The question I have is...how much (if any) can the fx move around? I would think little or not at all given it is embedded/protected in the calf muscles. Yeah, I know that if I went out and ran on it or took a lower leg blow from the side it would move. But my assumption is that the really uncomfortable soreness around it is largely due to the muscle trauma, etc.

Jim I missed your last reply to me somehow.

Yes I had surgery. I have a titanium rod full length of my tibia. 2 screws top, 2 bottom holding it in place. Fib was a clean snap so it floated around until it stuck back together. It's healing offset. Surgeon says that's ok.

I am JUST starting to hobble on the treadmill again. It hurts and yes the fibula hurts too. So running is still pretty much a nogo for me....sucks.

That said I'm pretty fit in the water and on the bike again. I'm not all that far from my best ever FTP right now which occurred after almost 2 years of non-stop bike focus.

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24 Hour World TT Champs-American record holder
Fat Bike Worlds - Race Director
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Keep after it! Nice work on getting the FTP rebuilt.

Dev - This recovery is unlike any other I've experienced...and in a remarkably good way. I've been riding both inside and outside now since 10 days post-accident. I'm up to IM and Half IM watts now. I could easily start throwing down FTP intervals if I wanted to but I'm trying to keep it sane. Today is 4 weeks and I'm heading out with my wife to go on about a 50 miler that will involve 3,000 feet of gradual climbing. Going down stairs is about the only thing that is still awkward. I'm sure I'll be really sore at the end of today's ride but I am still blown away by how the healing process has almost been conducive to just about anything I want to do. I guess I am the luckiest unlucky person. No one believes me that my leg was (and still is) broken.

Thanks for the words of encouragement early on. It gave me the belief that I could stress it pretty hard and be okay.

I found this thread through the search function. I snapped my fibula at IMTX on Saturday. In hindsight, I realize I had a stress fracture that I ignored. I snapped in the first mile or so, which made the run pretty tough. I just thought it was a sprain and a case of mind over matter.

Doctors tell me what was discussed here: swimming after two or three weeks, cycling maybe a week after that, walking/light running after six to eight weeks. Doctors are debating whether I should have surgery. Looks like most of the people here opted not to have surgery, which I also hope to avoid.

Question: I need to make some decisions about cancelling and deferring race plans. When is a realistic time to think I might do a HIM? I am signed up for a couple in late August / early September. May I keep those plans? I also am signed up for IMLP. With that about nine weeks away, I assume I need to defer it, and swap it for a Fall race.

People gave some good anecdotes in this thread about reclaiming swim and bike fitness. How did your run fitness recover? Any tips on minimizing the loss of that (i.e., water jogging?).

It kind of feels like the season is over before it began.

At this point, I've recovered from 3 stress fractures within the past 3-4 years. I would suggest canceling the race plans. You'll be back to running at that point, but running a marathon after only being back on your legs a few weeks might just aggravate the healing process and set you back. Coming back from a stress fracture, you really have to be patient with the loading on that bone.

I missed 3 months last year with a femur stress fracture. I did really focus on my swim and bike, and managed to PR well in both of those. I also aquajogged. There are some good aquajogging plans if you search for them. The key with aquajogging is I feel you have to try harder to maintain intensity, kinda like biking on a trainer versus outside. Combining those 3, I PRed in a half marathon after only running on the ground for 4 weeks after I was cleared, so I think you can maintain fitness if not become stronger by working on weaknesses.

That's a very encouraging response. Thank you.

My doctor agrees that swimming and biking should be very doable in a few weeks.

Lake Placid in July seems like a lost cause. How about doing a HIM in late August? Is that reasonable (three months post surgery)?

I would think so, but you have to play it by ear on recovery. A little bit of pain is normal coming back, but it can be tricky to know the line between recovery and bad pain. Try not to overthink it. I always have the issue of not knowing whether it hurts slightly, or I'm just anticipating it hurting and am thinking that it'll hurt. But a stress fracture is far from a death sentence!

Out of four broken bones, this Fibula fx was the easiest recovery I've had. Here's my basic timeline:

1st week post break - ditched the crutches, began waking/limping and swimming no kicking
2nd week - started riding the trainer. First several rides were super uncomfortable. Gradually increased time and intensity. Started out at about 50% of FTP for an hour.
3rd week - ramped to maybe 70% FTP.
4th week - rode outside. Did some mild and short hills. Started walking outside and on the treadmill.
5th week - more riding. Lots more. Lots of walking. Attempted to run. No dice.
6th week - rode a lot. Hills. Cross bike on dirt.
7th week - tried running again. Pushed through some really uncomfortable feelings. Seemed to work better.
8th week - ran a lot more. Felt like massive shin splints every time. Went hiking a lot.
9th week - basically back to normal. But would never have been able to run a long distance race.

After a particularly hard weekend of riding and hiking out of nowhere the pain just vanished. No more soreness. Nothing.

If every injury could have been this easy for me...well, I'd be ecstatic.

Mine is a full break. I think it was a undiagnosed stress fracture that popped. Surgery tomorrow.

Jim -- was yours a full break too?

Thanks for the great breakdown. It seems consistent with what my doctors have told me.

It was more like a long crack through the bone. No displacement at all...it was sort of hard to see on the Xray.