5 weeks and counting down... Injury, Reloaded

A few weeks ago, I somehow injured my foot running on the suspended track at the YMCA. With some rest and ice, it appeared to get better, and I was optimistic that the problem had been resolved.

After a couple of weeks with lots of walking but few training runs, I reconvened last Saturday with my training group for a long run. They've worked up to 8 miles, which is really, really long. Plus, it was in the 30's and very windy and damp, so it was a struggle just to get started. I did my typical jog/walk and quickly moved to the back of the pack.

At the turnaround, my foot was starting to ache. I took a short break and started back, feeling better and doing more jogging than I had been. But around mile 6, my foot began to hurt again. I walked for another mile or so, slowly, before calling the run coordinator and asking her to pick me up.

I'm hoping it's only ligament soreness (although I know that's something to take seriously), and that rest, ice, and Advil will set me straight. I guess I'll be riding the stationary bike this week at the gym.

On the flip side, I did see how I could actually finish a 13-mile race. If my foot hadn't begun hurting, I think I could have kept going another couple of miles -- mostly fast walking, but some jogging too. I think once I find a sustainable rhythm (even if that is slower than everyone else), I can go for a while. It's like I spend the first 1-2 miles convincing my body that we're actually going to do this; then, it seems to get adjusted.

Here's hoping that the last weeks of training go well!