Recovering and getting back into running

strongnotskinny121

I started running in late Feb using C25K and had much success (more than I thought, quicker than I expected)! I had a small hang up on Week 6, but was overcoming it and close to moving to week 7. Then it happened. An incident at work leds to a table being over turned on my foot. The heavy table landed right across the bridge of my foot at an angle from the big toe to about an inch in front of the outer ankle \ . Nothing is broken, just deeply bruised soft tissue and bone. One month of doctor appts, and 2 weeks of physical therapy later, I'm starting to run again. Therapist says I can do what ever I can tolerate the pain of. It will be sore, it will swell, but with common sense, there is no reason to limit my activity. I did one day of week 1 last week. Then yesterday I did Week 2. I kind of feel like I'm trying to learn to run again. How to breath, how to hold my body (omg maybe that's why my back hurt afterwards), how to land, how to not feel like I look like a lunatic :-) I had to walk for 5 secs during two intervals, but other than those times, I kept pace. My foot was sore yesterday, but I soaked it and while the bruise always looks worse after a w/o it wasn't bad. Any one else had a comeback after an injury or any absence from running? Any tips?

mmk137

just keep at it I saw. You know your body, you know what it's limits are.

Most people would stop altogether and wait until their foot is fully healed, but that's not you, you know how important exercise is to recovery.

Have you tried swimming for extra cardio?

strongnotskinny121

Yup, I swam for the first week of Phys Ther, then the pool closed for spring maintaince, then it was closed for emergency repairs. =( So I didn't get to go much, but I'm going for a repeat of Week 2 followed by swimmming tomorrow =D

lisapr123

I had a hairline fracture in my foot (diagnosed by a running coach at the school I work at, not confirmed by a doctor). Initially I ignored it and ran anyway, pain got worse. Then I took several (4??) weeks off. When I started up again there was a lot of tenderness so I limited myself to 15 minutes at a time for another couple weeks. It was tough. About 8 or 9 weeks after the injury I went and got fitted for new running shoes and started running for real again.

During those 4 weeks EVERYTHING hurt. Walking. Elliptical. Running. I ended up cycling quite a bit. There isn't as much pressure on the top part of my foot, where the pain is, when I use my cycling shoes.

Listen to your body. Don't push it. Back off if it hurts. I hope you're not sidelined as long as I was. It was rough, mentally.