Another Try...

After my last run I was caught off guard with the resulting aches and pains that materialized seemingly out of the blue. Although my right ankle, still not 100%, wasn't really bothering me any more than before the run, my left knee felt like someone had shoved some crap into the middle of it and then the crap expanded causing significant pressure and pain. It hurt to walk and it hurt to bend the knee. It was almost as if the ACL got shorter and fatter at the same time!

In any case, I waited for the rest of the week for the knee issue to calm the hell down and did not even attempt to run. This was quite disappointing to me as I was definitely ready to get back to training and every day lost to injury made me feel like I was losing fitness at an alarming rate.

Today I felt pissed off enough to get out for an evening run to test the body out. I ran slow and easy and really enjoyed the Fall weather as I ran in the dark, crunching leaves underfoot. The first couple of kilometres were fine, but after that I started to feel like I was losing control of my legs as they felt somewhat numb. I made it through 5k E at 5:30/km and seem none the worse for wear, but the feeling in my legs definitely makes me think that I have lost a LOT of fitness since the marathon :(

But at least it's (another) start! Plan is to run at least once or twice more this week and I am hoping my body allows this to happen.

It's Been A While

The recovery phase, post-marathon, has taken longer than I'd hoped, and I suppose it will continue for a bit longer in a fashion, but I think that this was the safest thing for not only my right ankle (which is still not 100% as of this post) but my whole body in the end. The rule of thumb I'd heard for recovery is one week off for every ten kilometres raced. It's been a full four weeks and a couple of days so I suppose that after racing 42.2km this was the perfect amount of down time in the end.

That being said, it's still a pain in the ass to take any time off. However, this morning I did manage to go out for an easy 5k and it went better than expected in some ways and less than stellar in others.

The better part was that I ran the whole way nice and easy and nothing snapped, crackled, or popped. I even managed to run at a decent pace (5:10/km). The not so stellar part was that my legs felt like they were full of lead and different aches and pains kept creeping into them and then going away. Most of all I felt super stiff in the hips and calves.

But at least it's a start! November will be all about building up the stamina and mileage one step at a time.

First Week Post Marathon

Here's how the first week after my marathon went...

Monday: Biked to work on sore legs and generally took things very easy. It was odd that my left quad was more sore than my right given that the issues I experienced at the 16k mark were on the right side. I suppose I compensated for the pain in my right side and used my left leg more in the last 26k? In any case, I felt ok given the fact that the last ten kilometres of the race were a painful experience to say the least. I walked around a bit at lunch time just to make sure I wasn't sitting all day, but other than that this was most definitely a full day OFF.

Tuesday: The physical ramifications of the marathon continued with respect to pain the legs, in particular the left quad, but also the right foot. It seems that the right quad issue that I experienced at the 16k mark of the race and thereafter was related to the slope of the road on which I had to run, meaning that the right side was always slightly lower than the left. As a result, my foot was feeling sprained and that was more worrying than any other ache or pain that I incurred. It hurt to walk, and that's always a bad sign. However, I still went to the gym at lunch time and did some basic rolling followed by a sit in the sauna. First two days after the race is still too early to declare any major issues as the plan always was to take two full weeks off running anyway.

Wednesday: A crazy day at work, bisected by a fire alarm that had me walking down from the 19th floor of an unfamiliar building, meant that I not only could not get to the gym for anything remotely close to a recovery session, but also that my right foot took more of a pounding than I'd intended. I definitely sprained something running on the slope of the right side of the road during the marathon and now must manage this injury prior to resuming running...

Thursday: Another day at work wherein I can't recall even having time to breather, but I did manage to extricate myself for a short spell to the gym. I did a bunch of push ups and pull ups, rolled my legs for a bit, and then sat in the sauna for a bit. The concern remains the right foot and ankle (the "wonky" one) as the pain seems to be getting worse rather than better. A friend pointed out that this could be a stress fracture and I am totally dreading the possibility :(

Friday: This was a bit quieter at work, though I never planned to do too much. Most of the day was spent sitting, which allowed my foot and ankle to rest, but by the end of the workday my foot was in a lot of pain. I also had a two hour basketball practice that I had to coach in the evening that totally put my foot over the edge...

Saturday: Drove to Ottawa for Thanksgiving and the foot/ankle continued to stay the uncomfortable and painful status quo. Frustrated is an understatement...

Sunday: Same as Saturday, though without the driving. Foot and ankle just did not seem to be improving. One week down and still in a major holding pattern :(