Dealing and Recovering from Extensor Tendinitis

Current Weight: 183 lbs. 

Long Run This Past Weekend: 0 Miles on Foot
Total Distance Logged Last Week: 3.1 Miles

They always say, don't try something new when you need to push yourself to the limit. Two weeks ago I broke that rule, and this past week I paid the price for it. As you might recall, two weeks ago, Tony and I did our first 40 mile weekend, splitting the distance between a marathon distance run and a 14 miler both within a 24 hour period. That weekend I had slipped into a new pair of Altra Instinct 2's, a great pair of shoes that I really enjoyed during those runs. That being said, they were new, and there was a major issue with them that didn't concern me at the time. Turns out that issue lead to a big problem...

Tendinitis is simply the inflammation of an overworked or strained (or both) tendon in the body. After the my 40 mile weekend I noticed a slight pain in the top of my foot/ankle, but ignored it, thinking it was a non-issue. I was aware that my shoe may have been too tight the day prior, but figured it wasn't anything worth worrying about. Turns out I was wrong. Slowly over the past two weeks the pain had gotten worse, particularly when I ran. Still, since the pain was still so minor, I ignored it until this past Wednesday. On Wednesday, I started my day with a quick 5k run on the treadmill in which I did not really notice any pain. By the end of the day, I could no longer walk without severe pain. After doing some self tests to try to rule out the possibility of fracture, I came to the conclusion that I had extensor tendinitis of the foot. Once I came to this conclusion, I had a real "Doh!" moment. I realized that I had run 40 miles with tightly laced shoes, causing the start of this problem two weekends ago. It would have healed itself If I would have paid attention, but instead I continued running with the same pair of shoes and tying my shoes as tightly as ever, further irritating the affected area. No wonder that nagging foot pain didn't go away....hindsight is always 
20/20. 

That being said, this week I went into recovery mode. I don't have time to let this injury stop me, we are just 4 weeks out from the Zumbo 50-mile. I stopped running completely, started icing twice a day with my foot elevated, and took naproxen (an otc NSAID) once per day. In addition, I've started stretching my calves 3-4 times per day to reduce the pressure of the extensor tendons in my foot (the extensor tendons work with the anterior tibialis to directly oppose the calves. If the calves are tight, they will put extra pressure on the extensor tendons). Five days after being nearly unable to walk, I no have no pain in my foot or ankle, and can flex and extend my foot without any issue. I will continue to play it safe this week, and will focus on being 100% recovered for the weekend ahead. 

My running buddy, Tony, was nice enough to take up spinning with me over the past week (though the weather outside didn't make that a difficult decision, we are both sick of running with negative temperatures and dangerously cold windchills). We did several virtual spin classes on the bike that pushed the endurance of our legs to the limit and our cardiovascular fitness to new levels. I also continued my regular resistance training routine.

We also went to a short seminar that talked about the FANS 12 and 24 hour run that is held each year in support of inner city youth scholarship programs. FANS is a different kind of race because it is simply a timed event in which each participant goes as far as they possibly can. Tony has been reaching for the elusive 100 mile mark at FANS over the past several years and has been within 11 miles of reaching it.. This year he is going to hit the big 100, and the seminar inspired me to sign-up and reach for the same. I might be getting a little overzealous, but the point Tony always brings up is that we're doing the same training program (same workouts, same miles), and I have youth on my side. 100 miles is a mental game, and I think to achieve the distance, that will be where much of my work needs to be done. I will be writing more about FANS over my next few blogs.

This week the plan is to do a few easy runs during the week to feel out the situation with my foot. If all is well, we will be shooting for another long run this weekend of 30+ miles. The following weekend will be the peak of our 50 mile training, with a 35+ mile run. It's getting down to crunch time, and I'm getting excited for the upcoming events!