It's obviously been a while since I've posted an update, but I'm happy to report that so far, all is progressing well. After six and a half weeks away from running, I have now been back to light jogging for just over two weeks. It has been a difficult couple of months between the crutches, the boot, and uncertainty regarding the particular injury (navicular stress reaction). Unfortunately this bone does not heal as well as others in the foot, so it's important to have a very conservative approach. I am certainly not in the clear yet, but signs are positive. As anyone who has gone through a stress fracture or reaction can attest to, coming back is not an easy or exciting experience. Having my foot in a boot for so long has brought along tightness in almost every muscle in the injured foot as it has been stationary for so long. My days still go between absolute panic and calm as I over-analyze the different tensions around the foot looking for any sign of a return of pain in the affected area. What I can say for certain is that my jogging is increasing, and no pain has returned. Next week could be a different story, so I need to remain vigilant, but right now, I am very optimistic and letting myself get excited about the Olympic Trials again. Fortunately I have more than enough time to be as conservative as possible over the next 6-8 weeks.
I was much less aggressive with cross training during this injury period than I've been in the past as the injury is the most delicate I've had. I was still able to get a nice mix of aqua jogging, biking, and rowing machine, mostly in order to stay sane through the process.
While there is nothing impressive about my first two weeks back in terms of training, I thought there may be some interest in the progression from an injury of this nature. This is very similar to my progression from my tibial stress fracture about 8 years ago. The comeback is, and will continue to be humbling, but I can say I desperately miss training, and this experience is going to provide me with the focus and motivation necessary to have my most productive marathon build-up yet. Los Angeles will be here before we know it! Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out my first two weeks below.
I was much less aggressive with cross training during this injury period than I've been in the past as the injury is the most delicate I've had. I was still able to get a nice mix of aqua jogging, biking, and rowing machine, mostly in order to stay sane through the process.
While there is nothing impressive about my first two weeks back in terms of training, I thought there may be some interest in the progression from an injury of this nature. This is very similar to my progression from my tibial stress fracture about 8 years ago. The comeback is, and will continue to be humbling, but I can say I desperately miss training, and this experience is going to provide me with the focus and motivation necessary to have my most productive marathon build-up yet. Los Angeles will be here before we know it! Thanks again for reading, and feel free to check out my first two weeks below.
| Week 1 | AM | PM | Strength/Drills | Mileage |
| Wednesday | 3 x 3 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk | off | 20 minutes | 1.5 |
| Thursday | 4 x 3 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk | off | 2.5 | |
| Friday | 2 x 8 minutes jog, 3 minutes walk | off | 20 minutes | 2.5 |
| Saturday | off | off | ||
| Sunday | 20 minutes jog | off | 20 minutes | 2.5 |
| Monday | 25 minutes jog | off | 3.5 | |
| Tuesday | 28 minutes jog | off | 4 | |
| TOTAL | 16.5 |
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| Week 2 | AM | PM | Strength/Drills | Mileage |
| Wednesday | off | off | ||
| Thursday | 30 minutes jog | off | 20 minutes | 4 |
| Friday | 30 minutes jog | off | 4 | |
| Saturday | 32 minutes jog | off | 20 minutes | 4.5 |
| Sunday | off | off | ||
| Monday | 35 minutes jog | off | 20 minutes | 5 |
| Tuesday | 40 minutes jog | off | 5.5 | |
| TOTAL | 23 |
