Stress Fractures and Other Nightmares

On Friday Kal, Meesh, and I ran our last run together before we leave Rexburg for home. We left just when the sun was rising for a ten-mile run. I decided it would be nice to end on a downhill, so we were going to run the course backwards from the way I had mapped it out. I found out later that running it that direction actually had a whole lot more uphill than it would have had otherwise. Meesh was not happy with me. It started with one huge hill. We reached the top of it to see a small downhill before we would have to run another hill. This pattern repeated a few times and I kept assuring her that the last three miles were nearly all downhill. After the third or fourth hill we went over, Meesh yelled in anger. I asked her what the problem was and she told me she was angry at the hills. "I hate hills!" She exclaimed. I told her to try to stay positive. Negativity never helps anything. In high school my cross country coach used to say that running was 80% mental and only 20% physical. I am a huge believer in that statement.

The last three miles were more flat than downhill. At one point I turned around to check on Meesh, because her breathing changed. She was gasping for air and a tear slid down her cheek. She gasped, "hill..." in reference to the small incline ahead. She was working herself up way too much, and I was afraid she would stop breathing altogether, so I yelled out to Kal and told Meesh to stop and walk with her hands on her head. This position opens up your lungs wider, making it easier to breathe. Hunching over with your hands on your knees when you are struggling with breathing is never a good idea.

Kal had been a ways ahead of us for most of the run that day, because Meesh and I were both struggling a bit. He came back to us when I called his name, though. I always feel safe running with him, because he would never leave us behind. Having Meesh as a running partner is really useful too. I doubt she knows how much it helps me to have her run with us. Urging her on during our ten mile run was just as much for me as it was for her.

I've discovered this especially in the last week of being home. Two of my best friends, my running partners, are gone now. It is a whole lot harder to give yourself encouragement when you are running alone. Today when I was running, I imagined that Kal was running just ahead of me and Meesh right beside me. It helped me finish the run. My shins have been feeling tight and sore all week. I am trying not to worry too much about it, but I can't help but remember the shin splints I had during my junior year of track. They got so bad that I walked with a limp all day, and running was agony. My mom took me to a physical therapist to look at them to make sure it was a muscular problem and not stress fractures.

A stress fracture is one of the biggest nightmares of a runner. It's caused by thousands of steps and weak bones, or a weak spot in the bone, or a part of the body that takes more pressure than the rest. The more pressure put onto the soft spot, the weaker it gets. Finally, it reaches a breaking point and it cracks or breaks. It has to be extremely painful, but I am blessed enough so far to have never experienced it.

Kal and Meesh have both been diligent in running. Meesh told me this morning that she thinks she may have hurt her thigh, but she isn't slacking off. She ran an extra mile today. Kal said his run had some good hills in it. I hit some pretty big hills myself today. The long run this week is back down to eight miles. Hopefully my shins and Meesh's leg hold up.