But this injury definitely limited what I could actually do.
The doctor I had talked to told me I could continue to work out as long as:
a) I didn't run
b) if it hurt at all to do a certain movement or activity - I was to stop immediately.
So...what HAVE I been doing?
Mostly stationary bike. The doctor had recommended that I find a recumbent bike but I don't have access to one at home or at the gym and I wasn't going to buy one special for the duration of this healing process. I have access to plenty of upright bikes and those don't hurt.
I have biked A LOT.
Most days - this has been blissfully pain free. There have been a few days where it hasn't hurt a stitch to bike, but my ankle has swollen right up afterwards or I have spent the rest of the day hobbling around.
My lovely puffy ankle
I have no way of foretelling when it will happen and I just have to hope that I am not hurting my recovery when it does. I really REALLY want to get this thing healed up so I can move on and re-learn to run again. I have become a pro at finding ways to elevate my leg and ice it at work.
I did try the elliptical one day - pain free - it was great to feel almost like I was running again. But that thing ALWAYS makes my feet go to sleep so it didn't last for more than a kilometer and then a bike freed up at the gym.
I have been incorporating some bursts of upper body strength and a bit of core into my weeks. Not as much as I had hoped. Likely not enough to make any great difference.
In the end - sticking with the general rule of "if it hurts, stop doing it", I have managed to stay active through this stress fracture. With any luck - I will soon be healed and we can start laughing at my misadventures as a new runner again. I never blogged that first time I was learning to run four years ago - I am sure this will prove to be quite amusing as I figure it all out again and try to stay unbroken this time!
