So I made the mistake of running a 10-miler the week after I finished my March marathon. About halfway through the run (at sub-marathon pace) I felt a twinge of pain just below the inside of my right ankle.
As most runners do, I diagnosed myself using the Internet. The sports podiatrist confirmed my suspicion: posterior tibial tendinitis. She gave me the standard prescription of ice, ibuprofen, and no running for four weeks.
Having run 4-6 days per week for the past 8 months, I knew it would be difficult to follow the doctor's orders. It's been two weeks since the injury, and I can tell it's still there. I don't think the four games of racquetball I played with my roommate yesterday helped either. With only four months to go before the Nova Scotia Marathon, forcing myself to rest is a difficult proposition.
The first week after the injury I cross-trained on a stationary bike. Last week I had the flu, so that made things easy. This week the weather will warm, tempting me to leave my house for the abundant running trails in D.C.
As runners, dealing with injuries is probably the most frustrating part of our sport. The mind is ready to run but the body is not. Cross-training quickly becomes a bore, and frustration sets in as you realize your running fitness is deteriorating. Many runners, myself included, take the risk of returning to their training regimens early. This typically exacerbates the injury and opens the door to longer-term orthopedic problems.
That being said, I'm probably going to ignore my own advice and enjoy the weather this week. If it hurts too much, I'll stop. If it feels OK, I'll keep going. That's about all I can do.
2 comments:
Looks like the entire blog team is sidelined :( Hope your tendinitis gets better soon!
buck up Sam! Four weeks will pass soon enough. Just remember to keep on exercising!
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