It's Complicated...

01/10/2010 - 01/16/2010

I think I may have just gone from "in a relationship" to "it's complicated" with running... The thing is, I have no idea what the injury is, so it's hard to say for sure. It's not you, its me. Really.

Time will tell, but the theories are swirling, the most obvious issue is a metatarsal stress fracture. Though Morton's neuroma is actually a close second based on symptoms. The numbness and tingling especially creep me out. Least likely, but most desirably, it could just be that I irritated the extensor tendon--my foot felt a little strange starting after I biked a little in Napa, so maybe the cycling shoe irritated it.

The facts: I can not bear weight on the outer edge of my left foot. Area around the third metatarsal is visibly swollen and tender to the touch. Rapid motion or pressure on the bone causes a dull ache.

Sunday 01/10: 3 miles, 27:33 (9:11 min/mile) Arroyo 3 mile Loop
KB's post stress fracture jog with Susan. Nice and easy, L foot is liking the soft ground and the slower pace better, but I can still feel it with every step. It's just not getting better. Felt an unhappy combination of angry and sad. Lolled around afterwards feeling sorry for myself.

Monday - Friday (01/11 - 01/15): Completely Off. Sad. Feels weird not to run, but I can't really focus on the nuances of no longer running every day because I'm really stressed out about the injury. After conducting some tests, I decided there's actually a fair chance it's not a stress fracture (axial compression = no pain --> good sign!).

Monday and Tuesday I went heavy on the strengthening exercises, until I realized that despite a reduction in pain/weird feeling, the swelling just wasn't going down. Opted for complete rest Wednesday through Friday and on Thursday, I finally saw a reduction in swelling. Friday it was basically back to normal.

Saturday 01/16: 5.3 miles, 43:56 (8:17 min/mile) Monterrey to Third Bridge
Okay, so running immediately after the swelling subsided sounds kind of rash, but here's the rationale: If it's a stress fracture, it will immediately re-inflame, in which case I can start my 6 weeks off right away and not waste time cycling through resting and trying to come back multiple times. If it's NOT a stress fracture, it's probably basically okay and can be controlled with judicious PT and some slight adjustments to my stride.

Run was okay, felt a little bit forced and choppy, but foot didn't bother me. Weird thing is, the moment that I stopped running, I was clobbered by a wave of nausea and light headedness. So much so that I had to sit down and almost thought I was going to barf. Took a while to feel better. I don't think I've lost THAT much fitness in 5 days... maybe I'm getting sick.

Week Total: 8.3 miles... ehhh, at least it wasn't 0?