My Nightmare.....

I run because I love running.....not because I "have to" or because I "should"....and it seems strange to think of a life these days that doesn't involve me running fairly regularly.

If you bear this in mind, you can guess how upset I was to return from Oman to several voicemails from my GP, telling me that I had a significant stress fracture of my anterior tibia. I had had a lump to my shin from April-May time, but it hadn't been behaving as a stress fracture "typically" does. It would be sore when I started running, but then ease off, though the lump would swell slightly and hence be a bit larger and tender when I finished. It hurt to land in certain positions, eg when trying to do drills, and occasionally when running downhill especially on rough ground. I'd queried a stress fracture in the spring but had been reassured that this wasn't the case and so after a short period of rest I was given the OK to continue running.

My NIGHTMARE!!!!!!

The lump, however, just didn't go away, and neither did the random incidences of pain. Eventually I asked my GP to refer me for an X-ray and and ultrasound as we thought it could possibly be a herniation of soft tissue through a fascial plane. While awaiting these tests I ran the 100k in China and the York marathon, but they were finally done just before I went to Oman, though no results were available.

As it turns out, the ultrasound was normal but the xray showed a thickening of the outer surface of the bone, with a large lucent (black) line across the front surface of my shin. This is the classical appearance of a stress fracture - and of one that had been there for a significant amount of time as it takes a few months for them to show up on an X-ray. I couldn't really understand how I'd managed the races I'd done, but there was now noting for it but a period of rest.

I did a bit of this.....

And some of this.....

I'm not good with rest.....well, actually I am, as I am innately lazy.....but it did make me feel rather guilty. Not only had I lost my fun activity, but I'd also lost my stress-relief. I knew I was becoming rather unfit and deconditioned, so I managed the occasional bike ride.....but I think more cakes were consumed than miles covered. 

The "normal" thinking with a stress fracture is that when you no longer get "pain with everyday activities" you can start a slow return to running. Unfortunately I didn't have this pain to guide me, so all I could do was get a repeat xray 4 weeks later.....no change, so more rest! :-( 

And then some of this....

Being "youthed" at park run?

I confess that New Year's Day was a slight blip in me "behaving" as I accompanied friends to do something that I've never done before......a double parkrun. We ran Sedgefield first (well, when I say "ran".....there was a sheet ice section of each lap that had to be tiptoed across) and then 90 minutes later, ran at Albert Park. Neither run was especially fast....I could blame the dogs that had to be negotiated at Albert Park, or the ice at Sedgefield....or I could claim that I was trying to be sensible, but actually I just wasn't very fit anymore. 

The results of my cycling incident!

Anyway, after this I went back to being "good" for a couple of weeks......though the weather wasn't exactly conducive to cycling either.....a sheet ice incident saw me totally snap the hangar and derailleur off my bike and render myself unable to sit down due to hip bursitis! Calamity Jane has nothing on me.......running is so much safer (and easier) than cycling!