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broken foot - how to get back to running sensibly?
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Hi, i have only been running for 18 months,and in May completed my first Marathon (edinburgh). Three weeks ago i broke my 5th metatarsal and i am now in a half leg cast, unable to do much of anything. i go back in two weeks, hopefully to have it removed. I am trying to plan in anticipation how i can sensibly build my strength and fitness back up preventing further damage, whilst at the same time getting me back to running fitness as i hope to run another marathon next year. any advice, tips, or pointers to books/articles would be appreciated!
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Hi,
I broke my fifth metatarsal on the 16th of Sep while running on Kingsland road in Hackney, London. I honestly couldn't imagine even imagine being able to walk again, at first!
I scoured the internet and read lots of horror stories. My plaster cast came off after a fortnight and I wore a supportive hard-soled shoe for three weeks and I was worried that putting ANY weight on it was bad as I'd read about cases where the cast is in place for eight weeks. Also very scared by the stories of year-long recoveries!
Your own body, is however, pretty good at telling you what you can and can't do and I've slowly graduated from hobbling on the heel, to gingerly placing the whole foot down and now I'm walking normally. Sharp pain - bad, STOP. Anything achy - good.
At the 5.5 week point I started the first bit of exercise, back in the pool, as it no longer hurt to go down steps. The next stage will be the stationary bike in the gym next week, then I'll be back on the road, with running hopefully at the 8-week-since fracture point.
I'm obviously not quite back to where I was just yet, but it feels good to know that everything will be ok. I'm betting that most people who recover from this successfully don't bother posting online, hence the greater percentage of horror stories.
I can't put on any scientific analysis on this, but I have been taking Boots calcium supplements, after David Nugent saying he'd drank lots of milk after busting his foot six years ago and returning to the pitch in under seven weeks.