How to Return to Racing After a Stress Fracture in Just 183 Days
I’m Back, Baby.
Damn, it feels good to feel good.
This is a review of the last 6+ months of my stress fracture recovery, return to training and, finally, to racing.
The Injury: November 18, 2017: Day 0
Marin, California. The North Face (TNF) 50 Mile Endurance Challenge. This was [supposed to be] my 50 mile debut.
One week before TNF, I tweaked my foot recklessly going all-out in a local 10k. More than likely, that effort caused a stress reaction that I was ignoring. My hollow victory came at the steep price of compromising my “A” race.
Such an idiot. I went all-out the week before my “A” race I had been preparing for, for months.
I decided to line up for the 50 anyway because injuries always go away when running 50 miles. I loaded up on advil and hoped for the best.
Called it a day just after dawn. Stress fracture in the cuboid bone.
Time to rest.
The Bone Healing: Days 1–65
I wrote about this period at the end of December.
TL;DR: Planned for an eight-week recovery. In a boot for four weeks with no weight bearing at all. After that, I could cross-train but no running for four more weeks.
Plan vs. Reality
My plan was to swim [didn’t swim once], aqua-jog [went exactly once], spin class [actually went three times], and outdoor cycling [once].
Not exactly what I hoped.
What I did do to stay in shape were my old staples at Fitness 19: Stairmaster; Elliptical and Rowing Machine.
Abbreviated Comeback: Days 66–77
The podiatrist didn’t give me any exercises to strengthen my foot but said soreness was normal for up to two months.
After starting to run slowly, it was definitely sore.
I initially ran on soft surfaces [track and grass fields] for short intervals but escalated running time much too quickly. After two weeks, I was back on the sidelines. My foot was killing me.
I had grand plans of coming back and racing a half marathon or potentially even a full before our annual relay, the Reno Tahoe Odyssey, on June 1, but the lesson I learn with every injury:
Your body will not heal until you let go of all short-term goals and expectations.
The Key To Accepting Your Injury Is Managing Expectations. My Expectations Just Got Crushed: Days 78–105
When you run, you get injured.
Simple as that.
I understand and accept that fact. The hard part is when you have a recovery timeline in your mind and you have a setback. And there is always a setback.
In this case, the plan was as follows:
- 4 weeks in a boot
- 4 weeks cross-training
- Back to runni…nope. Another month of rest. #crushed
My foot will not heal without time and strengthening. I backed off my running comeback plan to focus on low impact cross-training and more time for rest.
This was depressing but my expectations needed to be reset.
The new goal is to run the Reno-Tahoe Odyssey (RTO) on June 1. Not to be at peak fitness. Just run it. There was still time.
The next thing I needed was some professional help.
Probably needed a psychiatrist but settled for a physical therapist who gave me the most effective PT exercises I have ever had.
Immediate relief and confidence in my foot.
Strengthening The Foot: Days 106–149
I spent the next 43 days doing my PT exercises and gradually increasing the time running to build strength in my foot.
I restarted my previously aborted run/walk routine. With only 12 weeks until RTO, there was not much margin for error. I had to be careful.
So far, so good. I got the go-ahead from my PT to introduce light speed-work.
The Training Block. Days 150–182
I did my first speed session on Tuesday, April 17 (Day 150). It’s on.
For the next 32 days of the training block, I kept mileage low and mostly easy while mixing in strides, fartleks, tempos, 1km repeats and a classic check-point workout, 5k @ 10k pace at the track.
Everything felt good. I stuck to my PT exercises during the Great British Bake-Off and took at least two rest days per week.
There was one more pre-RTO check-point I had to survive.
Training Block Interlude: RTO Training Camp: Days 166–168
This was heaven. I could write a novel on this weekend in Templeton but I will refrain. In the context of this long and winding road to recovery, I ticked several pre-RTO confidence boxes:
- Multiple runs in a day
- Group track session
- Heavy wine drinking
- Stretched the long run to 8 miles
It was amazing. The Franchis treated us all like kings and queens.
After RTO training camp, I hit a few more workouts without incident. It was time to test the wheels and pin a bib.
The Final Pre-RTO Test: Tilden Tough 10 — Day 183
The Tilden Tough 10 is a 10 mile race put on by the Lake Merritt Joggers and Striders in the Berkeley hills. Billed as The Low Key Alternative to Bay to Breakers.
I ran this race back in 2015 in 1:04:06. I wasn’t necessarily comparing myself to that result, coming off an injury, but I was feeling fit and it was a point of reference.
I ran with two thoughts in mind:
- Don’t get re-injured. The Tilden Tough 10 is not the goal. If it hurts, drop
- Keep the cadence high. No death marching
The race itself was fairly uneventful in the best possible way. The top two guys went out off the gun and were never heard from again. I ran in a pack in 3rd-5th for the outbound 5 miles on rolling terrain with beautiful views.
The turnaround is brutal. At mile 5, racers bomb down a giant hill, turn around, and head straight back up.
Our 3rd to 5th pack spread out a bit on the way back but we held our positions the rest of the way.
Flash Recap Posted to Strava: Ahhhhhhhhhh hurts so good. Probably started way too fast but eff it, you only live once. Tough course. 3rd kept getting smaller in the distance and 5th’s footsteps kept getting louder. So stoked. Bring on RTO!!!!!!
I finished in 4th place in 1:04:46. 40 seconds slower than 3 years ago and I never felt a twinge of pain in my foot the entire race. The same cannot be said for the rest of my body. So sore, but I’ll take it. As for my other goal of a high cadence — I averaged 192 steps per minute which I am pretty happy with, especially with hiking at the top of the big hill.
12 days until RTO. Time to sharpen the spear.
Take-Aways
This was my first [and hopefully last] stress fracture. My biggest take-away is one I need to remind myself of every time I visit a doctor.
You are responsible for your own care.
When the podiatrist didn’t recommend PT, I should have asked for a referral right away rather than trying to do it on my own for two months delaying my progress.
The other major piece is commitment to PT.
You don’t have to do everything every day, but you can always do something every day.
