I decided I should probably write in my blog again…the week before school starts. My timing really has never been very good! I really need to be better this school year about not staying 12 hours a day and going to work on my classroom on Saturdays or Sundays. Once school gets going, I have a tendency to lose myself in the hustle and bustle of teaching and I forget to have a life outside of school. Thats totally what happened to me last year. I used the excuses of recovering from my surgery and teaching in a new grade level to keep me at school late.
The more I think about it, I’ve decided I’ve used these excuses mainly as a way to not acknowledge the fact that my fitness level declined during my 3 month recovery time. I would start working out again and then stop because things at school “got involved” requiring late nights. Of course this just made things worse because when I did decide to finally “get back into it”, it was twice as hard as the time before. I stopped and started several times and always used the school excuse. Sometimes I had legitimate school reasons I couldn’t work out or run and sometimes I just steered my thinking into it being “legitimate”.
(Forget about even having a social life!)
In hopes of ending that vishous cycle, I signed up for…(drumroll please!) a full-marathon!!! I need that motivation of training for something. As I write this I am now signed up for several half marathons as well. This means I need to get my ass in gear!
I started slowly training. When I say slow I’m not kidding either. We are talking no more than a 1-2 mile run at like a 12-13 minute mile pace. Not only did I lose fitness during recovery, but I also gained a few pounds of my weight back during the “I’m-hurting-and-can’t-do-anything-so-I-may-as-well-eat-crap-that’s-not-good-for-me” phase of my recovery. It’s not like I put a ton of weight on, but those extra pounds don’t help with running. If you’re not currently a runner imagine wearing a backpack stuffed with hardcover books, or carrying a brick around while you’re trying to run a mile. It makes everything twice as hard!
On top of struggling to get back into a routine of running, I started getting shin splints. I hadn’t gotten shin splints since I first began running. I felt like a novice all over again! I’d take a few days off and they’d feel better so I’d run no more than two miles and then they start bothering me again. It got so bad I went to a sports medicine physician (because a regular doctor would just tell me to stop running altogether- and we all know THAT wouldn’t fly with me!) several times to get them looked at. I was so paranoid that I had a stress fracture and I was making it worse by continuing to run. I really should stop diagnosing myself with the help of my pal Google.
The Doctor examined me first by watching me walk across the room. He also had me doing odd things like jumping on one foot, doing calf raises, and running in slow motion. My X-ray had been clear so he determined my calves are both really tight although the one on my left is worse. He did tell me my left leg is predominately weaker than the right. He suggested stretches, insoles in all my shoes (even more supportive sandals) and physical therapy. I did everything he suggested other than the physical therapy. I tried it, honestly I did, I went to one session. I felt like everything was too easy, the actual physical therapist was too busy to deal with me, and I felt like she blew me off after I mentioned I run. Needless to say, that soured me on physical therapy and I never went back.
Meanwhile I was still having pain so bad that it would hurt even when I was just sitting there. I finally had a second X-ray and he detected a “shadow” on the bone so he ordered an MRI to make triple sure there was no stress fracture or bone splintering.
I am embarrassed about my calves. I really and truly am. I have no idea what happened in the last two years but my calves have gotten embarrassingly huge. Either that or my ankles have shrunk to the size of toothpicks. Enter the MRI:
Look how big!!! They look like two hamhocks lying in a deli case. Those giant slabs of meat are causing all my problems! My calves didn’t look like this two years ago. I’ve been trying to figure out why they’ve gotten so ginormous, but haven’t been able to find any answers. By the way there is nothing wrong with my right foot. She just had me laying in a really awkward position. By the end of the 45 minutes trapped in a tunnel with crazy noises freaking me out, I could barely move when I hopped down from the table because I wa so stiff and that foot had fallen asleep! At least that shows I was a good patient and didn’t move the entire time!
Anyway…no stress fracture or anything else suspicious! Yay me! He told me I could resume running but suggested I change my shoes and try something different. He said yes, I did for sure have shin splints and they were pretty severe. Again he told me to stretch, start slowly, and go see a physical therapist.
Fast forward a few weeks to current, and I have yet to make a physical therapy appointment. Not only do I feel like I don’t have time, but after my last experience I’m wary. I have switched shoes. I went from the uber supportive Asics Gel Kayano’s to the (less-but-still good-) supportive Brooks Ravenna. I ran my last actual race in the Ravenna, and I’ve loved them so I figured why not! I’m still not running as much as I wanted to be at this point, but I’m not having debilitating pain in my shins either.
I was out and about with some time to kill one day, so I stopped by a new (to me) running store by my old gym (more on THAT later). I went in on a lark and started talking to the gentleman who was working. He himself is an avid runner and has completed numerous half and full marathons as well as several Ironman races. He sat and talked to me about my issues and concerns for about 10 minutes before he even brought any shoes out.
He brought out about 4 pair in two different brands. Brooks (which I’m very fond of), and Saucony (which I have never worn). He had me put one of each brand of shoe on. He then had me walk across the store while he analyzed my form, and then took me outside and had me run in the parking lot to the other end of the strip mall. I’ve never not run on a treadmill when I’ve tried on shoes before. I can totally see why it’s more beneficial to analyze gait on a surface that will actually be run on versus a treadmill that’s completely and totally artificial. He watched me the entire time and did tell me I’m a mid-foot striker versus a heel striker and that my form is nice. He also said he like the way I use my arms as pendulums at the side of my body rather than cross-crossing in front.
He watched me run and told me which shoe he didn’t like so I took that one off and put another one on. The cycle repeated until we had it narrowed down to two pair. He had me run in both (with both on my feet versus one of each) and I ultimately decided which ones based on how they felt. He said both looked good when I ran, they both supported me equally as well so I went with comfort. I ended up with the Ghost 8. The Ghost has less support than I normally run with, but he thinks part of my problem is I have way too much support going on. On top of that, I had the custom insoles from the usual running store I go to, so I had double stability which is what is most likely throwing off my gait.
Look how pretty!
They are part of the Aurora Borealus collection from Brooks! I haven’t run in them yet, but he told me if I have issues to come back in and they will take care of me. I’ve never had such a personalized, amazing experience at a shoe store before! I’m actually very excited about trying these bad boys out! He even showed me a bunch of different things I can do to help release all the tension in my calves. I know it sounds corny, but I left that store with a spring in my step and an excitement I haven’t felt for running in a long time!
So, soon I will begin my training! My goal is to keep writing in the blog as I go. It helps keep me grounded and keep those fears and “I cant’s” from getting in my head and messing with my confidence and my mojo!
Oh! Here is a picture from when I was running one of my first races:
(Note the normal girl-sized calves)
And here is a more recent picture:
(Sorry for the huge picture. I finally gave up trying to shrink it down-maybe the bigger picture gives you more of an idea of the enormity of the calf situation. Pun-totally intended!)
What’s up with the size difference in the calves?? This was right before my surgery so I kind of feel like they are even bigger now! Sigh* I know I need to quit whining and embrace the fact that my calves are muscular and I should be proud of that, but it just makes me so self conscious because I feel like now I’m out of proportion…
Hopefully I will be writing more soon! Getting back into the swing of things will be an adventure but I do need it!
Runs Through Sprinklers 