A bug’s life

HELP! I’ve wounded myself and it won’t heal.

Three and a half weeks ago I was out running the Vancouver Seawall and at about 10 or 11 km into the run, I kicked myself in the ankle. I didn’t graze my ankle, I didn’t scuff it, I full on knocked the bloody wind out of it! I kicked it so hard, I actually winced from the pain, a pain reminiscent of when I broke the so-called funny bone in my elbow. And when I finished the run at 23 km, I finally looked down and sure enough, it was all scabbed over. But it didn’t look too bad, just a little skin removal was all, it would heal in no time – or so I thought.

Now, pretty much every run I’ve been on since, I’ve repeated the ankle kicking, kind of like when you bite your tongue and you keep on biting it for days and weeks and sometimes months after. It’s like the law of gravity or something. And this past Sunday when I went out, the wound was so bad, it wouldn’t stop bleeding and it actually fused to my compression sock afterwards. I literally had to soak the sock to peel it off, and it still hurt like heck. Ouch!

I’ve tried running with regular Band-aids, but they fall off as soon as sweat hits them. I’ve also tried so-called “flexible, stays on better, heals faster” Band-aids, but they too fall off with sweat. And I’ve tried bandaging it up like I imagine a doctor would, I even put antibacterial spray on it beforehand, but the second I start walking around, the tape starts lifting up … apparently an ankle wound is hard to dress.

So my question to you dear readers is how do I bandage this wound up AND run?

TONIGHT’S RUN:

  • 6:15 p.m. BG before: 9.5
  • Temp basal: -30 per cent
  • Warm up: 4 laps around the track, 4 minute pace per lap
  • Five super-fast 800 metre repeats + one super-fast 400 metre lap with a recovery lap in between each
  • Average heart rate: 165 bpm
  • Cool down: 3 laps around the track
  • 8 p.m. BG after: 7.1

I kind of felt like I was the bad kid in school tonight, the one who purposely left her gym strip at home and as a result was forced to run laps around the track after school with everyone sitting around watching (not that I speak from experience ;)). I hated almost every minute of the intervals tonight. My legs were tired, my brain was tired, my legs were screaming, my brain was screaming. I kept trying to talk myself through them and kept trying to tell myself to dig down: It’s going to make me faster, it’s going to make me faster, it’s going to make me faster…

And it worked for a bit, I had a really good third set, but then on the first lap of the fifth set, I inhaled a bug up my nose half way through and contemplated snorting it out like hockey players do, but this princess just could not bring herself to do it. And so I started freaking out that Betsy the Bug was going to give birth in my brain and I’d have a family of baby bugs invading my head, which isn’t exactly the best strategy to use when you’re trying to focus on speed. But I kept going, I didn’t stop. And I thought if I could get through two laps with a bug fluttering around in my nostril and up into my brain, I could surely finish my sixth set. My legs, however, had other plans for me. The first lap of the last set, I went out pretty hard, and for about the last quarter of that lap, I had an all out war going on in my head: Just one more lap, I can do it. No you can’t. Yes I can. No you can’t. Yes I can. The second my legs crossed the first lap, they stopped. I was done.

800 METRE INTERVALS:

  1. 1:57 and 2:04 = 4 hours 1 minute marathon time
  2. 1:59 and 2:05 = 4 hours 4 minute marathon time
  3. 1:59 and 2:00 = 3 hours 59 minute marathon time
  4. 2:00 and 2:00 = 4 hours marathon time
  5. 2:04 and 2:04 = 4 hours 8 minute marathon time
  6. 1:56

JUST ONE MORE WEEK OF SPEED INTERVALS!!! WOOHOO!!!

1 thought on “A bug’s life”

  1. Oh, Lordy, you tell such horrible stories. Bugs up yer nose Ayeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!
    I bet princesses the world over have snorted worse out those pert little noses!! And in full public view … never mind a hankie … just leaned over and honked out the offending nodule!!! Who’s gonna dare question a princess!!!?? I don’t see HOW you were able to continue the run knowing some six-legged critter with goodness knows what evil intentions was squirming its way up your nasal passages … like some kind of crazed caver!!! Gawd!!! I just want to spit, thinking about it!!!! Can’t wait to read your next blog 🙂

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