Stress Fracture :(

[garneska]

Have not been here in a while due to traveling for work and I was injured. Before I left for a 3 week business trip i had been running but i had pain in my foot. I thought i might have a stress fracture. I went to Dr (which i had been seeing as i was having achilles issues, hence moved to stress fracture), he took an x- ray before i left but it was too early to see anything. He put me in the dreaded boot and i left the country. When i came back i was going for another x -ray. I was on the edge if it showed the stress fracture that meant 3 more weeks in the boot, if it was clean then i could start running and have time to do the race.

Well as expected, and i knew it, i have a stress fracture. Assuming i will be able to run when after my next dr appointment i will have 3 weekends to get ready for a marathon. The good news he thinks i can do it, just won't be a PR.

I am signed up for Goofy but i think i will just run the Mickey. I want that medal.

Just looking for encouragement. I am biking and swimming a bit, but i only have access to a pool occasionally so biking is what i do mostly. I know some of you have had this and did some training. Anything else i can do to keep up the fitness?

Am just bummed, i know you all understand!

[jmasgat]

Kris,

I understand all too well what you're going through. Late August I was diagnosed with a 2nd metatarsal SF. I spent the next 6 weeks wit my foot immobilized (not booted. Oddly, it hurt more to walk in a boot than it did in my spin shoe). I did deep water running, swimming and cycling as my main cardio, along with weights. My foot, frankly,felt awful. Not so much the original injury site (after a while)but every other part of it. It's like I screwed up walking entirely.

To add insult to injury, in early October---just before my return visit to sports doc, I had a cycling accident and injured my ribs. Seven weeks later, they still hurt. I have started running again--but the ribs do interfere. On the plus side, they keep me from running too much, too soon!

I also am paranoid that every pain/twinge I feel in my foot is the SF coming back--and occasionally I can feel something at the original injury site. If so, I baby it for a few days. I'm an "old lady", so I just don't heal that fast anymore, I guess. I am still planning on doing Goofy and if nothing else, will build my long runs to get close and then run/walk if I have to.

Hope you can come back and do one of the races. Just don't rush it. Good luck.

Maura

[cewait]

Kris,

Yes, you are more than capable of finishing the marathon. WIth three weeks between de-booting and the race, I would suggest trying 6-10 miles the first weekend out, then 10-16, 6-10 and then the race.

Race day weekend with be an interesting affair as you will not really know how you will do. If you start off slow and deliberate at a training pace minus 30 seconds or so and let the day come to you, you have a great chance of finishing well.

In the interim, keep in mind that the body will need so energy to complete the healing process. The last time I was booted, I was not allowed on a cycle due to a SF in at the very bottom of the tibia. So I swam, rowed and hand cranked - non of which are fun when looking at a 90 minute workout. You will not loose much aerobic fitness during this period, but you will see a peak end decline.

Finally, there is an interesting article that I seem to have lost my link to the discusses last minute ravin decisions and why one should make the decision earlier, rather than later... the bottom line was that one should decide 1-2 weeks out if an injury will cause them to not run a race - the night prior will most always yield a "just run and see" answer. All this to say, wait until you see how the longer 16 isn mile run goes prior to deciding to bail on Goofy. You may see that you have a great base and feel like you can cary both races. If you come out of the longest run with a negative feeling, decide to bail out of the half then.

Good luck. I am actually thinking of starting a wounded runner group to help all the wounded folks who start get to the finish. So far, The three of us who have posted on this thread are in the category of wounded and trying to get to the finish.

[dumbo_buddy]

Originally Posted by cewait;

Good luck. I am actually thinking of starting a wounded runner group to help all the wounded folks who start get to the finish. So far, The three of us who have posted on this thread are in the category of wounded and trying to get to the finish.

yes, please!!

[halvnorsk]

I had stress fractures in both feet last fall. I wasn't cleared to run until about 7 weeks before Goofy. I didn't do my first long run (10 mi.) until 5 weeks out. I did strength training, swimming and a Nordic Ski Machine (we own this and I'm not a health club member able to try other machines). Since I'm a football fan, I would "ski" for hours while watching my favorite teams. I kept up a pretty good aerobic base this way. By the time I was ready to run, I just needed to get my running legs back. My sports doc told me that since I had a good base and experience prior to my injury, I could ramp up my mileage faster than usually recommended (check with your doc for advice on this). So I did long runs of 10, 15, and 20 with a taper of 12 and 8. I did the Goofy. It obviously wasn't how I envisioned my first Goofy race, but I finished. I'm obviously hoping for a little better performance this year .

Good luck. Let us know what your doc says at your next appt. I feel for you!

[Tracerr00]

I am also recovering from a tibial stress fracture (upper tibia). My regular doc said it was just a muscle knot (I had pain and a bump on my tibia) and that I could just ice it and continue to run. The pain became a lot worse so I saw a sports doc instead. He could see something on the xray and recommended an MRI. I got the MRI results back and it is indeed a stress fracture. But he said that it's only a very slight one with no crack in the bone and it's also healing very nicely. I didn't need a boot or anything. So I got the ok to start walking and in one more week I'm able to start adding in some running. I've been walking now for about a week but last night I walked three miles and the bump is a bit painful today which is scaring me a little. Am I going to injure myself again? Is it really ok to start running again next week? I'm doing the Princess Half in Feb so I don't want to overdo it right away. I start physical therapy this week too.

It's scary and frustrating to have a stress fracture.

[Figment1990]

Originally Posted by cewait

Good luck. I am actually thinking of starting a wounded runner group to help all the wounded folks who start get to the finish. So far, The three of us who have posted on this thread are in the category of wounded and trying to get to the finish.

Coach- great idea! I'm not in training right now for the goofy or any Disney races (which is sad enough in itself) but I was just about to gear myself up for some "pre-training" running for local ones and my ankle is injured and it's driving me bonkers to not run. But just as I was about to get to the wine and dine half last month I did have an injury that threw off the training and sent me into a worry about finishing. A support group would be awesome altho the folks on the wine and dine thread were awesome too!

[cewait]

Originally Posted by Tracerr00

I am also recovering from a tibial stress fracture (upper tibia). My regular doc said it was just a muscle knot (I had pain and a bump on my tibia) and that I could just ice it and continue to run. The pain became a lot worse so I saw a sports doc instead. He could see something on the xray and recommended an MRI. I got the MRI results back and it is indeed a stress fracture. But he said that it's only a very slight one with no crack in the bone and it's also healing very nicely. I didn't need a boot or anything. So I got the ok to start walking and in one more week I'm able to start adding in some running. I've been walking now for about a week but last night I walked three miles and the bump is a bit painful today which is scaring me a little. Am I going to injure myself again? Is it really ok to start running again next week? I'm doing the Princess Half in Feb so I don't want to overdo it right away. I start physical therapy this week too.

It's scary and frustrating to have a stress fracture.

Let your PT know and get his guidance. Caution is better than pushing with regard to SF. There is an old school way of telling SF. If one has an old tuning fork they can simply rap the fork and while the fork is singing, place the handle on the boney area in question. It you feel a pain, then the SF is still there.

[Terapin]

Originally Posted by dumbo_buddy

yes, please!!

x2!!

[Tracerr00]

Originally Posted by cewait

Let your PT know and get his guidance. Caution is better than pushing with regard to SF. There is an old school way of telling SF. If one has an old tuning fork they can simply rap the fork and while the fork is singing, place the handle on the boney area in question. It you feel a pain, then the SF is still there.

I've never heard of that method before! Interesting!! I will definitely let the PT know that there is pain. I'm going to scale back the walking in the meantime so I don't end up pushing too hard.

[jmasgat]

Originally Posted by cewait

There is an old school way of telling SF. If one has an old tuning fork they can simply rap the fork and while the fork is singing, place the handle on the boney area in question. It you feel a pain, then the SF is still there.

Problem is, it doesn't always work. My doc tried this with me, and it didn't hurt, but I did have the SF. He said "if it hurts, the test is useful, if it doesn't, it is not a definitive "no" answer".

My foot is bugging me today from the light trail walking I've been doing the last few days. I wish I could develop the same sense of "body awareness" with my foot as I have with other injuries. I mean, I know when I have an ITB issue or muscle strain, etc. But with this SF,I can't tell if it's the SF or something else in my foot (other than by pressing directly on the bone, and hey,if you do that it's probably gonna hurt anyway and I feel like that would make things worse!)

Oh well.

Maura

[garneska]

Thanks Charles about maybe not giving up on goofy. I actually spent the last 5 days at Disney and walked quite a bit in my boot. My foot did not hurt and the dr said it was alright as long as I wore the boot. Just was good to be on my legs all day. While i have been biking am afraid i don't have running legs. I was also battling a cold that seems to be better finally. I have one more week in the boot and then one week of walking without. I go back to the dr Dec 17. Will see how i feel after a long run.

That will only give me 3 weekends before the race. Any suggestions how far i should try and run? I will continue with 3 hours on the bike. i am thinking i might only get up to a 12 or 14 miler. I think the SF is healing well. My foot is not hurting and i am not walking without the boot, no matter how much i want to. My concern is the back to back piece i could be really sore.

Thanks everyone and yes I think we need an injured runners group.

[cewait]

Originally Posted by garneska

Thanks Charles about maybe not giving up on goofy. I actually spent the last 5 days at Disney and walked quite a bit in my boot. My foot did not hurt and the dr said it was alright as long as I wore the boot. Just was good to be on my legs all day. While i have been biking am afraid i don't have running legs. I was also battling a cold that seems to be better finally. I have one more week in the boot and then one week of walking without. I go back to the dr Dec 17. Will see how i feel after a long run.

That will only give me 3 weekends before the race. Any suggestions how far i should try and run? I will continue with 3 hours on the bike. i am thinking i might only get up to a 12 or 14 miler. I think the SF is healing well. My foot is not hurting and i am not walking without the boot, no matter how much i want to. My concern is the back to back piece i could be really sore.

Thanks everyone and yes I think we need an injured runners group.

Two thoughts.

1) a reverse taper - 6-8 the first week, 10-12 the next and 14-16 the weekend prior to the race.

2) a short pyramid - 6-8 the first week, 14-16 the next followed by 8-10 the weekend prior to the race.

These options are sub-optimal but you have a great base and you are looking to work the joints and smaller muscles on a run instead of the cycle. Of the two options, I think option 2 works well as it allows a small recovery week between you longest run and the race. It does come with a huge increase in miles where option 1 works up to the miles more linearly.

In either case, run a minute or so a mile slower than you were running. Practice good form thinking a slightly smaller stride and a mid-foot landing. I think that I would also look to replace at least one pair of shoes as you de-boot so that you know you have a shoe that was not carry forward wear patterns from while you were injured.

Good luck. You will do much better than you think. It has to be a slow and steady weekend. You will do this