This was definitely a painful week and not the best time for any type of injury since I was doing my longest run. I am so grateful for the support and advice from my coach, teammates/friends, chiropractor and most importantly the strength from my husband which all made my 20 mile run a great success.
For the last week of summer, we decided to take the kids away for a night to Great Wolf Lodge and a few day trips. This came at a bad time since I could barely walk without hobbling. The boys had a blast though and that distracted me from the pain… sort of.
My week of running did not start out very well. The pain in my heel has become quite cumbersome and I found myself limping throughout the day. To make things worse it is my right calf and left heel😞. After stretching and icing, I realized this was not going away and it was time to seek medical attention. I made an appointment to see a podiatrist next week. In the meantime, Roger told me to see Dr. Jan Kasprowicz at New Jersey Chiropractic and Sports Recovery. His cutting edge technology is known to help my teammates recover faster and come back stronger. He is a wealth of information and I enjoy picking his brain about the latest advances in training, nutrition and over-all health. He certainly helped my recovery! With just 3 visits, I ran 20 miles on Saturday better than when I ran my 5 miles at the beginning of the week. Most importantly, my level of pain after my run and the next day was minimal compared to how I felt the beginning of the week before I received treatment.
BELOW IS A LIST OF METHODS USED BY DR. JAN KASPROWICZ:
Deep Tissue Laser Therapy – helps reduce pain, inflammation, and enhances tissue healing by using a process called photobiomodulation.
Power Plate – causes the muscles to contract and relax much faster due to the vibration. This in turn enhances the effectiveness in the training process allowing all the muscle groups to be activated at the same time. 10 minutes on a Power Plate is said to yield the same results as 60 minutes of strenuous training.
Rock Tape (Kinesiology Taping) – used to reduce inflammation, pain, and releasing fluid congestion by lifting skin away from the underlying fascia which then accelerates the healing process.
Cold Therapy Compression – therapeutic cold penetrates deeper and lasts longer than a regular ice pack. Also, the compression and pumping that occurs is similar to the body’s natural muscle contractions. This assists in removing edema and lymphatic drainage near the injured area. The active compression helps speed up healing by increasing the flow of blood to the injured tissues.
After taking an extra day of rest, seeing a chiropractor, icing, stretching, avoiding inflammatory foods, and words of encouragement from my amazing husband, my 20 mile run went smoothly. It helps to get this support and advice during dire times. I was extremely worried, discouraged, and lost a bit of confidence this week. I gained it all back after I ran 20 miles with my hubby. All I kept thinking was I am so fortunate to have this guy by my side… well, also praying my heel would survive the miles😉.
WEEK 9 MARATHON TRAINING SCHEDULE
AUGUST 29TH: RECOVERY RUN ~ 5 MILES
A very slow and easy pace run.
SNEAKER: Asics DS Trainers V21
START TIME: 11:15 am
I had Kid 1 as my riding buddy today. My right calf/achilles tendon and my left heel hurts when I run. The pain in my heel usually subsides after about a mile but now it is continuing to hurt throughout the run. The Compeed is working well on my blisters and I do not feel any pain at all. I decided to take a Barre Class since I was not able to attend my usual evening fitness class. I saw Dr. Jan Kasprowicz and he used a few methods to alleviate the pain and accelerate the healing process.
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: 1 hour Barre Class
AUGUST 30TH: STEADY STATE RUN ~ 10 MILES
Warm up 1 – 2 miles then 7:55 – 8:15 pace
SNEAKER: Asics DS Trainers V21
START TIME: 9:00 am
It was not an easy run today. My left heel and right calf/achilles tendon were sore while I was running. The last few miles were painful. We are off to Great Wolf Lodge with the kids for one night so I was not able to squeeze in a fitness class or weights.
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
AUGUST 31ST: DAY OFF
I took today off since my heel is pretty tender. We are also driving back from Great Wolf Lodge. I am really concerned about all the pain I am experiencing. I am not sure how I will complete 20 miles on Saturday. I saw Dr. Kasprowicz again so he could work his magic.
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
SEPTEMBER 1ST: RECOVERY RUN ~ 5 MILES
A very slow and easy pace run.
SNEAKER: Asics DS Trainers V21
START TIME: 8:30 am
I ran nice and easy today in the rain since my heel still hurts. My calf is feeling better. I took the kids to Liberty Science Center so I did not have time to attend a class or lift weights. I saw Dr. Kasprowicz again. He continued the therapy and included Cold Therapy Compression.
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
SEPTEMBER 2ND: RECOVERY RUN ~ 3 MILES
A very slow and easy pace run.
SNEAKER: Asics DS Trainers V21
START TIME: 8:45 am
A beautiful day for a run with my dear husband. My heel was extremely painful for the first mile but then it subsided. We took the kids to Great Adventure and I was unable to do a fitness class or strength training, AGAIN!
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
SEPTEMBER 3RD: BASE BUILDING LONG RUN ~ 20 MILES
8:30 – 8:45 pace run. Focus on good running form with comfortable breathing. Eat and drink like you would on marathon day.
SNEAKER: Asics DS Trainers V21
START TIME: 8:30 am
The weather was perfect for this run and I am so happy to be doing it with my husband. Because of the pain in my heel, I was not sure if I was able to successfully complete the miles. There was a slight discomfort throughout the run, but I ran slow and worked on my form so I would not compensate. At mile 13, I considered stopping because a sharp pain developed and worked its way from mid foot up the heel. It threw my form off as well. Luckily, it lasted less than a mile and once I got back on the trail I felt fine and I continued the run. Mentally, I was ready for the miles but my heel and calf needed a break from the speed. I actually was not in too much pain post run. I made sure to ice and stretch throughout the day. My Asics DS Trainers V20 came in today!!! They worked well in the past and I hope they will continue to do so.
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
SEPTEMBER 4TH: DAY OFF
I have to admit, I was nervous getting out of bed this morning. I thought for sure my heel and calf would be sore after the 20 mile run. It was not the case and I actually was in less pain today than the beginning of the week. Maybe my husband gave me some of his strength!
DO-OVER PLAN: none
CROSS-TRAINING: no
OVERVIEW: This was another difficult week. My heel is extremely painful and I made an appointment to see a podiatrist on September 13th. I also went to see Dr. Kasprowicz, Finkraft’s Chiropractor, in hopes to help me accomplish my long 20 mile run. Since the kids were off this week, we enjoyed the final days of summer visiting some amusement parks. This interfered with strength training though. I decided to run in my Asics DS Trainers V21 and not run in the GT 2000 anymore. My Asics DS Trainers V20 came in and I will use them as my alternating shoe.
If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a whirl. I had a heal issue that was rooted in tight calves, and after months of managing it, this completely resolved it in less than a week. I still do it for preventative maintenance (I’m in no way affiliated with this website).
http://mobilitymastery.com/learn-the-one-stretch-that-relieves-plantar-fasciitis-shin-splints-achilles-pain-heel-pain-and-compartment-syndrome/
Thank you for the tip! I will definitely try it and let you know how it goes.