Week Thirteen

"Courage does not always roar.  Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying, "I will try again tomorrow."  ~Mary Anne Radmacher

Ah, the wisdom you can find on a magnet in an airport gift shop.  This week started out great.  Sunday I set out to try my hand at a little trail run.  Trail running isn't for me.  It's tough.  Especially in the spring when the trails haven't been spruced up.  There were a lot of tree roots and rocks on the uneven terrain.  It turned into a very steep uphill hike for about an hour.  That was enough for me!  It was good to be outdoors.  I am so ready for warmer temps!

On Tuesday I had my normal workout with Jason.  My arms are still killing me today from that.  It was a new month which meant a weigh in.  Eek!  I hate those and was really worried I wouldn't see any progress.  Well, the progress was not great, but I did have a 2% reduction in body fat.  I was pleased to see positive results.  I still haven't lost much weight, but there has been an increase in my lean body mass and a decrease in my fat body mass so that was promising.

By Wednesday, my week made a u-turn.  As I have mentioned over the past few weeks, my feet have been killing me, particularly my left foot.  I was worried I had a stress fracture.  I finally went to the doctor.  He quickly scolded me for wearing flip flops when I was coming in with a foot injury.  He ordered some X-Rays.  It turns out I have peroneal tendonitis.  I was very happy to hear there were no fractures, but as soon as the doctor told me that  I am going to be sporting a walking boot for the next 2-4 weeks my enthusiasm quickly took a nose dove.  2-4 weeks in a boot!  Yep, you do the math.  That puts me in the boot at least until the week before the race.  My doctor also grounded me from running for 6-8 weeks as well.  No 1/2 marathon.

He explained that the injury is from over use and poor form.  He was surprised that I had been able to avoid injury for this long as a new runner.  I am allowed to continue working with Jason after a week of doing nothing and rocking my sweet new boot (rolls eyes).  He said that after a follow up in two weeks he will determine when I can begin walking, cycling, and participating in other impact activities or if I have to wear the boot for up to 4 weeks.  I am ok'd at this time for swimming and "gentle" yoga as long as I'm not in pain.  I am planning to milk this "injury" to the fullest when I fly to see my Mom & Dad next weekend.  It will definitely take more time for me to get down the jet bridge and to find a seat in the exit row with plenty of leg room!    I gotta make the most of it. :)

To say I am disappointed would not accurately describe it.  I worry that a full week out of my routine could spell disaster.  I have taken a week off in the past, which quickly turned into two weeks, then a month, then 8 months; you get the picture.  So I plan to follow all my doc's rules and am hoping for a speedy recovery.  I plan to take another stab at this whole process again in the fall.  I've learned a lot in these past few weeks.  I'm looking forward to my coaching sessions in Denver and hopefully i'll pick up some pointers that will help keep me injury free.  So this is it for now.  I'll be back to the blog as soon as I find a new race and start training again.  Thanks a million to all my cheerleaders out there; particularly my big brother, Mike, Mr. Lippold, Michelle, Paula, and Randi.  Thanks for checking in with me every single week and offering wisdom and encouragement.  I know there are so many more of you!  I hope I have motivated all of you to tackle something scary and new.

Love,
Hilaree