A Break from Running?

"Yes."

and "Probably."

As in, "Yes,I have not run in the last 5 weeks" and

"I probably have a stress fracture of my left foot."

First, "What's a stress fracture?" Here's a definition from an article about Yao Ming, whose season for the Houston Rockets ended this year with a stress fracture:

"The typical stress fracture results from an accumulation of stress on the bone that exceeds the bone's ability to heal that stress.

The bone then develops microscopic cracks that go on to yield a complete crack."

Basketball's big men, who do a lot of running and jumping on hard floors, are often prone to stress fractures. Bill Walton, the former UCLA and NBA star, and current TV commentator, is a prominent example.

Army recruits who are suddenly called on to do a lot of marching, and runners who dramatically ramp up their mileage, are other common examples.

I guess I fall in the latter category. Because I really wanted to become a better runner this year, I had been running very regularly, trying for 3 times a week. I was able to go about 2.2 miles on my LSD runs without stopping, usually running outbound, and walking or walk and running inbound, so the whole workout was around 4 miles. I felt pretty good about that, too, since I have never been able to run that long without stopping in my entire adult life.

The thing about LSD runs is that you are only supposed to do them once a week, and the goal is is gradually increase the distance run during each session - gradually meaning no more than a 10% increase per week. But, I felt good, and being a typical Type A, I began doing that distance during each workout. In addition, I began adding bursts into the inbound portion of my LSD's, and I began running up the hills. Hey - if some is good, more is better! The final ingredient? My running shoes were over a year and a half old. The recommendation for runners - especially for large runners like me - is to get new shoes at least every 6 months.

In one of my earlier posts, "DNS" I mention that my foot hurt while running, and that I reluctantly decided to skip a sprint tri and a road race. What I didn't own up to is what finally got me to go to the doctor. The day after my last running workout, I went for a walk on the bike path along the river - and just that easy walk caused burning pain on the top of my left foot.

My doctor listened to what was going on, and sent me down the hall for an xray. Xrays are not conclusive for stress fractures of the small bones in the feet, but this one showed a "callus" which is often an indication of a fracture which has begun to heal. After seeing this, he requested an MRI, which is more definitive. It is also more expensive, so I had to get pre-authorization from my insurance company before I got it done.

Two days after the MRI, Dr. Arnold got the results from the imaging lab, which he discussed with me over the phone. The report had a lot of medical terms - "edema of the bone marrow" is one I remember - that strongly indicated a stress fracture, but were not 100% conclusive. The imaging guy suggested that I go for a CT scan.

Kip and I talked it over - he is a really practical guy and I like him a lot. The discussion went something like this:

"Does the foot feel better since you stopped running?"

"Yes. And I did 35 minutes on the elliptical last night, and it's ok today"

"I don't see any need for a CT scan at this time. I suggest you continue not running on it. You can bike and swim and use the elliptical as long as they don't hurt your foot. Call me if it doesn't continue to improve."

"OK. Suppose it doesn't get better?"

"I will probably refer you to a foot doctor."

So, that's where we are. I must have gotten addicted to the running because I've been feeling pretty funky since I haven't been getting my fixes. Haven't felt too motivated to do any biking or swimming either. Got a lot of "Why me?" and "It's not fair!" stuff going on, too.

I'm not a total slug, though. I have continued to walk during lunch a couple of times a week - the company and walking up the hills are both good for me. And there are always chores to complete around the house - hey, you get 300 Fit Points for pushing the lawnmower for an hour. I hit the weights last weekend for the first time in 6 months, too, and I've made an appointment to see one of the coaches at the Y to make sure my form is good. Best of all, last night was Swim Night and even though I missed the last two weeks, and wasn't exactly Michael Phelps in the water, I did ok.

The Pinebush is coming up in 5 weeks, and I am registered. If my foot heals and I can start to run again in a couple of weeks, great. If not, I can still train for the bike and swim, and I can always walk the 3.25 miles. Given my blazing foot speed, there's not that much difference between me running and me walking, anyway. Sounds like a plan.

See you out there - I promise.