Happy Anniversary to me! Today marks 5 years of having my one and only real running injury! Over the past 5 years, I’ve had countless doctor’s appointments and diagnoses, been on and off crutches, enjoyed cortisone shots to my foot, received who knows how many MRIs.... The list goes on and on. About a year ago, I was put in touch with a very smart man who was able to diagnose the many things wrong with my foot in just a few short minutes. It was a wonderful day.
I believe I might now be injury free. Every day, I still roll my plantar with my trusted 9 year old racketball to massage away aches and pains. That is the only maintenance I’ve been doing for the past few months, however, and my foot is feeling fine... even with the added weight of baby girl. So, I’m excited to see what this year may hold for my training, once I’m back to actually training again.
Today is also Boston’s coolest (oooohhh, bad descriptor for today) event - THE BOSTON MARATHON. I’ve run this race a handful of times, each time with a subpar performance. But, the experience is unlike any other marathon - if you haven’t tried it yet and you’re a distance runner, you might want to consider it! Running it is definitely a way to create a memory, that’s for sure. The crowds are wild.... runners are kind... support staff/volunteers are amazing... the whole event is a great celebration of running. Today is wicked hot (84 degrees at mile 24). So hot that almost all of our runners probably adjusted their time goals prior to the race. Having said that, I'm guessing we'll have some disappointed runners on our team over the next few weeks. From a spectator standpoint, I can't even describe how inspiring it was to see my teammates labor by at mile 24. They're all amazing. Sometimes it's so hard to see the awesomeness of what you're doing when you're so focused on a predetermined time...
My own workout today? Just a 3 mile run with a 1 mile walk at the end. Ran around Brookline and the Muddy River.
Run: 3 miles
Congrats on your pregnancy! I ran, lifted and biked (spin bike) through most of mine. I'm curious about your foot injury and how you finally got rid of it...My foot's been bothering me for the better part of a year despite cortisone, orthotics, etc. etc. Any insight woud be appreciated (though I know everyone's different, of course)!
ReplyDeleteBecky
Hi Becky - I'm glad to hear there are more of us out there exercising through pregnancy, as long as it's safe and we want to! I'm impressed that you biked. Last time I got on a bike was around 20 weeks or so, I think, and my bump was already getting in the way! Ugh, I'm sorry to hear about your foot. My injury began with a case of untreated plantar fasciitis. I just ran on it until the plantar was sorta hanging from the culcaneous by a thread or two. That's when most of the problems arose. Because of my running through it, and trying to compensate for the pain, I started straining other parts of my foot. I ended up having success with the funniest little thing - after all the fancy footwork (haha) that the doc tried, the thing that worked was using little inserts in the heel of my shoe. Not heel cups. They were too soft. I tried so many types of heel cups. But, little wedges that only support the medial side of my heel. You can't find them at a running speciality store. I ordered mine from a medical supplier. I have the name of them at home, so if you're interested in trying them, let me know and I'll get you the information. Of course, it's so different for everyone. A teammate of mine has a terrible foot injury that mimics mine in so many ways, but hers is straight up plantar fasciitis. So, different treatment... Regardless, it's a big bummer for any athlete to be injured, so I'm happy to help in any way that I can...
DeleteInteresting! I think mine started as PF but morphed into some other irritation because the place where I feel the pain is way back on my heel--it even bothers me a bit when I'm lying in bed and especially when I take shoes on and off. So, I'm willing to try anything! PF and foot injuries in general are so stubborn! If you don't mind emailing me the name of your miracle heel inserts, that would be great! becky.wexler AT gmail
ReplyDeleteTHANKS and happy running!