Injury Timeline: Don't Try This at Home

Hey guys!

Thank you so much for all of the sweet comments of support on my return to running... it's been slow, but wonderful!

As runners, most of us have faced injuries that take threaten our training... and our sanity.  I have had a lot of injuries in the past year, and in the crystal clarity that is hindsight, I see that I certainly could have done things differently.

December 2010:  Started running again after a few month break that was nursing still-only-sleeping-three-hours twins.  I started slowly, less than a mile the first run, and ran three days a week for a month or two before I was up to three miles, three times a week.

Foam rolling with help.

January 2011:  I got the ol' shin splints. No stranger to shin splints, I got new shoes, iced, rested, taped, massaged, Sticked, foam rolled, drank beer.  (The last one is critical for recovery... the alcohol... it... ahhhh.. relaxes the inter...connectal......)

February, March 2011:   Cut my running down to one or two days a week due to shin splits... basically just suffering through one long run a week.

Oshkosh Half - the rufflebums
got me through!

April 2011: Hobbled through the Oshkosh Half Marathon.  Finally went to see a sports medicine doctor, who took X-rays, and told me she didn't know what was wrong, but I needed to rest.

May 2011:  Saw a physical therapist.  Diagnosed me with Posterior Tibial Tendinitis, and mandated 6 weeks off running.  Ultrasound therapy, stretches, strengthening with the PT twice a week.

June 2011:  Running again!  Very little to no pain on most runs.  YAHOO!!!

July 2011:  Still running, up to 15 miles/week.  At the end of July, experienced a terrible run with tremendous quad pain.  Took two weeks off... and...

Hey dumbass, you broke your leg!

August 2011:  Ran the Chicago Rock 'n Roll Half Marathon.  Went to my primary care doctor, was referred for a bone scan, and found multiple healing tibial stress fractures and a fresh femoral stress fracture.




September, October, November 2011:  Heavy drinking.  Lots of crying.  No running.





I don't think I'll ever know if running through all of those "minor" issues at the beginning of the year caused my stress fractures, but I do know I made three HUGE mistakes.

What being stupid does
to your legs.

#1) Training for half marathon with shin splints.  Not smart.  I should have not run Oshkosh and thrown all my hard-earned money at a physical therapist right away.  


#2) Training for a half marathon with shin splints/tendinitis/stress fractures in six weeks with virtually no running base.


#3)  Running a half marathon when I suspected I had a femoral stress fracture.  Super not smart.  







So there you have it.  I'm an idiot.  So that's why I'm being extra smart about my recovery... with a few idiot moves thrown in... but overall I'm being very cautious.

 I'm going to detail my plan here tomorrow, and hopefully these posts will help someone out there not be such an idiot.

But if you do choose to be an idiot and run through an injury, I'll buy you a beer and we can ice/stretch/foam roll and drown our sorrows together.  :)