Happy New Year’s Eve! Any big plans tonight? I am hanging out with the fam at my parents house. We are cool like that. If you will remember last year, Bobby wasn’t even living with me and I was at my parent’s house living with them over New Year’s. So strange how much things change in a year!
Another thing that has changed…this time last year I was in the homestretch of marathon training, and this year…well, I’m injured and am only allowed to walk a mile. BUT, hopefully I am in the home stretch of my injury/stress fracture. I haven’t run since Thanksgiving Day, and only started walking this week. I have walked one mile on the treadmill three times, and I am itching to get outside. We have had the most beautiful weather the past few days I think I may be slowly dying inside not being able to run in it.
It has been nice to at least be OUT of the boot and walking again. I got back to the doctor on Tuesday, and hopefully it’s for the last time, and hopefully I will then be cleared to start running. I have had PLENTY of time to think about my comeback, and of course it will hinge on what the doctor instructs me to do. Obviously I won’t be out running ten miles the day I get the ok. I plan to only run one slow mile the first day, and then increase to two miles a week later, then 3 miles the third week if I am still feeling ok. Once I hit three miles I will follow the 10% rule for adding mileage.
It is frustrating to think I will have to go back to basics, when I was in great half marathon shape, but it’s either that or don’t run at all I suppose. Maybe that’s what I needed. A nice long break, and to get back to some running and training basics for more success. We will see if it works. I’m ready to get my sweat on!
I am also going to start running in my Newtons. I know you are supposed to only start with a few minutes a day in them, so I figure it will be perfect since I can only run a little a day to begin with anyway. I have done a lot of research on what is to “blame” for my stress fracture…and I think it’s a combination of
-overuse (3 halfs in 22 days, the last being very hilly.)
-worn out shoes
-too tight shoelaces
-poor running form due to tight, rotated hips, and scoliosis.
I plan to do things to help remedy all of my issues and hopefully I will be pain free in 2012. Injures are one of those things that really forces you to learn to be in tune with and listen to your body. I ran through some pain when I should have stopped, and now I know better. I don’t want to ever end up here again.
No thank you! I plan to train SMARTER this time around, not necessarily harder. I plan to stretch more, do more yoga, strength training, and cross training, and cross my fingers it’s enough to keep me healthy for 2012. I am going to make this a great comeback year. I am determined!
QOTD: What has having an injury taught you about yourself and the way you train?
I feel like I’ve learned similar lessons after having a knee injury years and years ago. I always regret not taking it seriously because I think I would have been so far along in my running by now if I had! When I started running again last january, I knew I needed to take it sloooowwwww. I also was very aware of my running form and made sure I had proper shoes. Its amazing how much these things can help! Im running longer distances than I ever have in my life and my knees feel better than they ever have-I’ve learned that running can work wonders when you do it carefully!
~Jenn
I didn’t have an injury, but I had severe anemia (not “I can’t give blood anemia”- my hemoglobin levels were almost at the point of transfusion/hospitalization). I had to take 5 weeks off and then build back up, not that I was running much before because my blood was so weak I couldn’t even manage a mile without huffing and puffing and my legs feeling heavy.
But I ended up coming back MUCH stronger and I didn’t take running for granted anymore. I also did some classes like yoga and started to like those too. It also showed just how much affects your body when you run and how important it is to take care of yourself.
Anyway… if this is any consolation… 2.5 months after I was cleared to run again, I ran a 5K and finally broke 30 minutes (I was diagnosed in May so there were no 5Ks until Sept. bc this is the south, you know how that goes). I’ve since gotten a lot faster than that, but that was when I realized the body’s amazing power to recover and how your body “remembers” how to run. You’ll have to build your endurance and speed back but you might be surprised…
I”ve been out of commission for almost a month now with pinched nerve, locked up hip and back…
After last chiropractor visit the other day I refuse to go back! he put me in more pain and at this point I’m probably going to do it my way (may or may not be smartest move I make) but I’m tired of not lifting, not doing much other than yoga…so pain or no pain I’ll be training again, active and praying for everything to go back into place and not kill me! LOL
When I hurt my hip training for my first marathon it taught me that my body tends towards over-training easily.
Good luck healing quickly!
oh no that stinks!
Hi! Stumbled across your blog as an entry was linked from “Another Mother Runner” and I just wanted to send you some encouragement!! I had the possible stress fracture across the top of my foot – hurt like crazy and usually only after the runs at first – but I researched it RIGHT AWAY cross referencing Vibrams and barefoot running because I was trying to transition at the time and was using Nike Frees. Anyway, an injury/sf across the top of the foot is apparently very common in new barefoot runners according to forums on the web, and some poor people had been ooc for so long from not handling it seriously right at the start and reinjuring, etc. Right about that time I saw people in NEWTONS for the first time. I thought – bam! That’s what I need!! Cushioning right up front for me to land on the forefoot!! Because, contrary to how I see myself, I am not some nimble Native American running almost barefoot against through canyons whose feet are strong from a lifetime of use — I am a 35 year old mother of 5 whose feet have been in arched shoes her whole life!! So a little support up front would be nice. Since you’re “laid up” a little longer – if you haven’t read “Born to Run” by Christopher McDougal – DO IT. It’s not to convince you to go to a barefoot style – it’s more of a freaking amazing narrative about these runners in Mexico – along with the side stories of many ultrarunners across the world and throughout history – and it was so interesting that the tidbits I read outloud to my husband induced him to steal it from me (and he doesn’t even run) and PROCEED TO READ THE ENTIRE THING IN ONE SITTING while we were driving 500 miles in France last week. He was even kind enough to read the rest of it out loud to me when he caught up to where I was 🙂 Anyway, this injury is the PERFECT TIME like you’ve said to reevaluate your form and to have an excuse to do low mileages to try new things – like the Newtons. That’s how I see each new baby – I had number 5 about a year and a half ago and “got” to use the time to completely change my form. And not one injury since switching to the “barefoot” style, aside from the pain in my foot, which went away with the Newtons. After running in Newtons for a year now, I’m hoping my feet are stronger and that I can start to try the Nike Frees again and maybe eventually get to Vibrams. Anyway, I also wanted to encourage you about the time off and the inability to train for you half marathon, etc. Each time I start to feel like *not* putting on my shoes and going for a run (and believe me, with a husband in the Navy and five children under 8 at home and home schooling, finding the time, much less the motivation, to run is not easy) I remember how badly I wanted to run after I had to stop running with my last pregnancy at 18 weeks pregnant when I had spotting and cramping and had to give it up. I would see other runners out there and be soooo jealous, especially knowing that I would now start putting on more weight, etc. So I know how you feel. But at least you can tell yourself – like I see you’re doing on your blog – it’s all in God’s plan and that at some point you’re going to be able to do it again (pretty soon I hope) and that you don’t even have to wait out the rest of a pregnancy! Yippee! And you have a fully functioning body that *gets* to go running. This one always *gets* me as I reflect on all the people who are missing limbs etc who cannot physically run, and makes me so thankful that I can. So even when I can’t run, I know that I will be able to again, and that I am blessed for that. I am now 12 weeks along with baby number 6 and doing about 20 miles a week, loving how it makes me feel (It’s the only time I don’t feel sick! I just have to convince myself that I’ll feel good doing it because I usually feel too sick just tying up my shoes!! Ick!). I am thankful for every day I’m able to run and hoping it will be til maybe 7, 8 months pregnant this time. That would be suweeeeeet!! But I know when I have to stop that it will just be for a season and that once, Lord willing, the little one is here safely I’ll be able to hit the road again 🙂 Ok – I will get off my soapbox now. Hope this has been encouraging like your blog is! 🙂
oh my goodness 6?! how do you find time! thank you for the encouragement though it means a lot. I am excited to get back out there!
Hey–Happy New Year! I was wondering–how did you add the Facebook (Facebook my page, and Facebook like) buttons to each of your posts? Thanks!
it’s a wordpress plug in. If you have wordpress just go to plugins and do a search for facebook and you should be able to find it.