A little over a year ago, I've stopped running. It was not because I didn't love it or it was too hot outside (which it was), but I had my first impact injury. For those of you who didn't know, I was an aspired cross-fitter (ha!). It was actually really fun because lifting weights was not something I thought I would be into. Sometimes I wonder how I even got into all this running and eating healthy(ish) lifestyle. Anyway, long story short... I fell from the pull-up bar (assisted with a band) and landed - back first - on the edge of a wood box (for box jumps). Apparently, the fall looked bad! Like, folks thought I might have broken my back. I was really concerned because I felt my spine hit the edge of that box. Luckily, I was able to get up and only had muscle injuries. However, I stopped running for basically the rest of the year after that fall because my back could not handle the pain. Every time I ran, my back started to hurt from where I landed.
Anyway, I started/attempted to run again in September 2013 and I was SUPER SLOW. I'm talking about 13 min/mile slow. That killed me since I was running sub-9 min/mile and was trying to work towards a sub-8 min/mile pace. Ugh, just thinking about it right now makes me cringe. But! Good news, by January 2014, I was able to run between a 9:30 - 10 min/mile pace.
With my pace improving, adding more speed workouts, and training for another half-marathon AND a relay race -- I inevitably injured myself again. This time, both my legs "gave up". It was during my last race (TIR) that I've noticed how my legs were just in a lot of pain.
It wasn't until a few weeks after the TIR that I finally saw a doctor about my legs. I had just finished an easy 4-mile run in the morning and while shopping with my sister, I couldn't bend my right ankle anymore. Worried that I wouldn't be able to run in the future, I saw a sports doctor and learned that adhesions had built up in both legs. The first session with my doctor was the most painful experience I've ever had. So for a while, my calf muscles were not recovering/building back correctly; hence the adhesions. The doctor told me he could not pin point exactly why it happened or what caused it, but he was hopeful that I would be back to good in a month. Well, it's been almost 3 months and I'm not 100% yet. Both my doctor and I are finding that I have adhesions built up in other areas of my legs. My calves are MUCH better, but now I'm having issues somewhere else. The only good news for me is how I'm actually catching all this before it affects my achilles tendon.
I won't lie, I haven't ran more than 10 miles per week because I'm afraid of injuring myself further. Some of my running buddies have asked "what happened to you?" because of my pace and all. It sucks and my injuries are my biggest set back so far. My doctor is very optimistic that I will be good by my first race of the fall season (in September). I just hope he's right.
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