Well, it wasn't really a long run but I usually do a long workout on the weekend and since this is the weekend--
I'm still recovering from a sore right ankle. Yesterday I did my usual walk to the Mahane Yehuda, which is the Jerusalem Shuk (outdoor market), and although my ankle didn't hurt to the point of limping, it wasn't all that comfortable for the hilly 5 kilometer trek. However, I felt pretty good this morning so I thought about going out for a slow 1 kilometer run all morning and decided that today was the day.
Ouch. The run was fine, I didn't feel like I was going very fast but my time was 6:18, a full minute faster than I probably should have taken it. After I stopped running though, I felt the pain. Instead of packing ice on it I wrapped my ankle with a hot towel, something that I've been doing every day because instead of the usual R.I.C.E. (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation) treatment I'm using M.E.A.T. (Movement, Exercise, Analgesics and Treatment). See my post, Will you have R.I.C.E. or M.E.A.T. with that Injury? I'm also taking papaya enzyme tablets because I can't find fresh papayas or pineapples these days.
Is my therapy working? Well, it has been 2-weeks since the 18 kilometer run that probably over stressed my ankle and 12-days since my last run, where I probably did the most damage because I didn't allow enough time for recovery from the long day. Shortly after today's run and a quick hot towel treatment I was feeling pretty good. This is a pretty short recovery compared to a website, which will remain nameless, which is promoting a book by someone who "cured" his sprained ankle in "only" 5-months--his prior sprain took 18-months to heal! Of course I may just have an overuse injury, but it has all the symptoms of a sprain.
Will I go out tomorrow and start increasing the distance? Maybe, I'll wait until tomorrow to decide.
Will I do the Jerusalem half-marathon? Probably not at this point, though I did get the half-marathon map, got in the car, with a newly repaired GPS, and tried to check out the course. I got lost--I couldn't even find the start! What was no surprise was that this is a very hilly course.
Besides running and getting lost I also did some research. Why did I injure myself in the first place? Probably because of that rash I got between my inner thighs. Once it started hurting I most likely changed my gait to relieve some of the rubbing. Both ankles hurt after the long run but I probably stressed the right side a bit more. The masseuse at En Gedi noticed that my left shoulder was tighter than my right side and that makes sense that it would affect my right ankle. I red another interesting theory about injuries in Michael Yessis, Ph.D, book - "Explosive Running." Dr. Yessis states that running improves cardio but doesn't really do much for strength. Check out Dr. Yessis website for more. Strength exercises specialized for running will keep injuries down and reduces the amount of running time needed to get fit. I thought back (way back) to the days when I did only weights and no running--when I did run I could feel my heart was working very hard but my legs wouldn't get tired. These days it seems that my legs can't keep up with my heart and lungs. Pretty much every post I made is either a cardio workout or recovering from an injury. I think I had it right for a while last year when I was alternating strength training on day and a run/racewalk the next. Gee, I sure do miss my home gym! Only two and a half months before I'm home.
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