Most of 2011 has been a struggle for me on the injury front, which started in the spring as I was training for my first 50K. I was very determined to train for this very tough 50K, Forget the PR, as "properly" as possible. So, long story short, I upped my mileage and also started throwing back-to-back long runs in there. Every weekend. I'd do a faster-than-I-should medium long run with the Saturday group at Westerville on flat pavement, then go do hours long trail runs with my friends on Sunday. For the most part, I did it like this every weekend. By February, I had developed peroneal tendinitis, which I ran through until I developed a soleus that was so tight, it was creating intense calcaneal pain. I could not run through that, so I took time off and went to PT. As soon as that felt better, I was running again. I managed to do a wicked 20-miler at Great Seal State Park where we ascended Sugarloaf Mountain twice. I was walking backwards down steps for the next 4 days after that run, but otherwise felt it went well. Then came Kathy's run at Umstead, where my pacing her last 25 miles would serve as my longest training run for Forget the PR. Within 10 miles, I had damaged the right lateral quad and simultaneously developed ITBS that prevented me from running downhill, it was so painful. Thankfully, I was able to complete my pacing duties as Kathy was mostly walking by that time. However, the damage was done and I needed almost 6 weeks off from running to heal and rehab. I missed Forget the PR and ended up volunteering instead (which was a wonderful experience!). I was very blessed that Rob Powell, the race director, offered to comp my entry into 2012's race for my service.
By mid-May, I was able to start running again. I did not have a race on the calendar, so there was no pressure to run any more than what my body said I could run. Man, talk about starting over! It was so hard! But, it started to come back fairly quickly, and I was feeling good. I decided that I needed something to train for, and that is when I opted to sign up for YUTC. A 15.5 mile trail run was a reasonable goal, and the entry fee was low enough that should I relapse into injury mode, I would not lose a lot of cash. By the beginning of September, I had pushed my mileage back up into the upper 30's and was feeling confident. Although I had promised myself no ultras or marathons for the rest of the year, I could not help but notice that Bigfoot 50K was December 4. Heck, that is like almost next year, right? It was far enough away that I could train conservatively and shoot for a time in the 7 hour range (the cutoff is 8 hours). The course has a reputation for mud, but it does not have the big hills like Mohican. I thought it to be totally doable, so I decided to bite the bullet and register, excited that I would complete my comeback and still land my first 50K finish in 2011 after all.
Well, wouldn't you know it, my body had other plans for me once I secured my space in Bigfoot. Literally within a week of my registration, I started having awful bone pains in my right tibia. I had broken that tibia and fibula in 2007, and had a rod and screws surgically placed in the tibia to help heal the fracture. I wasn't a runner when this injury occurred (I slipped on some ice with my arms full of groceries and the rotational torque snapped my leg like a twig), but ever since I started running, I have had all sorts of issues with tightness, soreness, and injury in this leg. For the record, my left leg has NEVER given me problems. I had always harbored suspicions that my issues with my right leg had roots with the surgery and hardware. Last winter, I had given thought to having the hardware removed, but as with any surgery, there are risks involved. Instead, I opted to work on strengthening exercises to try and correct my imbalanced and weak right side. However, the bone pain sent some serious red flags that were screaming stress fracture. After having so many injuries this year, I was pretty paranoid over any weird pain or niggle as it was. The last thing I wanted was a stress fracture and more weeks off from running, so I made an appointment with the ortho who performed the initial surgery for an assessment. He determined that I probably did not have a stress fracture, but did note the tightness and inflammation in my leg and surmised that I was indeed at risk for a fracture. We discussed my hardware in the leg and their possible role in my troubles. He agreed that the screws that were drilled into my tibia could be causing my symptoms. Of course, he could not be 100% certain. After some discussion, he felt that removing the screws were a good course of action. I asked about waiting until after Bigfoot as I did not want to interrupt my training. He pretty much told me that the likelihood of me making it to the race without the surgery might be less than with it. He assured me that the recovery was significantly less than the initial surgery, since there is no bone to heal. As fast as the incisions healed and the swelling dissipated, I'd be back at it. So, on September 26, I went ahead and had the screws removed.
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| My screws were blue! |
As my doctor had assured me, the surgery was no big deal. In fact, with a surgery time of 7am, I ended up being home before 10am! I walked with the aid of crutches for a day, and was able to walk semi-normally two days post-op. The swelling in my leg was pretty painful, though. What was reassuring though, was that the tissues that surrounded the screws were so irritated from the surgery that they reproduced the pain that was the source of my initial complaint. That led me to believe I may have done the right thing by having the surgery. Even if it fixed nothing, at least I no longer had to wonder if the screws are the problem. However, fingers are crossed that this is the big fix for me. The rod is still in my leg, by the way, and will likely stay there forever. It is fused to my bone and removal is a pretty violent and therefore risky surgery. No thank you! As of this post, I still have a tiny bit of swelling and soreness in the leg, but it mostly feels like normal. Biggest negative consequence of the surgery is that I have a lump of scar tissue near the ankle. I am hoping to see my favorite chiropractor, Dr. Kyle Alexander, for some Graston to help break that up once it is no longer sore.
So, now lies the question of whether my comeback race at Bigfoot will happen. I had to take two weeks off running, and then essentially do a reverse taper to get my mileage back up. So make that a month of lost training. As of now, I plan to at least start the race. The race director did institute a deferral and bib transfer policy as of yesterday, so I am wondering about waiting until next year. Though there is nothing wrong with a DNF, my smart side says wait until next year and run a good race and actually finish. But my stubborn side does not want to throw in the towel. We'll see who wins. No matter what, though, I am ready to move on from being a regular on the DL this year. Praying for a 2012 of being able to at least START all my races!
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