Week 25: Kick-starting Motivation
Ok, ok, ok.
So I have been a little down and out about my apparent injuries and living in my own little pity-party the last couple of weeks.
This week, I was determined to be as positive as I could be. I needed to have the best outlook on the situation and focus on what was still good in a worst case scenario because training for this marathon was not something I was just going to turn away from. Regardless of injury. Regardless of setbacks.
Yes, I have an injury which means I can't run at the moment. Yes, I am waiting for an appointment with a professional that will be able to help me recover from it. But instead of just crawling into a hole and dying until I get my appointment (old me) I am going to look at all the things I can do in the mean-time (new me).
So even though I knew I couldn't run, I also knew that for some reason, I can do pretty much anything else as long as I wasn't jumping up and down on the balls of my feet or some such similar motion.
In my more intense work-out weeks, we have always focused on the hard workouts being the long or intense run workouts, and so I never really gave 100% in my cross-training workouts in fear that I would the sabotage my next run.
But, now instead of running, I could speed-walk. And because this was no longer the most intense work-out in the week, I could go nuts on my other workouts. That was the plan anyway.
I intended to keep to the same training program, and I also planned to seriously punish my body and keep it in shape until I could run again.
I also looked at this as a great opportunity to start some serious strength training since I always seem to find a way to avoid it and I know how important strength training is for runners.
I was fortunate enough that Rhi was completely on board with my plan and intended on doing the same routine I was doing during the week. We did, however have a frank conversation about Rhi running by herself on the weekend so that she could keep up with the longer runs in our program. I really didn't want to hold her back, and I was so glad that she didn't stubbornly insist to be held back with me.
Monday was a public holiday and I had to clean for a stupid house inspection. The perks of renting, right here. I was so knackered after running around the house that I didn't bother trying to run. So much for the new plan.
Tuesday was cross-training day and I thought I would jump on the elliptical after work since it felt like it had been so long since I had a good go on it.
I was also rewarded at work with a phone call from Heal Podiatry letting me know that they would be able to fit me in the next day. And with Mel! I was so elated. I felt like I had been waiting for this appointment forever.
I went home to work out with renewed vigour and had a great workout on the elliptical. I still remember the first workout I did on the elliptical and how difficult it was. And now I have to increase the intensity with higher resistance and intervals in order to get a sweat up. It is in little things like that, that I am reminded of how much fitter I am. It felt good.
I slept in Wednesday morning again, goddamn it and Rhi and decided it was probably for the best anyway to wait and see what the podiatrist says.
My appointment was just after lunch, and I nervously watched the clock all morning before it finally told me I could leave.
I was so nervous. I felt so silly. I couldn't believe how much this meant to me. Who am I?
I check-in at the reception and filled out some normal paperwork and was finally called in by the lovely Mel.
I expected to have to gloss over the details but Mel was extremely thorough. There was lots of questions and I was happy to waffle (do I waffle?) about everything. The pain, my theories, my pain management and remedies.
When I had run out of information Mel got me to lay face-down on what looked a massage table without my shoes so she could take a look at my feet.
After some prodding and massaging of the muscles and a quick walk up and down the office corridor, Mel explained to me the reason behind my shin issues.
*drum roll, please*
Posterior shin splints. Say What?!
So you're saying that all my paranoid, partially delusional, google stalking actually resulted in the correct self diagnosis? Apparently.
According to Mel, I have very loose ligaments in my feet and extremely tight calves. This means that my feet are trying to curl under as I walk and even more so as I run. As a result, the posterior tibialis muscle is doing a shit-load of work to try and keep my feet in check - more so the further I run.
It all makes a whole lot of sense.
Fortunately, because this is a common ailment, it also has a common solution. Orthodics.
Mel didn't want to jump straight onto that train and suggested that if I was going to run that night (which I was) then she would tape up one of my feet and see how how the taped foot felt as I ran. Apparently my taping skills were probably shit, and that is why it didn't help me before.
I still had my original appointment the following week with Liz so I could report back to her then on how I go with the tape and if required, could also get some off-the-shelf orthodics and book in for some custom-made inserts as well.
Mel got the receptionist to give me the pricing on the orthodics before I left and I didn't even care. Honestly, just fix me. I just want to run again.
Rhi and I set out to the torrens after work for a run.
I was so nervy about trying to run again, but also excited that I was getting out and giving it a go.
Also, Rhi has actually sprained her ankle on the trail run last weekend, and it was still a little tender so we both we are little bit apprehensive and agreed to litsten to our bodies and take it easy.
2km in and Rhi's ankle was causing her some trouble so we decided to speed walk the rest of the way around the track.
I was so elated at the fact that I just ran 2km without needing to stop for air or for my shins that I was happy to do whatever we could. I can run again?!
To be fair - running with one foot taped was bloody weird, but I didn't get any shin pain at all throughout the workout which is the best outcome so far. I couldn't wait to get back to the girls at Heal Podiatry to move onto the next step. I was just going to have to wait until my next appointment on Monday.
I was supposed to do cross-training on Thursday but I was home sick with flu and sinus symptoms so I didn't do all that much of anything.
I still didn't feel up to it on Friday so Rhi and I agreed we would just forget the run for Friday as we had planned to do the Marino Boardwalk on Saturday and we had heard that this particular track was quite challenging.
I should know my mentality about this kind of stuff is usually a dead give-away as to how much I am going to struggle with it.
Chris, Rhi and I met down at the Marino Rocks Rest café carpark and set off to the south with far too much enthusiasm.
See, we had no idea what we were in for.
I had heard that there were some stairs. But there are stairs and then there are STAIRWAY-TO-HEAVEN TYPE STAIRS.
EXIBIT A:
Note - there is a massive ravine about 15metres down that you cannot see in this photo, and the stairs go to the bottom before they come back up. Joy.
Fortunately, the first few sections of the walk also held the majority of the stair work, so once that was over with, we were able to continue the walk along the cliff-tops at our leisure and simply enjoy the view.
The only down-side being that once we made it to the end, we knew we were going to have to go all the way back.
The stairs were hard on the way south, but with tired legs of jelly, trying to climb those stairs on the way back without our early mornings anticipation, those stairs were death.
It wasn't until I was climbing those stairs again on the return journey that I happened to remember that the kind of people I knew that did this walk regularly, were also the kind of people to casually do a "Lofty Walk" for exercise as well.
And when I say Lofty, I don't mean the trail that Rhi and I have blazed often on the eastern side of the Adelaide Hills through Uraidla.
I mean the dreaded Waterfall Gulley to Mt Lofty walk.
This is another track that I have vehemently avoided because the last time I attempted it, I was only about 10minutes into the walk before I had a "I-can't-believe-how-unfit-I-am" mental breakdown in the middle of the track. Poor Chris is always copping it.
We finished our Boardwalk adventure with a big brekky at the Marino Rocks Rest café and made our way home. I may have had a nap. Standard.
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