Cranky Ankley

Voice of America park

Well, the mysterious ankle ailment persists. I felt something in my left inner ankle bone on Monday night but really didn't give it much thought or attention - it just kind of itch-ached, if you know what I mean. Felt like something that would just go away.
No time to run on Tuesday morning, as it was COPS Swat Demo Day. I decide to just do my Tuesday 6 miler on Wednesday. So, I'm at this Demo thing, standing there watching guys shoot bullets at a clay dummy wearing a ballistic vest and I become aware that my ankle is swelling. And the longer we stand there, the more it puffs up. And yeah, it hurts, too.

I make an icepack, sit down, put my foot up. Others join me and we make random guesses as to the cause.... a sting, maybe? bug bite? did I twist or strain it somewhere along the line? I certainly don't recall an incident in which something "happened" to it.... weird.

My medically intuitive (and doctor-avoidant) hubby tells me he wants me to see the doctor and gets me an appointment. Not at all sure that's necessary, but I trust his sense of body-related stuff, so I go.

Dr. Webb wiggles and pokes and has me push this way and that against his hand. Range of motion seems good. Doesn't look like a bug bite. Prescribes naproxin, tells me to ice and support it and run as seems wise.

Doesn't seem wise to run Wednesday, so I stretch and do pilates. Take my naproxin, ice and elevate (and whine - waaaaah - frowny face on crankly ankley).

Thursday morning I put a brace on it and go to Voice of America park intending to run my 6 miler. Get through the 1st 1.3, wondering the whole time if I'm being stupid to run on it - could I be doing more damage? Or.... am I being a big wuss? It doesn't really hurt to run -- it just aches and swells when I stop. I decide to run round the little lake again - it's the most ideal day to run, beautiful in every way and I feel great except for poopy ankle. I stop after going round the second time to go pee. When I walk, the pain intensifies and I feel it swelling in my shoe. Harumph. 2.6 is all for me today. Drive home, ankle throbbing, hoping I'm not going to wind up Amanda's boot twin.

Got a quick appointment with the podiatrist for 10:30 am. Dr. Sisney is a friend of my sis-in-law and she's a triathlete, so has a clue about running injuries. She pokes, wiggles, queries and sends me for x-rays. Hmmm... x-ray does show lots of stress lines, but nothing else. 

This reminds me.... (funny thing, the memory) that once upon a time, I broke this ankle - back in the summer between my junior and senior year of high school. I hit a curb catching a frisbee, spent the better part of that summer on crutches, in a cast. Yes, Dr. Sisney says, that would explain the stress lines. Still, she really offers no clear explanation for the pain or swelling, just treats me - prescribes 5 day prednisone pack, gives me a compression sock-thingy, and tells me she doesn't see any reason not to run - although it might be wise to trade out this weekend's 18 mile endurance run for next weekend's 10 miles. (Her office is full of marathon, half-marathon and triathlon posters - got the distinct impression she's pretty hardwired to train and complete events. I like that - but I'd feel better if I knew what the heck is going on).

So I start the steroids, stretch and get fitted for shoes that suit my feet on Friday. The shoe-fitter dude notes that the wear on my previous shoes indicates that I've been running on the outside edge of my foot. Apparently, I need more neutral (less stabilized) shoes. He set me up in a pair of Adidas Gliders. They're kind of ugly, I think, but as he said, my feet don't know or care what they look like. I hope they have ankle healing magical powers.

I need to spend a few hours just wearing them around the house to break 'em in and get my feet used to being in them before doing the endurance run, so that's what I've been doing this morning. Wearing them while hunting for my i-pod shuffle, which is mysteriously M.I.A. I've cleaned out lots of drawers, purses, countertops and car compartments in my quest, but have not found it. (Aaaargh!) ...Wearing them while searching runner's ankle injuries online, trying to self-diagnose via web md since the live md route has been less than satisfactory.

Medical intuitive hubby comes up with idea of a bone spur (which I had actually thought of, too - since I've had one in my shoulder before - and come to think of it, the pain is much the same)..... From the little I've been able to find online, everything fits. Of course I still don't know for sure.... and if that is the case, I don't know what it means for marathon training.... and even though I'm pretty sick of obsessing about this when I know I am blessed and everything is as it should be and there are so many people with much more complex, confronting issues....
All morning, I've been afflicted with flip-flop indecision regarding running today.... should I? If I do, should I go for 18? or 10? or maybe the 6 I never finished this week? Or.... maybe I should rest it today and set my sights on tomorrow? And what in the heck happened to my shuffle?!?!!!

Jolly Rancher Kisses - 14 miles

So, every weekend we have an endurance run. According to our training schedule, they alternate in length, so that two weeks ago, we did 12 miles, then the next weekend, 7 miles, and this past weekend we upped it to 14.
It was an ideal morning for running with bright clear skies, zero humidity, and even a gentle breeze. We followed online dietary instructions and fueled our bodies with a "breakfast of champions" - 2 eggs, 2 pieces of toast, orange juice, water, and a banana (actually, it also said to eat raisin bran with milk - but we couldn't deal with that much food!)

Then, we headed out to the Loveland Trail - nice, flat, spacious, shady trails that are well-marked to track progress (this is especially comforting for Miss Amanda as she likes ongoing input regarding distance and time). Thankfully, this time out neither of us were dealing with nasty cramps or other injuries - although Amanda did get another annoying cramp in the arch of her foot during our second round of 3.5 miles (so maybe 5 miles in).

I introduced Amanda to a Secret Trick of Endurance Running that I learned from a kind stranger round about mile 22 of the Flying Pig marathon (my 1st ever) in 2002. Just when I thought I couldn't keep going, she kept stride with me just long enough to gift me with 3 Jolly Ranchers. I tell you what - those sour hard candies saved me. Instead of focusing on the pain in my thighs or the blisters rubbing my feet, I became immersed in the taste explosion happening in my mouth - and it was good. ;-) So, on our way to the 14-miler, I stopped at Thornton's and added a large bag of Jolly Ranchers to our running supply arsenal. (Note: Green Apple is my fave; Amanda's is Watermelon - this is also good ;-)).

Amanda kept track of actual running time (so not including time we stop to stretch, consume water, take pics, unwrap Ranchers, etc) and reports that she finished the 14 miles in 2 hours and 6 minutes (so I guess ancient, slow madre-woman finished in approx. 2 hours and 7 minutes). Yes, I seem to have a chronic final-mile issue, regardless of the distance - if it's 12 miles, I'm hurting and giving myself permission to walk a bit between 11-12; if it's 6, I struggle mentally between 5-6; so, on this run, I stopped to walk at 13.25 (and wow, the walking felt good - but watching Amanda run on ahead didn't!).... so, I put a question out there to my i-pod shuffle - not sure what song was playing as I walked, but I told myself that I'd let the next song dictate whether or not I would pull it out and run to our finish at mile marker 42 (or not). And what song comes on? "Life in the Fast Lane" by the Eagles - Ha ha ha! No arguing with that one... I picked up my pace and happily ran to the end, really - to be fair - only about 1/2 a minute behind the super-trooper Amanda ;-)