Ankle Tendonitis - Dealing w / Injury

So last week I did the Komen 5K PR followed by 11 training miles in my racing Flats. Exciting to go sub-20 for the first time in my life. But what go hard and then train in my racing flasts...Not so smart! Stupid actually.

At about mile 2.5 of the Komen and then again at mile 2 of the training run, my ankle started to act up. Just a dull pain at first, then persistently worse, then a mixture of throbbing and sharp pains on impact. I should have stopped at mile 8, but I kept going.

Saw a great foot and ankle doctor on Monday morning. All X-rays were negative. Classic case of ankle tendonitis. Treatment...R.I.C.E - Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation...

I also got a prescription for Celebrex but decided not to take it.

Swam on Monday. Strong bike trainer session on Tuesday. Strength training on Wednesday. Awesome swim work-out on Thursday. Short but intense bike ride on Friday - held 22.1 for 15 miles.

Saturday morning called for a 2 hour LSD run. I took my Wednesday run off and was proud of myself. Normally, I would train through the injury and make it worse. I was apprehensive of this 2 hour run. I could tell when walking that the dull pain was there...even with the wrap I received on Friday. But I knew the 2 hour run was crucial for my training. New Orleans is two weeks away and this will be the final LONG run for this training cycle.

So off I went at 7 AM and felt good for about 40 minutes. Then, the dull pain crept up on me...then worse pain...then almost unbearable pain...so much pain I was forced to "limp run" which was pathetic. At about 11 miles, the mental anxiety creeps in..."should I stop and sacrifice the final long run of this training cycle and not risk compounding the injury? Or press through it, get the full two hours in and then ice and rest it next week" Being who I am, I debated back and forth for like 2 miles and finally decided to keep going.

I finished. Almost in tears. Needless to say, I got the Celebrex and took it this afternoon.

I am really bummed about this. First, injuries like this are usually a result of bad training...over-exertion, under-rest and stupid decisions...I do not believe I would be this injured if I stuck to a 2 hour training run in training shoes last Saturday. My ego got me in the 5K.

Second, I have this fear that this will influence my mental outlook and final preparation for New Orleans...I hate to think that after the swim and bike, I not only have to think about fatigue, nutrition, the competition but now I have to think about a nagging ankle injury which could flare up and influence my run - the only perceived strength I have in terms of the 3 disciplines.

Third, I hate drugs. There are no significant side effects to Celebrex. But I like being "all natural". I hate foreign substances in my body.

This week is a Taper week. Everything is easier. Less is more. I will take it easy...I will confer with my coach about not running at all and maybe extending a few of the swim and bike sessions. Or perhaps I will do the Elliptical machine in place of my runs.

All in all, I've heard that "injury management" is a huge part of triathlon training. T-Bart dealt with it in terms of a 6 month calf injury. He decided NOT to run during most of this tri training cycle and to elevate his bike and swim training. Makes total sense. And he says he is now FASTER at running with no lingering signs of his injury.

So I will take that to heart. Calm down. Take deep breaths and just deal with what many triathletes deal with on a regular basis...oh yeah...and I will stop making dumb decisions like racing when I should be training...