- April 17, 2009
- 12 Comments
- Eats, Health & Beauty
I Have Tendinitis and My Marathon is in 15 Days.
As you all may know (or if you don’t I’m about to tell you)… I have been training to run a full marathon. I started an 18 week training plan almost 16 weeks ago.
*pats self on the back*
Wanna know what happened? Tendinitis. More specifically, Achilles tendinitis. Good times. Not severe, but if I’m not careful… the word “screwed” comes to mind.
Last week I had my longest training run – 20 miles. My running partner/dear friend Katie and I started the run in good spirits. We ran. And ran. And ran. And ran. And ran. And ran. And ran. At mile 10 we turned around to hit the second half and… Yowza! Owie! Yikes! Zoink! I felt a sharp pain in my ankle “area”.
But we still had 10 miles to go and it was a full weekend… I did not have time to NOT finish the last 10. So I did what any Smarty Smarterson would do… I ran until the sharp pain “dulled” and I prolly looked like a gimpy girl-like Hunchback of my local community. OK, it wasn’t that bad, but by the time the last 10 was through the sharp pain in my left ankle radiated up to my calf and my right knee was feeling a bit snippy.
Overcompensation, anyone?
To top it off… the last 4 gimpy-esque miles were spent listening to my tummy growl. And also FEELING my tummy growl. And the last 1.5 miles were spent with wobbly limbs cuzza the fact I WAS SO BLAMED HUNGRY. I could have popped another 100 calorie Gu pack, but to be Frank frank… I just wanted a hamburger. With bleu cheese. And bacon. And more bacon. And a milkshakes.
Speaking of hungry… I have been running an average of 30-40 miles a week for the last month +. And I have also gained 8 pounds.
*insert deadpan stare here*
I am hungry in a way that I have only known in pregnancy. And while I crave protein… I LUST after carbs. L to the U-S-T. Ravenous. Like a pirana, but much bigger and without the gills and razor-sharp teeth, nor do I desire the consumation of bloody carcasses butIdigress…
Oh. You’re so sweet. But you’re wrong. The weight gain is not just muscle. My jeans and I have had a little “sit down” and we know it’s not just muscle. Ms. Muffin Top joined in on the convo. She concurs.
It’s almost as if my bawdy is all,
Ummm… Jen. What’s up, guuuurl. What’s all this runnin’ and calorie burnin’ about? Where’s the fire? Do I need to pack on “supplies”? I feel like I need to create some reserves for us. You know I don’t like to be low on “reserves”. I’ll tell you what… if you keep on actin’ a fool I’m gonna make sure we got enough to take us where ever it is you seem to think is so important.
So. I am up 8 pounds and “off” the leg for, say… a week. Essentially missing Week 16 of training… and then I will probably cut all my mileage in half in the last 2 weeks. Grrr. And that is only IF my little tendon-feller behaves. Oh people. I am sooooo frustrated. *inserts entire Oreo in mouth*
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12 Responses to “I Have Tendinitis and My Marathon is in 15 Days.”
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Oh, dang. I am so sorry about the tendinitis. What rotten luck!
Ms. Muffin top and I are dear, dear friends. I’d like her to leave, but she seems to enjoy my hostess skillz too much. Dang.
i have tendonitis in both forearms from wood working, and by wood working i mean looking at internet porn non-stop
Praying for you. That is a big bummer. I guess it is time to hang up the running shoes for dancing shoes? Come to hip hop with me. But you probably need untendinitis for that too… hmmm.
I love that video with that sweet guy who let his poor unaware girlfriend go on being clueless.
Ugh. I want someone to tell when I have a muffin top hangin’ all out- and for that matter when I have to tweeze my eyebrows- yup, and especially when I have “goat hairs” (as my husband affectionately call them) coming out of my chin!
Hmmm. Yup, don’t like that guy with that lifesaver over his head.
Breath Awesome…heal and trust…your an inspiriation, muffin-top and all!!!!
I love your writing.
My heart goes out to you. I can’t run, but I am a walker who can’t get enough. However, I have had some of the same issues. So this comment is going to be l-o-n-g.
When I increased my workouts last year, the first thing that happened was that I gained 8 pounds. I wrote down everything I ate, so I knew I was burning more than I was consuming. It was very discouraging.
Months later, I understood what had happened. I actually was shifting to a higher level of fitness and a new metabolism, one designed for longer periods of aerobic activity. I did gain new muscle. But inflammation and fluid retention went with it. When muscles are worked harder, there is always mild inflammation — this means more fluid which adds temporary weight. I ate more carbs and the body stores those with added fluid. The muscles developed a greater ability to store glycogen (sugar) and that is stored with water in the muscle tissues. So I weighed more and did not see any reduction in inches for about five months.
However, the muscle inflammation eventually settled down, as my body became used to the new level of exercise. My lost fat eventually became greater than the increased levels of water with glycogen stored in my muscles. And my increased muscle mass eventually raised my overall calorie burn. Six months after the increase, people looked at me and said, “What have you done to look so good?” My clothes started falling off me. I had to get an entirely new wardrobe, which I honestly was NOT wild about.
It was like a delayed reaction. But really the changes had been happening for some time.
So my encouragement is: eat healthy carbs. Pack on the pasta with vegetables on top. Have low-fat dessert when you crave sweets. Eat Sweet Potatoes, winter squashes, banannas. Keep your carbs at 70-75% of your total diet. You need it. You will feel better and the cravings won’t be so overwhelming.
Stretch that foot, about every two hours. Use mineral ice on it. Ice after running. Soak in the tub at night with 1/2 cup baking soda and bubble bath. This will reduce inflammation all over the body. It’s also very easy to rinse the tub clean afterwards. You will feel like a young thing in the morning.
When all of this didn’t work, I took a day off. Or two.
Hope this helps and wasn’t too long.
I am feeling your pain- you are so close and then the tendonitis happens. Sucks. Plain and simple. Here’s to hoping your body can hold off just 14 more days!
Grrrrr. Friggin tendinspiteius! I hope you are better soon my dear. I love that muffin top commercial. I’m gonna tell all your readers right now.. you do not have muffin top! She doesn’t. And your butt is rockin.’ I, however, walk around with a coffee table attached to my lower back.. yep, you could set a drink on this ass.
Hey girlfriend, I am so sorry to hear about the tendonitis. Taking this week off and refucing miles next week will still be fine for the marathon-you have such a strong base of running under your ‘belt’ with lots of endurance that you should have no worries about Marathon day. However, with that being said-keep your eyes on the big picture about why you run-it’s not about the race-necessarily and keep in mind that running on an injury can cause a greater injury that may affect your running career for life. I DO NOT mean to be a downer, but please use caution and trust your instinct when it comes to marathon day. If you need to heal longer-do it! Be careful, please. I have seen too many runners contiune to run with injuries and then mess themselves up! I don’t want that to happen to you! Hang in there and treat yourself kindly this week!
Love you, girl-sorry about the ‘lecture’
Darcy
The last time I had tendonitis it was almost a good thing. ‘Twas in my shoulder, I was banned from vacuuming for 3 weeks! OTOH, I’d been suffering for 3 months by the time I finally REALLY rested the damn thing.
Be kind to your tendons. If started to do New Physical Thing after – uh – becoming Seriously Adult, then get them used to the idea over 6 months of increasing work load before hitting them with the TRUE amount of work you want them to do.
Fern
stretch & flex, heat & ice, stretch & flex, heat & ice. A few pillows under the end of your bed to elevate your “ankle area” without putting stress on your knees, hips or back. Your baody will be ready for MORE after you take a week off. I’m so excited for you!!!
Oh Jenny, that totally sucks. Totally and completely and terribly. Injuries are just annoying.
You know, I had only ever done half the mileage (5 miles) before my triathlon and I did fine. Not great, but not hurt.
So I’m here to predict that
1. You will heal.
2. You will have a great marathon – heck you KNOW you can run at least 20 miles. 6 more is no biggie.
3. Those pounds? They will melt away as you dance through life. It’s just a phase.
BIG HUGS!