Training Day #76

(a.k.a. “Sometimes We All Take Diggers”)

Tonight I headed out on a run. I hadn’t run since my race on Saturday and I felt my body longing to get out and go. I was craving a run. I like that feeling. 🙂

My legs had other ideas, though, when I first started out. They felt like Jello. It took them close to three miles to come around and join the run with the rest of my body.

After that, the run was clicking and feeling really good…

…until I hit 3.6-miles and something happened. I can’t even explain what it was – did I just lose my balance? did I “blackout” for a split-second? did I trip over an invisible foot in the road? All I know is that I started falling. I attempted to correct myself, but I went down anyway.

Knee first. Hand. Elbow. Then my body flipped right over my left shoulder in some sort of weird somersault motion. My graceful fall ended in the ditch. I sat there in stunned motionless silence for a minute and then looked myself over.

Thankfully, my knee strap kept my knee from being gashed wide open. My hand looked okay, although there was tar in the wound. My elbow and shoulder escaped with hardly a scratch.

I stood up and figured that since I was only 0.4-miles from home I’d run. Run with my left hand up on my shoulder because I wasn’t sure how bad the bleeding would be. And run I did. Probably my fastest interval of the evening.

I’m okay. I washed carefully and drown my wounds with first-aid spray.

We’ll see if I’m up for a run tomorrow. I know that my mind will be.

Elliptical Saturday and Plantar Fasciitis

Ah, my Saturday morning routine, watching my son’s swim class from the elliptical. 30 minutes for 4.35 miles. I feel good about that. 🙂

I am still having problems with my heels. They are killing me! I am thankful that they didn’t bother me at all while on the elliptical machine, but tomorrow is a road running day. Sigh.

Ironically, on the day when my heels first started bothering me, a friend of mine sent me her copy of ChiRunning by Danny Dreyer. (Thanks Sarah!!!) I haven’t had too much time to read it yet, but this afternoon I skipped around looking for answers (as I was starting to really believe that I had stress fractures in both of my heels.) I was purrusing the chapter on “Troubleshooting: Injury Prevention and Recovery”, I think I found my answer. These words on page 239 hit home with me:

In the next level of PF [Plantar Fasciitis] your heel will feel a little tender when you first get up from a chair or get out of bed in the morning. In the early stages the discomfort will go away once you’re up and about on your feet. But as the injury advances into later stages, the tenderness will linger and begin to turn into what feels like little needles sticking you in the bottom of your heel with each step. Trust me, it’s not fun. In the very advanced stages of PF, you find yourself surfing Amazon to find books on levitation. It aches all day, not just when you’re walking or running.

That’s it! I have advanced PF! At least I know what it is and the book had suggestions for coping with it and how to train even with PF. I am thankful that I don’t have to take time off. I will have to learn how to train smarter during the next few weeks. (Or learn how to levitate. One of the two! 😉 )