January 31, 2015

New Indy plan

As I mentioned Thursday, I decided to walk at the rec center while the boys played basketball. I haven't walked much at all since my ankle injury, because I've been trying to keep weight off of it as much as possible (hello, jigsaw puzzles!). Open swimming is only from 8:30 pm-10:00 pm on Thursdays, so I couldn't do water running, but after such a lazy day on Wednesday, I was feeling the urge to be active yesterday.

I wore my Altra Paradigms, because those have maximum cushioning. I brought along my iPod, and went upstairs to the track. There were a ton of people on it! Usually, I'm the only one, or maybe 1-2 others. I started walking at a pretty quick pace (slightly faster than a 15:00/mi pace). There are only three lanes, and most people were walking in pairs. The inner lane is for running only, so it was difficult to pass people.

I was so grateful that my ankle felt PERFECT. No issues whatsoever. I decided that after a mile of walking, I'd attempt to run one time around the track (1/12 of a mile) and see how my ankle felt. It was so strange--the second I started running, my ankle started hurting. It must just be the impact from running that is causing the pain. I walked a while longer, for 30 minutes total, and then called it quits. My ankle was a little sore when I got home, but nothing worse than it has been lately.

I woke up a few times during the night and my ankle was really hurting, so the walk and/or brief run really irritated it; in the morning, it was so painful that I was limping! I have an appointment with a podiatrist on Tuesday evening. I'd like to at least rule out a fracture or something else that's really serious. For now, I'm not even going to test it. I'm going to continue to rest it as much as possible, and do the water running for exercise.

It's been almost 8 weeks since I injured it, and with all the resting I've been doing, I would have hoped to see more progress. But the reality is, this is a long-term injury, so I have to reevaluate any running goals I have for this year. Training for Indy is supposed to start in a week! My goal was a sub-2:00 half-marathon, but I am not even going to hope for that now. I'm going to continue to train in the pool, logging as much time as I would if I was running on ground. As soon as my ankle is better, I'll see where I'm at as far as Indy goes.

I've done Indy four times, and each time, I say that I would love to do the race with a camera, and take tons of pictures along the course. It's a SUPER fun course, and I always see so many fun bands, costumes, runners' shirts, etc. that I've wanted to take pictures of. So maybe this time, I'll do just that: run if I can, but not worry about time, and just take lots of pictures and enjoy it. If I still can't run by then, I'll walk it.

My main priority for a running goal this year is now to be able to train for and run the Detroit Marathon, which is in October (training starts in July). I had hoped to train for a PR, and maybe that's still possible. It's all going to depend on what happens with my ankle. But I'll worry about that later. Right now, I just want to do everything in my power to get better--even if that means no running for a few months. I'll just have to bust my ass in the pool! ;)


Today, the kids had their classes at JoAnn Fabrics. Noah has been taking a cake decorating class, and Eli had a pajama pants sewing class. The classes were a gift from my mom for them for Christmas, and she's been the one going with them, but she wasn't able to today, so Jerry and I took the kids. Today was the final day of class for each of them. Noah designed and decorated a Minecraft cake:


And Eli made a cute pair of fleece pajama bottoms:


They both really enjoyed the classes. The cake decorating was super messy, and required a ton of prep work on my mom's part, but Noah is really excited to be able to decorate birthday cakes for our family. And Eli was even taught how to clean a sewing machine, which will certainly come in handy--I don't know that I've ever cleaned mine! hahaha


Tonight, my younger brother, Nathan, is watching the kids, which they are super excited about. Jerry and I are going to my friend Eric's house, where several of my high school friends are getting together. It's been a while since I saw everyone, so I'm really looking forward to it!

13 comments:

  1. I am so sorry about your ankle! I was training for my first marathon and injured my adductor, so no more marathon! :( My boy loves Minecraft, he would love this cake!

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    1. My kids are obsessed with Minecraft! I don't understand the appeal ;)

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  2. The boys did a great job on their projects. They would be great to enter in the county fair through 4H if you are participating in that organization. If you are not the boys would probably love the possibilities.

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    1. I've never thought of that, but I'll look into it. Sometimes when they pick up crafts, they don't stick with them very long, so we'll see how it goes ;)

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  3. Have you considered the shoes are causing the ankle issues? I know it sucks to think about it, especially when you like the shoes and company so much. I was plagued by really really terrible PF (for a year!) and it wasn't until I finally switched shoes that the pain went away. I had tried all sorts of inserts, taping, exercises, stretching, icing. etc. and it would flare right back up anytime I walked or ran in my old beloved shoes (of which I had three pair of the same model!). Switched to different shoes and all traces of injury cleared up in about two weeks and I haven't felt a twinge since. Just something to think about.

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    1. The injury actually started in 2013--and I didn't even know it then!--so I'm sure it's not the shoes. But that was my first thought.

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    2. Melissa, I too have TERRIBLE PF. What shoes are you using now? I am loyal to Sauconys, but no matter the insert in the shoe (and I've tried lots!) pain is still present. I am actually saving up for the shoes Katie has right now.

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  4. I'm so sorry to hear this. Bottom line? You most likely need some intensive physio to address the issue. A good physio can make the difference between recovery and forever having a problem. I have learned the very hard way to see my physio (he's practically on speed dial!) the moment I have an issue.

    Also? Really? You tried running again even though you know you're carrying an injury? Deal with the denial, Katie. I know this is hard. And I'm probably being rude scolding you in your own blog, but really -- this was dumb. You know better. When in doubt, or when you're tempted to do something dumb - ask yourself: if it was a friend in my position and she asked me Should I run? Would I say yes? I think you know you wouldn't. So if you'd counsel your friend wisely, surely you can counsel yourself wisely as well. And if you can't, you need to have a good hard look at what's happening in your head. Because you won't get too many more free passes on this before you do some permanent damage.

    Your situation sucks. Your plans are derailed. It is what it is. Be smart, dial it back, and live to run another day.

    Karen in Sydney

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    1. I'm not in denial about being injured. That's why I have an appointment with the podiatrist. But it only hurts when running, so it's hard to know whether it's healed or not. When I walk, it feels totally fine, which makes me think that maybe it's healed. I didn't run for miles--it was just a short test on the track to see if it felt okay (and it didn't, so I walked). I actually think I've been playing it smart with my ankle--as much as I've wanted to run through the pain, I haven't run at ALL in 4 weeks. I'm waiting until it's healed.

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    2. I really hope you get this sorted. Have to say, though, that you might get a more comprehensive answer to the issue if you double up with a physio check up too. Podiatry can tackle structural issues with your feet, but if you have a soft tissue injury in the ankle, that's going to take a specific kind of treatment to fix Whichever way it goes, all my fingers are crossed that you get the answers you need. I know I'd be pushing to know exactly what and where the issue is, chapter and verse, because until you have those answers you don't really have a clear way forward. Sorry if I was cranky pants at you. KiS.

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  5. I hope you figure your ankle out! I had a hip injury that took a long time to diagnose and I was highly frustrated. Keep on exercising in the pool. You never know - the cross training might just help your running once you are able to run again. I will be very curious to see if it does.

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  6. I hope your PT helps you figure this out. I'm so sorry that you are dealing with it. I admire your courage in sharing openly on your blog your feelings as you sort through it all. Thanks for writing and keep looking up. You will be able to run again.

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  7. Just don't forget about the foot callouses that build up when you train that will not build up when you water run so that your feet don't look like hamburger after you run your race. :) Hope everything gets back to normal soon!

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