Or The 22.5 miler that wasn’t.
(Remember from Rocky and Bullwinkle, Fractured Fairy Tales? They always had two titles.)
The Redhead got in to town last night about 5:45 PM and we watched Coach EK’s video from Chicago. It was so inspiring! I think we got a little weepy watching it. Don’t judge. Then we watched some Golden Girls, deciding that I am Bea Arthur and she is Estelle Getty. And at o’light thirty we hit the hay. Always great to have her over, we act a fool and laugh at each other.
For the long run today, for starters, I had the P.C.’s (poopy cramps) for the entire run. I felt so bad asking P-Funk to stop at every restroom and porta-potty we came to. She’s such a trooper though, so I am sure she didn’t mind.
Then at about the 9 mile mark my ankle started hurting. It is on my outer left ankle down by my heel. This led the awesome BRA coaches to believe it’s my Achilles.
I made it to the 13 1/2 mile turn around and it kept hurting. Normally, if something hurts on me during a run I usually just gut it out and it goes away. I know that things are going to be sore and achy after so many miles, no matter what you do. This was not the same. By mile 16 it really hurt. And at mile 17 3/4 I had to walk. Like a wounded soldier I told P-Funk to go on without me. (I am soooo dramatic.)
When I met up with the group at the water stop, the Redhead looked so concerned, bless her heart. She handed me an anti-inflammatory and warned about making it worse. The rest of the group concurred. Sadly, I had to throw in the towel at 18 miles.
For about 30 seconds I thought about crying. But then I realized that was silly. I would rest up and get right and be on my merry way. Speedy Jess mentioned how this could really be a lesson for others. Stop when it hurts. Don’t make it worse. Use the R.I.C.E. method. And then hit your next long run when you are all healed.
She’s right. This is a lesson that I think a lot of us endurance athletes (Holy crap! I’m an endurance athlete?!?!) need to learn. Hopefully, not the hard way.
Tonight I’ll be resting. And tomorrow I won’t hit my recovery run, perhaps I’ll just do some laps in the pool. I am trying not to worry too much and hope this is just a blip on the training schedule. I hope you all had a great weekend!
Catch you on the flip side of R.I.C.E., R.I.C.E baby!
good attitude. besides, 18 miles is still a l-o-n-g way to go.
Recovery with pool laps is probably smart. It shouldn't aggravate your ankle, but will still be a cardio workout.
Sorry to hear about your injury! I will be taking a page outof your book and use the r.i.c.e method myself. Injuries suck! I hope you recover quickly and have a great weekend
hope your ankle feels better soon
Sending healing thoughts your way!
I think you did the really smart thing and not pushing yourself and making everything worse. You'll be back in no time. I just know it!
I am so proud of you for training smart B! Rest up that wonkey ankle, you'll be back out pounding the pavement in no time. Better deal with a minor issue now rather than aggravating a serious one. Thank you again so very, very much for having me. As always ya'll are nothing short of awesome.
It's awesome you stopped and took their advice. I had all kinds of issues while training for the marathon and I was stubborn and continued on to only make mine worse. I ended up with a really bad case of shin splints and a stress fracture in my foot. Not good!! Definitely rest and you will come back stronger than ever!! Great job on getting in 18 miles!!!!
Hey I've been lurking your blog for a bit. Stalking comes naturally to me I guess. Actually I already made nice with the Redhead, lol.
I get some left ankle pain too, it's sharp and it radiates up to my calf sometimes. However, the foot doctor told me it wasn't my Archilles, he thinks it's just some funny bone structuring in that foot … and then he gave me an even bigger arch to wear with only that foot.
I never thought, in all my years of bullying in elementary school, that I'd be the dorky kid with orthotics one day. I'm hoping to acquire brace-face gear in a month or two, just to complete the package.
awesome job getting to 18, sucks about the ankle though. You're being smart about it though, so hopefully you'll be healed up soon 🙂 take care!
I bet your body just needs some rest…you've been working so hard! If only I could trade you some of the laziness my body has been enjoying for some of your training!
B.o.B., You are still awesome! You'll bounce back in no time. When is the last time you iced? Go get it out of the freezer and put it on that ankle stat! We need you out there. 🙂
Hope you get a lot of rest last night and today. There is gold in them darn hills (Indian Hills).
Dude…sorry to hear about the poopy cramps and your ankle. That sucks. Great attitude though and you are training smart. I should learn from you; I ran on a gimpy foot for weeks until my doc said enough already! You'll be back out there before you know it! Rest up!
I'm sorry my friend! Be sure to rest your screaming ankle. Better to listen to your body now then having it complaining to you much more later. 🙂
Hope your ankle starts to feel much better. Be proud for making it 18 miles, that is an accomplishment.
ooh… Can I be the Rue McClanahan to your Bea Arthur??! Sorry about your ankle. Take care of yourself and feel better soon!
RICE is the right call. And don't rush back…it will still be there when you come back. I would work weights and core until you are ready for the road again.
Sounds like you ladies had so much fun together! Sorry that the run didn't go as planned. Fingers crossed that it's just a blip! RICE RICE BABY!
Take care of that ankle! And you're way too young to remember Fractured Fairy Tales. You must have caught those in reruns. Like the third time around…..
18 miles = Bank! hope the ankle is better
P-Funk was happy to oblige for the P.C. stops. Never pass up a rest moment!! And because B.o.B. fails to give herself props now and then, let me just say that she's the type that could go on for MILES! So she's was feeling pretty good in terms of cardio and legs and really wanted to push on. I'm glad she made a wise decision so we can continue training together. Also, so that Lloyd would have the opportunity to make his guest blog appearance!!
Dude 18-miles is still a great long run!! I'm glad you had the brains and will-power to cut the run "short". (not that 18 mi is short by any means) hope your heel/ankle is feeling better after the rice pampering!
Hi,
I hope your RICE method helped you. I have had problems with my Achilles tendon since I turned 35, I'm 46 now, and I've tried it all. RICE only gives short term relief.
What I have found to be the number one method for treating it is eccentric exercises. I have written an article on the topic at Ezinearticles.
http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Story-Behind-Eccentric-Rehab-Training—The-Number-One-Way-to-Treat-Your-Achilles-Tendonitis&id=5284645
Best!
Lars
It's not unusual for sprains to take a day or so before you really feel how bad the injury is.
Ankle And Foot Doctor Winston Salem Nc