It was a tough decision!
Xray showing my jaw dropped on the far left
After biking the route of stage 3 of Tour de France and then back home again up the A10 after 3weeks of racing on the trot, I was to say the least exhausted.
After about 1-2 weeks off I started back at training and feeling very sluggish. Even with the slow and steady training I managed to pick up a chest infection. I cut my training right back and focused on getting well again. During this period my aim was supposed to start my long runs and build them up each week.
My first long run back in to my training went well and I felt strong my pace wasn't great but I wasn't too bothered at this stage, I just still put it down to feeling tired still. With a few training sessions to keep me ticking over.
It started the following week. My 15 mile run, I started at a steady pace and was keen to get my pacing even. Training on a 2mile circuit and timing and adjusting my pace every 2 miles.
My first 2 mile felt good, and for the next 2 miles dropped the pace to keep the pace where I needed to be. On the third lap I started feeling a bruising to the the ball of my foot as I continued to run. I started to avoid the pain by running on the outside of my foot. I completed my run but for the next few days I felt the pain. I persisted with shorter runs during the week to keep my legs ticking over.
The following week my aim was to head out on my 16 mile run. After a few short runs out it my new trainers I decided to wear them for the longer run hoping they would cushion my foot strike and offer more support. I decided to start out at a slower pace and opt for more of a mid-foot strike and not the fore-foot strike I had worked so hard on over the winter. I focused on my fuelling strategy taking a sip of my Hammer drink every mile from the outset to keep me hydrated and taking an energy gel on board every 5miles. By the end of the run I don't think I have ever felt so much pain my ankle and my knee were sore. Looking back Im not sure why I persisted so much. But I was determined to do the run and didn't want to think this injury was going to hold me back. Not a great approach in hindsight.
About 5 days later and I had to go to the doctors with an ear infection that seemed to be pushing on my jaw pushing it forward and my teeth were misaligned and I couldn't eat properly.
I went to my GP who said I didn't have an ear infection but that it could be related to hayfever and the middle part of my ear causing it to swell up. But in any case I should go and see my dentist just to get it checked out. The following day I was still in pain, I made an emergency appointment and was very interested to what was going on as it was an unusual case. She took an X-ray of my mouth and noticed that the right side of my jaw had dropped on one side and wasn't sitting in its socket properly. She sent me away with a couple of jaw excercises and some Ibuprofen and told me to monitor it.
Xray showing my jaw dropped on the far left
That night I could not resist going out for a swimming session still, I made people aware I had taken Ibuprofen and just to keep an eye on me. After 1/2 hour of swimming I realised that my jaw was lining up a bit better. So with a couple of days of eating soup and cereals the swelling went down and I was OK.
All I needed to do was try and put my running right again. The only way I could do this was to reduce the impact on my joints and build up with shorts runs off road on the Amhurst field which is quite flat.
The longest run I managed was 5miles then I started hurting and I had to stop to reduce the risk of further injury. In the past week I have head out in a few 30k bike rides with 6-8k runs off the back on the road. At this distance the foot has started hurting and I have reduced the pace and not pushed it any further.
This has left me with the decision to knock the distance down to an Olympic distance down from the middle. But after my foot hurting so much I am pleased to still be racing. I just hope that my foot can hold out until the finish. I can't wait to race now but still gutted I am not racing my first Middle.
Give me a cheer if you see me I will need it.
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