Health Update

I met with an orthopedic doctor on Friday to get my foot checked out. I had x-rays and found out that I have a stress reaction. This is essentially the beginnings of a stress fracture, my body is warning me that if I keep running before it heals it will break. The doctor thinks I can still run my half marathon in 3 weeks if I avoid load bearing weight for at least two weeks. I can still bike and swim for cardio, but no running or ARC/elliptical training.

I am hopeful that I will take a test run at the beginning of my race week and be able to run without pain. I am afraid that won’t happen. I was supposed to run a 10k Saturday morning. I made plans to go kayaking instead to get some non-weight bearing exercise and also distract myself. It sort of worked. I was super bummed out for a lot of the day but the kayaking was a nice diversion. We had a beautiful weekend here in Florida.

Yesterday morning I did a 20 mile bike ride, my longest to date. I explored some new areas and really enjoyed my time. I also biked my fastest mile split! I made sure to push harder with my right leg/foot and let my left foot sit on the pedal. I haven’t had any foot pain since Saturday night. I had a nice brunch with friends at a vegan restaurant and indulged with this:

Vegan ice cream sundae at Ethos Vegan Kitchen

After brunch I checked out a gym that’s a little further from home but that has a pool. I got a guest pass so I could get up early this morning and try it out. I did 30 minutes of strength training on the weight bench plus a few core moves that don’t require foot pressure. I planned to swim for 20 minutes but I suck at swimming! I never really learned good form as a kid, and the last time I tried to really swim for a while (without a snorkel/fins) I had quite a bit more body fat to buoy me!  I lasted 15 minutes but got my heart rate up so I felt okay about it. I don’t think the new gym is worth the extra cost and commute time though.

I will probably aim to get some real rest tomorrow and will take the rest of the week as it comes. I’m worried that even if my foot feels okay by race day that 3-4 weeks of missed training will make it hard to finish the race. I also know I won’t be racing for a new PR which was my goal at the beginning of this process. I have resigned myself to the walk/run method if need be. Thanks to all who reached out with support!