One Week Later - Still No Running

Although I was able to walk around with no brace, no tape, and no pain yesterday, I’m still not able to run. Coach said I could try elliptical today and could go as long as I wanted, as long as there’s no pain. If that goes well, I can run tomorrow. But, I’m hesitant. My doctor seemed to think it was more of a nerve issue than a muscle or Achilles issue, and I’m beginning to think she was definitely right. Even after the pain stopped in the Achilles, I still had some paresthesia in the calf and shin. When I took the brace off Friday, I started having pain on the outside of my ankle and top of my foot, and random shots of pain in quad or around knee. But while there’s pain there, there’s a heavy numbness in the calf and shin area. The good news is, if it’s just the nerve stuff I’ve been dealing with, I can run with it and not worry I’m damaging anything. The bad news is, it will hurt. I’m also slightly concerned it could be a bigger nerve issue - like a nerve entrapment. So... I called and made an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon who can do an x-ray and MRI to give me an “OK to run” or “no don’t run” answer. After hearing about Haley’s torn Achilles, and the fear the coaches have poured into me about messing it up more, I’m scared to attempt to run without knowing. The doctor said if the x-ray and MRI don’t show anything, but the paresthesia continues, I’m looking at another nerve conduction test. Just the words are enough to make me cry. Of every medical test and procedure I’ve ever gone through- including giving birth to twins plus two more babies - the absolute worst ever was the previous three nerve conduction studies. It’s kind of funny to be hoping the x-ray and MRI actually show something so that I don’t have to face the nerve conduction study again. I’m starting to get worried about the Roanoke race, though. It’s just 13 days away and I’ve spent the past 11 not running. I’ve done a couple of miles in the pool and done an abundance of arms and abs workouts, but my legs are not going to be ready to tackle Mill Mountain at this rate. I’m content to wait for the orthopedic surgeon to make a call, though. If I miss Roanoke or have to walk Roanoke, it would be disappointing for sure, but it would not be the end of the world, and there would not be a big hit on finances. But if I start running and something’s wrong and it causes me to miss Tahoe... we’re going to have a huge problem. I don’t want to risk that. I’ve already told myself Roanoke’s probably not going to happen as an actual race for time, and maybe not happen at all, and I’ve come to grips with that. It is what it is. But I can’t get to  that state about Tahoe. I can’t. Thankfully I still have 70+ days to get back on track for Tahoe. Trying to just breathe. For the moment, I’m heading to the Knoxville Marathon to cheer on my coach.