9th March 2006
Hi All,
Well - this has been a difficult few days for me. I went from feeling very upbeat and looking forward to racing in Melbourne to bitterly disappointed and in pain within the space of two track reps!
To start at the beginning: I bruised the underside of my second metatarsal joint (underneath the second toe joint) back in December when I hit a very sharp rock while out running. At the time, I remember jumping in the air with pain but was able to carry on running so thought nothing much of it. As a keen trail runner I have hit stones many times before and had no serious problems but this time it must have hit a very sensitive point.
In the following few days it became more sore, especially walking barefoot and after fast track sessions where I would have to be more on my toes hence more pressure on that area. I had a few days off and it subsided but came back again after a few days running. The medical opinion was that bone bruising can take months to settle and that rest might not really help it clear any faster.
In January Dr. Parks - a very helpful podiatrist out here in Albuquerque - modified my orthotics slightly to take the pressure off that bone and that really helped and my toe was settling. In more cushioned shoes and running mostly off road I was having no problem training and grass sessions up on my toes were also going well.
So I went to the track to do a session that the week before had been ok. Suddenly on the second rep I got a sharper, more insistent pain at the base of my second toe and couldn't finish that rep. That was it.
Current diagnosis is that some swelling around the joint capsule is putting pressure on the tendon and nerves - another few days cross training while that settles down. No chance for running in spikes up on my toes for 10000m. I was so disappointed after putting up with the pain for several months now, training and feeling it was finally improving I was looking forward to the reward of competing.
The Commonwealths is very special to me as it was my first track title and I'll also miss the chance to catch up with my brother and family in Australia. Also after a disappointing track run in Helsinki it was a big goal to run a good 10000m.
Still, after pulling through my down and depressed stage I am now looking on the positive side. At least I will hopefully be back running and training normally tomorrow and have lost hardly any of my marathon preparation. I can do my rep sessions on grass to the same effect and as I know from painful experience - a few bitter disappointments and kick downs can make me even more determined and tough for the next race!
So finally thanks to everyone who has sent messages of support, and good luck to everyone in Melbourne and also in the World XC Champs (this, by the way, was never included in my plans this year as it just didn't fit in and I was never available for selection).
Hopefully the next time you hear from me will be much more positive.
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