A letter to my compartment syndrome riddled legs

Dearest legs,

 

I thought we had an understanding.  A meeting of the so-called minds.  A settlement, if you will. 

 I, the runner, the one who dared to dream in middle age, would stop the constant pounding upon your fragile, little stumps.   I would discontinue my journey into runner-dom and quit terrorizing you daily despite every effort to fully learn and understand correct running form and distance and endurance training.

You, the 'injured party,' would take this cessation as a complete surrender on your part and quit your aching.  Quit waking me at four am.  Refrain from paining me during or immediately following my workouts.  I would change my entire lifestyle to accommodate you.  And I did. 

I, the middle aged dreaming runner stopped all running.  And it was difficult.  As any runner can surely tell you, running is addictive.  While a love/hate relationship has no doubt been developed between athlete and sport, the need to move always prevailed.  And discontinuing was, to me, much like trying to quit caffeine.  Or smoking.  Or I imagine it would be like quitting Facebook or Twitter.  Doable, but enormously uncomfortable, for lack of a better word.  I developed a relationship with the less impacting elliptical trainer.  I had an ongoing affair with spinning.  I crush on them both, but alas, that obsession like the one I had with running had not yet developed.  Until lately.  And that's when you rear your ugly head again.

Cut to me, a personal trainer.  I now truly know the importance of cross training and rest days and have passionately become engrossed in both spinning and elliptical training (or any kind of cardio so long as it's kind to my compartment syndrome riddled stumps.)  Up until now said stumps and cardio have been co-existing harmoniously.  What has changed?  I ask you, WHAT IN GODS NAME HAS CHANGED?!?!

Lately there seems to be some sort of miscommunication.  A disruption in our harmonious affair.  Suddenly I ache during workouts.  I throb after workouts.  I twinge during random times when I should be sleeping.  And in the middle of the night I wake up wondering, what did I do wrong?  How can I make it better?  Because as a new personal trainer in the best shape of her life, surgery is not an option.  Not yet, anyway.  Especially while exercise is the most important part of my brand new career.  

You win, my little flat footed stumps.  Tell me how to appease you and I shall obey. (It's not exactly as if I can send you roses or chocolate or naughty lingere!) No cardio for a couple of days?  Done!  Cold compresses?  Pain medications?  Doctor prescribed massages?  Done and done and done!  I will do anything so long as an elective surgery is not the only option.  But when your career depends on it, is it really considered 'elective?' 

 

And can it at least wait until next year's medical benefits kick in?