My training for the Love Run Half Marathon has come to a halt…
Okay, it’s not as bad as it sounds, but I had to listen to my instincts and look into a potential injury. The theme of this past week of training is “better safe than sorry”! Keep reading to find out what’s going on with me.
I’m joining Courtney of Eat Pray Run DC for her Winter Training Recap linkup and HoHo and Tricia for the Weekly Wrap! These are great ways to keep accountable and share your workouts with fellow fit-minded individuals!
PS – Last call for the FREE entry to the Love Run Half Marathon! The winner will be announced on Valentine’s Day!
[bctt tweet=”Trouble in training paradise? How was your week of working out? #runchat” username=”Janelle_RWNR”]
Weekly Wrap: Better Safe Than Sorry…
You know how I’ve been talking about this is the year that I want to focus on staying injury-free? Well…I may have a problem. The top of my right foot has some unpleasant soreness that I’ve been feeling over the past few days. It freaked me out because it reminded me of when I had a stress fracture (in the same foot) way back in 2013.
Thankfully I was able to quickly set up a doctor’s appointment for Friday. She examined my foot and while I didn’t have any sharp pain, I did have some mild inflammation. It’s still too soon to know if it’s anything serious but she didn’t want me to get an X-ray since I had one a few months ago when I had a softball land hard right on my foot.
I was given a prescription of Naproxen for pain and inflammation to take the next few days and I have to rest from weight-bearing exercises, running and barre, for a week. Better safe than sorry.
As soon as I got my “diagnosis” I let Coach Laura know about the situation so that she can adjust my training. She’s given me some alternative workouts to take place of running so I’ll have to do that until I get cleared. Hopefully, the pain will go away and in a couple of weeks, things will go back to normal. Positive vibes on a speedy recovery are appreciated!!
Workouts for the Week:
Monday 2/6: I went to yoga during lunch. It’ll be my last class with Amanda for a few weeks because she’ll be out of town for a week and then I’ll be out of town on a few upcoming Mondays. We did a lot of twisting in class which was clearly something my body needed. Then I ran 4 easy miles after work. The weather was great, but I was so tired when I got home!
Tuesday 2/7: Yoga class after work. It was the usual crew this week. I really enjoyed class even though Warrior 1 continues to be a struggle! We had “wall time” of course…I practiced my shoulder stand a little more, but didn’t have as much success.
Wednesday 2/8: That morning, my right foot was having pain similar to my metatarsal stress fracture that I had in 2013. Naturally, I started freaking out and I made a doctor appointment for Friday. Still, I went on my 5-mile tempo run and it ended up being rough. After a mile warmup I was supposed to do 3 miles at my goal half marathon pace (10-10:10)….my splits were 11:37(!), 10:44, and 10:03. I do have hills on the route that I run, but I was working so hard that first mile that I can’t believe my pace was so slow. My legs were just beat…but the good news was that I didn’t have any foot pain and I finished better than I started. Also, the weather was super warm and humid, nearly 60 degrees in the evening!
Thursday 2/9: Rest day! The timing couldn’t be better because we had a snowstorm that morning! We were predicted to get 6 inches, but it was all bark and no bite…
Friday 2/10: Barre class in the morning. Once again it was a killer! The instructor isn’t for the faint of heart!
Saturday 2/11: The beginning of my rest week. I didn’t get to go to the gym to work out so I stayed home and played Sims 4 for a few hours, haha!
Sunday 2/12: I had a busy day out in the ‘burbs so I didn’t get to go to yoga class in the morning. I did do a quick workout in the evening including squats, pushups, side planks, bridges, and clamshells.
Week 6 Report Card
You may be wondering how I feel about this rest week. I know that it’s the right thing to do, and I’m trying my best to stay optimistic that my caution may be for naught. If you’ve been following me and my training for a while, you know how much I emphasize listening to your body. Getting injured again is one of my biggest fears and I never want to experience wearing a boot again. It was a truly miserable experience.
Winter/Spring 2013…Never forget…While I’m bummed that I have to stop running for a week, I know that it won’t hurt my fitness too much and I have plenty of time to get back to my training routine before the Love Run Half Marathon. It’s all about the long-term, not short-term goals. Big picture! And again, the foot pain really isn’t that bad, so my situation could be so much worse than it is!
My feet may also have soreness due to the foot strengthening exercises that Coach Laura gave me to work on. So I will do my “safe” cross-training exercises over the next few days, take my meds, and pray for the best! Prior to cutting off my training, I would give Week 6 a B- grade. The tempo run was really disappointing…I was overthinking the run and paid the price. But all I can do is move forward!
How was your week of working out? Did you have crazy weather?
Oh no!!! Smart girl, listening to your body. I hope it turns out to be nothing. Fingers crossed!
Thanks, Wendy!
Oh no! That’s a bummer. But it’s wise to take that extra rest. Better safe than sorry. You’re being smart about long term goals. Sending all the good vibes that it’s just some soreness and nothing more.
Thanks a lot, Madhuri! I’m thankful that I’m doing something now before it’s too late!
I’m sorry to hear about your foot, but you’re right, better safe than sorry!
Thanks, Kim!
The boot is the worst! Fingers crossed your foot heals quickly
Sorry to hear that you have been having some pain. Like you said better safe than sorry. You wouldn’t want to push it and end up being more sore. At least you are still staying active while cross training.
I’m glad that I can still cross-train…helps for my sanity!
Thinking all the healing vibes for you! I know all about the freaking out, I had a tibial stress fracture and when i had my problem a few months it was very worrisome. I hope you feel some relief soon!
Thanks a lot, Karen! Stress fractures are the worst, I never want to go through that again.
Glad that you are being smart about your foot – better safe than sorry indeed, lady! That first mile split for your tempo seems wonky – maybe your signal was off?
You know what, I looked at the GPS last night and I think my pace slowed when I was dodging people on the street while neglecting pause my watch…after that my pace jumped so I’m thinking I didn’t do so bad after all?
Oof. I’ve had a stress fracture before and it was NO FUN. I would definitely rather take it slow for a few weeks than sit in a boot for 8+ weeks! Or maybe even risk needing surgery. Glad you listened to your body! Hope it’s nothing!
Fingers crossed that it’s a false alarm! I’m feeling much better today, thankfully!
Definitely smart to listen to your body and take a bit of a rest now rather than deal with a worse injury later! I hope the rest helps and your foot is back to 100%.
Oh no, Janelle, I’m so sorry! It’s always scary to feel a pain where you’ve been injured bore. I do hope it heals up quickly. That sort of stuff for me takes months … older bodies don’t bounce back so easily. 🙁
You may be very surprised to feel really strong after your rest — I hope so, anyway!
And yes, the weather was the pits last week.
Yeah that unpleasant, familiar feeling does not give me good memories! But I’m hopeful that things will turn around and it was just a false alarm! Thanks. 🙂
Absolutely smart idea for listening to your body! You’re absolutely right, it’s better to be safe than sorry!
Fingers crossed it’s just a niggle and it goes away asap!
Thanks, Laura! I’m glad it’s feeling better instead of worse…been there, done that!
You are so smart to go this route and not push your luck. I’m afraid I haven’t been so smart and may pay for it 🙁
Hopefully your x-ray will show nothing serious and you can get back out on the road soon! Fingers crossed!!
It’s so hard to listen to our bodies. I hope everything turns out for you, but yes, better safe than sorry. I took a week off two weeks ago to let the exercises I got take hold, and maybe help me later on. I don’t like taking time off, but I’m getting better at it.
Sorry you didn’t have a great training week! I did not either. We were on vacation so I only ran 2 days, and then I came down with a sickness and haven’t run since. That’s great you got out to run in shorts before the snow came! What crazy weather.
Its definitely better to be safe than sorry! As week off will be nothing if it can prevent a serious injury. Hope you heal up quickly!
I love that your are so good with listening to your body. That’s absolutely the best thing to do but can be hard! You are so right that it’s all about the long-term, not the short-term. Fingers crossed that it works itself out quickly!
Definitely better safe than sorry, and you have plenty of time before your race. I hope your foot is 100% after your time off!
I had a metatarsal stress fracture in the fall of 2012. It freaks me out any time I get the slightest pain there. So I know how you are feeling.
Hope your rest will take care of it.
I don’t think one week away from training will hurt you at all. As you know, there are plenty of ways to stay active while you are resting that foot. I think that helps in staying positive. Fingers crossed it is nothing serious. I too have had a couple of stress fractures (thankfully no boot!). They are definitely a lesson in patience. Good luck! Thanks for linking, Janelle!
Why is it so hard to listen to our bodies? Janelle I am right with you I try to stay on top of things and really pay attention and well I think I can do more than I should.
It sounds like you are already one step better than I am. You take care this week and yes you’ll be back at it. I can’t imagine being in a boot!