The Ankle Saga Continues

Last time I wrote about my injury, I had just been diagnosed with a torn muscle in my ankle, ordered to wear a brace for one month, and told not to do any physical activity putting weight on my foot. It was a long month. I tried to follow the doctor’s orders as best I could. I didn’t run, aside from two 5ks and a Half Marathon since I had already signed up for those and I am stubborn. My foot has been feeling fine and I haven’t been wearing the brace the last week or so.

I finally had my follow-up appointment on Wednesday, and the news wasn’t what I wanted to hear. Dr. K basically discussed what I need to do moving forward. He wants me to get custom-fitted orthotics for my shoes, which I really want to avoid. I have also been ordered to do six weeks of physical therapy, three times a week. I am still not allowed to do physical activity and have to wear the brace, unless my physical therapists evaluate me and determine otherwise.

4 days, 3 races, 3 states, 2 time zones, 1 ankle

I have a tendency to overschedule myself. I can’t say no to anything, and I pile on the commitments to my calendar until I feel tired just looking at it. Then when my hectic week arrives, I tell myself I will never overschedule again. And then I do it again anyway. It’s a cycle I can’t seem to break. So it’s really no shock that I signed myself up for 3 races in the span of 4 days, in 3 different states, while returning home from a week-long business trip, on the other side of the country. I’ve known this would be a rough couple of weeks for me since I planned it. But then I went and messed up my ankle, and I knew it would be even worse. 

How Much is Too Much?

I find myself at a crossroads in my racing career. I basically run races for the sake of running them and seeing personal improvement. I’m certainly not breaking any speed records with my times. I signed up for my first trail run with Jen later this month, and the description looks insane. It’s only a 7.2 mile run, but it’s basically up a mountain in the woods. And it’s going to be cooooold. Then I got an email this week for a discount on registration for the Atlantic City Half Marathon in April. I already have the Napa marathon, a 5k in Vegas, and Broad Street Run (10-miler) definitely on the calendar for spring. There’s a solid chance I’ll sign up for this AC half, and probably the Oddyssey half in Philly, too. But I’m struggling to find a balance. On the one hand, I need the motivation of races looming over my head to challenge myself and keep me going. On the other hand, these races aren’t cheap, and I do like to have a social life. When I was training for Philly last fall, I feel like it consumed my life for months. I’m certainly not taking Napa as seriously, but the time commitment is still a big consideration. Running for health and fun is completely different than running to train for a 26-mile race. So how much is too much? How do you find a balance?