I recently had to drop out of my marathon due to a tibial stress fracture (diagnosed the day before the race!). My doctor said I could run through the pain if I wanted to, but I thought it was more important to recover quickly than run one race.
I was also supposed to run the Cherry Blossom 10-miler this weekend (which is a huge race in DC) but I am still healing so I can’t.
Even though I am jealous when I see other runners and definitely miss it a TON, I keep reminding myself that in the big scheme of things 2 months of no running is not that long and I will appreciate my body’s ability to run even more when I’m back on the road. Also I’m trying to look at the injury as an opportunity to focus on other activities (running, swimming, yoga).

No injuries here, but hoping your ankle feels good!
2 thumbs up for a creative breakfast!!

Well I hope you are pain free by the weekend!!

I injured my foot/ankle in a cross-country 5K a couple summers ago, and had to drop out of a road 5K a couple weeks later. I went to the race anyway and cheered for my friends who were running it. I hated not running, but since I could barely walk, I knew it was out of the question! I also had to put off running my first half marathon until the following spring, but I hadn’t gotten very far in my training, so that wasn’t a big deal, either. While recovering, I ended up picking up spin classes, which I had never tried before, and did a lot of pool running.

Excellent plan. I’ll cross my fingers that it’s Plan A.

Great plan for Saturday!
I was looking forward to my first race of the year this past weekend, but had to drop out because of a heel injury. It hurts all the time and I hadn’t run in two weeks so I knew I couldn’t do it. I held out hope until Friday night when I was in so much pain I was crying. Well, I was also crying because I was so disappointed about not racing. I hope it’s better for the half I’m scheduled to run at the end of the month. I now have a plan of action with a podiatrist and I’m very optimistic!

sorry about the injury-ette, but seriously that is a cute name that you coined,i am stealing it for future use haha.

i don’t do many races so i’ve never dropped out but in high school i did winter track and had to back out of some relay meets due to injuries or exhaustion. definitely treating the body with care is wayyy more important for the long run 🙂

I have been very blessed (or lucky) to NEVER have suffered an injury in any form in my whole life – I know, I know, stone me, haha. No broken bones, sprains, stitches, etc. nothing. And right now, as I train for my first marathon, I’m hoping to keep my injury free record.
My husband on the other hand, who is super hyperactive, so full of energy, and of course a major jock, has unfortunately been riddled with injury after injury his whole athletic life. He is 6’6 and has been dealt the unlucky hand to have his poor mother’s genes – having a poor physical health is in his future.
He of course loves basketball and has broken his knee cap, has weak ankles (rolls them often), separated his shoulder and had to have surgery and right now, he just found out that he has to have shoulder surgery for the second time, but on a different arm – it seriously never ends. I probably should become a nurse.
Anyway, my point for my rambling and life story, is that despite all of his injuries, my hubby has always stayed positive and never loses sight of the fact that he will play again. It’s weird because he’s such a mental case about other things in life, haha, but his FAITH in his body, even though he knows that he is unlucky in terms of his physical health, remains so strong. He’s committed to being active and healthy, period, and no injury will weaken him.

what a great lookin’ breakyy!

Halfway through training for my half marathon, I developed a stress fracture in my foot. It was a difficult decision to drop out of the race (especially since I already paid!), but I knew that this would just be a small blip on my radar and if I didn’t take the time off, I could my the injury worse. I was proactive by buying new sneakers, taking calcium supplements, and resting upA!

Ouch! Sorry about your ankle. I have really weak ankles and this is something I worry about with starting trail running. Can you run with an ankle brace?

I like your multiple choice decision making process 🙂 Since it doesn’t seem to be hurting hurting, making the call the morning of the race seems like a good idea!

I wasn’t able to run a marathon last fall because of a badly sprained ankle and then I had to drop down to a 1/2 in February because of bad shin splits. I totally understand what you mean about “injury-ettes”! Things that aren’t bad enough to stop you from normal, everyday activities but HURT to try and run on. I’m currently rehabbing my left shin (shin splint??? i don’t know) and decided not to do a half marathon at the beginning of May. Its been a season of injuries for me, that’s for sure.

Do what feels right — you’ll wake up on Saturday morning and know what you need to do. :o) There’s nothing wrong with taking it easy on your ankle, either. I dropped out of a 10K after a late night — I had gotten back from a wedding 3 hours away from home at 2:00 AM because I had stayed late to help clean up after one of the bridesmaids bailed (yeah, drama). Being there for my friend (the bride) was more important than getting back early so I could sleep before the 10K, so I skipped.

I signed up to do a 10k (my first one) last Novemeber, but injured my hip a few weeks before hand and had to pull out. I was so so disappointed. But I could barely walk, let alone run! Just need to sign up for another now 🙂

Ice, ice, ice! I twist my ankles all the time. I have been told by doctors to strengthen my ankles by doing a variety of exercises. These are basically it. http://physicaltherapy.about.com/od/strengtheningexercises/ss/ankleexercises.htm They help with your ankle stabilizing so the next time you twist it there will be less damage.

I don’t care how much of a tiny “injury” it is, I say drop out. Your body is most important. There will be other races. Don’t risk it.

I have never ran a race, so I haven’t had to worry about injuries. I have injured myself before and at the time it totally messed with me. Because I just couldn’t handle bed rest. I felt like I should be working out, because my appetite sure wasn’t diminished. Luckily I only gained a pound or so, but it really freaked me out. I have GOT to stop worrying about that dang scale.

I have a tough time saying no to myself when I’m already signed up for a race, but with my current marathon (in less than 2 weeks!) I have been recovering from a kneee injury, so I’v been very strict in my decision that I will wait until how I feel on race day to make the final determination – and to not be afraid to walk parts if need be.

I started getting runner’s knee (and that’s when I discovered your blog — when my friend referred me to your video!) before the Disney Half — my first half! I also was getting some lower back pain, and my trainer advised me to cut back on my running or even drop out. No way was I going to drop out, but I did cut back significantly on my training. He said I wouldn’t run it fast, but I would finish it. It was my first, so I was mostly interested in finishing. Not finishing my long runs did freak me out a bit, though.

It is totally okay to drop out if you are hurt, sometimes it is the smart thing to do and in that case should be respected by you and your competitors. I know it is hard to do though.

Awww poor girl!! I had to drop out of some races in high school during my senior year of cross country because of my leg pain. I would end up collapsing to the ground and my legs hurt so bad at mile one that I couldn’t finish and would have to be carried off the course. I usually cried because I didn’t get to finish. My dad always said “I hope you are crying because of the pain and not because you couldn’t finish.” Even though I’m pretty sure it was always a bit of both!

A little different, but last April I was signed up to do a half that I was all trained for. I passed up halfs in Dec-Mar because I’m a cold weather pansy (I’m in TX so below 50 is too cold for me!). April is the perfect time for a half so I was excited that a local one fell in that month. Anyways, I got a stomach bug from my daughter 2 days before and was still severely weak and dehydrated and there was no way it would have been healthy for me to run.

I have my first 5k this Saturday and I’m a little nervous because my ankle has been slightly hurting for the past 2-3wks. I’ve still managed to run on it but it’s been slightly hurting afterward. As of right now, I am still planning on running. I would hate to drop out.

I’ve had this happen before, and I try to tell myself, “this race is for me, not me for the race.” It helps me keep a good perspective. Also, I try to remind myself that there will ALWAYS be another race in the future. Take care!