The Connection Runners

Alternative Therapy

I spent last week visiting my grandparents and resting my left foot. I had seen my doctor on Monday and he gave me a steroid injection for an inflamed tendon and left sural neuritis. (which is an inflammation of a nerve running along my heel and foot)

For those of you that have been following you awhile you may remember this is a problem I have been dealing with since December of last year. Along with the injection he also advised a week off of running. I wasn't thrilled with the idea, but I went along with it.

In addition to rest and steroids he also advised I spend the week eating my grandmothers homemade desserts.

Ok... *maybe* the doctor didn't actually prescribe a week of desserts, but I'm sure it counts as some sort of alternative therapy. Right?

My days were spent something like this:

7am: Coffee on the front porch with Granny
9am: Breakfast with good intentions (whole wheat bagel,fresh fruit and local honey)
9:30-12pm: Visit/reminisce with grandparents
12pm: Fairly healthy lunch
12:30pm: Can't turn down homemade peach cobbler
12:30-5pm: Visit the cows, go grocery shopping, sit outside and chat
5pm: 4 course meal (have to try it, don't want to hurt Grannys feelings)
5:30pm: What? You made pineapple upside down cake?!?!
5:45-9pm: Belly aching from too much homemade goodness
9pm-11pm: Sit outside on front porch and gossip about the neighbors as they drive by.

Repeat daily x 6 days and guess what you get?!?!

Total fail on Sundays long run.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVED my time with my grandparents. AND I think homemade treats made by Grandma's should be consumed guilt free. (because they are *treats*, not a regular occurance. Oh, and the whole "made with love" thing makes them calorie free of course)

BUT I should've moved a bit more. I did spend a lot of time doing squat and lunges (once down their Home Depot aisle), but it wouldn't have hurt me to hop on a bike. Or pass on a second helping of cobbler.

Whether from a week of indulgences, or from my extreme heel pain. I was unable to complete my run on Sunday.

I can't even explain how disappointed I was. I was torn... .was it mental? Or truly physical?

In all honesty I run with pain about 95% of the time. It sucks, but its true. And I've been able to mentally overcome that pain for every single run.

But Sunday I couldn't "suck it up".

I hurt, and I quit.

Instead of being discouraged I have formulated a plan which I'll be sharing with you tomorrow.

Do you ever workout/run through pain?
Have you ever stopped mid-run?
How did you bounce back mentally?