Hello All,
It is now 12 weeks since my stress fracture back in September.
I was in an airboot for about 5 - 6 weeks and have had a few appointments with the orthopaedist. The stress fracture is healing. (It's a nasty looking fracture - a jagged break in the near part of the Rt 2nd metatarsal.)
I've also been seeing a private physio who has given me some exercises to do and I continue strength training at least once or twice a week.
How have I been keeping myself busy?
- Been volunteering every week since the fracture with parkruns: first in some non-walking/running positions: finish token support, finish tokens, and barcode scanning (my favourite). In the past few weeks, I've been tail walking and park walking. And yes, I've become addicted. I've now got two compass points (N & S) and I am at the start of my alphabet with B, N, S, and U. Hoping to add another this weekend and actually start volunteering for a junior. I think I might like to try to get a junior established in a local park.
- I have also volunteered for RunThrough and have about eight free races for 2025 and some free gear. This has been great fun, too! It makes me really appreciate the marshals and support staff at these events and the parkruns.
- I've had my calcium, vitamin D, and parathyroid hormone levels checked and they are all good. In a taxi one day in my boot, the driver told me I needed to add 'golden milk' to my daily diet for bone healing. So I've been heating milk and mixing turmeric and ginger and other herbs to supplement my calcium. I now understand from a GP friend that turmeric is South Asia's 'chicken soup' cure all.
- I've also started walking to the bus stop or tube again. Prior to my injury I was working on the Secret London Runs Six Wives challenge with my runs, but I now post my walking mileage and I've finished up Catherine of Aragon's 99 Miles of Dismissal and Anne Boleyn's 45 Miles of Forbidden Love. Currently I'm walking with Jane Seymour on her 167 Miles of Bitter Rivalry. I think you might remember I'm a history fan having done this companies Great Fire of London run. The medal designs are pretty terrible, but I think they approach that point where they are so terrible you have to have them...
- I definitely feel that I've turned a corner and with MU's Advent Challenge and tip about the Great Run Christmas Challenge, I'm looking forward to adding dedicated walking time (in lieu of running time) back into my life. (I miss my podcasts) A week or so ago, not thinking, I ran up some stairs to no ill effect. And on my last parkrun, I dropped my hat and did very light jog back to my position.
- I also try and drop in to C25K every day to offer support to our new and returning runners.
So while it's been disappointing not to have been able to run my official 10K in 2024, I did make it to 10K in my practice runs. I think I'm going to hold off until January until I start thinking about running again. I'll probably check back in with my physio in the middle of the month and I see the orthopaedist on 2 January. If they green light me, I may start a bit early (a Christmas miracle, anyone?). But the IC is an experience that I'm thinking most of us go through and I certainly have learned humility and patience whilst here.
2025? Get back to 10K, maybe 10 miles, possibly a half, meeting my first VRB from HU at Northala Fields parkrun? We shall see. As someone (who might that be?) likes to say: slow and steady!
Thanks for your support.
First ever injury 😢. Am I doing the correct things?
back from the mountain
Starting Ju-Ju's 10k Plan
Dun dun duuun... 10K tomorrow!
Where to after the first 5K?
