Sidetracked!

There are few things that are certain in life. Death, taxes and the sunrise are a few commonly used examples. I submit that, if you are a distance runner, one certainty is that you will get injured. It might be minor, it might be major, but if you are “pushing the envelope” at all, something is going to go wonky at some point.

I’ve been running for almost 20 years at this point. I’ve had a litany of injuries, everything from muscle strains and joint issues to the most insidious malady, stress fractures. Having a stress fracture isn’t like a normal broken bone. Most of mine have been in my metatarsals, the long bones in the foot. None of them were overly painful, more of a full time annoyance than anything. In fact, I ran through 4 or 5 of them. You typically don’t have to wear a cast; don’t have to do the crutches thing. At most you get a space boot looking thing that you have to Velcro up. People ask about it, you tell them what it is, then you go about your business while walking a bit more chunkily. Again, more annoying than anything else.

I bring this up because I am currently healing up metatarsal SFx number 6. It’s been a good time, not getting to run during my favorite time of the year and having to cross train. (If you aren’t good at reading sarcasm, this might not be the blog for you) I’m a huge fan of the pool and really love getting on the exercise bikes at the gym.

Truth be told, this development was not a complete surprise to me. Not that I have low bone density or problems absorbing calcium. No, I actually saw this one coming. The story goes like this: 2010 was devoted to running everyday. Not missing a day no matter the pain or sickness occurring. There were several times that it would have been easy (or smart) to skip a run. The blizzards, the heat waves, the growing pain in the middle of the right foot, the soreness after running down a mountain, the holidays. All would have been an easy and understandable day off. Not happening. So, around Thanksgiving time I started getting a little more than the normal soreness of the foot. At first, I thought it was soft tissue and treated it as such. After a couple of weeks I realized that I was feeling it even when I was off my feet. I would press around a bit, usually away from Shelly’s watchful eye, and realized what had happened. With just a few days left in 2010, I made the decision to run through the end of the year. New Year’s Eve was just a short run. Before leaving, I asked Shelly to make me an appointment with one of our sports docs. I got my last run in and headed to the doc. After a consultation and an X-ray (or Z-ray if you are familiar with Mitch Hedberg) it was determined that, yes, I did have a SFx. [FYI, x-rays are largely useless in seeing stress fractures until they are healing and a bit of calcium clouding is occurring. When a SFx is in it’s infancy, the best course for a diagnosis is a bone scan or MRI.] I was able to beat the doc to determining the best actions from then on, including rest and non-weight bearing cross training.

The last 3 weeks have been a combo of missing running, kicking ass at cross training and mentally setting goals for myself once I resume running. I don’t think I’ve lost much aerobic fitness in this time off and have certainly gained some upper body strength. I’m really looking forward to getting back into running and maybe even training for an event. I think it is extremely important that, when faced with an injury, you work on staying positive and not dwelling on the past. Simply do what you can to stay healthy, or improve your fitness. Set little goals for yourself. My first goal was to swim for a mile straight. It took a couple of sessions before I was able to achieve that, but when it happened, I actually felt good about myself. My next goal was to swim a mile faster than I had before. I’ve managed to PR in the mile swim 3 times now. I’m currently working on stroke mechanics in the pool, trying to get more efficient. On the bike, I’ve been trying to get out on the roads more frequently. Shelly was thoughtful enough to get me some cold weather biking gear for my birthday, so it has been a much more comfortable prospect. You’d be surprised at how much longer you can stay out when your hands and feet are not frozen solid!

Bottom line is this: If you are a distance runner you are going to experience some down time at some point in your running life. When this occurs, be smart. Just like running, get in a routine. Set attainable, reachable short-range goals and work towards them. Dream big with your long-term goals. Remember why you love your sport and genuinely miss it while you are away. Above all, stay positive and kick ass.