Ankle issues

On October 1, 2007, I woke up, slipped on my slippers, and stepped on my left foot. I thought I had died! It felt like I was jumping up to the ceiling and then landing in hell. My ankle was twice the size of my right one, and I had no idea what was wrong because I felt fine when I went to bed. I tried RICE, but it didn’t help. This was a completely new experience for me—something I had never felt before in any part of my body.

After five days, on October 6, I saw the doctor, and the X-rays were negative. It feels like Plantar Fasciitis, a severe sprain, or even like I’ve re-broken my foot, with rocks in my forefoot and ankle. I have a specialist appointment scheduled for October 17. I hope this recovery isn’t prolonged, especially since I’ve gained 13 pounds in just ten days. My activity level varies from two to three hours a day to nothing at all. I remain hopeful, pray for improvement, and plan to get my eating habits under control.

Time has passed, and despite the doctor’s advice, I decided to run on October 20, 2007. He wanted me to wait until October 31 for a follow-up visit before giving the go-ahead. He had no idea what caused the swelling and pain, especially since he knew I have a high pain threshold. Still, the pain was too much to bear when I woke up that morning. There is still some swelling—about 10 percent over the right ankle—though it’s still noticeable. Interestingly, the pain wasn’t in the ankle itself, but instead moved up into the upper calf, which is quite unusual. I know my body well and feel that some of the pain might be due to inactivity. 

So, I decided to give the Minnesota River Valley trail a shot. At first, I was a bit worried—not just about my ankle, but also because the pain in my right knee quickly spread to my left, and the bottom of my foot was also hurting. I only managed about five minutes at an 11-minute mile pace and felt like giving up. I thought this injury might stop me from running altogether. But I was determined not to quit. After ten minutes, the knee pain went away, but I rolled my bad ankle. I thought, “Oh no!” But I kept going silently because after that, nothing hurt anymore. I felt great, just like before the injury, and I thought I’d be okay. In the end, I stretched and drove home, feeling hopeful about running again over the weekend. I really miss the trails and how they help me relax and de-stress.

Carry on!