Well, more like a bad run, actually, but we shall get to that.
My day started with this:
A PACKAGE!
What was in that package, but FOOD!
I was lucky enough to win some homemade jam off the lovely Je’s blog. She is uberfunny and honestly has the cutest blog name ever, so I was super stoked. After receiving this, I knew just what I wanted for bfast.
PB&J oats.
Unfortunately the lid was stuck on the jar. I tried, and Mama D. tried, and we could not get it to budge.
So I settled for some of Mama D.’s jam.
‘Twas wonderful, I can’t complain. I just wish it was blackberry.
*Note, after church my dear soon to be bro-in-law Matt was able to get the obstinate lid off the jar. All is well.
Also after church, I skipped lunch in favor of pb toast and a run.
It was the worst run of my entire life. Including the time I called my sister to come pick me up. It was that bad.
My first mistake was running in the afternoon. I do terrible on afternoon runs, and I know this. Also for some reason Charlotte has not gotten the notice that it is FALL, and it was 80 degrees. Not hot, but not pleasant by any means.
Anyway, I had 14 miles scheduled, and like the stubborn brat I am, I was determined to do it.
The first two miles started off really well, and as far as I can figure I was clocking a 9:30 pace. It was a little warm, but nothing I could not handle.
I started slowing down around mile 3 though, and turned back toward the house so I could use the rest room. (Not trying to be gross, here those are just the facts.) Around this time I also had 1/2 a clif bar to refuel.
After my stop at the house, I had done about 4.5 miles, and figured the last 10 would be no problem.
Was I ever wrong.
Around mile 6 I started cramping in my left calf. Every time my foot hit the pavement a dull cramp would shoot up my leg. Eventually the dull pain turned into a sharp pain and I could not go on any longer.
I knew if I did I would seriously injure myself or worse. I really had no choice but to turn around and head home. I ran/walked the last four miles home for a total of 10 miles.
I immediately iced my calf and then soaked in a hot bath, but my calf still feels painfully tight.
I don’t know what to do!
I have a 5k this weekend, a half in November and a marathon in December.
As I am in the middle of training for all these, I just can’t see taking weeks off to heal, as I normally would.
I think I will go to yoga tomorrow, and see if it’s not something that will stretch out, take Tuesday off completely and then wrap my leg for a short run on Wednesday.
I seriously hope this helps, if not I am going to be in big trouble!
After my soak in the tub, I baked some tofu and had some much needed greens in my life.
- 1 head boston lettuce
- 3 slices tofu
- soy cheese
- cherry tomatoes
Between the cheese and my tofu, I probably got my allotted amount of soy today.
I also had some grapes on the side.
Despite the blinding flash due to the darkness outside, these were quite tasty and wonderful.
****
My question for you is this: Have you ever experienced injury while training for a race? If so what did you do with training? How do I continue training without further injuring myself?
I can’t offer you advice, but I hope your leg gets better soon! It made me hurt just reading this!
If it’s still tight in a day or two, could you keep trying other types of cross-training? I’m no where near the runner you are, but I was recently experiencing some very discouraging shin and calf pain. I tried to keep running on it and it got worse and more frustrating. So I took a week + of doing low-impact exercises that didn’t bother it (mostly elliptical and stair master). When I tried running again I was surprised and how much better it was than before!
That’s just my advice as a wannaber-runner (but I also am not really training for any races, so take it as you will). 🙂 Love ya and have a grrrreatttt week!
Yes I have and it is just about the MOST frustrating thing I can think of. The only thing that helped me was (I hate to say it!) time off of running. The elliptical machine and the stationary bike became close friends of mine. 😦 No fun – hang in there!
I just experienced my first injury last week; I feel your pain and confusion. (Am training for my first triathlon.) Personally, I was in yoga and crunched something in my neck/back — so completely different from what you did, but it had a huge impact on swimming and cycling and was extremely painful. My old-fashioned doc told me to stop all activity immediately and to come back in a week for a checkup. He said no triathlon whatsoever. I was heartbroken, because my first race was 2 weeks away at that point.
Determined to find a way to heal (I mean, c’mon, there was NOTHING I could do? I found that hard to believe), I rotated ice and heat on the injury nightly, and applied Tiger Balm at night and Topricin during the day (both are kind of like natural versions of Aspercreme you can get at Whole Foods).
After 4-5 days, it felt MUCH better, and I then went to see a chiro/physical therapist/active release therapy practitioner who is also a triathlete. He advocated that I get back to training (gently) and was so supportive and positive about healing and racing despite the injury. He massaged the injury and worked the spot for a long time … I’ll see him a few more times until race day. I had my first workout in a week today and felt strong!
My advice: Be proactive, trust your instincts, rest a lot, use homeopathic remedies if you’re into them, and stay tuned with how you feel. Best of luck!
I just had some major calf pain last week, and I was religious about icing and taking NSAIDs every six hours (like motrin) to keep the swelling down. I also made sure to get enough protein to promote muscle healing.
With all the fitness classes I’m doing, I’m constantly on the line between sore and injured. This weekend it was my hip flexors, last weekend it was my calves. Like I said, I ice several times a day and take motrin every 6 hours. I make sure to get as much sleep as I can, cause that’s when your body repairs itself. Hang in there, girl!
ah girl i feel ya. i feel like i’ve seriously injured my right knee, and not sure how my half will end up. I yet to find answers myself, but we’ll help eachother out for sure!
http://saladdiva.wordpress.com
Yucko about the run. I hate when I have bad runs. I’ve never been injured (knock on wood!) so no advice there, but I think some yoga always helps any problems I’m having, so why not try?
homemade jam makes almost everything better…
i don’t know how much it’ll help here though. i have no advice (not a runner. being allergic to the outdoors makes running a no go.), but listen to your body, and don’t get discouraged!
i am sorry your run wasn’t the best. hope your legs feel better whit!
jenna
Take care, keep icing and massaging. Maybe cross train for a week or so, then see if you can run again. If pain persists, see your doctor!
Even though I don’t run intense amazing long distances like you, I must say that minor injuries ALWAYS come up with EVERY runner. Ice, yoga, stretch, massage and I am sure everything will be fine! Bad days always come.. which just makes good days AMAZING! 😀
xoxoxo
I`m sorry you had such a crappy run 😦 I hope the yoga works and stretches it out!!
Hang in there with the run, my dear – listen to your body’s needs and take a rest xo
Sorry to hear about the bad run. I’ve been notcing some pain in my left knee and honestly, the only way to prevent a serious injury from occuring when you may feel one coming on, is to just REST. I know I know, so much easier said than done, but it’s really the one true way to stay healthy while training. If I were you, I would take it easy for a few days and try a light run and see how it feels.
Good luck hun and take care of yourself! 🙂
aw, Whit.. I am sorry that your run didn’t go as planned. Just brush it off and I am sure the next time will go a lot better. As for the injury, you should really take it easy. I know that’s hard when you are training for all of your upcoming races but it’s the best for your body. I know this firsthand.. when I was in cheerleading, I had competitions almost every weekend and I kept going through all the pain and now 5+ years later.. my back kills me after I vacuum or even stand up for a long period of time. So, learn from my mistake and please take it easy girl! Your body will thank you later.
If it still hurts after the run on Wednesday, go see a doctor. Seriously. I ignored an injury in college that was easily fixable at first, but after my stubborn self waited two months (and trained through it), I had injured myself so badly I couldn’t run for 3 months. Either way it’s good to see a dr because if it is nothing they will tell you and if it is something they’ll give you a solution (hopefully!). Good luck girl!!
Just a question – are you sure you are consuming enough protein? Listen to your body and don’t push it too hard or you will suffer now and later.
I got tendonitis in my left knee training for the marathon I did in June. I had to completely stop running for nearly a month which just killed me. Instead of running, I did a lot of cross-training. I did the eliptical using my own arms not the attached ones and actually ran in the pool. Both are great low impact exercises. Running in the pool is acutally really hard! I also started going to a physical therapist. That being said, my marathon was painful! By mile 22 I was in tears and by the finish line all I wanted was some ice and some pain meds.
Here I am 3 month later and I’m tapering for a 1/2 in October. It has been a hard recovery but I’ve taken it slow and can run painfree now. My best advice is to go to the doctor for a diagnosis. They’ll probably prescribe physical therapy. Start it asap and listen to them. I wanted to keep pushing and I did which really set me back.
Last week wasn’t the best week of running for me… I had let down after let down.. but I just had to say:
OK- Next week is a new week… and I will start it determined to do my best! I will be smart in preparation (nutrition), while running, and after (ice ice baby)!!
So- Whit:
It’s a NEW week– and each run is a new run! Another chance- thank God!
Here’s to the next one being SUPER FAB!
I’m dealing with the same injury for two days. I just keep icing and taking ibuprofen. It helps, but is annoying. Good luck!
Hope your leg feels better soon, what a bummer!
Yoga can cure all; go stretch it out 🙂
okay lady…don’t worry – YOU ARE GOING TO BE JUST FINE! there were two weeks during marathon training that i did not run practically at all, because i was in the middle of moving. i was so worried that it would mess everything up – yeah, it took about a week or so to get back in the groove, but take the time off and your body WILL bounce back.
sometimes i get so wrapped up like missing one or two runs is going to mess up the race – then i think how silly that thought is. missing 1 or 2 runs to let your body rest and heal will do far more for you in the long run. plus, we all have our bad running days.
DON’T WORRY – rest up and you will be good as new 🙂
Sorry about the run – at least the next one has to be better?! Take it easy the next couple of days and you should be fine. Don’t push it too hard because you don’t want to exacerbate it. Here are a few stretches: http://www.med.umich.edu/1libr/sma/sma_calfrupt_rex.htm
Hope you feel better 🙂
Oh man…. sorry about the crappy run and the sore calf. Just try to rest for a day or so and try again. Keep us posted… 😦
-A
aw, hon…I’m so sorry! I haven’t had any real injuries, but I have had some crappy runs and still do. I get horrible, horrible side stitches just about every other run and can’t figure out what makes them worse or better or what.
(((hugs)))
I hope today is a good one 🙂
[…] morning I incorporated my new jam into […]
I’m really sorry about your cramp. I hope it is just minor and you can get back into things soon.
I think the grapes look super cool in the flash actually. Its arty 🙂
I’m sorry to say I know jack-shizz about running but it sounds like the other bloggies hooked you up with some great tips.. what I can tell you is ..
a.) your oats look incred
b.) hang in there with the running!
c.) I love you
d.) a lot.
smile, Whitty :)! xo