Monday, September 12, 2016

Injured

Hey Friends!

Happy Tuesday!  It's my first full week back at work and OMG am I tired!! Also, what's everyone doing on Monday and Tuesday nights now that Bachelor In Paradise is over?  So. Much. Free. Time. 

Today started at 4 am because I taught a HIIT class at the gym. I love these classes because eneyone is working hard and game for anything you throw at them. I'm also super motivated to go extra hard because everyone there only has 1 hour to work out so I better make it count and worth the early wake up time. 

Ok, so on to the injury. About 6 weeks ago, right about the time I got back from Miami, my left foot was swollen really bad. I figured it was just from the salty un-Erin food and travel. My doctor thought the same thing. She said that in a few days the sweeping would go down and all would be Bueno. Well in a few days the swelling did go down, but I still had a lot of pressure in my ankle. I figured it was just sore from the swelling. Then I started noticing that my running speed was slowing a LOT. Like 30 extra seconds on a mile slow.  My ankle then started to hurt when I ran until it became impossible to run. I began dreading my runs because I knew it wouldn't be a fast run and more importantly it was going to be painful. So I went to the doctors again and she said I had Achilles tendinitis and prescribed PT. AND NO RUNNING. my heart sunk. I knew I wouldn't be able to compete in the Rock N' Roll half marathon at the end of the month. I was/am devastated. I've been training for months and just wanted to feel the rush that only a race can give you. I still haven't accepted the reality of the situation. 

I started PT on Friday afternoon. It was really fun and my therapist is awesome. I still have to hold off on running for a little while, but I am experiencing a lot less pain and more mobility in my Achilles. 

How have my workouts changed:

-no running
-rest days
-modified barre classes 
-elliptical running

I'm not going to lie, I miss running all the time. I notice a huge difference in my mood and my weight. My body doesn't feel as tight as it used to. It's a lot flabbier and that really weighs on me. No pun intended. When you're used to doing 30 miles a week, your body responds to it and looks a certain way. When you cut it way back your body doesn't know what to do. I can tell I'm gaining weight and losing muscle definition. It's also hard to reach your body that you're no longer training so you don't have to eat as much as you're used to. It's really hard to retrain your body to not be as hungry. I know it's probably only about 2-3 more weeks without running, but it definitely puts a psychological toll on you. It's hard when things don't fit and you dread shopping or putting on pants because you don't know if they're going to zip or not. While I can still elliptical, it takes a long time to reach 5 miles on the machine as opposed to 40 minutes of running 5 miles. 

I'm really upset about it all and hating the negative fitness results I'm having. I feel disappointed in myself and just lethargic and honesty ugly. I know we're all supposed to be strong, unaffected by the scale/other's opinions, and free of societal pressure, but dammit it's hard!  I feel bad because my injury isn't that bad and I'll be fine, and I know I'll recover and PR my next half, but for right now I'm sad. 

Sorry for the pity party post, but injuries are hard. As athletes we train constantly and our bodies are our job. Sidelining injuries take not just a physical toll, but an emotional and mental one as well. To all of you out there dealing with injuries, stay strong and tough. It's only a drop in the bucket. It's only a small piece of time in the grand scheme of our fitness journey, but boy is it a sucky time! 

Xox,

Erin 

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