The Alter G Alters Lives

So, I've been injured. I haven't blogged about it yet because I didn't want to make a "thing" out of it, but about a week and a half ago I got sharp pains in my shins and calves during this god awful 15K race in Central Park. It was an early race (8am) and it was a really cold day, so at first I figured I was just tight from that. Both shins, both calves, and my left piriformis were in so much pain, and it only got worse over the course of the 15K. I was running easy during the race, and afterward walking was pretty painful, so I knew something was wrong.

In the PT world they call it "post-tib" - it's an issue with my posterior tibial muscle and tendon. It's inflamed and feels like the back of my shin bone is stabbed when I step down on the right side. Less than ideal, to say the least. My PT is stretching me, massaging me (which hurts like HELL), gave me exercises to do, and is doing stim and ice with each visit, which appears to be helping. I rested for 4 days straight (which is hell for someone training for a marathon...) and I'd planned to try an easy run Sunday and a long run Monday, but then it came: snowmageddon 2010. I have to say, this city has done a really crappy job of managing the snow - my neighborhood STILL isn't plowed, and it's been more than 48 hours since it stopped. Weak sauce, NYC.

The Alter G

I have been in contact with coach Michael Conlon to see what I should do, since running outside wasn't an option, and he said he'd let me run on the Alter G. What's the Alter G? Well at this point I'm calling it a goddamn miracle worker, but that's not technically what it is. It's a treadmill that uses differential air pressure to lift part of your body weight as you run. You put on these ridiculous looking shorts that zip into the machine while you're in them, and then the air pressure removes whatever portion of your weight you want it to. I ran at 80% of my body weight and it was heaven - the pain was at about a 3 or 4 to start and went down to a 2 or 1 within a few minutes. About half way through there was no pain at all. I got to run for about 75 minutes at 9:30 pace, and felt so so great. Of course, I now want to lose 20% of my bodyweight and run like that all the time!

Walking around after I got off the Alter G, there was actually still no pain, and I woke up this morning feeling better. I think a combo of rehabbing on that bad boy, doing my PT exercises, getting the massage/stretching, getting the stim, and icing, I just might be OK for race day.

This season has been chock freaking FULL of injuries. My darling Steph, who I did that mud run with, found out last week she has stress fractures, is now in a boot, and can't run for at least 6 weeks. No Disney marathon for her. Layla made it only 5 miles last week during her final long run before her IT bands and hips shat out on her. She's most likely deferring to NYC marathon this fall. And the heartbreaker: Kate Latti, who started our San Diego season but had to drop due to a knee injury, now has a hip stress fracture and can't run for 12 weeks. No Phoenix marathon for her. Two seasons in a row, two bad injuries, no marathons run. Several others were scheduled to do the full but have had to drop back to the half (Rachel Bliner, Lauren Sanders, etc), and so I'm just hoping to make it to that starting line as healthy as humanly possible.