Recovery

Time to get honest. Marathon training with a foot injury.

February 17, 2014 by Asia

~~I think~~ I have a foot injury. There. I said it. I started developing pain on the inside of my right foot above my arch on Saturday, January 25th. On Sunday January 26th I did a long run anyway, and didn’t mention a word about the gradually increasing foot pain that developed towards the end of my run. Then, on Monday morning January 27th I woke-up to a visible bruise on the spot of the pain. Shit. And this is how my foot injury developed.

See that bruise on the top of my foot there? Yeah. That.

I haven’t said a peep on here since Christmas. At first it was because I was so busy loving and living life! I didn’t make the time to sit down and blog about Boston Marathon training, working with a new coach, living life as a fiancée, or wedding planning. I still want to blog about all the joyous things in my life, but I’m going to save that for another day. Today, I’m ready to admit I have a problem. A foot problem.

Week 1: Denial. Inner monologue: Oh just a bruise from my new custom orthotics. I ran really hard and fast on Saturday, and I probably got a bruise from all the pressure I was putting on my orthotics which weren’t allowing my feet to collapse like they wanted to. A bruise is no big deal. At least it’s not a REAL injury like last year.

My coach told me to take 3 days off from running and then reassess because taking 3 days off is better than taking 3 weeks off…

Week 2: Worried…but I only skipped certain runs. I still did a 10k. I just ran through the pain the last half because it “wasn’t that bad”. Sound familiar? (I’m an idiot.)

Cardiff Kook 10k

Week 3: Panic. I finally decided to call it an injury and I’m not running until the pain goes away. I got my foot looked at by a professional, and have been rolling it on a frozen water bottle and popping pills to reduce the inflammation. I’m RICE’ing, spinning, ellipticalling, aqua jogging, strength training, massaging, stretching, and resting. I’m also stewing. Whyyyy is this happening to me, again?

Foot pain isn’t new to me. If I think back to my very first marathon in 2011, I remember experiencing foot pain a couple of weeks before the race. Luckily it wasn’t serious enough to keep me from the start and finish line. Then in 2012 when I was training for what turned out to be 1 full marathon, and 2 Ironmans, my foot pain got serious. Luckily I had a coach to keep me on track and I filled my time with other workouts and ART sessions. 2013 guess what? Foot pain resurfaced, but I still managed to train through it and PR at Eugene and achieve a Boston qualifying time, even though my coach cautioned me that I would probably hurt myself. Yep. I was in 1 million pieces once I crossed the finish line, bawling my eyes out, and I could barely walk for several days after that. (Whatever. I PR’d!!) Late 2013 I finally invested in pricey custom orthotics (thanks mom!) after much persuasion. In 2014, orthotics caused me to develop new foot pain. Different spot. Different foot. WTF? My feet hate me. (Long story short, my feet are hyper-mobile and kinda cray cray.)

So now what?

First of all, I’m updating my custom orthotics because those clearly aren’t working for me. I’m training without any orthotics in the meantime, and I can tell it’s making a difference. Definitely less of that “bruised” feeling.

Mentally, I’m going back and forth between optimism (I can still break 3:30 and PR at Boston! All this rest is good for me!) and severe pessimism (I’m not even going to be able to finish Boston because of severe foot pain at mile XX.) Physically, I have no idea if I’m doing enough to nurse my foot back to health (RICE, stopping running) while simultaneously trying to train for my first ever Boston Marathon which is now only a short 2 months away. Looking at the BIG picture, if I don’t PR, it won’t be the end of the world. If I can’t even make it to the starting line due to an injury, however, well that will be an entirely different story, so I’d prefer not to think about that.

If you’ve ever suffered an ongoing injury, I’m sure you can empathize with me right now. It feels like taking time off from running is the worst thing in the world. But when I start to get down, I try to fill my head with positive thoughts to put things into perspective. (I’m getting married this year! I already qualified for Boston, and I get to run it this year! Life is good!!)

Thanks for listening to me get honest and admit that I have a foot injury. Same story. Different year. Different foot. Training with a chronic injury is a real problem that so many runners face, even though I really wish it wasn’t. So what have I learned this time around?

Don’t push through the pain, no matter how insignificant you think it may be.

Back to my RICE, and hopefully, the road to recovery!

What do you do to keep yourself sane while sidelined from running due to an injury?

This dishes holder is actually much better served as an ice bucket

Aqua Jogging for Runners

March 7, 2013 by Asia

Let me start off by saying that aqua jogging is one of my least favorite workouts, but sometimes it’s a necessary evil. If you’re lucky, you haven’t had to do this workout. If you’ve pushed through an injury or have noticed some weird aches and pains on your feet, knees, or joints, however, you should consider giving aqua jogging a try. It could really benefit your training.

The first time my coach asked me to do it was during Ironman training when I had a foot injury and needed to simulate my long run. Then just yesterday he asked me to do it again as part of my marathon training this week since I started experiencing foot pain again. (Don’t worry – it’s in a different place, and I think I just irritated it at Disneyland!) I’m all about transparency with my coach, but I was dreading telling him about my pain because I just knew aqua jogging was coming!

I went to Disneyland over the weekend! I think all that walking sparked my foot pain.

I think all that walking around the theme park sparked my foot pain. What do you think, Bullseye?

So, what is aqua jogging? According to Livestrong.com, “Aqua jogging is an alternative to running that preserves your joints and especially your knees. The activity takes place in water, as its name suggests, and practically eliminates any jarring effect. The exercise can be performed if you have knee or other joint pain, if you’re going through rehabilitation, or if you simply want to switch up your workout routine with something different. Your body is vertical, with your chest, torso and lower body underwater and your shoulders, neck and head out of it. Some aqua joggers choose to wear a flotation belt around the waist, but this is not required. The legs do a jogging motion under the surface. To avoid touching the bottom of the pool, which can interrupt the jogging motion, it should be done in deeper water. The arms either remain still or move in a jogging motion.”

Honestly, I always thought aqua jogging was for the elderly or for those that were undergoing physical therapy, and I pictured wearing a flotation device while jogging in the pool. That is indeed one way to do it. That is not the way my coach had me do it.

These fit athletes get to wear a flotation belt? Not fair!

The times I’ve done it, I had the glory of going in the deep end of the pool with no flotation device, keeping my head and shoulders above water, running laps back and forth for anywhere between 45-120 minutes. That, my friends, is aqua jogging for runners and triathletes.

Aqua jogging is a good option to incorporate in your marathon training plan because:

1) It simulates all the motions of running without the impact on your body. (It’s very different from the elliptical because you still get to run!)

2) It gets your heart rate up.

3) You can do it with an injury, so you don’t have to stop training. (Check w/ your coach or dr first, of course.)

4) It builds mental toughness. (Seriously, I am ready to get out after 5 minutes.)

Tips for a positive aqua jogging experience:

– Pick a pool where you can jog without touching the bottom, even if it means looking silly next to someone in master’s swim like I did today.

– Hydrate! Place a bottle of water by the side of the pool so you can grab it when you get thirsty. Add nutrition, like GU, if you’re simulating a long run.

– Wear a watch and stick to your planned time.

– Wear a waterproof music device. I don’t have one but always wish I did because this workout can become very tedious.

– Make friends with your lane mates. Maybe they will splash you less.

Overall, I’m glad there is an alternative to running that actually simulates running without the pounding effect because I stress out when I have to miss a workout in my training plan. I also know I shouldn’t push myself and risk long-term injury which can happen if I were to keep running with pain of any kind, so this gives me a way to keep training safely.

My coworker told me her cross-country coach used to make them do aqua jog sprints in the water with their running shoes on, so I guess it could be worse!!

Have you ever aqua jogged? Did you like it?

Mini Training Meltdown

August 27, 2012 by Asia

Answers.com defines a meltdown as “an emotional breakdown”

Urban Dictionary.com says a meltdown “describes what happens when a person freaks out, cracks, loses control of themselves. Life – reality at large – becomes overwhelming. They just can’t deal with it all. The person may act out, withdraw, become emotional, run, etc.”

Well, today I had my first Ironman training mini meltdown.

Due to a recent foot injury, I had the option of 2.5 hours of aqua jogging or 3 hours of elliptical instead of a normal long run. Shoot me, right? Well I decided elliptical was the way to go because I would access to music, books, tv, my iphone, you name it. I wouldn’t have access to any of those items during aqua jogging. Plus, the 2 pools I normally swim at were closed for maintenance. So, I made my decision and prepared 2 bottles of water, 3 GUs, various sources of entertainment, and headed to the gym. I was mentally prepared to spend 3 hours on the same damn machine from 5-8pm. It was going to happen. I was going to prove to myself (and my coach) that I had enough mental toughness to survive a mundane, boring, elliptical workout. (No offense if you actually like the elliptical.)

The second I started moving on the elliptical, however, I felt pain on the top inside of my right knee. Wtf!? This was the same spot I experienced my first bout of knee pain the second I got off the bike at IMCDA. I limped around for a few days, and then it went away. Then it came back during a couple of bike rides later. Trevor and I addressed it, and it went away. It has been gone for several weeks in fact, so to feel it again now on a machine I never even use just freaked me out.

I tried changing my foot position. I tried changing the resistance. I tried going faster. Slower. Forwards. Backwards. Nothing was working. I had constant knee pain. It didn’t hurt badly enough to make me stop, so I stayed on it longer than I should have. I got off and took a walk around 45 minutes into my session to see how it felt, and it didn’t feel any better. It still hurt when I got back on, so near tears, I finally called it a night. Trevor suggested aqua jogging, but I mandated self pity and rest.

Ironman Cozumel is less than 13 weeks away, so today I let that get to me, and I started to worry. I didn’t have any nagging injuries when I trained for Ironman Coeur d’Alene, so why are they surfacing now!? (It might have something to do with a lack of a break from training, and/or the large amount of stress I put on my body when I was training for IM#1…) I expressed my concerns to Trevor, and I came home and cried to Jeremy. (Just a little.) I iced my knee. I iced my foot. I drank some wine. I watched Grey’s Anatomy on HuluPlus. I attempted to REST. I wish I had gotten through that 3 hour training session, but sometimes rest is the best medicine.

Trevor said that looking ahead will only get me down at this point. I need to look at the week I’m in and make the most of it. We will build back up as fast as my body will allow. I still have a solid base from Ironman #1, and 12+ weeks is enough time to reach my goal of finishing Ironman Cozumel.

Positive thoughts!!

My First Ice Bath

April 16, 2012 by Asia

Preparing the Ice Bath

After a weekend of tough endurance workouts and a dinner conversation on recovery and overtraining, I decided I would attempt my first ice bath. (Saturday I did a brick of 12 mile run + 45 min bike. Sunday I biked 75 miles with 3,700ft of climbing.) I’m not injured. I just wanted to recover faster, and ice baths are supposed to help reduce inflammation.

According to Runner’s World, here are some other benefits that you can get from an ice bath:

– offset the risks inherent to long bouts of running
– don’t only suppress inflammation, but helps to flush harmful metabolic debris out of your muscles
– cold-water immersion generally produces a greater and longer lasting change in deep tissues and is more a more efficient means of cooling large groups of muscles simultaneously (vs. using ice packs)

If you’re contemplating taking an ice bath, I would highly recommend it! I woke up the next morning with minimal soreness and ready for another week of Ironman training. (Note: There is some controversy around taking ice baths, so please do your research before giving it a try.)

Here’s a quick guide of how I prepared my ice bath and the supplies I used.

Attempt #1 to get in the ice bath

Supplies:
1. ICE – I used 4 (7 pound) bags of ice, but Jeremy and I agree that 3 bags will be enough next time. We don’t want to break the bank each time we take an ice bath. The water will get cold enough, but it’s impossible to keep it all from melting unless you have massive quantities.
2. Bathtub filled with cold water just deep enough to sit in it and hit below your belly button. If you need to submerge more than that, fill it up more.
3. Sweatshirt to stay warm on top & swim bottoms to stay more comfortable below. (Tip: If you have a two piece wetsuit, you can wear the top half to stay really warm!)
4. Timer – I’ve read and heard that you should never stay in an ice bath for more than 20 minutes. 15-20 minutes is the ideal timeframe if you can handle it. (Why waste more time freezing when you don’t need to?)
5. Optional: Swim booties to keep your feet warm – I swim with these in open water conditions to make the cold more tolerable, and it also worked here. If you need to soak your ankles, try to find something that won’t cover them so you can get the full benefit of the cold water. Jeremy did the bath without anything on his feet. His stung. Mine didn’t.
6. Optional: Hot beverage, reading materials, your boyfriend, anything to keep your mind off the fact that you’re sitting in a tub full of ice-cold water. I had Jeremy in the tub with me. He’s 6’5″ so it was tough squeezing both of us in there, but he kept me warm!

Attempt #2: My butt is shocked by the cold!

How To Draw and Ice Bath:
1. Fill a tub with cold water that will cover your legs and hips, but no higher than your belly button so you can stay warmer on top. (Adjust water level if you need to soak other areas.)
2. Put approximately 20 lbs of ice in the tub. Water temp should be in the 50s farenheit.
3. Get in quickly (bundled on top!) because the ice will start melting, and you don’t want to psyche yourself out. Melted ice is OK. The water will still be cold!
4. Soak for 15-20 minutes, but not a minute longer. Try to relax! 🙂
5. Wait 30-60 minutes before taking a hot shower (optional). I needed this because I was quite cold after my ice bath. All the socks and blankets couldn’t keep me warm enough! It’s also a good way to relax the muscles.

Success! It takes a few minutes to adjust to the cold...

Alternatives to an Ice Bath:
If an ice bath isn’t for you, you can also use what mother nature has to offer. A quick dip in the ocean, lake, or river can provide the same benefits after a tough training session.

In summary, I had a great first ice bath experience and plan on incorporating it into my Ironman training each weekend. (I think a 100 mile bike ride definitely warrants one!)

Have you ever taken an ice bath? Do you have any other tips to share?