Fractured Fairy Tale

So it's been a while...I know. But forgive me, this blog is about running and I am, um, not running.

Here's a recap:

3 1/2 weeks ago:

• Out for a 7 miler, around mile 3 felt alot of discomfort in my left foot, cut run to 6 miles
• Took what I thought was going to be a few days off from running but continued to cross train
• Scheduled 18 miler-could not do it so did 3 hours combined of elliptical/spinning/pool running
• Tried so hard to talk myself out of what my gut was telling me-stress fracture

3 weeks ago:

• E-mailed my doctor and let him know my suspicions-he told me to not run (like I already had been doing) and to make an appointment for a few weeks from then so it would be easier to see the new bone growth on the x-ray

2 weeks-1 week ago:

• continued to cross train like a champ. I could not classify what I felt as pain. Just an over-awareness of what felt like the third metatarsal in my foot...what? Like you're not supposed to be able to pinpoint your bones from how they feel on the inside? Hhmm...that may be a bad sign
• started noticing that at the end of the two hour sessions on the elliptical that my foot felt, um, Not.Good.
• Thought it best I go to just pool running...odd, should water resistance really hurt? And why is it hurting in a new place along with the old? Odd. And mildly annoying.
• Get x-rays-1 stress fracture confirmed, another one possibly in the cuneiform bone (the what? Yeah, I found out it's just another bone that connects to your metatarsals). MRI ordered.
  
• Given the sexiest boot to wear...I think I pulled it off, really. I did.

And let me just interject here that I was handling this whole thing with grace and humor and flexibility. "oh, I might not be able to run Columbus? No big deal, I'll run Philly!" See how sane and logical?

This week:

• MRI = not good news
• the stress fracture started in the metatarsal and splintered upwards towards the joint area before the cuneiform bone which explains why there was more than 1 sensitive spot on my foot
• the bone/area was still at this point extremely inflamed and swollen and not even close to where it should be in the healing process. No new bone had been laid down. My dearest doctor informed me on a scale of 1-10 of severity it was a 9. Now, see, I call bullshit because the "pain" is NOT a 9. In fact, I refuse to classify it as "pain" at all because it is merely discomfort.
  
• Unfortunately, my doctor is not overly impressed with my "logic"
• The heavy cross training done directly after the injury has not helped (although in my defense I thought I was being smart. I thought all I needed to do for a quick recovery was to simply take running out of the rotation for a few weeks while making sure I kept my cardio and strength levels up and I'd be A-OK). This, however, is apparently not the case for me.
• I have problems. More directly, my bones have problems. I'm not going to go into too much detail but let me say this (if for nothing else, women, use it as a warning):

hard training
+
no period(hence low levels of estrogen)
+
low intake of calcium
=

weak bones

• I'm back on crutches for a week or two with NO cross training except for pool running and upper body strength workouts. Then I'll have another x-ray to see if I'm actually producing new bone and if it is sufficient (for my doctor of course, not me), then I can graduate to just wearing the boot again for another couple weeks and then the doc will consider what cross training I can introduce.
  

So, long story short (sorry 'bout that) is that I won't be running Columbus, I won't be running Philly and per dear old doc, I won't be allowed to start "training hard" for a total of two months. He made it a point to reassure me that I will be able to do some light jogging in a month though... aw, how sweet, some light jogging-just what I love! So I'm thinking maybe the Vegas marathon in December? Or If it takes a while for me to train hard enough to get back to hopefully qualifying I might get stuck doing the Last Chance for Boston marathon in February...anyone done it?

Do you think that 3rd metatarsal sticks out at all? That's all the surrounding edema!

*here's "My Left Foot".... please don't confuse me with Daniel Day Lewis