Ironman - anyone up for joining me?

[CaptainSwab]

Gashly, a year is plenty of time to train for Chicago. You are already on your way by running a 5k.

[Gashlycrumb]

Thanks Cap'n. My only concern (overall) about a running is this pain that developed in my foot a few months ago. The doc says I could be developing stress fracture, but he isn't sure. And what kind of lame answer is that?!!?!! It most likely came from all the barefoot jumping I do in Hwa Rang Do. I think I need to go back to the doctor again. He told me too, but I hate going when they don't have any answers. What's the point? I just can't bear dropping my workouts which is what he'll say...but if it makes it heal, maybe I should. I'm thinking I should stop running for a bit, I've already dropped HRD to one day a week (cut back the jumping), and only focus on swimming and weight lifting. I have to bike because it's my major source of transportation.

Argh, I should just chop the damn thing off.

[CaptainSwab]

I would go back and ask for a definate answer. Go to another doctor if they cannot give you an answer. If you do have a stress fracture, you shouldn't be running at all right now so you can let it heal. You could end up injuring yourself more if you run on it like that. If your foot is layed up have you thought about signing up for a century bike ride? That is another awesome goal you could work towards in the meantime too.

[Sassy Cassie]

If you need any help from a seasoned triathlete, let me know. Not to brag too much but my husband is awesome and has completed serveral Ironmans. He likes answering questions and can help you work out any training issues that might arise.

[CaptainSwab]

Sassy Cassie's husband = :wayne: :yes: :D

[Sassy Cassie]

Sassy Cassie's husband = :wayne: :yes: :D

No kidding! He has to be the fittest person I know. He is just naturally very athletic. I'm almost jealous of his six pack abs.

[zoebird]

my husband has an 8-pack. i greatly dislike him. or not. perhaps i like him more? i dunno. he did tris for two years, but no iron man--just olympic distances.. he has a great book, TRiathlon training by dave scott. well, i don't know if it's great, but it's the one we've got and i found it helpful. :)

can you use one of those eliptical machines to "run" with a stress fracture, or is an element of it the aspect of having weight on the foot in general?

[slynny]

Zoebird, If you have a stress fracture you need to stay off your feet as much as possible for several weeks. I was told not to do any exercise for 4 weeks, after that only low low impact like swimming...not even walking. I couldn't get on a treadmill until the pain was completely gone. It took three months before I could run again.The big issue with the stress fracture is the impact...the stress you put on the shin when your foot hits the ground.The eliptical is pretty low impact so I would think that you could probably do it after a few weeks off, as long as you don't feel any pain. If you do Stop.:)

[Gashlycrumb]

So I took the Captain's advice and saw my personal doctor (rather than another physician's assistant). He immediately said it was metatarsalis - whatever that is. But more importantly he recommended me for an appointment with a sports medicine therapist in the middle of this month, which I'm very excited about. In the hopes of healing this up I stopped martial arts classes :cry: as doing anything without shoes is painful and land running. But I did start deep water running (DWR) which is quite funky, but is supposed to be just as good or better than land running.

Otherwise all is going well with my training and most importantly I'm loving it.

Sassy Cassie: thanks for the offer of advice. I've been quite lucky to meet many triathletes through my Tri club, so I probably won't need much help. But you never know!

Zoebird: I'm avoiding anything close to running on land or machines. I have been spinning, swimming, and weightlifting though. I'm hoping DWR will be the solution I need for running fitness until it heals. But damn it feels strange (the DWR I mean)...

[slynny]

Gashly, Opps...sorry I didn't reply regarding the Danskin Tri. I couldn't find out how much the entry fee is either? I suppose when the on line registration starts up we'll be able to check. I'm still planning to do this one.

Sorry about your foot problem...I'm really surprised they ever suggested a stress fracture? This is what you have right? http://foot.com/info/cond_metatarsalgia.jsp
Do you do your martial arts work outs on a padded floor? The place I do my cardio karate classes has a padded floor...the surface is a soft plasticy type. Anyway I found that it would pull on the ball of my feet when I did any type of pivot movement, and this really started to hurt. I wear socks now and that resolved my problem, but I know they also make shoes esspecially for martial arts.
For example...http://www.gungfu.com/cart-htm/apparel_shoes_karate_shoes.htm
Once your feet start to heal you might be able to find a pair that are well padded at the ball of the foot and this might help. Do you have decent running shoes? Good shoes are key in injury prevention, so when you start running again make sure you have the right shoes for your feet.
In the mean time the DWR sounds like a great workout. How long do you bike outdoors? It's almost to cold for me...but I'm a whimp. I was thinking about doing an indoor triathlon too, I think there is one in Sheboygan in Feb. We'll see, right now I'm training for a marathon in January...in California. The trip isn't for sure yet, but I want to be ready either way.
Hang in there, your foot will bet better in no time.:)

[Coney]

Wow, a triathalon. That's some serious excercise. I'll be happy if I can get up to a 50 mile bike ride next summer!