Hey All. I've been putting off this update for far too long, so today is the day. I know you've all been sitting on the edge of your seats wondering what's going on with me and my quest to be a distance runner, so here's the 4-1-1.
I got back to training - slowly - in late January, walking on a treadmill. Treadmills are awful any time, but walking on a treadmill is in the upper echelon of torture methods. I built my speed and distance slowly, and by early February I was walking 2 miles at a time, and starting to mix in 1 minute intervals of slow jogging...which is when things got ugly.
The aching in my left leg was back - not quite as intense, or as often, but it was definitely back. Mostly at night, keeping me awake, both because the pain was nagging, but also because of what the pain meant. I tried to ignore it for a couple of weeks, taking meds to control the ache, and avoiding the pounding of a full running workout...something that I knew I couldn't avoid much longer.
I received my formal training schedule from Team In Training, and really needed to start hitting the distances and frequency that they scheduled if I had any chance of making the Nike Women's Half Marathon in April. I was already supposed to be running 12-15 miles a week, and I was lucky to get 6-8 in at this point.
I had a pretty decent, almost pain free week, toward the middle of February, and decided that my weekend workouts would be the deciding factor. I'd run - at least a 1/2 mile interval - and go for at least 2 miles total, even if the rest was walking. If I could do it without pain, fantastic. I'd start adding distance and hope to catch up to my team's schedule. If not, it was time to hang up my running shoes.
It started off ok, but by the end of the workout, I was hurting...and continued to hurt through the weekend. It scared me a little. Being single, and living alone means that I don't have someone to help me, and little things suddenly became difficult. Walking up and down the stairs hurt, badly, and I have a lot of stairs in my house. I drive a standard transmission, and I found myself cringing every time I had to depress the clutch. I could still do it, but not comfortably, and that was scary.
So, I am now officially retired from running. Actually, at the moment, I'm still restricted from any and all high impact activities. That includes my Zumba classes, which I miss terribly!
Sadly, that means I don't get to participate in the 1/2 marathon at the end of April...or ever. That part of this whole ordeal has weighed heavily on me. I vacillate between feeling like a quitter, and being frustrated that I couldn't finish what I started. That's part of why it took me so long to write this update. I'm embarrassed that I couldn't do it - especially after so many people showed me such generous support.
That generosity is what I'm holding on to as evidence that my effort wasn't a complete failure. Because of your generous support, I was able to raise over $3000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. I didn't meet my personal fitness goals, but I'm so grateful to have been the catalyst for those donations. I'm proud to be associated to such a fantastic organization, and can't begin to express how lucky I feel to have the support of such generous and amazing friends and family.
Thank you.
You can learn more about LLS, their mission and their successes here: http://www.lls.org/#/aboutlls/researchsuccesses/
So...that's my update. I'm out of the running game, and SO ready for the weather to improve so that I can get back on my bike. As bad as treadmills are, stationary bikes are 10 times worse! This low/no impact restriction is for the birds.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Tuesday, January 7, 2014
Back in the Saddle...
I figured it was time to get back to updating all of you on my journey to 13.1. I was actually online to write an update the night I got the phone call that my mom had passed, and since then things have been a bit of a blur, so I never really got back to it.
Thank you all for your words of love, support and condolence. It's never easy to lose someone, and the stress and emotion of the last few months has taken a toll on my family. I'm blessed with an amazing family, and we're on the road to healing as we move forward with love.
The training update I was planning to write that night wasn't a fun one. While in Denver for Thanksgiving I developed a sharp, shooting pain in my left lower leg. I made it about 3 miles the first day, but the second and third day the pain was so intense that I wasn't even able to run a 1/4 of a mile. The frustration of the whole thing had me in tears. For the next week I could barely walk and was limited to wearing flat shoes, which was a big bummer when I wanted to wear my really cute boots!
I had an appointment to see my doctor the day I got back to RI, and she sent me for X-Rays and referred me to a specialist, suspecting a possible stress fracture of my fibula. The specialist couldn't see me for a week, so I was starting to get really anxious about whether I was going to be able to continue my training in time for my January 12th race, only 6 weeks away.
I wasn't running at all, obviously, and, with the rest, the pain was diminishing slowly, but it was obvious there was still a problem.
When my mom passed, all concerns about seeing the specialist and whether or not I could get back to my training disappeared into the background noise as I focused on things of much greater priority. I had to reschedule my appointment with the specialist, and since it had now been 3 weeks without running, I made the "executive" decision that there was no way I was going to be able to make my distance goals in time for the race, which was now only 5 weeks away.
I called my sponsor at LLS to give him the news that I wasn't going to be going to Florida with the team, and he gave me some encouraging news. I could change my event to one of several 1/2 marathons that Team in Training has on the schedule any time before the end of June, 2014. My fundraising totals to date will be applied to whatever the required commitment is for the race I choose.
Great news...as long as I can run again.
The radiologist who read my X-Ray recommended an MRI, so that was my next step. I have never had an MRI before, and the experience will not make my list of top 10 favorite activities. They only took an MRI of my lower leg, so I was only in the "tube" up to my waste, and only had to hold my leg still (not my entire body). It was definitely not as bad as it could have been, but it was a very long 45 minutes! I can't imagine how Andrew handles having a full body MRI done as often as he does!
The thing about stress fractures is, they are really hard to definitively diagnose unless there is an obvious break...and if you have gotten to that point, well, that's not good.
By the time I actually got to see the specialist and review the MRI results with him, it had been over 5 weeks since I'd run, and my symptoms were mostly gone. Aside from some aching in my leg at night, and discomfort if I wear high heeled shoes all day, my leg feels really good. The MRI was inconclusive, but the doctor isn't convinced that I don't have a stress fracture. The trouble is, the only way to know for sure is to have a bone scan. Since I don't really have any symptoms now, he's agreed to let me get back to training, slowly, and only resort to a bone scan if my symptoms return.
I've been cleared to run 1/2 mile at a time and only on a treadmill with zero incline...but I've been cleared! Now I just have to hope that my leg cooperates. As long as the pain doesn't return, I can continue to increase my distance slowly, and then begin my training runs again in February.
My hope is to participate in the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in Washington, DC at the end of April.
Wish me luck!
If you are interested in donating to support this great cause, you can visit my fundraising page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ri/nikewhlf14/amelnel
Thank you all for your words of love, support and condolence. It's never easy to lose someone, and the stress and emotion of the last few months has taken a toll on my family. I'm blessed with an amazing family, and we're on the road to healing as we move forward with love.
The training update I was planning to write that night wasn't a fun one. While in Denver for Thanksgiving I developed a sharp, shooting pain in my left lower leg. I made it about 3 miles the first day, but the second and third day the pain was so intense that I wasn't even able to run a 1/4 of a mile. The frustration of the whole thing had me in tears. For the next week I could barely walk and was limited to wearing flat shoes, which was a big bummer when I wanted to wear my really cute boots!
I had an appointment to see my doctor the day I got back to RI, and she sent me for X-Rays and referred me to a specialist, suspecting a possible stress fracture of my fibula. The specialist couldn't see me for a week, so I was starting to get really anxious about whether I was going to be able to continue my training in time for my January 12th race, only 6 weeks away.
I wasn't running at all, obviously, and, with the rest, the pain was diminishing slowly, but it was obvious there was still a problem.
When my mom passed, all concerns about seeing the specialist and whether or not I could get back to my training disappeared into the background noise as I focused on things of much greater priority. I had to reschedule my appointment with the specialist, and since it had now been 3 weeks without running, I made the "executive" decision that there was no way I was going to be able to make my distance goals in time for the race, which was now only 5 weeks away.
I called my sponsor at LLS to give him the news that I wasn't going to be going to Florida with the team, and he gave me some encouraging news. I could change my event to one of several 1/2 marathons that Team in Training has on the schedule any time before the end of June, 2014. My fundraising totals to date will be applied to whatever the required commitment is for the race I choose.
Great news...as long as I can run again.
The radiologist who read my X-Ray recommended an MRI, so that was my next step. I have never had an MRI before, and the experience will not make my list of top 10 favorite activities. They only took an MRI of my lower leg, so I was only in the "tube" up to my waste, and only had to hold my leg still (not my entire body). It was definitely not as bad as it could have been, but it was a very long 45 minutes! I can't imagine how Andrew handles having a full body MRI done as often as he does!
The thing about stress fractures is, they are really hard to definitively diagnose unless there is an obvious break...and if you have gotten to that point, well, that's not good.
By the time I actually got to see the specialist and review the MRI results with him, it had been over 5 weeks since I'd run, and my symptoms were mostly gone. Aside from some aching in my leg at night, and discomfort if I wear high heeled shoes all day, my leg feels really good. The MRI was inconclusive, but the doctor isn't convinced that I don't have a stress fracture. The trouble is, the only way to know for sure is to have a bone scan. Since I don't really have any symptoms now, he's agreed to let me get back to training, slowly, and only resort to a bone scan if my symptoms return.
I've been cleared to run 1/2 mile at a time and only on a treadmill with zero incline...but I've been cleared! Now I just have to hope that my leg cooperates. As long as the pain doesn't return, I can continue to increase my distance slowly, and then begin my training runs again in February.
My hope is to participate in the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon in Washington, DC at the end of April.
Wish me luck!
If you are interested in donating to support this great cause, you can visit my fundraising page here: http://pages.teamintraining.org/ri/nikewhlf14/amelnel
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