A Quick Update

It's been awhile since I have written a post.  Probably because I didn't want to sound like a broken record...

My foot is still hurting and I have been doing lots of cross training.

Actually my 2nd metatarsal stress fracture feels great.  However I am having pain in a few different spots in the same foot.  I have been taking the running really easy.  Running only 2-3x/week and very low mileage.

I have been spinning, swimming and ellipticalling.  Not as much fun but I hope it keeps me in descent shape until I can really start running again.

Even though my running has been minimal I have two fun races coming up.  I am doing a 10K Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving and Half Marathon in Vegas in about 2 weeks.  I have to keep telling myself that I am not in racing condition.  I am very competitive with myself and I know my times will not be something that I will be proud of.  But I do not want to push myself and get more hurt either.

I can't wait to start posting some positive reports about running.  Until then I will keep pushing myself in the gym.

Happy Running (and cross training)!

Weekly Recap: One more month?

The Chicago Marathon is now less than a month away.  I still don't know if I will be able to run it or not.  I get my MRI tomorrow so I hope after that I will have a better idea of what is going on with my foot.  Hopefully I will also have a plan on how to get rid of this pain.

If I do run it, I will not be as prepared as I would like.  That is one thing that I hate- Not being prepared.  I may not be the most athletic person but I am good at making a plan and following through on it.  I guess you could say I am determined.  But this injury has made it impossible for me to follow my plan.  I had to take almost 2 weeks off from running (during 2 intense training weeks).  And once I came back my training has been it or miss for the last 2 weeks.

The one word I would use to describe my long run today was FRUSTRATING.

I was frustrated that my foot was hurting so bad.
I was frustrated that I can't go as fast as I used to.
I was frustrated that my taper long run felt so hard.
I was frustrated that I didn't get a MRI 3 weeks ago when this pain started.
I was frustrated that my garmin wasn't working.
I was also frustrated that my Notre Dame is 0-2, really?

I know my complaints are silly.  And I do realize one thing:
I ALREADY HAVE EVERYTHING IN THIS WORLD I COULD EVER WANT.

I will try very hard to remember this tomorrow...no matter what the MRI results are.

Weekly Recap:

Monday:  Elliptical 4 miles, Swim 1000 meters
Tuesday:  Rest
Wednesday:  Rest
Thursday: 6 miles
Friday: 7 miles
Saturday: Rest
Sunday: 14 miles

Pictures from this weekend:

Kaitlyn walking with her gymnastic's team in the Zionsville Parade.

Kaitlyn doing a cartwheel.

Kaitlyn and her best friend Alexis

Jackson waving at the parade.  He scored 4 goals in his soccer game that was right before the parade.

Nathan in awe over the parade.

I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

And the Diagnosis Is...

???

That's right.  I still don't know.  

What I do know...  It is not a stress fracture.  This is great news!  

But it could be an osteochondral lesion.  Which means the tendon has pulled away from my second toe.  This would NOT be good.  Basically he said this would require surgery and I would be out from running for 2-3 months.  He did say this is really rare.  But I couldn't tell what he thought the probability of me having it is.  He is hard to read.

It could also be bursitis or capsulitis too.  These both could be treated with a steroid shot and I would hopefully be running again pain free soon.

So still in limbo.  I will get the MRI on Monday and sounds like I won't get the results until Tuesday.  I did ask him if I could run this weekend and he said yes.  If I can tolerate the pain.

Today was the first day I have ran since Saturday.  I tried to run on Wednesday and could not do it.  Just too painful.  Today I did make it 6 miles.  My foot does hurt the entire time but it doesn't get worse.  The one thing that makes it hurt more is trying to go faster.  So I kept a pretty slow pace.  I know most people hate this weather but I love it for running.  It was cloudy, misty, and in the upper 50s. Perfect!  

One funny thing the ortho doctor did say was, "So you ran 19 miles without walking?'  Me, "Yes".  Him, "So you did not take any walking breaks or walk at all."  Me, "No".  He then looked at his assistant and gave her a silly smile.  I don't think a lot of people get runners.  I guess it may be hard to understand why we put ourselves through so much pain.  I can't really explain it.  But I never think twice about it.

Other things that made me laugh today:
1.  Kaitlyn walking on the hard floors in her new shoes like she was a super model.
2.  Then Nathan doing the exact same thing in her shoes.
3.  Jackson getting so excited that I went grocery shopping so he could organize the pantry.

Thank goodness for my kids!  They always make me laugh!

Happy Labor Day!

Today was the perfect weather for a run!  Low 60's.  Awww!  That is 40 degrees cooler than the high for the day when I ran 19 miles.  I wanted so bad to be out there today and run my 5 miles and think wow this feels amazing.  But I still can't even walk on my foot without pain.

I went to the gym instead with Ryan.  I did do something that I am really proud of myself though.  I swam 1000 meters.  Also I swam 400 meters without stopping.  This is such an improvement for me.  At the beginning of the summer, I could only swim 25 meters in a row without stopping.  I also did 4 miles on the elliptical before swimming.

Ryan also had a great day at the gym.  He swam for the first time in over a year and also did 1000 meters.  And a lot faster than me too.  But he was a swimmer in high school.  He ran 4 miles on the treadmill before too.  I can't wait for him to do an ironman someday.

I think what helped us swim so much today is that we had a huge feast yesterday.  We went to my brother-n-laws parent's house and ate and ate.  They had so many fresh vegetables from their farm, lots of meat, and cake and cookies. Delicious!  We had a great time there.  The kids love to run around on the farm.

Cousins aka Trouble Makers: Nathan and Baylor 

Riding around the farm on the Gator.

Weekly Recap: The Good and The Bad

Not really in the mood to write a weekly recap because there is more bad than good but here we go.

First The Good:
I ran 19 miles on Saturday!  I was really surprised I made it since I haven't ran any long runs in awhile.  Cardiovascular wise I felt great.  I guess cross training really does help keep that part up.  My legs were getting tired a little sooner than normal. But I made it so I will just be happy with that.

My foot felt the same from mile 1 to mile 19.  Mild with the occasional moderate cramping.  Obviously it didn't feel that bad during the run because I made it 19 miles.

I ran with my friend Jacque and her sister Aimee.  They are both running the Chicago Marathon too!  It was nice to run with them.  We were definitely talking a lot which made the miles go by faster.  I wouldn't say they flew by but overall the time did go pretty fast.

Sisters:  Jacque and Aimee

So now The Bad:
I can't even walk on my foot today without pain.  Bad, bad, bad.  I can stand on it just fine.  But I have a lot of pain when I extend (lift up) my toes.  Extensor tendonitis?  Every step requires this movement so every step is painful.  There is absolutely no way I could run with this pain.

I go to the ortho doctor again on Thursday.  I hope our conversation goes something like this:  He says, "Jaime you do have some inflammation/tendonitis in your foot.  Here is a little steroid pack.  After a few days the pain will go away and you will be able to run like normal."  That would be nice.  Really nice.

In the mean time, I guess I will be back at the gym doing cross training.


Weekly Recap:

Monday: 5 miles
Tuesday: Rest
Wednesday: 5.7 miles
Thursday:  7 miles
Friday:  Rest
Saturday: 19 miles
Sunday:  Rest

Total miles: 36.7 miles

Two Steps Forward, One Step Back

Or is it one step forward and two steps back???

Lesson:  Just because my foot is ok to run does not mean it is ready to handle the kind of miles it takes to run a marathon.

Today's run was HARD!  I don't think I can really put into words how hard it was.  First of all it was HOT.  85 degrees during my run.  Since I have not been outside running the last few weeks my body is no longer adjusted to these temps.

The first mile, I felt amazing.  My legs were moving great and I ran it in 8:20.  What was I thinking?  I am not ready to run this fast.  I am training for a marathon not a sprint.  So I felt like I was going to die the last part of my run.

My foot was still feeling great (unlike the rest of me) until mile 5.  Then the cramping feeling came.  It was even worse than yesterday.  Obviously I don't have a full stress fracture if I can run on it.  But something is going on.  I have an appointment next week with my ortho doctor.  I hope to get more answers then.

I managed to get through 7 miles.  Overall pace was 8:52min/mile.

7 miles at this pace and at this point in my training should feel easy.  Not even close.  Which means I am not even close to being able to run the Chicago Marathon NEXT month.

Onto some good news...
Today is my sister's birthday!  Happy Birthday Katie!  I was able to meet her for lunch today at Cafe Patachou.  One of our favorite restaurants.  It was yummy.

Sisters are the best!