On Injury And Illness

This past month has been a rough one. My plantar fasciitis flared up, I had a stressful week out of town where a friendship was ended, and I also got strep throat (complete with multi-day fever and severe headache). Needless to say, this has had a dramatic impact on my running. Last month (August), I ran a total of 175 miles. This month? 112 miles. And since I have to take two weeks off running to help my plantar fasciitis calm down and become less inflamed, that number is not going to be increasing. I almost feel a bit hopeless where that is concerned because what really irritates it is walking... and I have to walk commute. I can't stop walking every day unless I work from home every day, which is not possible right now. Anyway... here's how I'm getting through this:

1. Lots of indoor cycling: I need to exercise and stay off my feet, so hopping on a bike is the best way. I haven't managed to get my heart rate up super high yet, but still working on it!
2. Ice: I have used a frozen water bottle (roll out my feet and ice them at the same time!) and just plain old ice packs that I wrap on my feet. Helps tremendously.
3. Rolling out my calves with my addaday roller: I got this gem at Ragnar New England and definitely one of my favorite purchases. It really helps me dig into my muscles like none of my other tools.
4. Golf/lacrosse ball: I use a golf ball at home and a lacrosse ball at work... all rolling out, all the time!
5. Ball Leg Curls: My hamstrings aren't quite as strong as they need to be, so I'm trying to take this time to do some strengthening exercises so I can come back even better. This particular one was recommended by my physical therapist.
6. Planks: My core is strong... ish. Not strong enough and that actually does matter as a runner. It's not just your leg muscles that make a difference! Trying to do planks for about 3 min every day (1:30 per session).
7. Food: Crappy two weeks mean I also was putting crap in my body. That ranged from too much bad food to not enough food to have any strength (thanks strep!). Going back to my two favorite Runner's World cookbooks, plus some other healthy basics. Gotta have good nutrients to recover and stay strong!

I hope no one else is in my shit-tastic situation, but if you are, you don't have to despair. Just switch it up a bit and take care of yourself.

The Pains of Taking a Break

Sure, I also still have actual pains in my feet, but what I'm really talking about is not getting the stress relief that comes with a good run. Normally, if I'm really stressed out or angry, I just go on a run and I end up feeling better afterwards. Right now, I don't have that option and it's really hurting me in a different way.

5K Almost PR + Taking A Break

I ran in the Boston Athletic Association 5K this Saturday and ended up with a pretty good finish: 26:48. I finished in the top third overall and top fifth of women. It was a super full race (8K people) and I don't think people got in the right corrals, so it was a slow start. Since my second mile was faster than my first, I think I could've really PR'd this race if it hadn't been a battle at the start.

I've actually been dealing with plantar fasciitis lately and it has not gone away. I'm going to try to take the next two weeks off running and any CF activity that is hard on my feet (ahem... box jumps and double unders). Gotta stretch, ice, and get better soon. I know that I can do the distance, so if I have to take time off now and in between races, that's fine with me.