Injuries

I have run only one time since the Sultan 50K on 1/29.  The one run I have had was a nice half marathon though the mountains.  This run however brought to the surface a painful lower left leg injury.  I have had discomfort about 2-3 inches above the ankle that started after Harbison 50K on 1/08. 

The discomfort was mild but after the half I ran at SM State Park I was in serious pain.  I was about sure I was suffering from a stress fracture of the lower leg.  A stress fracture would mean no running for at least 4-6 weeks and would keep me from running Mount Mitchell Challenge on 2/26.  I stopped my training runs completely and visited Carolina Orthopedic.  I was not optimistic....

My Doc stated he also believed it to be a stress fracture but an MRI would be the only way to know for sure.  He said the MRI was not necessary but I insisted as I needed to know if running Mitchell was still a possibility or not.  I had to cancel my spot at Shut-In-Ridge due to an IT Band injury last November and I was getting depressed at the thought of dropping from Mitchell as well.  This close to the race a refund was not possible. 

The last week has been long and very stressful.  I lost my 93 year old grandmother and flew up to Boston for the service and to be with my dad.  Losing a family member quickly changes ones perspective on what is really important.


I arrived home yesterday and I received a call today with the results.  No stress fracture but more than likely a stress reaction to the lower leg.  I need to test things out with a few runs but it looks like Mitchell is a go. 

My training plans for this month did not go as planned but I'll try to suffer through another ultra marathon just for the challenge of finishing.