2x4
As in, 'smacked in the back of the leg with a..'. Out of the clear blue sky, I have some kind of achilles injury. On Saturday, I had run a quick seven mile progression from 6:40 pace down to 6:00 because we were travelling to Minneapolis later in the day. Everything felt fine except for some very mild shin-splint-like feelings in my legs, ostensibly from running more on the roads than the treadmill. My long run on Sunday started off well, but got progressively worse from eight miles until I was forced to stop at fifteen.
It's very strange and really disheartening to have to deal with this right now. It was 47 degrees this morning and I was looking forward to running in shorts for the first time this spring. It should have been really refreshing. Also, I was planning on meeting up with Evan tomorrow morning for an out-and-back tour of the last seven miles of the TCM course. I was only able to get through three miles at 7:30 pace before heading back to the hotel pool for 40 minutes of mind-numbing water jogging. There are few better places to be when nursing an injury, though. Lots of ice, a pool, an elliptical trainer, and even a couple of soft treadmills if things work out.
I've been icing and taking ibuprofen like a madman since yesterday. So far it is holding steady, but I'm only on day two. I'm pretty sure new shoes are the cure for this problem. I've been rotating two pairs of Asics 2090s for the last 1700 miles or so. Probably too many miles. I thought I would be much more durable with all the miles on my legs, but all those miles country-clubbing it on the soft deck of a high-quality treadmill do not a leatherman make. Hopefully I can get through a couple of days with the pool and elliptical, pick up some new shoes, and get through this quickly.
Just one final question. Have you hugged your legs today? If not, let them know you care. They may conspire against you tomorrow.
It's very strange and really disheartening to have to deal with this right now. It was 47 degrees this morning and I was looking forward to running in shorts for the first time this spring. It should have been really refreshing. Also, I was planning on meeting up with Evan tomorrow morning for an out-and-back tour of the last seven miles of the TCM course. I was only able to get through three miles at 7:30 pace before heading back to the hotel pool for 40 minutes of mind-numbing water jogging. There are few better places to be when nursing an injury, though. Lots of ice, a pool, an elliptical trainer, and even a couple of soft treadmills if things work out.
I've been icing and taking ibuprofen like a madman since yesterday. So far it is holding steady, but I'm only on day two. I'm pretty sure new shoes are the cure for this problem. I've been rotating two pairs of Asics 2090s for the last 1700 miles or so. Probably too many miles. I thought I would be much more durable with all the miles on my legs, but all those miles country-clubbing it on the soft deck of a high-quality treadmill do not a leatherman make. Hopefully I can get through a couple of days with the pool and elliptical, pick up some new shoes, and get through this quickly.
Just one final question. Have you hugged your legs today? If not, let them know you care. They may conspire against you tomorrow.
posted at 9:22 AM [+]
3 Comments:
Ooh! Be careful with the Achilles. Last time I made a big, pre-fatboy effort, it was swamped by an Achilles problem. 12 weeks of 100m+, multiple up-tempo workouts, etc. All felt fine. Then I did a tune-up race, and fried 'em. They still hurt, but that's probably because I'm fat. My experience is that full rest doesn't do much for the healing process, but short, easy 20-30 minute jogs will bring the healing bloodflow. Nip it in the bud, or it will hang on you like a $100 suit.
You remember that suit I wore for our confirmation in 10th grade!? Wow. You have an astonishing ability to remember painful details.
I forgot to mention in my entry that I have some numbness on my lateral heel and across the side of my foot. The achilles felt pretty decent today, but I still only did .5 mile on the mill and 40 minutes on the elliptical. Feels pretty good right now, and the ibuprofen has worn off. I also have new shoes, which feel good just walking around. I'll be going to the doc once I get back home to check on the numbness. It's kind of freaking me out. I'm going to take your advice and go with easy runs as opposed to total rest. Tim Noakes, MD mentions that in Lore of Running as a better strategy for a lot of injury rehabilitation.
BTW, I think you should change your name to bigboy. You can be fatboy when your bench press dips below 300. Thanks for the comment.
Seriously Eric, we are on pins and needles. Quit commenting on Duncan's blog and write about your own damn running! We need to know-
What kind of shoes did you get?
Did they help?
What did the doc say about the numbness?
Yes, I have no life. Have fun with the kids for Easter, hide some eggs under the treadmill, they'll never look there.
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