This girl still can’t run!

A few short months ago I was running well – I was enjoying the fitness benefits, my body responded to the challenges I set it and the feeling of having the wind through my hair as I ran was intoxicating and liberating. I was running 5km a few times a week while trying to improve my times and extend my distances.

Due to being in a small town without a running club or other runners of my age, I started on a program with an online coach and was doing exactly what I was supposed to do and I was enjoying it and making progress.  I participated in park runs when I was away for the weekend and able to join in and signed up for charity fun run events. I started at the gym and made an effort to tone up other parts of my body to help my running regime.  I was enjoying being part of a blogging community, a Facebook group for mothers who run and responded to a magazine request for women who had taken up running after turning 40.  My little story was featured with other far more serious runners and all was going well.

So what happened?  I don’t really know to be honest but a sore calf muscle just got more and more painful and ended up stopping me literally in my tracks. I mentioned it in a post a few months ago  Disaster has struck my running regime and was hopeful that it would be a case of rest up and all will be well again.

So far I’ve rested, I’ve been massaged, dry needled, had cupping done, rested some more, used massage creams and liniments and I’ve been to the physio…..and I’m still not running!  The physio thinks it’s an issue with strength in my ankles so I have been doing exercises aimed at improving this strength. My calves are different sizes with one being more developed than the other.  She also thought my outside calf muscles were over developed and a few other things that pointed to ongoing issues and not, as I thought, as a result of a recent injury. The physio has told me that I am not able to ‘run safely’ just yet.

I have been able to continue my gym workouts incorporating certain exercises to help in the recovery and I’m still able to walk briskly without any dramas. I enjoy classes at the gym especially the F-ab-tastic and ‘foam roller fun’ sessions (whoever thought foam roller and fun go together?). I have also been riding my bike, yesterday I clocked up 25kms without any repercussions at all.

Being able to do these things has helped me manage my need for movement and to manage my weight, (I have my daughter’s wedding in a few short weeks), to some extent but as any runner knows, it’s not quite the same as being able to just get out there and run.

I still find it hard to call myself a runner at times, as I’m not a distance runner and I’m not fast by any means, but, in this case, I know I’m a runner simply because I miss it so much.

I have been having runner’s envy at reading posts and blogs by my running friends as they document their progress and updates, but it does help to keep me in the loop. And they are such inspirational women!  I wish I had a fraction of their talents and abilities!

I’m not giving up just yet!  I know I’ll be able to run again soon but I do have to continue to be patient.  I also know that when I do start again I will have to take it slowly and build up carefully or I’ll probably be back where I started.

If you are out there running, can I ask that you do a little run….just for me? Thank you!

Deb 🙂

PS. In all reality I am a middle aged woman who thinks she should be able to do things she did 20 years ago without any problems.  My body obviously has a different idea about that!  You can see more about my running story here at my About my running page.