Wednesday, December 7, 2011

Back on the wagon...

So... it's been a little while since I've updated because I haven't had too much to update.

The Monday before Thanksgiving, I ran 4mi and I was ecstatic.  And then I stepped off the treadmill, and I could hardly walk.  It was obvious I had done something to my right inner heel.  I tried to run lightly on it for the next couple of days, but it became clear that I needed to stop running altogether to give it time to heel.

Fast forward to the week of Thanksgiving.  We were leaving for Seattle on Wednesday morning and I was determined to get my momentum up and running prior to then.  I did 3mi at the gym the day before we left (2 mi on the treadmill, 1 mile on the elliptical). Felt a little sore, but the swelling was so much better I thought I was better. 

Got to Seattle, and look what I got to run next to!!!
Such a BEAUTIFUL way to begin my morning! I wish I had this view every time I went to run.  The boardwalk next to the Puget Sound is exactly 1mi to the end and back, so I thought, hey, this will be easy!
1. It was not easy. I had taken almost a week off and my body was no longer "used to it."
2. Hey, it's moist in Seattle.  Top it off, it was rainy, and my lungs were a little confused after running in the dry desert.
3. The good news? Frustration makes me want to do better, so I was determined to forge ahead.

Ran 3mi (well ran/walk) on Thanksgiving day, ran 5mi at the Y on Friday (2mi treadmill, 2mi elliptical, 1mi finish on treadmill). Super excited! Went to run 3mi back on the boardwalk on Saturday and my heel began to throb incredibly bad during the run. Usually my pain happens after I complete the run, so I was really nervous that it hurt during the exercise. I stopped after 2mi. 

That was the day we walked around downtown Seattle, so I was nice and swollen by the time we got home that night.  That was the last time I ran until tonight.

My sister convinced me to go to the doctor to make sure I didn't have any stress fractures, and the doc gave me a clean bill of health.  So ice, ibuprofen, ice, ibuprofen.  Mahjong became my daily nemesis. 

I started to get extremely frustrated.  I was literally hobbling around because not only did my right heel hurt, but the top of my left foot hurt as well.  Could I seriously not run without hurting myself? How on earth can I run 13.1 miles when I can't get past 4?? But not that I'm feeling better, my mind it clear, and I'm ready to get back on the horse.

Last night I went to purchase new insoles for my running shoes, because I discovered that I purchased a "neutral" shoe, when I don't have a neutral foot....who knew? I am trying to avoid buying new shoes when I just bought these, so supportive inserts with arch support were the winners.  The girl at the running store seemed to think that in the end, my shoes were probably hurting me, so I should just buy new ones.  But I was not going with that theory just yet.
I *think* I supinate.

Today I nervously got on the treadmill with the goal of running 3mi.  We are 5 weeks away from the big day and at this point I'm not sure if my timeline is realistic.  I am not ready to completely give up just yet, so I am trying to devote the next 3 weeks to full training to see if my heel can keep up and if I can increase my distance.  Today's run was successful, my heel seems to be doing really well! I iced it literally the minute I walked back in the door.

So here's hoping it's all uphill from here!