Who would've thought a hangover would help my running?

Sarah's birthday party + viele Stiegl Bieren + coupla Jameson shots = OOUCH!!

Saturday morning I was a waste case. It hurt. No way was I able to pull myself together to run my long run. I was probably so dehydrated that I would've bonked badly, or too brain dead that I would've tripped or done something ridiculously stupid.

Anyway, so as an attempt to nurse the hangover, I loaded up on some Aleve throughout the day and got some rest. Strangely, I think all the Aleve actually flushed some of the inflammation out of my shins, and the day off probably also helped.

The result... I ran the 18 today and felt great! No significant pains, and felt strong the whole way. Shins were good. I've jumped up in my long runs pretty quick here, and they're actually feeling good.

This week is now front loaded with a long run. I should be able to pull together 70+ miles, and top it off with a 20 miler run on the hills in Barrington. It'll definitely be a "get involved" kinda week. Not sure what kind of speed I'll do yet, but I'm FINALLY starting to pull together some decent runs.

Back in the 50s

Way back when, I used to put in some decent mileage.

It seems like ages ago, but that's finally starting to come back now.

I've run 6 of the last 7 days for a total of 54 miles. I've also had 2 good runs so far this week, both of which included 4 miles of progression, hit down into the mid 5:50's.

The nice thing is that none of this was overly taxing, and my cardio is starting to feel more "normal". After taking a series of days off last week to help with my shin splints, I'm feeling much better this week.

Thanks to lots of lower leg strengthening, Sarah and her magical massage work, and some acupuncture... my shin splits have eased up. Far from 100% gone, but manageable at this point.

Also, earlier this week I had my final visit with Dr Baker. X-ray's confirmed that any remaining calcium deposits (aka repair work) around the fracture have fully cleared up. I officially have a clean bill of health for my stress fracture. I haven't had any foot pain in well over week... no aching or soreness whatsoever. All in, that ordeal was 17 weeks long. A nasty and costly learning experience.

Shin Splints

I've reached an impasse.

Yesterday I came to the conclusion that I need to get this shin splint issue resolved ASAP before I run another mile. If I don't, then I'm going to blow a lot more than the London Marathon.

My shin splints are technically Medial Tibial Stress Syndrome.
Essentially, I took a break from running. My lower leg experienced some atrophy as a result of das fucking boot and my stress fracture. As I started rolling my mileage back up, the muscles running along the inside and back of my shin bone have basically been nagging that bone from over use / being over stretched.

My pain is technically just behind the medial portion of the tibia. From my understanding, it is the flexor digitorum and the soleus muscles pulling on that medial tibia. Some how, one way or another - it is the changing of angle of my foot before and/or after impact that gradually has stressed the inside of my shin.

This has happened to me a number of times in the past after coming back from breaks... It usually takes 3 or 4 weeks for the pain to first appear. The good news is that since I've been through this enough times, I know how to rehab it quickly. I can be rolling again in a few days.

The solution:
- Rest + ice + anti-infamitories.
- Doing like 50 different exercises constantly throughout the day to get it to chill out and come back to reality... main ones are: Walking on my heels; Raising my feet while standing and keeping my heels on the ground; Lifting my arches with my flexor digitorum (basically pulling the arches up, using the muscle on the medial side of my shin); Rotating my foot round and round a kazillion times in both directions.
- Lots of Massage! Sarah's been massaging it pretty aggressively in the past week. This is key, as the knots need to get flushed out.
- Acupuncture. I have a session tonight. This will hopefully help flush out some of those knots. E-stim would probably be very helpful. Not sure if the acupuncturist will want to do that though.

The last few days off have not been for nothing. I am seeing improvement here. This impasse will soon be passed, and I should be running by the end of the week.

Just a taste...

10 miles with 8 at 6:30's.

Definitely my best run since coming back and a nice confidence booster.

I just had to bite the bullet with my shin, stretch it out, and roll. Once I got into the groove, I didn't want to let up and my calf finally chilled out.

That taste of going just a little faster for a slightly longer run was soooo nice! It's been too long since I've had that feeling. Call it a runner's high or whatever... but it was nice to get it once again.

The fact that I didn't have a heart attack during the run made it all that much better.

Trials of Miles

Ran 15 yesterday. That's the longest run I've had since the marathon in October. It definitely wasn't easy.

My shins have been hurting me for the last several days, it was like 20-25 degrees, wind was incredibly annoying... and to top it off, I was a bit hung over.

I'd really like to say that this was one of those "growing" runs... where I'm stronger for having finished it than before... and now that it's out of the way, I feel much better. But no, it hurt too much. It was just a reminder of of out of shape I am.

3 weeks of mid-30's running... nothing all that special, but the foot is coming along nicely. No pains there, but as I said my shins are pretty banged up. Sarah's worked on them a few times and it really seems to be helping... but I'm still having to stop a couple times during a run to stretch my calves and quickly massage them.

I still feel like garbage running though. Up to 10 miles feels fine. Anything over 10-12 feel too much work. I still have yet to do a speed workout... I need a few more weeks of building before I'm willing to push it.

My simple goal for this next week will be to get beyond that.

10-1/2 Weeks

I've been successfully running for the last two and a half weeks. I was reluctant to want to post too soon, as I didn't want to claim victory right away. I still won't know if this whole thing is a done deal for another few weeks... but so far, so good. Total downtime from my stress fracture was about 10-1/2 weeks.

I started back with my first run on a treadmill, on Jan 8th. A whopping 2 miles.... and at that, it was run a quarter, walk a minute, run a half, walk a minute, run 1-1/2 miles. The second run a couple days later was 4 miles, and also included some walking in there too. No troubles from either run. That was a big green light: After a week of being 100% pain free, I was able to successfully run pain free. The doctor confirmed a couple days later that I was able to start rolling back up.

Since then, I've only occasionally experienced a slight dull aching. But typically that shakes out either during a run or with some ice and/or heat post-run. I'm still using the ultra-sound on a daily basis... Hey, if it actually makes feel better, then why stop?

I put in over 30 miles last week. Not much compared to my previous mileage, but a minor victory. The only pain I had was in my pride and motivation... I'm VERY out of shape compared to a few months ago; and it's difficult to want to get out the door during the cold winter. OK, so that statement comes with a grain of salt too: Sure, I can run now. And 5-7 miles really doesn't phase me... but again, light years away from where I was back at Halloween. My 10 mile run last week was a reality check: It's going to be a long battle to get back to where I was.

The London Marathon is 12 weeks away. I need to get my shit in gear. Up until now, I've been very careful about coming back and not pushing it too much. I'm guessing it takes me another 3 weeks to get up to 50+ miles/week. No speed in there. After my final check up with the doctor, and assuming no troubles at that point... then I should be able to roll 6 or 7 weeks of solid training before London.

Ultimately, I have to look at this as a stepping stone for my summer season, but I still have a chance of running a good marathon in April.

Greenshoots

I just ran about 100ft to get the bus... Absolutely no pain. That's the first time in over 2 months that I've moved faster than a snail's pace without even the slightest amount of pain.

Soon, very soon...

Ground Hog Day in December

Today is Winter Solstice: The darkest day of the year.

I had my latest visit to the doctor today, and x-rays and a conservative return to running suggests another three weeks on the sidelines. I saw my shadow, and hibernation continues. - I say "conservative" because my main goals at this point is to avoid re-injury, and avoid pain when I return to running.

This is extremely frustrating, being that the standard 8 weeks of recovery would've had me running at the end of this week. Instead, I'm afraid that about 10-11 weeks will be more appropriate, in spite of some rather aggressive treatment.

I have no doubt that the week following my initial break was probably the main cause for this extended recovery time. In that week, I went untreated between when I received the MRI and my follow up appointment to see the doctor. Hence, I most likely compounded the injury as the fracture went unstabilized for 6 very important days.

At this point, my foot still doesn't feel a hundred percent yet so I can understand not being allowed to run. But I'll say that it is feeling better with each day that passes. I've had a couple instances over the last few days where I've jogged very briefly and haven't had much or any pain.

I abandoned the boot a couple weeks ago, at an effort to save my aching hips and knees. I'm still using the bone stimulator once or twice daily. I'm still loading up on calcium supplements (I'll probably keep with this longer-term). I'm still icing and/or applying heat - though not every day. I'll be going a few weeks without acupuncture due to the holidays, but I have been getting treatment at least once a week.

The fat negative: I've had very minimal physical exercise in the last 8 weeks. I've gone from being in the best shape of my life to feeling completely, 100% out of shape. This break has me gaining about 10 pounds from marathon morning, in October. I've been eating and drinking like a pig, and it shows. I feel disgusting; I feel like that damn movie "Super Size Me".

I keep saying that I'm going to start swimming or biking - but it's too cold to bike now, and swimming... eh, just doesn't appeal to me at the moment. Maybe tomorrow? (I've had that attitude for the last few weeks)... I've lost my motivation. That needs to change ASAP.

The London Marathon is 5 months away. I'll basically have to start training from scratch in mid-January. One month to ramp up, and accounting for cut back weeks and taper – that leaves me with only 2 months of training. It's not going to be easy and it's not going to be pretty. Thoughts of PR'ing at that race may be all but a pipe-dream at this point.

Treating a stress fracture

I'm trying to be as aggressive as I can with treating this stress fracture. Until a week and a half ago, I was solely relying on the RICE formula with some anti-inflammatories. Now I'm basically throwing everything but the kitchen sink at my foot.

Ideally I'd like to get back to running as soon as I can, but I'm going to force myself to wait as long as possible. I'm still hopeful that 8 weeks will be the magic number, which puts me at around Christmas time before I can roll again.

Here's the run down of my current regimen:

1) Rest. I really can't do a whole ton right now, as my foots still very sore - though the soreness has shifted from being very localized on the 2nd metatarsal to spreading across the entire foot. Basically I've put myself on complete shut down for at least another week. I've accepted that November is a bust. December will probably have me getting back into swimming and some cycling. This will be the most rest I've taken in probably 5 years. I'm sure it's much needed too, since I've been pounding away for so long without much of a break (except when I've been injured).

2) Das Boot! In German, that means "the boat". I'd agree. It's a boat. A giant canoe strapped to my foot at all times. I hate it. I can't help but complain about it. The only time I'm not wearing is when I'm sleeping or showering. Basically a plastic removable cast with a stiff bottom and cushioned support + compression. The goal is to remove flexibility and the risk of putting too much pressure onto the metatarsal heads and toes. I acquired this wonderful piece of equipment a week and a half ago.

I have to rant for a second: What amazes me is that the medical community is willing accept these things as a means of treatment. Sure, it does offer pain relief while walking, but at a huge cost. My left foot is propped up at least 1 1/2 inches higher than my right foot. I'm totally off kilter. Walking, let alone even standing in the boot throws everything off in my body. It's killing my knees, my hips, my back, my posture... all in an effort to stabilize a few small bones and joints. This thing is horrible. A monkey could designed something better. Unfortunately, most doctors are so narrow minded and fixated on their areas of "expertise" that they fail to recognize the damage that something like this causes elsewhere in the body.

So much for the months and months of strengthening my hips and feet to get me to where I was. I feel like a week in this boot has trashed it all!

On the flip side, I've read that cycling shoes can be used instead of das Boot. I've tested this theory by walking around in my shiny Pearl Izumi's, and I think this could be a good substitute. I'm not willing to ruin my babies though, so this weekend I'll try to look for a decent pair of mountain biking shoes. The key is, the soles will need to be ultra stiff. Probably fiberglass or a composite material instead of a flexible plastic/rubber. There can't be any give if I'm gonna sink das Boot.

3) Icing. Still doing this at least once a day, 10 minutes on 10 off, 10 on again. I was icing a lot more, but there really isn't much swelling or inflammation at this point.

4) Pill popping. Calcium supplements. I need as much as I can get. I believe it's recommended that the body gets 1000 mg a day, upwards to 1500. I'm taking 1000 mg twice a day, combined with Magnesium and Vitamin D to help with the to absorption. I'm also taking some Chinese herbs to promote the healing of "traumatic bone injuries." I honestly really don't know what they are, but I'll take my acupuncturist's word for it.
I was taking Motrin/Aleve to help with the initial inflammation and pain, but I abandoned that a couple weeks ago after I read that anti-inflammitories actually can slow the healing process.

5) The Exogen 4000 Ultrasound Bone Healing System. It's a beauty! Long story short - as the name says, it's an ultrasound device promotes the healing of bone injuries. Apparently it's proven in phased studies and FDA approved. I've seen a number of articles and forums that suggest it can reduce the overall time required to heal by well over 30% with a very significant success rate (like 75%+).

Thanks to our awesome medical system in America, they're typically $3,500-4,000 new! Of course, the only people who actually buy the things are those with big PHat insurance plans to help pay for them. They then resell the devices on Craigslist or eBay after they're finished with their treatments. I was able to snag one on eBay that was barely used for $350. The battery life can get 300+ uses at 20 minutes per use; mine's only been used 8 times! Not a bad deal.

Anyway, it's purpose is to significantly speed up the recovery process. If that's the case, then it's well worth the $350! Recommended use is for 20 minutes, once a day. I'm going twice a day. So far it seems to be helping.

6) At least once a week, I'm getting acupuncture. I'm slowly starting to believe more and more in Eastern medicine. Acupuncture helped probably more than anything else when I was treating my hip back in the spring. I'll go out on a limb here and say that I'm seeing similar results with my foot. I've had 3 sessions recently. It's like a flood of fresh blood and energy through the foot, and all the muscles totally chill out. Even if the effects only last for a day, afterwords the foot feels great.

8) Moxa therapy once a day. Also recommended by my acupuncturist. It's a treatment with heat to get fresh blood, oxygen... energy... and qi all into and out of the foot using a burning cigar looking stick - called Moxibustion. It totally relaxes and loosens things up down there. Not sure how much it's helping, but it feels good.


SO - Like I said, I'm basically throwing everything I can at this thing. It's been a little over two weeks since I believe I officially broke my foot (technically about a month since I first incurred the stress reaction). I haven't seen much improvement yet, but I have a feeling I'm starting to turn the corner.

2nd Metatarsal Stress Fracture

It's official. Results back the other day confirmed my fears via a MRI. I have a stress fracture in the second metatarsal of my left foot.

Think of bending a pencil... it may not necessarily break, but it does receive small cracks along the surface. One of those cracks would be akin to a stress fracture. The pain is very acute and has been very localized to a specific point along the top of my foot (approx where the arrow is in picture). It is at it's worst when I apply pressure to the ball of my foot, thereby putting upward pressure on the break.



In the mean time, I'll be in das Boot for at least the next 3-4 weeks. I'm already attempted to swim a little, but in moderation. No kicking, flip turns, or pushing off the wall... in otherwords, lame. Otherwise I don't anticipate much physical activity until I feel more comfortable on my foot.

Bummer.