Sidelined.

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So much has happened in the past week that I don't even know where to start. I've decided to break it up into a few posts to not overwhelm you with all of my thoughts at once.

To start with, I will break down all of the things I did prior to the marathon to deal with the pain occurring in my foot.

1. Panic
I spent the first part of the week completely freaking out about the race even jumping to the conclusions that I might have to back out and not do the race entirely. After the panic settled, I began implementing a plan to give myself the best chance to cross the finish line only a few short days later.

2. See a physiotherapist.
On another runners recommendation, I visited the local physio clinic in hopes that they'd do some magic and have some awesome suggestions to make the pain disappear immediately. She had some great suggestions but of course, was unable to make any promises regarding the race and wasn't able to completely confirm a diagnosis either. She was leaning towards PF or plantar fasciitis but having only seen me once wasn't completely sure.

3. Try reflexology.
I've heard about this before, but thought that it was just the same as massage. I was sort of wrong. It is massage but not the same type that you get when you go to an RMT. It is focused on hands and feet and in my case specifically on my right foot. I will say that I walked out of there without any pain and after 2 treatments, I was feeling pretty good. Health Roots Reflexology offers a treatment for plantar fasciitis, and though I wasn't confirmed to have that yet, it was clear that I'd done something to inflame the arch of my foot and the plantar fascia. A lot of time was spent trying to break up the scar tissue at the base of my heel which is where I was feeling the most pain.

4. Massage Therapy.
I had a hunch that something else must have lead to this problem, for it to come completely out of nowhere just didn't make any sense to me. I did a lot of reading about foot problems that runners encounter and one of the things that stuck out in my mind is having tight calves and that leading to PF. After we ran the 32km, I felt pretty good, tired but good. The only slight thing I noticed was that my calves were REALLY tight. I thought that a couple light runs would loosen things up. Anyways... The RMT worked some magic and really massaged out my legs and feet.

5. See a chiropractor.
I have this really amazing chiropractor who is great at dealing with runners and all the problems we offer. I used to see him regularly, but life got in the way, blah blah blah, and I sort of just stopped going. He was the first person I thought of when all this started but I wasn't able to get in to see him until last Wednesday. Like the physiotherapist, he was very hesitant to pass judgement as to what specifically was happening until after the race, but he was pretty sure that something other than PF was going on. He was also very quiet about the topic of reaching the finish line, but kindly told me to return when I got back from LA and we would go from there. He gave me some hip exercises as he thinks the fact that my right hip being significantly weaker than the other side has played a role in this injury.

6. Ice, roll, stretch, tape, repeat.
I used to roll on a regular basis, but like the chiropractor... life and other excuses got in the way. Anyways, the last week or so, it feels like that's all I've been doing. I even bought a lacrosse ball at the Chiro's suggestion to roll the bottom of my foot and it is the best! I had one of those foot rubz balls from the running store but it just wasn't cutting it. I've also been icing my foot before bed to bring down inflammation and pain. Lastly I've been taping my foot with KT tape... I've been through almost 2 whole rolls.

7. Hope.
There wasn't much else I could do beyond this. My biggest fear was getting out there and having to quit in the middle of the race. Mentally, I would rather not even start the race than have to quit in the middle.

You may already know at this point that I did make it to the finish line, beyond that you will have to wait for my race review which is currently in progress. Today I returned to the chiropractor and he is fairly certain that rest is best at this point. So here I am, sidelined from running until further notice. Right now I'm looking at least 10 days but possibly more. My race schedule is entirely up in the air now. I have to say it is odd to be in this position as I never really have. Though I'm not entirely surprised because after Sunday, I am in quite a bit of pain again, so it isn't as though I can run anyways. 

Next up, Day 1 in Los Angeles and the Nutri Bullet Health and Fitness Expo!