Time for a BREAK!

Well I guess it's time for a "break", if I want one or not. My coach recently gave me the option of taking a few weeks off after having run in a flurry of 3 races in a 30 day span including a 10km road/trail race in mid September, a 25km trail race at the end of September and my hometown 8k trail race in mid October. I mulled over the thought of taking time off for all of a few minutes then let him know I was up for a Fat Ass race in November. In the few minutes I took to think about taking some down time I tried to conjure up in my mind what I might do with myself if I wasn't running. Mostly I just pictured myself losing the precious base I had built up over the past few months and getting SOFTER, FATTER and SLOWER by the minute but I did also think about the things that I put off doing because I have to get a run in. Little things like cleaning behind the appliances, and organizing closets came to mind but also big things like finishing an art project, writing a story, reading a book and signing up for a class on a subject I have always wanted to study. I knew as soon as I told him that I wanted to keep on training that I was in part doing it as a procrastination tactic not to do the other things that have been tugging on my shirt tail as I head out the door for a run asking me when their time will come.

Looking back I don't think I was being altogether unreasonable choosing running over my other long term goals. In my mind I had had a disappointing 5km racing season and was looking forward to capitalizing on finishing my first 25 km race, albeit with some horrible muscle cramping issues in my legs, and jumping into the, "Fat Ass" trail racing scene for the Fall. So when during my long run in the middle of the woods on a winding leaf carpeted trail I felt a sudden bite into my soleus, the pain wrapping itself around my fibula and like a snake constricting the muscles of my shin as it insidiously climbed the tibial shaft squeezing mercilessly at the underpinnings of my knee attempting to severe the weight of my body from it's very bearings that I had a glimpse of a notion that I had perhaps made my decision not to take a break in haste.

So if you haven't figured it out, the prognosis pending a bone scan is that I have a tibal stress fracture. My doctor surmised this as I recounted my story of the viper in my leg and the handy dandy web based symptom checker confirmed it over and over again no matter what order I checked off my symptoms in. Right now all I can do is accept that it IS time for a break afterall because I do in all probability literally have a "break" in the tibial shaft of my right leg.


Me on the finish mat at "Run for the Toad" with my fractured tibia extended. I think the severe cramping I had in my lower leg during this race together with my continuing to run hard on the downhills was probably the breaking point for my tibia.

My tibia's finish line photo at the Sydenham 8km. Thanks Sara:-)