Slight Variation in Plans

Remember those pesky injured calves?

I emailed my race mentor and the running coaches about my concerns about my calves seizing up every time I jog more than 2.5 minutes, and here's what Meg, one of the running coaches for TNT, had to say:

Hi Deirdre –
Dan and I spoke this morning about the cramps you have been experiencing in your calves. At this point, we are going to recommend that you take the rest of this week off to rest your body, and ice the area a couple of times a day for 20 minutes at a time. A bag of frozen peas is great to have on hand, as it can conform to the part of your body that is inflamed (just ice with them – don’t eat!)

Next week, limit your first couple of runs to 2 miles each. That’s 2 miles on Tuesday, and then 2 miles on Thursday, icing and stretching after each run. Next Saturday (May 2) you can increase your run to 3 miles, and we’ll see how you feel.

You’ll still have plenty of time to work on your mileage after you rest your legs. It’s much better for you to take some time off now, and allow your body to rest, than having to deal with the pain every time you go out to run, and chance dealing with the pain on race day, which is not the goal here.

If you absolutely must exercise, non-weight bearing exercise, such as swimming, aqua-jogging, or the elliptical machine are all okay to use.

Please keep Dan or I posted (or let Gabi know and she will let us know) on how you are feeling. We are here to help, and our goal is to get you to the start line of your event, healthy and ready to run!

I am SO happy to be part of a team that is this supportive! Am I a bit anxious about losing any training ground I've gained so far by laying back a bit while my calves heal up? Sure, but I have such excellent support and help in Dan, Gabi and Meg. They'll make sure I'm in fighting form by race day.

So, for today, I'm icing up my calves, and I'll be icing them for the rest of the week. Friday, I'll hop on the elliptical and get 2-3miles clocked in. Same thing Saturday. By next Tuesday, I'll hop the treadmill again and see how it goes!

In other news: Big huge round of applause to our fearless TNT leader Robyn, who is headed to Nashville this weekend to run the Country Music Marathon. Robyn has raised over $4200 for the LLS to go towards research and patient services! Robyn was one of the first smiling faces I saw in the informational meeting I attended. She described going from non-runner to marathon runner for the LLS, and her positive energy and support is an inspiration to me!