Breaking Away

Well Mark, at least this time the foot injury came with running, not like the last one where you were doing the ballet step over a puddle while just generally getting around or whatever it was . And I don't think I've ever seen a foot that naturally flashes a peace sign or a Vulcan 'live long and prosper' one. You are one flexible dude.

Tom H wrote:Well Mark, at least this time the foot injury came with running, not like the last one where you were doing the ballet step over a puddle while just generally getting around or whatever it was . And I don't think I've ever seen a foot that naturally flashes a peace sign or a Vulcan 'live long and prosper' one. You are one flexible dude.

Heh. I never tried the Vulcan sign with that foot... though it is quite handy for picking things up off the floor (I have to make sure to not do that in front of Alec, though.)

After a lot of icing, elevation and stepped-up doses of vitamin I, the swelling has come down a lot. There's still a nasty purple blotch, but the discoloration seems to have settled in one area rather than spreading across my foot.

Getting used to my boot is taking some time. Last time I wore it, I hadn't run anything longer than about 9 miles... and I still wore orthotics. After eight marathons and thousands of miles in Frees, this thing feels really awkward now. Oh well. Only a week, if all goes well.

Mark B wrote:

Tom H wrote:Well Mark, at least this time the foot injury came with running, not like the last one where you were doing the ballet step over a puddle while just generally getting around or whatever it was . And I don't think I've ever seen a foot that naturally flashes a peace sign or a Vulcan 'live long and prosper' one. You are one flexible dude.

Heh. I never tried the Vulcan sign with that foot... though it is quite handy for picking things up off the floor (I have to make sure to not do that in front of Alec, though.)

After a lot of icing, elevation and stepped-up doses of vitamin I, the swelling has come down a lot. There's still a nasty purple blotch, but the discoloration seems to have settled in one area rather than spreading across my foot.

Getting used to my boot is taking some time. Last time I wore it, I hadn't run anything longer than about 9 miles... and I still wore orthotics. After eight marathons and thousands of miles in Frees, this thing feels really awkward now. Oh well. Only a week, if all goes well.

So are you going to be switching to hi-top trail shoes now

Tom H wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Tom H wrote:Well Mark, at least this time the foot injury came with running, not like the last one where you were doing the ballet step over a puddle while just generally getting around or whatever it was . And I don't think I've ever seen a foot that naturally flashes a peace sign or a Vulcan 'live long and prosper' one. You are one flexible dude.

Heh. I never tried the Vulcan sign with that foot... though it is quite handy for picking things up off the floor (I have to make sure to not do that in front of Alec, though.)

After a lot of icing, elevation and stepped-up doses of vitamin I, the swelling has come down a lot. There's still a nasty purple blotch, but the discoloration seems to have settled in one area rather than spreading across my foot.

Getting used to my boot is taking some time. Last time I wore it, I hadn't run anything longer than about 9 miles... and I still wore orthotics. After eight marathons and thousands of miles in Frees, this thing feels really awkward now. Oh well. Only a week, if all goes well.

So are you going to be switching to hi-top trail shoes now

What? And rip my knee to shreds?

Nah. This seems more likely. Less shoe to fall off of!

I showed your x-ray pictures to my wife and she said "and he runs with those? " Boot for a week? Hope that will take care of it and definitely good news nothing is broken. My God, if you broke that foot, a Dr. would probably not have a clue where to begin to fix it!

John Kilpatrick wrote:I showed your x-ray pictures to my wife and she said "and he runs with those? " Boot for a week? Hope that will take care of it and definitely good news nothing is broken. My God, if you broke that foot, a Dr. would probably not have a clue where to begin to fix it!

Funny, John! The fact of the matter is, when I actually DID break my foot a few years ago, a podiatrist did a triple-take at the X-ray. I explained the history of my freaky feet, and he went back to look at the X-rays again. I think he was trying to figure out if he could "fix" my "defect" surgically. (The fracture just needed immobilization.)

He looked at them for a minute in silence.

Then said... "Nah....."

Well Mark I come back from a weekend of trail running myself and find that you did a good number on your ankle. Man I hope it is just a ankle sprain. I know that you had x-rays done to rule out a fracture but does your doctor think you should go in for a MRI to make sure there is no torn ligaments or tendons?

Your injury is in the same area were Lisa had hers. X-rays were done which should no fracture but the MRI did show she had ligament damage. But to be honest I don't think that is the case with you, since you were able to walk on it at the county fair, Lisa could nearly walk on hers.

Anyway again take care of and I hope that it heals fast for you.

Hi, Mark! Can't wait to see you guys in December!!! Casa Miller is already getting prepped for it. Or, at least...Amelia is

Schuey wrote:Well Mark I come back from a weekend of trail running myself and find that you did a good number on your ankle. Man I hope it is just a ankle sprain. I know that you had x-rays done to rule out a fracture but does your doctor think you should go in for a MRI to make sure there is no torn ligaments or tendons?

Your injury is in the same area were Lisa had hers. X-rays were done which should no fracture but the MRI did show she had ligament damage. But to be honest I don't think that is the case with you, since you were able to walk on it at the county fair, Lisa could nearly walk on hers.

Anyway again take care of and I hope that it heals fast for you.

Hey, Schuey! Thanks for the good wishes.

The doctor did a pretty good amount of poking and prodding when I was in there the other day and seemed pretty confident that there wasn't serious damage. She's thinking a week in the boot will make a huge difference. My guess is, I'll find out if it's more serious based on how long it takes to heal up.

The swelling is pretty much gone now. There's only a nasty looking bruise. The boot is driving me crazy, but I guess it'll be a good object lesson in paying attention even on "easy" trails.

wendy_miller wrote:Hi, Mark! Can't wait to see you guys in December!!! Casa Miller is already getting prepped for it. Or, at least...Amelia is

Hi Wendy! We're looking forward to it, as well. I'm looking forward to getting ready to actually run Tecumseh... once I heal up, that is. I can't wait to see whatever Amelia has planned for us.

No doubt you have to pay attention when on the trails!

I still have to posted about in my blog but the biggest difference I noticed last weekend on my 23 mile run on the trails is the focus I had to keep during the whole run. If I let up just a little I found myself planting my feet in not such a good position. Much much different then running on the roads.

Glad to hear that the swelling is going down and you it is healing well for you.

Mark B wrote:

The swelling is pretty much gone now. There's only a nasty looking bruise. The boot is driving me crazy, but I guess it'll be a good object lesson in paying attention even on "easy" trails.

I'm really glad the swelling is down so quickly. I hope this means it heals really quickly.
As for paying attention on the trails, it's sooooo true, especially on the seemingly easy, non-technical trails, where we so easily stop looking at the ground ahead. What a bummer that the only way we learn is by our own crappy and painful experience!

I keep forgetting that *I'm* running Techumseh, too! I'm just so focused on you guys coming. I better do some trail running...

Schuey wrote:No doubt you have to pay attention when on the trails!

I still have to posted about in my blog but the biggest difference I noticed last weekend on my 23 mile run on the trails is the focus I had to keep during the whole run. If I let up just a little I found myself planting my feet in not such a good position. Much much different then running on the roads.

You're not kidding, Schuey! I've done a little research on ankle twists and trail running since my "incident" on Sunday (gotta do something when I can't run, right?) and found two interesting articles that talk about how to see if you are prone to ankle twists - and how to make you more sure-footed.

Get Twisted -or Not (Trail Runner Magazine)

Ankle Sprains: An Uphill Battle (Running Times)

Beyond the proprioception issue (which is huge), simply keeping your head in the game is wildly important. When I wiped out on Sunday, my training partner and I were talking about him painting his daughter's bedroom black and fuchsia. Little did I know that was foreshadowing the colors my foot would soon be turning...

Seth Harrison wrote:

Mark B wrote:

The swelling is pretty much gone now. There's only a nasty looking bruise. The boot is driving me crazy, but I guess it'll be a good object lesson in paying attention even on "easy" trails.

I'm really glad the swelling is down so quickly. I hope this means it heals really quickly.
As for paying attention on the trails, it's sooooo true, especially on the seemingly easy, non-technical trails, where we so easily stop looking at the ground ahead. What a bummer that the only way we learn is by our own crappy and painful experience!

I guess it's still about adaptation, Seth. By spending so much time on unnaturally smooth surfaces, we allow our natural all-terrain abilities to atrophy. We can get it back, but it's not always an (ow! dammit!) pleasurable experience.

wendy_miller wrote:I keep forgetting that *I'm* running Techumseh, too! I'm just so focused on you guys coming. I better do some trail running...

Yes, you are, Wendy. Sometimes, given the hills you're running and the distances you're racking up, I'm starting to suspect that Chicago is just a big training run for Tecumseh! Of course, Chi-town isn't exactly known for its rugged mountain trails...

Oh, the places I go when my foot's in a boot brace and the sky is blue.

This time, I steered my browser over to a website for the Angels Staircase 50m/50k/25k going on this weekend in the Washington Cascades. It offers up insane elevation gains (5,000+ gain on the 25k; 9,000+ gain for the 50k; 13,000+ gain for the 50m) and this Very Serious Warning:

Qualifications: This can not be your first rodeo! All runners are required to have run at least two races in the mountains of equal or greater distance to the one you sign up for!!! These race courses are very hard, very steep, very technical and very remote. Dropping out during the race will require walking or running numerous miles to the closest road. The 50k and 25k courses do not cross a single road and the 50m only crosses one road once. And then it's still a long car ride back to the start/finish(if you can find someone to give you a ride).

I mean, how can you not love a race like that?

Oh yes. There are limited aid stations and no drop bags.

But check out this link for the scenery!

Jaw-Dropping, Ankle-Breaking Terrain!

And lastly, an admission from the RD: "All three courses are entirely on really fun single track(except for a couple miles of dirt road in the 50miler) -- warning though I do think steep rocky trails can be just as fun as smooth gradual or flat trails and this race has it all. "

Seeing how he designed that 25k trail race I ran in June, I can attest to the fact that he's not kidding.

First thanks for the those links to the articles on the ankles, good stuff. I'm hitting the trails again this weekend.

As for the "Angel Staircase" yeah that race sounds like it would be one heck of a challenge, lot of fun and pain all mixed in one bag. Yeah that sounds like something I would sign-up to do. Thanks for posting about it Mark. Oh please no more talk about "breaking ankles" that does not sound like a whole lot of fun!

Never a dull moment in here, is there Mark? At least it isn't broken and you can be out on the roads (er..trails) pretty soon.

50 miles with a 13,000 foot gain.



I don't think I'm going to do that any time soon.



Wow.

Well, clearly the 50m I signed up for (just under 11k' gain) wasn't insane enough.

Schuey wrote:First thanks for the those links to the articles on the ankles, good stuff. I'm hitting the trails again this weekend.

As for the "Angel Staircase" yeah that race sounds like it would be one heck of a challenge, lot of fun and pain all mixed in one bag. Yeah that sounds like something I would sign-up to do. Thanks for posting about it Mark. Oh please no more talk about "breaking ankles" that does not sound like a whole lot of fun!

Why is it that the most beautiful-looking courses are also the most brutal? (It could be worse, the appropriately named H.U.R.T Hawaii 100 miler earns a 5/5 rating for toughest terrain and trail conditions in Ultrarunner magazine. But hey, it's Hawaii!) I mentioned Angels Staircase to Alita and she just looked at the boot on the end of my leg and said "no way."

Hm. The upside is, she didn't blink when I said that I'd be wanting to get revenge on the Beacon Rock trail run that beat me up so much this June.

No more broken ankle jokes, though. Gotcha.

Joel H wrote:Never a dull moment in here, is there Mark? At least it isn't broken and you can be out on the roads (er..trails) pretty soon.

Boy, I hope so, Joel. The unplugged trail (and hill) running has had some benefit already. When I was in the doctor's office waiting to get my foot looked at on Monday, they checked my vitals and found out that my heart rate was 46 - in the doctor's office, not knowing if I had a broken foot. I couldn't get much lower than the 50s when I was focused on low HR training. I guess my body was ready to benefit from a little wind-sucking, VO2-system-boosting hill work!

Michael Enright wrote:50 miles with a 13,000 foot gain.

I don't think I'm going to do that any time soon.

Wow.

Me, either, Michael. I'd need to get a LOT stronger before even seriously considering something that extreme. To my advantage, though, is the fact that I've always liked climbing mountains. So who knows?

Mike MacLellan wrote:Well, clearly the 50m I signed up for (just under 11k' gain) wasn't insane enough.

Tsk, tsk. Chin up, little soldier. You'll get to run a big boy's race one of these days.

Just got the radiologist's report on the ankle and foot X-rays earlier this week.

Foot: "No evident fracture or misalignment. Bones appear adequately mineralized."

Good!

Ankle: "Apparent soft tissue swelling laterally. No evident fracture or misalignment. There may be a tibiotalar joint effusion. Bones appear adequately mineralized."

Um... good, I think. I had to look up "tibiotalar joint effusion" - and it just means swelling and fluid where the tibia (shinbone) and uppermost bone of the foot (talus) connect. Which, considering the way I rolled my ankle, shouldn't come as a surprise.

Whew!

Great news!

Good news, Mark, that could have been nasty.

John Kilpatrick wrote:Great news!

JohnP wrote:Good news, Mark, that could have been nasty.

Thanks, John and John! If all goes well, the brace will come off next week (I already sleep without it) and I'll be able to work my way back to running.

Here's hoping, because all this enforced rest is making me a little antsy.



Okay, maybe more than "a little."

Good news for you and Alita (so she can get you out of the house and back to normal). I bet she can't wait for you to start running again.

Joel H wrote:Good news for you and Alita (so she can get you out of the house and back to normal). I bet she can't wait for you to start running again.

No doubt. Though she's starting to get a little antsy about her half marathon on Labor Day weekend.

And Alec's getting a little antsy about starting school after that.

So we're a pretty bouncy bunch!