Off the Trail Again

After a couple weeks running again, my Achilles was feeling better...but not great. I'd say it was about 75-80%; easy runs were fine, even on trails, but I could tell it wasn't ready to be pushed.

I planned on running Bloomsday last weekend, but the day before the race I felt some unusual bumps (very small) on the inside of my Achilles right where I was having all the pain in March. Just to be safe I popped in to see a doctor to make sure it wasn't a small tear or anything that would keep me from running Bloomsday.  The doctor (a sports medicine guy who does work with the WSU student-athletes) diagnosed it as tendinosis.  Basically, he said, it's worse than tendinitis - my tendon has degenerated - and I'm at an increased risk for a rupture.  Not good. He set me up with a new physical therapist that specializes in foot and ankle stuff for athletes.

So I skipped Bloomsday and stopped running again for a week. My appointment with the PT was yesterday, and the news was optimistic.  He said that I have a mild case of tendinosis, and that he expects that I'll likely make a full recovery. He also said that the injured area is higher than the usual risk area for rupture, so I'm not in the high risk category. 

The plan:

I'm leaving for Germany this week for a two week trip.  I won't be running the GutsMuths Rennsteiglaug ultramarathon. That's a bummer -- I've been having some sour luck with my international races the last couple years. Even if I was cleared to give it a shot, my training the last two months has been so low that it's not even worth calling it training, so I'm not in any shape to race a 45-mile trail course anyway.

I am allowed to run, but only on very flat surfaces, and - for now - no more than five miles every other day.  When we get back from Germany, I'll get an updated game-plan from my PT.  Man, it would be great to get some good news then.

Mentally, I'm preparing myself for a several month recovery.  Sounds like this Achilles - even if I get back to full speed - will be something I have to deal with the rest of my running career.  

With Sadie on Moscow Mt. a couple weeks ago

-Scott

On the Trail Again

I've been given the go-ahead by my physical therapist to start some light running again.  Finally. Four weeks off because of some annoying Achilles tendinitis had me a little stir crazy.  

In the last week, I've been on five easy runs ranging from two miles to ten miles.  The painful burning (tendinitis) is gone, but there is still some lingering tightness. 

I'm told that more massage and more light running with help loosen up the tightness.  So my fingers are crossed that I'll be up to full speed before I head off to Germany in a month. My catchphrase over the past week has been "cautiously optimistic." 

Here are a few photos from my Sunday run with Buzz and Sadie.

Keep running!

-Scott

Kamiak Butte Trail Series

Spring is here. Snow is melting.  The Kamiak Butte Trail Series starts this week!

I scouted the trail yesterday to make sure it was in decent post-winter shape -- and everything looks to be in great shape.

It was a nice day to capture some photos of the course.

Keep running!

Scott

Views From The Palouse

Three photos from above the Palouse River near Colfax, WA. Steptoe Butte is seen in the background.  Still no running this last week, but I was able to get my bike out for a few miles to get these shots.

Keep running!

Scott

Needed: Rest

I hit a bump in the road after a couple of nice weeks of training as I eased back into things after a rest-filled February.

Achilles tendinitis.  My guess is that I still hadn't fully recovered from the 100-miler.

Hells Canyon Adventure Run last weekend? Out. Badger Mt. 50k this weekend? Out.  WSU 100k next month? Probably out too since I'm missing all my long training runs.  

The plan right now is to take two weeks completely off before I test it out, then I'll go from there. We're headed to Germany in May, so my main goal now is to get ready for that race. I went for a short walk this past Sunday, and it was clear that running is not an option right now.

I've felt really lucky during my short running career to have gone mostly injury free. Some runner's knee in 2008 kept me off my feet for a month or so. Achilles tendinitis (in my other leg) back in 2010 left me limping through Chile. Torn calf last summer kept me out for five or six weeks. That's about it. Not too bad.

Of course it's no fun not being able to run, but I understand that part of the risk of running big ultras is that destroying your body sometimes means long layoffs. Risk vs Reward.

Sadie loves running as much as I do, but she'll have to be okay with ball fetch for a couple weeks.  I think she'll cope. 

On a walk by the river with Sadie

-Scott