Houston, we have a big problem. What I have been calling "shin splints" for the past 2 months has been upgraded to stress fracture of the tibia by my orthopaedist (aka me, and most of my attendings). Despite how the radiologists read my MRI, and orthopaedists never listen them anyway, it is now obvious that I have a much more serious problem. For two months I have been diligent about not running. At all. I have myself tied to a bone stimulator 10 hours a day. I have worn a cast boot for a month. I have taken enough ibuprofen to cause at least 4 gastric ulcers. I have perfected the iced dixie-cup to the shins. I have moved even slower at volleyball than normal (that's slow). And it still hurts.
Actually, it had been feeling better the last week or so, not limping or anything, but I still held off trying running again until I was sure. So today I tried to run. I knew it could be bad, so I planned a trip around my block so I wouldn't ever be too far from home. I ran 1/10th of a mile. It immediately went into spasm and I am limping again. This sucks, this sucks, this sucks!
As for the Philly Triathlon on Saturday, I am still doing it. I am a very good swimmer and, from what I can tell when I'm out, a pretty good cyclist, so I am basically racing for a good time in the first two legs. I will not be running. I will enjoy a nice 5K walk along the river in my comfy-as-heck CAM boot. If people cheer me on to run, I will smile and wave.
As for the race itself, I plan on holding a good pace for the swim, hoping to pace around 1:25 100 meters. At the first transition, take off the wetsuit (borrowed from my awesome friend Kelly) into my trishorts and swim suit top, sweep hair up into helmet, and get shoes and socks on. I hope to hold 19-20 mph on the flat sections, and I'm hoping I can get my front derailleurs adjusted so I can kick into low gears on the hills. My time reaching T2 is my finish line, where I will change my left shoe to the boot. I can't wait to post pics!
Well, sorry I am boring you with this, but if you have been reading my blog for very long, you know how important this is to me, and how upset I am about it. But on the bright side, there's 7 more weeks until the next triathlon, and maybe I'll be healed by then. Thanks for reading...
2 comments:
Man, it sucks you still can't run. My hip has been bugging me, and it's hard for me to take it easy. Have a great time anyway at your tri, I know you will be fabulous in the swimming and biking, even if you have to walk at the end.... Perhaps a little salty sea air (A la LBI) will aid the healing process! See you soon!
Jill
Hey, you forgot to mention what you have to do since it is a stress fracture instead of shin splints. The same thing you were doing?
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