2.17.2012

Going cold turkey...

I have to confess, I use a performance enhancing drug.  Before every run, I pop two Ibuprofen to avoid the inevitable pain that I typically associate with the giant metal rod in my right leg.  However, invariably the anti inflammatory wears off and I'm left with some less than enjoyable pain in my leg and by less than enjoyable I mean - holy hell that hurts. I haven't seen my super cute Orthopedist in awhile so I thought I'd check in with him just to get an opinion (knowing almost full well what his opinions might be) Dr. K was not a fan of the running on IB plan, understandably. He did his usual poking, prodding, trying to convince me to take up bike riding...etc.  It's our little routine, we've had it for 5 years now.  Once we got past the "No, I'm not riding a bike. No, I'm not interested in taking up swimming"  He came to the conclusion, based on the points of pain (which I cleverly marked with a Sharpie last night after my run) that I am experiencing advanced posterior tibial tendonitis in my right leg and the onset of it in my left.  It was then I dove straight in for full disclosure and shared my new found passion for my minimalist shoes.  He promised me that he is not "anti minimalism" but that it doesn't necessarily "work for everyone".  He explained that tendonitis can go away, but that I probably need to consider different shoes and that I should not be running "under the influence"

I actually really like Dr. K and I respect that he respects that I'm pretty single threaded.  I agreed to kick the IB and consider new shoes.  I then came back to work and given the option between working on my employee evaluations or researching the effect of minimalist shoes on tendonitis; I can tell you that I learned that minimalist shoes have actually been known to help PTT.  The key is (cue the" I told you so's") taking it easy, stretching, and listening to your body.  I understand the listening to my body part is difficult if I'm muffling it with drugs and the taking it easy part is difficult because I am insane.  I made the decision that while I would not rule out a new pair of shoes, I would go ahead and hold out for awhile.  Instead, I ordered a foam roller and looked up some stretches for PTT.

When I got home tonight I resolved to do a quick run, I do really want to try and get as close to 30 miles a week as possible and since Bri was gone all week, I'm a little behind on my running.  I knew it was going to be a tough run because I am tired and a little hungover from my hot husband date the night before and I was resolved to do the run IB free.   I did not set out with a mileage in mind;  I honestly thought about turning around halfway up my block.  It was a tough run, it felt like I was running pretty slow, and my brain and body were rebelling.  About halfway through the run, I found my mind wandering to Dex and his laughter and how much I love being his mother and I realized I had hit the running sweet spot (i.e. where you aren't thinking about running.)  Because I felt great in that moment, I considered doing the full 8 mile run; I'm pleased to report that common sense prevailed and I kept it to four miles.  Turns out, I wasn't running that slow - I still did the four miles with an average 9:15.  Getting faster has its disadvantages; I may have run 4 miles but I only worked out for 37 minutes and I'm WAY too tired to supplement with treadmill.  Oh well...long run tomorrow, it will be fine.

I think I'm going to celebrate the inherent coziness of having Bri home by curling up in bed with my Kindle and getting a full night's sleep.  I'm actually glad I don't have a race or any major plans this weekend.  I may accomplish a lot I may accomplish nothing; I'm pleased to have both options available to me.

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