This is Not ... a Stress Fracture!

I was ready for it on Monday when I met the sports doc. I had already pictured 4 weeks of pool running. It was going to be a new challenge. There's no point in railing against the "injustice" of an injury. It's not something that's out to get me - it's my body telling me it needs something I'm not giving it. We're a team and I'm not meeting one end of the bargain. If I'm injured, it's very likely because I'm too much take and too little give.

This is NOT pool running!

Though I was extremely frustrated with the possibility that I could have a stressie due to being an undiagnosed coeliac and not absorbing calcium and other minerals/nutrients. In that case, I wasn't intentionally denying my body what it needed.

But, back to the doc visit. We're still calling this periostitis. But we need to do several things and I'm doing them all, quite seriously.

• Massage 1-2 x per week
• Physio with needling 1 x per week
• Sports chiro biweekly
• Ice massages at least once a day - after every run for sure
• Mentally stop fixating on the shins. The more I fixate and the more people ask me, "How are your shins?" whilst I'm running, the more I create a psychosomatic condition. I need to run and let the shins take care of themselves. If there's a stressie, it will scream out.

Calves after shins, just some "bonus" needling ;)

The result so far? Massive improvement! I even hit the track on Tuesday night, as per my program (immediately after being needled, which I was a little tentative about). And despite it being 32 degrees at 6 PM (really, it was one of those brutal nights), I set a 3 second PB :) The reason why? Well, there may be a few (including my new favourite Inov-8 shoes), but I really think it was watching an Australian M80 1,500 metre record being broken in the race just before mine. David Carr broke his own Australian M80 1,500 mtr record by something like 17 seconds, running 5min55s, I believe. Another 7 seconds and he'll have the World Record, too. Keeping in mind it was a 32 degree night and the guy was running out on his own - no pack to draft behind or crowds of thousands cheering or anything. Stunningly motivating. I was so honoured to be there, I just didn't even know what to say to the man. I was like a nervous kid with a superhero.

So, full steam ahead towards Coburg 6hr race in about 3 weeks. I might even book a flight now :)

I received the call about a week ago to tell me that I'd been accepted to the Australian 24hr team to go to the IAU World 24hr Championships in the Netherlands in May. It's an honour to be accepted after all the hard work over the past few years with training and lifestyle commitments. But it does come with a cost. There's the monetary cost, of course, because Athletics Australia doesn't fund ultra running (in a way, I'm glad, as I don't see the takeover of our sport by the "sub-ultra" business as likely to be a good thing). AURA, the ultra runners' association, is able to provide a tiny bit towards the flight (and more if you race well!). Then there's the mental cost. It means I'm not running for Canada, the place of my roots. International living has its advantages and I've been fortunate to spread my "branches" out to Australia. But it's rather bitter sweet.

David Carr, enroute to a new AUS record

Brutal strength training continues - I can't say yet what it'll do to my 6hr and 24hr form, but I can see new muscles everywhere and I definitely run more upright now (less ultra runner shuffle). Psychologically, I think it's very good for me, as I bloody well hate it. That's why it's called brutal training. It's hard and punishing and towards the end of the session I am typically laying in a pool of my own sweat, with matted wet hair, feeling like a shell of myself. I figure if I'm going through this, then I sure as hell am going to run hard at the 6hr and 24hr! No way I'm doing brutal training for nothing! And have you seen Ellie Greenwood's legs lately?!? Geez, I've still got a way to go!

Other PB last week I should mention - 6 vials of blood taken! Genetics testing for coeliac (no more gluten eating necessary, hooray), B12, folate, metabolic calcium absorption study, and carotene (she didn't like my orange hands - I love carrots, we better not be taking my carrots away!). Did you know that when you get blood drawn for carotene they have to wrap the vial in foil before drawing it so the light doesn't affect it? Cool. I hate blood work, but at least if I learn something new, there's a plus side. Results next week.