So I’m not sure if this is a thing or not. But a week and a half ago, while trail running, I tripped and rolled over my ankle. Badly.

Bloody Hell.

Nothing more inconvenient than a rolled ankle while marathon training right?

I laid there like a sorry mess for a moment. Assessing the damage. It didn’t “feel” broken. And we were pretty far from the car, so I chose to continue on and hobble through the remainder of the run. 13km more. Ugh.

The following days proved to be quite painful, and I was starting to have my doubts about my desicion to continue running after the fall. I mean currently I could barely walk, and the swelling and discoloration of my ankle was a stark reminder that I had done some damage.

So into recovery and rehabilitation mode I went. RICE baby!

RICE= Rest. Ice. Compression. Elevation. And repeat.

4 days of this and I was finally able to get in to see my Dr. She assessed, and decided to send me for x-rays to rule out a fractured ankle. Ugh again. I’m 9+ weeks into marathon training and we’re talking about possible fractures. FML.

Xray complete, and the weekend has arrived again. I try getting out for a long cycle on the bike. Tender. But manageable. The next day I rest it again. On the Monday I got out for a short 2 kilometer run, to see if I could handle it. I had read somewhere that if you can walk without pain for an undetermined amount of time, you could probably try a short run. And I was pain free(ish)? So I thought I would give it a shot.

2km completed, and without too much issues. Later that evening I went for a bit longer run and completed another 4km. Came home and iced and elevated again. Tonight I just got back from a 6km run and my place is getting closer to being back where I was at pre ankle roll.

So I feel i may have dodged a bullet, I’m supposed to follow up with the Dr in a few days to reassess. Not sure she will be super pleased with my desicions, but we’ll see. I lost 8-9 days of training, and with less than 50 days until the Forty on Forty project marathon, I have little room for error at this point.

I don’t know that I would recommend this approach to training, this is just my experience. It’s certainly risky pushing back into training so soon after an injury, but it is also a matter of trying to get what was lost while sitting on the sidelines.

Don’t try this at home kids!

Marathon training is a beast. I swore I wouldn’t do it again after the last time. Classic.

Cheers.