Breaking Away

Sorry to hear about the ankle business, and hope it heals quickly. Can you pool run? What about roller blading just to get yourself out there? I know it's not fitness, but at least you'll get some fresh air /scenery and maybe feel less crazy while not running.

Mark, are you able to do anything else to try to stay in shape or will the ankle not really take anything?

Penelope wrote:Sorry to hear about the ankle business, and hope it heals quickly. Can you pool run? What about roller blading just to get yourself out there? I know it's not fitness, but at least you'll get some fresh air /scenery and maybe feel less crazy while not running.

Thanks, P! I don't have access to a pool where I could try that sort of running (well, we have one in the backyard, but it's fairly shallow and FREEZING thanks to our ridiculously mild summer). I don't think roller blading would be so great for my ankle... and given my coordination, it'd probably be bad for my elbows, knees, teeth, etc...

JohnP wrote:Mark, are you able to do anything else to try to stay in shape or will the ankle not really take anything?

Alas, John: Every type of vigorous exercise I can think of requires significant use of my foot and ankle, and I'm erring on the side of babying this until it's ready to go. I don't want to prolong the recovery by starting back too quickly.

My plan is to not even think about running until next week.

Until then, the only thing I can probably do at this point is either light walking - which I'm already doing a bit - some stretching, crunches and other core work. I'll get back out there soon; I just need to be patient.

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we do not want Mark to go into taper mode....bad idea! Just the thought it makes me a little antsy and a bit . Just kidding Mark.



Sorry to see you are still a bit out of commission. Hopefully another full week of rest will get you back up to speed.

Joel H wrote:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we do not want Mark to go into taper mode....bad idea! Just the thought it makes me a little antsy and a bit . Just kidding Mark.



Sorry to see you are still a bit out of commission. Hopefully another full week of rest will get you back up to speed.

Let's hope so, Joel. Let's hope so.

Mark B wrote:

Joel H wrote:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we do not want Mark to go into taper mode....bad idea! Just the thought it makes me a little antsy and a bit . Just kidding Mark.



Sorry to see you are still a bit out of commission. Hopefully another full week of rest will get you back up to speed.

Let's hope so, Joel. Let's hope so.

Ok, I think I am getting a little bit freaked out by all those guys jumping around...they look like they are all having little seisures, which I think may be causing me to twitch!

Joel H wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Joel H wrote:NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO we do not want Mark to go into taper mode....bad idea! Just the thought it makes me a little antsy and a bit . Just kidding Mark.



Sorry to see you are still a bit out of commission. Hopefully another full week of rest will get you back up to speed.

Let's hope so, Joel. Let's hope so.

Ok, I think I am getting a little bit freaked out by all those guys jumping around...they look like they are all having little seisures, which I think may be causing me to twitch!

Hm. Sorry about that, Joel. I'm probably not quite THAT jumpy, though my family might disagree.



Oh yeah, an actual update might be in order, hm? My foot and ankle continues to improve. Not ready for impact yet (or for aggressive stair-climbing), but the fact that it's getting progressively better suggests to me that this will resolve itself fairly soon.

That's great news!

Would the elliptical work for you, Mark?

John Kilpatrick wrote:That's great news!

Thanks, John. I'd love a miraculous overnight recovery, but I guess I can live with steady improvement.

Jim Lentz wrote:Would the elliptical work for you, Mark?

Probably not, Jim. It would take flexing of the ankle joint, which is where I'm still sore. And besides, I don't own an elliptical and don't have a membership to an athletic club. I run because it's (or I am...) cheap!

Here's hoping you heal quickly. How about stairclimbing in your rigid boot, keeping the ankle/foot fixed and using your quads. I used to work with a guy who had a two story house and every morning used to spend 30 minutes going up and down the stairs. Worked for him; he was really a skinny dude after 6 months of that. Probably had quads of steel.

Tom H wrote:Here's hoping you heal quickly. How about stairclimbing in your rigid boot, keeping the ankle/foot fixed and using your quads. I used to work with a guy who had a two story house and every morning used to spend 30 minutes going up and down the stairs. Worked for him; he was really a skinny dude after 6 months of that. Probably had quads of steel.

Well, that'd sure be the cheaper option... Still, I think I should be able to get out there before too long. I rode my kid's bike for a few minutes today, and my midfoot was unhappy about that for a while, so I'll continue to play it on the safe side.

Better to restrain myself and heal now so I can build up fast rather than go back too soon and let a battle with a lingering injury make the whole training cycle go haywire. Right now, less is more.

Bit by bit, I'm making progress...

Yesterday, I tried some eccentric heel drops and did some more alphabet exercises. The tendons and muscles seem to be functioning properly, which is a good thing. The basic support structure (the bones and ligaments) seems to be the source of the pain/discomfort now, so it's just a matter of letting that ease up.

To that end, I switched out of my Free 3.0s into a new set of Free Run 2s. I had to send my summer testers back a week or so ago, so these babies had been lingering in a box for a while now. It's funny, in a way. This is the first time I've worn Free Run 2s since I helped test them a year ago, and they feel weird in comparison with what I've been wearing since June. I'm not sure my foot is entirely happy about it - there's a bit of discomfort in my lateral arch (on the outside edge of the foot) where I did the most damage in my ankle-twist. But I'm going to wear them to work today and see how it goes.

They're also really, really white. (It was the only type they had when I was shoe shopping.)



Hopefully, I'll be able to take care of that problem in a week or two.

Those shoes are very Euro-Velo. Except they should be white on white, not grey on white

Thought of you today when I was in my race - rolled my right ankle enough to feel a bit of a crunch and said, "Shit, hope I didn't just pull a Mark..." As much as I'd love to be able to commiserate, I'm equally happy that it went away in 2 minutes and hasn't come back.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Thought of you today when I was in my race - rolled my right ankle enough to feel a bit of a crunch and said, "Shit, hope I didn't just pull a Mark..." As much as I'd love to be able to commiserate, I'm equally happy that it went away in 2 minutes and hasn't come back.

Oh lordy, I hope "Pull a Mark" doesn't become part of the lexicon! I'm glad it settled down. Commiseration is nice, but I don't need anybody sucking up all the sympathy I'm getting!

But this extra bit is all your fault, Mike.

My shoes were stinging with the "Euro-Velo" remark and wanted to be taken for a run, just because.

Well, there's a small problem with that. I haven't taken a running step since I "Pulled a Mark" a few Sundays ago. But... they really wanted to go.

Dang. Okay. I started out on a nice cushy carpeted floor, taking teensy little baby steps, slower than walking. Ow. That didn't feel so good. Crap.

But I started thinking... well... doing teensy little baby steps, I was pretty much coming down square on my heel. What if I tried it on the balls of my feet? So I tried it. Okay. That didn't hurt. Well, not much.

So... I did it again, a little faster. Hm. No worse.

Well, golly. Now I have to take it outside, don't I?

So I walked out of the office. It's a nice warm evening. It hit 95 today and was still in the low 90s. It felt nice. I started moving .. carefully, now, carefully... doing a shuffle-jog. Through the parking lot, down through the truck parking to the street.. hm. I've got searing pain in my hip flexor... but it seems to be fading... and my foot? Um. It feels... fine. Hm.

So I turned and headed up the street, still going very slow, up and around the building. I did a little gentle zigging and zagging, trail-running style, down the sidewalk (good thing nobody saw me!) and I walked it out. I ran jogged about a quarter mile, total.

The result? Well... I can feel it, but it's not bad. It's not healed yet, but it's getting there.

Of course, we'll see how it feels tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow morning is.... now!

I woke up with a somewhat sore ankle and foot. Okay. While it's getting better, it's not ready yet.

That was an unfair thing to do to yourself - to have a new pair of shoes sitting in a box waiting to be ran in. Sounds like you are playing everything about right - less probably is more as nature does its thing and you are back. After seeing some of your runs, the white shoes won't be that way for very long....

I'll take credit for the run, but not for the soreness. Not my fault.

John Kilpatrick wrote:That was an unfair thing to do to yourself - to have a new pair of shoes sitting in a box waiting to be ran in. Sounds like you are playing everything about right - less probably is more as nature does its thing and you are back. After seeing some of your runs, the white shoes won't be that way for very long....

I think the shoes have stopped sulking, after today's effort. They're still clean, but at least they're a little sweaty.

Mike MacLellan wrote:I'll take credit for the run, but not for the soreness. Not my fault.

Mmm-hm. Riight. I just wish that someday I could "Pull a Mike" -- and win a race.

----

On to today...

Rehab run: 2.3 miles (!)

Weather: Partly cloudy, warm, a bit muggy. 68 degrees, 74% humidity. Gear Free Run 2s; shorts, T.

3 weeks post-injury: A quarter-mile test jog last Saturday went pretty well (though I was sore the day after), so I went out today to do some laps around the block and see how it felt. Alec accompanied me, though he switched to his bike after a mile.

I did one lap (about 1/3 of a mile) walking and felt my foot/ankle starting to loosen up before picking it up to a slow jog. I kept on until I hit a mile total, took a brief break, then went out and jogged another mile before ending with another walking lap to cool down.

There was a little discomfort that eased as I kept going, but it never hurt. It felt better when I veered off the sidewalk and ran on some of my neighbors' lawns. Good thing they were all at work!

Sounds like a successful rehab run, Mark.

Jim Lentz wrote:Sounds like a successful rehab run, Mark.

Thanks, Jim. It's been an hour or so since the run... so far, so good!

Foot update: My foot and ankle were fairly sore yesterday after my rehab run, so I decided to not push my luck, take today as a rest day and see how it felt.

As of this afternoon, it feels pretty good!

I like this trend. It looks like I'll be out there on the roads tomorrow morning.

Mark B wrote:Foot update: My foot and ankle were fairly sore yesterday after my rehab run, so I decided to not push my luck, take today as a rest day and see how it felt.

As of this afternoon, it feels pretty good!

I like this trend. It looks like I'll be out there on the roads tomorrow morning.

This is good news Mark. Based on how the ankle looked in the photo you initially posted, I didn't think you'd be back out there this soon.

Seth Harrison wrote:This is good news Mark. Based on how the ankle looked in the photo you initially posted, I didn't think you'd be back out there this soon.

Yeah, it was pretty awful looking, wasn't it? Which is weird, because I didn't swell or bruise when I actually broke my foot a few years ago. Whatever I irritated this time, it sure didn't like it.

Walking is feeling more normal, and I realized taking off my work shoes today that I was shifting between standing on one foot and the other without conscious thought or discomfort.

Crossing fingers that this will continue!

Rehab/Hill Run: About 4 miles

Weather: Sunny, mild, muggy. 60 degrees, 96% humidity (ground fog in a few places!) Gear: Free Run 2s, shorts, T. Fuel: Coffee and carrots before. Didn't carry water.

A little over 2 miles worked fairly well on Monday, so I was ready to attempt an actual run this morning. And just to make it interesting, I picked my most hilly road route. Hey, hill work is a cornerstone of my current training approach, so I need to know if my foot/ankle will let me do it. My philosophy for the run (provided by a sports medicine doc I once saw) was simple: "Let pain be your guide."

I gave myself plenty of time and eased into the run, taking it nice and slow. The first 100 yards after the warmup were a little uncomfortable, but I warmed up fairly quickly and felt the discomfort go away. Hm. Good sign. I worked my way through a ravine and on some rolling terrain out toward the biggest hill on the route. I chugged my way up the steep side. Climbing works. Check. Then I crested the top and headed down the other side. I had to step carefully, but I could make it work. Downhilling works, mostly. Check. Then, it was back up and over the hill, and down that steep slope. Still no problems (it was slightly more comfortable slaloming gently down the hill than schussing it), though my ankle preferred the camber on one side of the road more than the other. No surprise there.

All in all: Success!

The elevation profile: