Ambassador Roxanne is finally back training after a bad break of her foot… here is her journey back!
Not just rising, but soaring high!
A return to training post injury.
My intent from day one of badly breaking my fifth metatarsal in my foot has not been nearly to rise up but to soar higher than I had before!
Let’s set the seen: 6.5 year long high mileage run streak filled with 2x a day runs, weekly mileage often exceeding 80 miles, training in full swing for 5 Ultra marathons and relays all from 50k to 50 miles in length. Then bam. One night, while out having fun dancing, I rolled my foot and badly broke it… 4 months in a fibre glass cast on crutches followed; then another 3 months with full weight bearing but with an aircast or solid soled workbooks. (I rode my bike over 1000km in August )
In October, I finally received clearance to start run/walking. From the doctors office, I headed an hour away to my favourite trails; it was softly snowing and so perfect! I cried! I laughed! I had made it through the nightmare. I never did have any trouble with my foot although I was super paranoid of landing mid-foot and re-snapping that difficult to heal little bone. Because of the massive heel striking coupled with the weight of the cast to my knee for the months prior and far lower level of activity than I am used to, I developed crippling knee pain. I couldn’t run and and could barely walk with it. My knee felt like it might blow apart. At my 2 week appointment post-clearance, I cried all over my doctor. Again. He said it was very very common for the lubricant in the knee to diminish and not cushion the joint enough following what I had gone through. He suggested an injection of lubricant then several days off…again…to allow the lubricant time to move all around inside my knee.
November and December I spent happily running, not training. Just enjoying my passion and freedom and running wild once more. January 1 marked my return to ‘Get Ultra Foxxi’ training! I’m planning to go from a 5 k race in December all the way up to my first trail 50k at Spruce Woods Ultra in May! Then the RLAG Be Fearless trail marathon in June, legs 6&7 of Sinister 7 100 miler in July, Lost Souls 50k and Rivers Edge 50k or 50 miler in September!
So believe me when I tell you: you may not be where you want to be today, but keep that chin up and that fire in your heart to continue to move forward towards your dreams and goals! YOU WILL GET THERE! And you will be amazing!