X-Ray Day: When Denial Ends and Reality Sets In

Sometimes I think I'm invincible.  That 500 miles in a week on a bike and 20 mile runs are the norm.  Sometimes I discover that's not the case.

Look at today for example.  Few things are more humbling than going from the girl who goes hard and never stops to being the girl in the walking boot.  Going to regionals in nordic to watch and help out?  After racing in every race of the season and training hard?  In the end, it's a shame, and I have to remind myself that I'm only a sophomore.  There will be other years and other races, and I have to learn to love the pool and weight room as much as the pavement, and put my future marathon aspirations on hold for the time being.

The X-Rays looked suspiciously like a stress fracture and I'm having an MRI this week to confirm it, but basically, in short, I will not be running Buffalo this year, and who knows?- maybe I'll be a fish with abs of steel and huge bis and tris at the end of all this.  Instead of just a cardio fiend.  

So this evening after my doctor's appointment and X-Rays, we drove a few hours to one of my teammates' house, and spent a few hours tuning skis.  So I'm about to go to bed now (glad to be free of the boot until morning), but I'm finally accepting that something is actually wrong with my shin, and there's no use denying it.  More to come tomorrow.  Maybe I'll even post a pic of the boot!

That's all I've got for now,

Sarah

The Ins and Outs of Running Injuries- How we get them, why they suck and what to do to get back on the road again…

            So we’re at that inevitable time of year where all the miles on the bike, on the track, on skis, on the pavement combined with countless burpees and the occasional mountain climber, have come together in the exact measurements necessary to cause a searing pain on the inner shin (or foot, knee, hamstring, calf… you get the point).  And then, as is the necessary action of a teenager-who-is-old-enough-to-vote-and-enlist-in-the-military-and-is-of-legal-age-in-Canada-who-is-also-a-diehard-runner, it hurts but you keep running.  And then you run again… And it still hurts.  But, hey, you have exercise obligations, so you run some more.  And you make plans for your next marathon, and think about training, and you run one more time… But, by then you’re limping, and you resolve to take a few days off to rest your wound… But a few days turns into a week and a week turns into two, and by then, you’re itching to get back on your feet, whether it’s a few laps of the indoor track or a 13-mile-loop around the local reservoir, and you keep complaining to anyone who listens that in fact, every day cannot be arm day! 

            But, alas, such is the life of a runner.  Eventually, the miles accumulate and your body tells you it’s time to stop.  And you rarely listen to that, and it usually works out for the better, but every so often, it doesn’t, and you’re forced to spend some quality time with an ice pack, which at some point is just a serious justification to spend several hours at a time on that Netflix account that you really shouldn’t have.

            I mean, you know there are worse things in life than an overuse injury.  That nagging inflammation in your shin or crack in the bone or whatever it is, will take a while to heal, but it’s not cancer, you’re not in jail, you didn’t lose your home in a hurricane and you will run again.  A year from now, on the finish line of your next marathon, today will be a distant memory.  And yet, you don’t have time for this… Although realistically if you don’t have time for an overuse injury in the middle of a snowstorm in February, when do you? 

            So I think that we have established that running injuries suck.  I mean, who wants to feel like a cripple taking the elevator at the gym, making every day arm day and ab day and laying off the cardio? 

            But, all I can say about shin splints, stress fractures and other running injuries, like plantar fasciitis, runner’s knees, muscle pulls and strains and IT Band Syndrome is to stretch, ice, take the occasional ibuprofen, wrap it, lay off it, make sure your shoes aren't too worn out, and if they are replace them, and ease back into high mileage slowly.  See a trainer/ doctor, get X-rays or go to physical therapy if it perseveres for longer than you can stand.  It sucks emotionally and physically to be injured, but it’s bound to happen sometime, and it’s better to let it heal fully now, instead of more seriously injuring yourself.  But, if you’re reading this, then you’re a runner/ work out junkie, so chances are, you’ll just be like me, and try to run through it.  But, hey, I tried…

That’s all I’ve got for now,

Sarah 

Tips for a Single Runner- On Surviving Valentine’s Day

           It’s that time again.  Candy hearts and stuffed animals and all those lovey dovey couples…  And you wish you had a great boyfriend or girlfriend like your friends and roommates have, but you just don’t right now.  So as the date on your calendar inches closer and closer to February 14^th, you groan inwardly (and possibly outwardly) and complain to everyone who listens about how Valentine’s Day is really just “Singles Awareness Day” and plan to just spend the entire night studying or curled up in the fetal position watching Netflix.

But, honestly, no need to fret.  At the risk of sounding like a self help book that should be lining the shelves at Barnes & Noble unsold, for those of you, who like me are in a committed relationship with your running shoes (in my case a beautiful, trusty pair of size nine, neon pink Women's Brooks Glycerin, pictured left), which is truthfully the only relationship I have time for these days, you can be that single girl or guy who hasn’t found the right person yet, but is perfectly OK with it.  And yeah, that might sound incredibly cheesy or improbable or something a single person would say to squash their insecurities, but we are all human, and we all have busy lives, and most of us spend years searching for the right person, and eventually we will find them, but until then, we are students and professionals and athletes and dreamers.  Someday, we will find our other halves but until then, we will give and receive love where and how we know best: our families, our friends, our pets, our sports, our dreams, no matter how preposterous or inconceivable those may seem. 

Tomorrow is February 14^th and that’s OK.  Valentine’s Day (or the Feast of St. Valentine) came from obscure beginnings, and there are secrets and truths about the holiday that we will probably never know, stories that have never been told or have long since ceased to be told.  Billions of people woke up on Valentine’s Day before it revolved around roses, boxes of chocolate and romantic dinners and/or marriage proposals.  Once upon a time, it was a religious celebration to honor a martyr who risked everything and died for his beliefs.  So this Valentine’s Day, if you’re in between relationships and are frustrated by the cheesy commercialism that surrounds you, don’t be.  Tomorrow is February 14, 2014, and that’s a day you only get to see once, so keep your head up and enjoy the day.  And if you’re not single this Valentine’s Day, technically speaking, these tips still apply:

1.    RUN, FORREST RUN!

OK, so chances are your name probably isn’t Forrest Gump.  But, that said, there are very few times in life where running is not the answer.  Although, since I am currently walking the fine line between shin splints and stress fracture (and we’ll get to that later), running probably isn’t the best choice for me right now.  But, thankfully, the world has other options to offer: hand weights, weight machines, stationary bikes, body weight exercises… So I don’t think I’ll be having too difficult of a time getting in my work out tomorrow, and you shouldn’t either. 

2.    Movie Night!

Watch a movie.  But, don’t go it alone.  You’re not the only single person in this world.  Grab a few of your closest friends and roommates, bake something sugar-filled and delicious, order a pizza and pop in one of your favorite flicks.  Whether it’s a good Nick Sparks romantic tear jerker like A Walk to Remember, a running drama like Saint Ralph (Which is a must see for any budding marathoner), a classic like Forrest Gump or another one of your personal faves, there’s nothing like a good night with friends. 

3.    Call your family. 

I can’t emphasize this enough.  I talk to my mom all the time.  Whether it’s to get advice, find out what’s going on, brag about my achievements, etcetera, she’s always there to listen… And Valentine’s Day is no different.  When you’re a kid, your parents buy you stuffed gorillas and maple sugar candy and lindt chocolate and Ferrero Rocher’s (or maybe my family just has a sweet tooth).  So take a minute, text your bro, Skype your sister, call your mom and dad… (Although make sure you do this weekly, but now I might be crossing the line into “Surviving College 101”)…

4.    Cheat on your diet. 

Currently on my kitchen table sits a large jar of dark chocolate m&m’s.  My roommates and I (although definitely mostly me), have polished off no fewer than two and a half bags of them in the past week.  But, I shamelessly plan to bake tomorrow, and a box or two of chocolate and other baked goods from friends and family should be arriving on my doorstep any minute now… OK, so who am I kidding?  I’m not on a diet, but I get antsy if I go more than three days without a workout so who needs to diet anyway? 

5.    Don’t get up on the wrong side of the bed. 

Whatever you do, remember that Valentine’s Day is just another day.  If it wasn’t Valentine’s candy lining the shelves of the stores, it would be Easter eggs or chocolate Santas wrapped in foil.  So take the opportunity to enjoy the seasonal munchies, without feeling depressed.  Just like yesterday or tomorrow, you have the same friends, the same family, and the same significant other, if there’s one in your life right now, as any other day.  As a college student, I’ll go to classes and have a quiz in history just like any other Friday.  Don’t be that bitter girl (or guy) bringing everybody else down because you’re “sad and alone”.  Life changes in the blink of an eye (sorry for being so cliché again) and in a few months, you might be with someone, missing the blissful lack of responsibility of the single life.  So blast your favorite music, talk to or see your favorite people, watch a good movie, get that work out in and eat your favorite foods and desserts.  Valentine’s Day only comes once a year.  May as well enjoy it while it lasts. 

That’s all for now. 

(I promise to be less cheesy and philosophical next time)

 -Sarah