As I mentioned last week, when I’m fully running again, I will probably stop blogging about training versus. The plan is to log it on Strava. Recovering from a calcaneus stress fracture, I do like to keep a long-form log in case it helps anyone (I would be lying if I said I didn’t google “people’s experiences with calcaneus stress fractures.” It also helps just to see what I was going through at the time.
If you’ve been reading, due to the coronavirus, my X-rays were canceled because a stress fracture wasn’t an emergency. (and I fully respect and appreciate resources are going to appropriate places). I’ve been following the stress fracture protocol of wearing a boot and not doing anything that hurt. The first two weeks were fine because I could swim and enjoyed doing that. Then the pools shut down and I was ultra lazy for the next few weeks. Then I began walking and now I just completed week 6 with 1.5-mile walk-runs.
Injury Timeline:
March 1: Calceaneaous Stress Fracture Occurs (Known as the Heel Bone)
Week 1: (March 2-8): Boot, slight pain, and swelling, allowed to swim
Week 2: (March 9-15): Boot, minimal pain, minor swelling, allowed to swim
Week 3: (March 16-22): Boot, no pain or swelling, gyms closed, and almost 0 activity
Week 4: (March 23-29): Boot, no pain, added core
Week 5: (March 30th-April 5): Boot removed, no pain, core, and leisurely walks
Week 6: (April 6th-April 12th): easy walks, 1-mile walk-run, core
Week 7: (April 13-18) 1.5-mile walk-runs
Thoughts:
This begins the weird weeks for me. Weeks 6-10 (or whenever you start running again), are the most likely to get reinjured. You can run…but not too much and you have to listen to your body for every sign you aren’t overdoing it.
Usually, I have at least one stress fracture scares that I “swore I rebroke something,” but my foot is just a little finicky. I might loathe these weeks more than being in a boot. In a boot, you know you can’t run, you just wear it and heal. These weeks, you don’t know what tomorrow will bring.
My Walk-Runs:
I mentioned on Instagram, but I didn’t have any pain in my calcaneus bone while running. I can’t think of another time I’ve come back from an injury pain-free. I know I’m not out of the clear and there will be small aches and pains from time to time, but I’ve been cautious.
As far as running goes, I didn’t do a lot of weight-bearing anything during my injury and I really tried to keep off my feet. My body is SORE after a 1.5-mile walk-run. My calves are wondering what I did, but my foot doesn’t hurt. The day I stopped running, I couldn’t run a step without deep pain. Now I don’t feel any pain.
I’ve always come back from a stress fracture with a walk-run plan so that’s what I’m doing here. During actual running, I just feel awkward and like I’ve never run a step in my life, but I have nothing to train for. I don’t need to “rush the process.”
Finally, I’ve also included actual walks in my neighborhood. Before the Coronavirus, I drove somewhere around 300 miles a week. Now, I don’t and all of that extra driving time gives me more time to myself (a blessing and a curse). So I’ve been using it to walk. Since my body is able too and the weather has been good, I’ve been taking advantage of it. That way, it will help ease the transition back into running.
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Thank you for sharing your injury/training timeline. This is helpful for me because I’m dealing with a little niggle in my foot right now, so just focusing on walking, and some strength training. I know what you mean about that time period of it feeling okay…but the potential for re-injury..ugh! Let’s hope we continue to heal quickly! xoxo
I hope you don’t LeAnne, what kind of food injury are you having? I hope you are able to come back quickly and healthy.
Yes! I know how great that must have felt. 🙂
It’s tough to ease back in, especially when things so great and we naturally feel inclined to push it and get overconfident. I know you’re being smart about this and doing it right. I’m happy for you!
These few weeks are the hardest because it’s so easy to want to go back to running more!