I’ve been wallowing in self-pity since Monday, all kinds of thoughts flowing in and out:
Why did I stop running for so long?
I should have seen those two dips in the grass…
If I just waited another day or two before my long run…
Why did I go hiking?
This is all because I wrote about how excited I am to be running the Hana Relay + my first half-marathon…
Call me superstitious, but I never like to tell too many people about big things happening in my life because they often find ways of getting jinxed, making me feel like a fool.
Case in point:
To prepare for my upcoming races, I did just a couple runs:
- Friday: short 2 mile jog before teaching class
- Sunday: 8 mile run
Most of you know by now that I wear Vibram Fivefingers to run, and have been loving them. I run off-pavement whenever possible, which is how I sort of tweaked my ankle a couple times on Friday [damn you, drainage holes!]. It didn’t hurt too badly, and my ankles are pretty flexible, so I didn’t think too much of it. I taught my kickboxing class and felt fine, aside from some pain on the outside of my left leg between my knee and ankle. I figured I pulled the ankle muscle a bit and just needed to rest it for a day or two.
Which I did.
Aside from the mild muscle strain, I felt great on Sunday morning, so Ben and I set out to get our long runs done [he did 11, I did 8]. After a few miles, the strain felt better, but I started to feel some pain under my foot – below my ankle – with every footfall. I kept running, assuming the pain was just passing through.
By the end of the eight miles, the muscles below my knee wasn’t bothering me at all, but my foot was tender. Still riding the endorphins, Ben and I had a snack and then jumped in the ocean to cool down.
I’m pretty sure the cool water helped with my foot because I didn’t feel pain until the next day, when we went hiking.
It would have been a beautiful hike if my foot wasn’t in excruciating pain during those three hours. 
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Since then, I haven’t been able to put pressure on the outside of my left foot [directly below the ankle]. I thought it might feel better today [after almost two days of rest], but it’s still just as sore to put pressure on. I’ve been R.I.C.E.ing [rest / ice / compression / elevation] and got a sub to teach my class today, but I’m totally nervous that I won’t be able to run this weekend’s Hana Relay… or next weekend’s half-marathon!
So my plan as of now:
- Stop beating myself up. It’s not helping my attitude, and it definitely won’t help the healing process.
- R.I.C.E. I do still have a few days until the relay, but until then I need to give my body what it needs.
- Put things back into perspective. In the grand scheme of things, my health and my body are far more important than a few races. I’d rather sit out and sign up for next year than sustain injuries that might keep me from exercising at all.
- Be honest with myself. No more down-playing my injuries so that I can feed my ego. I’ll honor my body and only race if I’m truly feeling ready.
- Lighten up! This isn’t the end of the world. There is so much to be grateful for!
And with that, I’ll leave you with a shot of my new wicked awesome tan lines from running for an hour and a half in the Maui sunshine.
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How do you deal with injuries? Any advice?
Have you ever experienced foot pain from running?
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