Broken Foot. Broken Hearted
I hate my foot.
So I officially got the xray results yesterday. And let me tell you it goes above and beyond the duty of being a stress fracture. I mean, sure it used to be a stress fracture but now it's just a fracture really. The beast starts at the back of my heal (calcaneus bone) and goes about half way through.
If you just looked at your foot and tried to figure it out, it basically goes from the back of my heel and then horizontally across my foot about 2 inches or so. I mean, this thing is one beast of a fracture.
Which leads me to my next question. How?...HOW did this happen so fast? Don't stress fractures take time to develop? Can't people run on them for months before they get bad? I mean....in the course of a 2 and 1/2 miles I lost my ability not just to run, but to walk. I ran the first mile perfectly fine. There was the ache in the back of my ankle sure, but I still ran it in 5:52. It gradually got worse and worse until I blacked out at the 4k. In two and a half miles I went from being able to run to constant pain. Bones aren't supposed to fracture that quickly just from running.
The conclusions mean that I am completely non-weight bearing for 6 weeks. Then I can start walking. Walking. I can't even walk. I'm in a boot AND crutches. I have strong legs. But they're not strong enough to not be exhausted between only having one to stand on and holding up a boot with the other.
What's strange is I can't even be sad about not running. I have to focus on things like how I'm going to shower, how I'm going to get dressed. I have to buy new clothes because i can't wear pants because the boot squishes them into my foot and it hurts. I have to worry about the fact that I can't sleep more than 3 hours at a time before I wake up in pain.
But luckily I never go anywhere without a plan. Are you ready for it?
2 weeks-go for first swim and sign up for a yoga class.
4-6 weeks go on first walk.
6- 8 weeks go on first bike ride.
8-16 week-biking biking biking. Begin training for late spring century ride
16 weeks-start running. slowly. Maybe.
I'm considering just taking the next six months off to heal. Based on my string of injuries I'd say that the problem is a little deeper than just a 2 inch stress fracture. I want to make sure that when I do start running there will be no more of this.
If you did your math 16 weeks=4 months which puts us in the middle of march. Now technically that's smack dab in the beginning of outdoor track season. So I could do it. Technically. Even if I do start running...well running is a far cry from racing which is a far cry from racing fast. I'm not completely ruling out track but what I've slowly come to accept is that I have to do what's best for me. Not my coach, not my team, not my ego. I need to take care of my leg..and there's a lot more to that then just not running for 6 weeks.
I feel better thinking about this. At least a century ride gives me something to shoot for so I still have a purpose. The other part of my plan does include track. Just not racing. I love my team. so much and I can't leave them simply because my leg hurts. Just because I'm sad doesn't mean that I won't be there for them when they need me. So I'll still be going out for track (running or not). Worst case scenario I'll just ride my bike with them on all of their training runs.
So there it is...the best that I can come up with. For now I need to focus on sleeping and eating and getting stronger. Running will happen in it's own time.
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