Holy Peroneal Tendonitis

On Sunday I had my last long run before my half in NYC in two weeks.  I did 10.1 miles.  Two weeks before that I did 7.2 so this was sort of a big jump to do in one week.  Five miles were on the Cooper River Bridge and then the other 5.1 on the trails under the bridge and down and back Coleman blvd.  So I checked the weather like I always do before I head out and the little image next to the temp was a little swirl, not a cloud, but a swirl.  NOW I know that that little swirl means that there will be epic hurricane like winds that will try to blow you completely off the bridge, rip your hat off your head (that happened) and do everything possible to keep you from moving forward (while crushing your spirit and all motivation you have at the same time).  My hat really did get blown off my head by a gust of wind at the top of the bridge.  And I had it on tight with my ponytail through the loop too.  INTENSE.  My first mile time was about 3 minutes (THREE MINUTES!!!) longer than my usual average mile. It was just nuts.  It took almost all of my energy to just stay put and not fall backwards as I running up the incline.  And obviously it took a little more to actually move forward uphill. 

note the little swirly character...lesson learned

When my watch beeped at mile one I almost died when I saw the mile time.  “11:06”.  HAHAAAA I really did laugh out loud as I was running, and then quickly stopped because I couldn't breathe and eat a bunch of wind at the same time. This Saturday will be my last mid length run before my half on the 13th. In true tapering fashion for training, I’m doing the CRBR which is 6.2 miles, the perfect length to do one week away from a half. It also obviously incorporates an incline, which my half has 5 of.  FIVE.  CINCO.  CINQ.  What was I thinking?  

So after my run I relaxed the rest of the day, went to a movie with my family.  (Non-Stop. Liam Neeson… DO IT). And I felt fine all day and fine all day the next day (took Monday off from running), a little dehydrated but my body felt completely normal.  UNTIL… Monday night after I had heavy bag fitness class and krav.  That night before bed, I felt this strange pain in my ankle and bottom of my foot.  It was a dull pain but still noticeable.  I thought it would go away, but it hasn’t.  It’s actually gotten much worse.  I’m an idiot and don’t take anyone’s advice (not even my own) and ran on it Tuesday which was a really dumb thing to do. My planned 4.5 mile run got unexpectedly and painfully cut short at 3.2 when I rounded a corner and I thought a knife had gone through the bottom of my shoe and into my ankle.  I did some research and it’s got to be peroneal tendonitis.  PT is an inflammation of the two tendons rhat run behind the ankle and down into the foot.  They help stabilize and support the ankle and it’s movement.  Overuse of these tendons (or stupidly jumping from 7 miles to 10 miles in one week) can result in inflammation and pressure on the ankle as well as extreme tightness and soreness along the tendons.  Treatment?  Rest.  REST.  REST????  What’s that? UGHHHH… this is the worst.  I not only have my half in 10 days but like I mentioned above, I'm supposed to run the bridge run in 3.  I’ve been icing the beast like crazy and I’m addicted to ibuprofen at the moment.  No big deal.

So here's my NEW plan of action: Take the next 3 days off... 99.9% sure I wont be running the bridge.  (I don't' want to talk about it, more than a little upset.)  But I know that if I run the bridge I probably wont be able to do the half and that's more important to me right now.  I really need to stay off this thing.  Most of the things I read about PT said that if you keep training and irritating the tendons, they will tear and then you will need surgery.  In other words, I'd be S.O.L and my life would be a complete mess without running. It sucks and is super frustrating, but what can I do?

Focus. Focus. Focus.  I just keep thinking that in 8 days I’ll be on a plane to enjoy a fun filled weekend in NYC with my best friend and then doing a little bit of a run (painfree) on Sunday (HOPEFULLY).

yep... that's where it's ouchie.

Dreamboat