Ick, Ack, and Uck

So, the orth. surgeon thinks that I may have compartment syndrome, but he wants me to get an MRI and/or a bone scan to see if there is anything to see. He also sent me to a physical therapist, who I have seen once and shall see again twice this week. The physical therapist was to see if there is something "Frankenstein" (doctor's word) about my body or walk that may be contributing to the problem.

In a word? Yes. Or you can go with Frankenstein. Your choice. So I've been pulled and stretched and pushed and prodded, and I'm sure that there will be more loveliness of the same nature tomorrow. My hips are very tight, along with other parts of my legs, and that may be making my shins work harder than they should have to do. Oh, and my legs may be on wrong. Well, not wrong, being that "everyone is different" (blah blah), but not so much like everyone else's, what with the protruding from the front of the socket instead of from the sides like a good girl. This is a theory of the therapist's.

Anyway, on to yesterday's training, which blew for me. It was a flat course with a few options and lots of birds and water, so it should have been lovely. My body was just not having it. The cramp was there, and once the usual cramp leg numbed a bit so that I could get into my groove, the other leg started with the cramp. I was crying and I was praying and I was just trying to not quit. It was not to be. Once I got back around the trailhead/water stop, I had to stop. My body could not go on. I felt like a big turd, but one of the captains and coaches talked to me and encouraged me. Basically, they told me that everyone has days like that and that I should take a week off to baby my legs. So, I'm doing some icing and exercises that they told me about, and stretches that the p.t. told me to do. I think the week off will be good for me.

I was scared to take time off, but the one captain said that when she had shin splints, she took 3 weeks off and then went right to her 1/2 marathon and was fine. And I have plenty of time because I have also switched events. Yep! I am now going to be walking in the Nike Women's Marathon on October 22nd in my own neck of the woods- San Francisco. It looks like a really great event and I'm looking forward to it. Check out the official site via the link on the right!

I don't mean to sound like such a whiner, but you should have read the warning on your way in!! I'm just putting it all out here. And I don't want to give the impression that I'm negative about my training, because I'm really not. I am loving this and love being an athlete and I just want to figure out what my body is doing and get past this frustration so I can have more victorious days!