Wednesday, April 10, 2013

The Tale Of An Ankle

Sometimes, as runners, we deal with injuries. Maybe it is a knee (been there) or a foot (been there, too), but now I am dealing with an ankle. I ran my first half marathon on Sunday, and my ankle had been an issue before, but now it has become something that has me on the sideline.

This is something that dates back a few weeks, and I think it is related to a previous issue with my Achilles. I don't know if I had simply subconsciously altered my form whole struggling with that, if my barefoot running just increased to dramatically, or if my minimal shoes are too worn down, but now my left ankle is shot. During the half, where I managed to finished at about 1:57, it started to hurt after the first few miles, but I just pushed through because I am stubborn. I didn't want to be that guy being carted back to the start, and I just wanted to get my finisher medal like everyone else.

As the race went on, I had an inkling that something was wrong, and I really started to feel it after I finished. By the evening, I could barely walk on it, and by Monday, I almost didn't make it to the shower in the morning. I made it to work, but I was able to get an appointment with my doctor, so I took the afternoon to get things checked out. He looked at the ankle, and judged by the location of the damage that my ankle might be broken. I got a cortisone shot, an x-ray, some painkillers and anti-inflammatories. The x-rays came back negative, but the doctor wasn't convinced, so he ordered a bone scan for today.

I just got back from part one of the scan, and I will go back in a out an hour. Hopefully I will have some answers by the end of the day, but right now I am on crutches, but I feel much better. I am not ruling out a hairline fracture of some sort, so I am glad I am getting the scan, but I am also becoming more hopeful that this is something I can recover from quickly. The key here is that I don't want to miss my marathon in May, but I am not going to push myself to do so. I am going to heal 100%, and if that happens in time to run it, then great. If not, I will just have to reassess and move on.

At this point, even if I heal in time, I will probably not be trained enough to straight up run the marathon through and through, but I'd like to at least shiw up and run/walk it. Time will tell, and today's scans will give me a lot of information. I am just going to have to keep icing, elevating, compressing and using anti-inflammatories. I will just monitor my progress and take it easy - what will be, will be!

I am still proud of myself for my half-marathon time, and endurance-wise, I was fantastic. In fact, the last 3 miles were fantastic because I had so much more left in the tank than a lot of people around me, so I was passing people left and right. If I were healthy, I can only imagine what kind of time I would have put up. This is just a step in the right direction with a little pause in my overall goals.


- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

9 comments:

  1. Oh no! A broken ankle from running- that's crazy. Hopefully everything is ok though.

    Haven't had knee problems from barefoot running so far, the only thing is that my calves take long to recover. Wow... a broken ankle though :S

    Congratz with the half and keep us updated :D

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  2. Fingers crossed for you! I really hope you can do the marathon and cross the finish line. Even if it means walking some or most of it. You've had your eye on that prize for so long!

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  3. I hope your ankle heals ok so you can still run your marathon! I'm having to miss the big race I've been looking forward to due to back issues. In the end though, make sure you make the right decision for your body. Ease back into running and see how you feel. If you don't feel 100% certain about it, then it may be best to bow out. You don't want to risk even greater injury for one race. Good luck, hope things turn out ok!

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  4. Do your best not to let this hold you back. Make some new goals and keep having fun with your exercises! So many runners get stress fractures, and come back stronger.

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  5. In fact, bone that heals after a fracture *is* stronger! So double what Kristen said.

    Be smart, be safe, RICE, see what the doc says. Reassess often, add some new goals if necessary. Just a bump in the road...so many of us have been there. Another entry on your running resume. Not one to aim for, mind you, but something that will help you learn and grow. There are hundreds of marathons every year - if May doesn't work, there's always the fall, or the spring, or...a lifetime of running! Keep your eye on the big picture, and heal well!!!

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  6. Wow! I hope you can get back to running soon. Sounds like your half was awesome. Keep up the great attitude! :)

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  7. Oh no! That sucks for you. Sitting on the sidelines is no fun. Especially with your big race coming up!! I have had some hip pain and have been out for about 2 weeks now so I know how it feels. Be safe and heal fast!!

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  8. Aww, hope it gets better soon! Sometimes things just need time to heal properly so you can make a full recovery. Well done anyway!

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  9. Congratulations on the half time! That is amazing. And bummer news about the ankle! I hope you get some answers soon.

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