This is what week 16 should have looked like:
Monday: rest
Tuesday: 5
Wednesday: 6
Thursday: 5
Friday: rest
Saturday: 4
Sunday: 12
That is not at all what happened. Remember the nagging calf pain that I mentioned in last week's post? Well that has turned into a bit of a serious problem. I took Monday - Thursday as rest days. I figured four days would give my leg plenty of time to rest/heal/fix itself. I planned to do 3-5 miles on Friday based on how I was feeling. Instead I managed a bit over a mile with my right calf hurting every step of the way.
Week 16
Monday: rest
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: rest
Thursday: rest
Friday: 1.28
Saturday: rest
Sunday: rest
Total miles: 1.28
I spent the rest of the weekend trying not to think about running. My internet diagnoses is that it is a mild calf strain. Since I can walk with minimal pain and there isn't any bruising or swelling, I don't think it is too bad. I've started a rather intense massage/foam rolling routine that I'll be doing multiple times a day. I tried it last night and there seems to be a bit of an improvement this morning.
I'm hoping that I'll be able to run on Wednesday. If I can get back to pain free running by the weekend, I should be okay for the marathon. It is actually good that this happened at the start of the taper. I was able to finish all of my high mileage weeks AND I still have a few weeks to let this heal.
Less than two weeks to go!
Way to frame it optimistically! You're right, you finished all of the high mileage/"important" weeks, so if you need to rest now, go ahead and rest! Do some mild cross training if you feel up to it, but it's important to let your calf heal so the marathon doesn't end up turning a minor strain into a more serious injury. Good luck and happy recover!
ReplyDeleteMy weekend was spent being terribly pessimistic about the whole situation. It was all very "woe is me." I'm really glad I was able to move past that point.
DeleteAwe, sending good healing vibes your way. *hugs* Hope you get this minor setback worked out soon.
ReplyDelete