After nearly 2 weeks of not running and swearing at my ankles, I finally saw an orthopedist yesterday. He initially seemed a bit flummoxed that I still have full range of motion in my foot and that I can wiggle everything without pain, but the little yelp I gave when he pressed a finger into the soft spot below the ankle bone was apparently plenty for a diagnosis: a tear in my tendon.
He showed me a poster with all the parts of the foot labeled and said I’ve injured one of two tendons (circled):
Image from http://www.footankleinc.com/
He then explained that, since tendons are basically white fiber with limited blood flow, injuries to them take an unfortunately long time to heal (not news to me… I’ve sprained both ankles a few times each and have cursed the weeks that dragged on while they slowly got better).
Then came the part of the appointment I’d been waiting for – whether or not I can run. The doctor initially said to give up running for 4-6 weeks, but when I told him I have a 5k this weekend that I really want to run, he totally surprised me by shrugging and saying “run it.” As long as I ice it immediately after and then begin my 4-6 week sentence, I have his blessing.
So I can run the B.A.A. 5k after all!! I’m so relieved and excited, especially now that the forecast has changed from cold rain to just cloudy. I am bummed about the 3 other races I was supposed to run in the weeks after, but at least this weekend’s race hasn’t been taken away from me.
In the meantime, I have a pretty sweet brace I can rock if need be:
To simultaneously celebrate my news about the B.A.A. 5k and self-pity-shop out of sadness that I have to take a break from running, I spent 2 hours browsing gear in Kohl’s and bought myself some sweet new running shorts (thanks for letting me in on your discount, Colin!). Now to run a good race on Saturday and then make it through my weeks of no running without going crazy!
Happy running 🙂
Slow and Steady(ish) 
Yay, so glad you get to run your race! And them make sure you follow doctor’s orders so you can get better! 🙂
Thanks! I’ll certainly try to follow the doctor’s orders… I’m not looking forward to it though 🙂
Awesome that you get to run your race!! Yayy!! Make sure you ice ice ice 😀
Thanks! Yes… ice is the word! 🙂
How did the race go?
The race went great! A fun, inspiring atmosphere and my ankle was pain-free 😀 I’m working on a recap post now!
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