This has been a difficult year so far. Struggling against what seems an endless series of injuries as I try to get my running back online. The latest, and weirdest, injury had nothing to do with training. Instead, it was a deep cut to my shin thanks to my large, Grim Reaper-style scythe. Yeah, I managed to trip over the damned thing, giving me a small but deep gash dead center in my shin. Not quite to the bone, but damned near. Now, this would not be that big of a deal, as a matter of fact I didn't let it interfere with either my swim sets or my cycling. Where it got dodgy was about 10 days after the initial incident. First, let me say here, I do not get infections. I heal quickly and easily. This time? Not so much. As I was saying, about 10 days after the injury, when I was expecting things to be on the way to full recovery, the area around the cut started getting painful. Not only painful, but it developed a nice bright pink hue, was getting warm to the touch, and was swelling. At first I shrugged it off, blaming it on being on my feet all day at work. But it was the increasing pain that started to freak me out a bit. I mentioned it to a coworker and she just about lost her mind. Her dramatic reaction made me start taking a slightly different view of the whole thing. Maybe I am not so invincible? Well, guess what? Cellulitis: a bacterial skin infection that causes inflammation of subcutaneous connective tissue. Who knew? I had never heard of it. Apparently, it can get pretty nasty. I mean nasty to the point of amputation nasty. No, mine never got that extreme. But here I am, on antibiotics, finally over the worst of it, but feeling a bit pissed off about the whole thing. It did slow me down a bit, and interfered with my sleep.
I admit, I didn't let the injury give me an excuse to skip my swims. I did tape it, and wrap it with KT Tape so I wasn't being gross in the pool. I imagine it is quite possible that I picked up the bacteria at the pool.... or, very likely, just that it was a deep cut with an old farm implement. I should probably be glad I am current on my tetanus vaccine.
So that is the latest in my successive string of leg damage. It does all seem to be affecting my right leg, for whatever reason: arthritis at the cuboid bone in my foot, IT band and Patellofemoral in my knee, hip pain (and that makes me feel geriatric, let me tell you), now the gashing of my shin. All right leg. Left leg gives me a little grief now and then, but is mostly pretty solid. I am continuing my pool legwork. What amounts to 20-30 minutes of physical therapy in the pool after my swim. I am hoping that will get me back to the start line.
I do realize that I have been whining more than is typical. I try to not be a complainer, but g'damn, this year is not going smoothly. I've already had to put the kabosh on doing an Iron distance this year because I know my knees won't hold out for a marathon. On the plus side, the only Iron distance event in the state is the Anvil at Hagg Lake. Yeah, it goes the distance, but it is lap after lap around a short course. What is the thrill in that? That is not an adventure. The Epic 250K was an adventure. Maybe next year I can travel out of state and find something glorious. For this year, I have to get my legs back under me in time to do the Best in the West half-Iron in September. That is as glorious as it is going to get this year.
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