I've been going back and forth between feeling confident that I can still run the marathon and angry rage at having a stupid injury derail my plans.
On Monday I thought that my calf must be making progress since I didn't have any pain while walking, including stairs which have been just a bit painful. I really worked to convince myself that the heat/massage/ice routine from Sunday night was doing the trick.
I was able to do even more heat/massage/ice on Monday, a bit of massage before work and the full routine after work and again before bed. The massage and foam rolling hurt a bit more on Monday than it did on Sunday. Not sure what to make of that.
Tuesday morning I had a bit of soreness in my calf, but instead of the sharp pain I have been experiencing, it felt like normal muscle soreness. I took this to be a good sign. After a bit of heat and a bit of walking around my calf was back to feeling normal. At this point I was feeling really confident!
Unfortunately I left work late and had to run to catch my bus. I only ran about 10 yards, but man did it hurt! I'm not sure if it hurt as much as my test run last week, but there was definitely pain in each step. This basically put me right back to the angry rage. I stuck with my made up treatment plan for the night: heat, foam roll, walk, and ice. The heat felt amazing. Foam rolling was a bit tender. I was nervous for the walk after my painful mini run, but it turned out just fine.
Overall, I'm not sure what to think. Excluding my test run last week, I am now at 9 days without running. I won't be running tonight, so might as well call it 10 days. If I can't run pain free this weekend, I know need to just defer. It sucks, but it is what it is.
Oh no! I've been behind on my blog reading and didn't realize you were injured! Ugh, that really sucks. I feel so bad for you! I really hope you don't need to defer and that you pull through! If you do need to defer, perhaps there is a November marathon you might enter that still has slots open? It would really suck to go through all that training for nothing :-(
ReplyDeleteI've read somewhere that foam rolling and massage can sometimes aggravate injuries, so I wonder if skipping the massaging if it's painful might help your calf?
Get well soon!
Thanks Hanna! I've looked for November/December races, but haven't seen any that are close enough to Michigan to make them a viable option. Plus if I am not running in the next few days, I am pretty sure that means my calf strain is worse than I thought. Which means probably 6 weeks off and a substantial loss of speed/endurance.
DeleteI've heard that about foam rolling and certain injuries too. Assuming my self diagnoses of a calf strain is correct (which let's be honest, I am not a doctor!) I should be okay with the massaging/foam rolling. Runner's World pointed me to this really awesome resource on injuries and treatment: http://athletestreatingathletes.com/
You've done amazing in your training. If you have to defer, take pride and comfort in knowing it is for a reason outside of your control not because you failed to train properly.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, i really really really hope this calf issue gets itself worked out soon. Do you have time that you could schedule a doctor's appointment to get a firm "diagnosis?" If you can get in to see a doctor, he/she might be able to prescribe a better treatment and let you know if you'll need to defer or not.
Thanks, Mudder. If I'm not back to running by this weekend, I am planning to schedule a doctor's appointment right away. I think it will make me feel better if I have a valid medical reason for deferring.
DeleteOh man, welcome to my hell. I had a major strain in the beginning of August, one that left me unable to walk for three days. I took a full month off running and I've been running again for four weeks now and I'm still not 100% Calf strains are the worst. I'm so, so sorry. Hopefully you have a pain free run this weekend. Throw in some calf strengthen exercises. My PT has me doing a mix of stretching, strengthening, and icing which all seems to help. I'd suggest icing every night even if you're not in pain too until you have a couple of pain free runs in a row.
ReplyDeleteI've been off running for almost 2 weeks now and the doctor suggested that I take another two weeks off since it is still hurting. Le sigh.
DeleteAt least I am in good company :)