a few weeks.
But…
…after I rested for a day and hit the streets for a short four miles, my ankle felt sore. Not strangely sore – but still sore. I brushed it off to being stiff after my long run, or just a little stiff because the morning air was cool and I know that at nearly 47 year old, sometimes my body just needs more time to warm up.
But…
…my ankle remained stiff all week and by Friday it was more than stiff…it was sore. So I took Saturday off from running to rest it a bit before heading out for 13 miles last Sunday morning. My ankle hurt from the first steps out of my house and continued to hurt through mile 13. Why I decided to tough it out – I don’t know…but I knew that something was really wrong. I hobbled in at 13 miles at barely a 9 min mile pace. STILL in denial though, I took two days off to rest and hit the pavement again last Wednesday. I could only run with a limp..which I knew would happen as I could only walk with a limp for the past few days. So I turned around and came home and brought up Dr. Google. And then a PT friend reached out to me to come in after I posted on Instagram about my injury. It turns out I have peroneal tendonitis. It hurts to walk. It hurts to run. It hurts to think about it. So I’m full-on R.I.C.E -ing and still crying…and trying to stay positive that with complete rest I will be there lining up on the starting line for TC Marathon 2015 this coming Sunday.
It’s the 20th anniversary of my very first marathon – and I was suppose to be there finishing and celebrating.
But…
..instead I might be there as a volunteer and celebrating all of you…while I heal completely so I can kick some ass at Boston in 2016.
In the meantime I’m biking, stretching, and trying yoga again. And going crazy. You know that runners are crazy and stubborn, right? I’m not sure if we get that way from running or our unique personalities draw us to running.
Have you had tendonitis before… and please tell me it does get better? Because I totally suck at this sitting around knitting sweaters out of cat fur thing.
