Yes, the above title is true. But I wouldn't say that I've been having "fun" lately. Why? Well, let me sum it up for you in two words: stress fracture. Yes. Seriously. Need more details? Pelvic stress fracture. Yes. Seriously. How did I do that? Running, apparently. Yes. Seriously. Who knew?!
Do you want the good news or the bad news? Bad news first? Ok, you got it! No running! Oh, you read that right, and you can imagine how incredibly fabulous that went over when I heard it. Not just once, but from literally everyone: two orthos, a physical therapist, and my chiropractor. Yeah, add in Grandma & Dad to that list too. Ready for some good news? According to the two orthos and the physical therapist, I can (and should) exercise while "recovering." (Why do I have that word in quotes? Heck if I know! I guess because during 99.9% of my day, I don't feel "injured," so I don't really think of myself as "recovering.") Want the bad news? I've had a few people (1 chiropractor, 1 father, and 1 physical therapist (not the one referenced above)) tell me that I should do nothing for 12 weeks. Ummmm, could you please repeat that word? N-o-t-h-i-n-g? I'm sorry, I'm not familiar with that of which you speak. Who does nothing?! Certainly not me! Need some good news? I should be (fingers crossed, knock on wood, and any other good luck superstitions you can think of) be able to run in time to get back in shape for February's Ragnar relay!
Back to the topic at hand: pelvic stress fractures. Do you know anyone who's had one? My guess is "no." Do I know anyone who's had one? No, not really. (Not unless you count Judy who told me after I told her that I thought I might have one that her niece who's in the military had one. Mark that note; you'll be wanting to recall that fun fact later on in the blog.) Over the last 2-3 months, I've read more than I've cared to on pelvic stress fractures. What have I learned? Basically, they suck big time. This is not one of those "oh, take it easy for a few weeks, and you'll be back in the game" type of things. It means weeks (well, really months) off of running and anything "impact-y" like that. Oh, and what's the deal with this nonsense of "8 to 12 weeks." I'm a math teacher, for crying out loud! There's a huge difference between 8 and 12 weeks! (50% if you want to be exact!) I did learn something semi-interesting, although it doesn't make this suck any less. Pelvic stress fractures, in the big picture of all of the types of stress fractures, are pretty uncommon. (Shocking, right?! Can you see my eyes rolling as I type that?) But, where they are not uncommon (yes, I know - double negative) would be in two populations: female military recruits and female long distance runners. Want to take a guess as to which category I fit?
I don't believe this was a case of "too many miles in too short of an amount of time." Let's face it, when I was getting ready for the Keys100, I had many weeks where I was probably running more often and more miles (especially when I started my two-a-day runs in the heat). I remember a great weekend up in NJ where I did 30 miles over just 4 days (7, 6.5, 10, and 6.5 for those of you who want to get technical). Yes, when this happened, I might have been in my marathon training, and I might have been doing about 25 miles(ish) each week, but that's not really that much. (If you're a non-runner, resist the temptation to tell me that it is that much!) As my ortho in Jupiter said (a few different times), I have "small bones." No shit - look at me! You'd hardly think, "Damn, that's a big-boned girl!" Plus, I hate to admit this, but Mom was right: I should've been taking calcium. (Ladies, let this be a lesson to all y'all - take your calcium!)
So what's happening now? A whole lot of not much. I'm doing calcium like a crack addict, I started walking (God, it's so slow & boring), and I'm going to get back into doing my elliptical. Those of you who know me know this absolutely blows the big one, but what can you do? I have my pity party and the FML moments. (If you don't know what FML stands for and are easily offended, don't look it up or ask me what it means.) And then there are times that I say, "Well, if it had to happen, I'm glad it was now and not closer to February!" Yes, this is my "year of the Kim," but that doesn't mean that 2014 can't (and won't) be "year of the Kim part 2."
Stay well, appreciate your bones, and take your calcium!!!!
