Why is it when you get a paper cut, stinging lemon juice instantly finds its way inside? Or when you have a cavity, your tongue is constantly drawn to the aching decay? Or when you smoke yourself in the ankle so hard you draw blood, your shoed foot continues to do so until you’re belaboured with a nasty ass stress fracture?
On Sunday, that oh-so-glorious run day, I did just that. Smoked my ankle. And oh man did it smart. For like half a minute I swear it felt as though a boulder had smashed down on it! But I refused to stop running. I wasn’t a baby, I was going to keep on going, wincing and all. Well, that first collision resulted in two more collisions, each more painful than the first. It wasn’t until I ended my run that I dare I looked at the damage done.
It doesn’t look like much right, just a wee scrape, but if you’ve ever experienced a paper cut under your fingernails, you know it’s the small ones that are the deadliest ones. I feared the shower post-run. And rightfully so. Soap in an open wound, NOT a good combination. I feared sitting at my desk, where I like to put one leg up into a cross-legged position. And rightfully so. Scabbed wound rubbing and pulling against jean material, NOT a good combination. I didn’t, however, fear walking. But I should have. Apparently I don’t just kick myself while running – I do it while walking too! And what do you know, it was the same ankle I smoked. Scabbed wound versus shoed foot, NOT a good combination.
Seriously shoe, you really need to start making friends with the ankle. Just saying…
The first time I smoked my ankle like this was last summer while training for the Portland Marathon on one of my 23 km training runs. I repeatedly did it through the remainder of the summer and into the fall. What started out as a scrape, turned into a bruise, turned into an aching ankle, turned into a jammed up ankle, turned into a stress fracture. Now, I can’t be sure if it was 100 per cent started because I like to kick myself, but I’m pretty sure the ankle can only take so much and a full summer of kicking it can’t possibly be good for it.
Here’s hoping this is not a repeat of last summer.
LAST NIGHT’S TRAINER RIDE:
- 9 p.m. BG before: 6.4 (1 biscuit, no bolus)
- Temp. basal: -80 per cent
- Time: 45 minutes
- 10 p.m. BG after: 3.9
I’ve been trying to focus on getting more cross-training in, and not just rely on my twice-a-week pilates and twice-a-week runs, but my gawd, last night’s ride was tough. It was my fourth day going without a break and I’ve been having a lot of late nights lately too, and I’m pretty sure I was just utterly exhausted. I got on the bike and my legs were so heavy and tight and lethargic, it took everything I had just to pedal them at a light speed. Good thing True Blood is the perfect trainer riding watching show that effectively takes my mind off the buckets of sweat pouring out of me and the aches of my thighs. Thanks to Bill Compton and Sookie Stackhouse, I was able to get through the ride and even pushed a little harder near the end.
However, somehow on that so-called non weight-bearing activity, I managed to pull something in my groin. Yes, my groin! Stretching was a pain. Sitting down and getting up was a pain. Walking up the stairs was a pain. Seriously, I am the most injury prone sporty princess there ever was! (For a great pic, refer back to this post: The Sami Salo of runners) It couldn’t have been too bad though. I iced it, took Advil, applied muscle ointment on it (which is kind of a scary thing as it is close to a rather sensitive area!) and by morning the ache had eased. Phew.
What was your worst sports-related injury or incident?