Big toe injury update

A nightmare I am sure most of you have experienced at some point, an injury in a build up to a big event. It’s a pretty dismal time especially when there is uncertainty of the severity of the injury and what affect it us going to have on your running from one day to the next.

On Sunday I was due to run around 30K as one of the three big long runs I had scheduled into my training plan. I was really geared up for it and eager to see how I coped with the increased distance as my previous long runs have been between 22-25K. The run was also pretty imperative as I had missed my previously scheduled longer run due to illness. I was also planning to practice my race strategy, my pre-race preparation as well as trying out my new hydration pack for the first time.

Disappointingly I only managed 3.5K (run report here) as pain struck in my big right toe.

I instead took my bike out for a spin and covered a similar 30K distance on my wheels instead. 

Sunday was spent trying to RICE as much as possible and I am hopeful this will have a positive affect.

Monday and Tuesday I then decided would have to be non-running days, two days is usually long enough to assess your injury and rest a minor ailment and I could then figure out how the injury would affect my training plan so I could adapt accordingly. 

So Monday and Tuesday I hit the gym for cardio and circuits in the mornings as well as going out on my bike again in the evening. 

I also continued to ice my foot and created myself a little ice bath.

I tried researching my injury and came up with the liklihoods of it being sesanoiditis or possibly a small fracture to a metatarsal or even a tendon strain. (If anyone has experienced any of these injuries or has any advice on my injury I would be grateful to hear your experiences.)

Wednesday it felt somewhat better and I also decided to take some ibuprofen to help with the pain and hopefully help heal the injury. I was reluctant to take any painkiller as I hadn't taken any for a running related ailment in a long time following a realisation I had become a little bit too dependent on painkillers (you can read the article here). 

Anyway Wednesday I felt alot better and managed to complete a breezy 10K in 50 minutes with no pain. 

Thursday though the pain returned and my strategy now turned to resting the injury as much as possible in the hope of still being able to make a long run on Sunday. 

Not running in Thursday evening proved benefical as I was able to do some much needed maintenance on my bike and was able to successfully adjust my rear derailleur to give me a full range of gears again, I was pretty pleased with myself on this achievement! 

Not running on Thursday, Friday or Saturday is not going to limit my marathon run too much but missing my third scheduled long definitely will.

So fingers crossed I can complete a good long run on Sunday and coupled with some gym and circuit work on Friday and Saturday I will still have kept in good shape.