26F here. I started running in the fall of 2019, and I fell in love with training + races right away. I've run sub 18:30 for 5k, 1:23 for the half, and 3 flat for the full, and I got to run Boston. Although these times aren't spectacular, it is my understanding that most women who run these times have been at it a lot longer than I have, so I've been excited to see how far I can go. I've poured my heart into running, and I've been lucky to have been rewarded for it.
But for almost a year, I've had this on-and-off issue that is putting my dedication to the test - extreme leg weakness/loss of coordination. The first terrible bout of it was April to July, and at this time it was just the left leg. When I would get tired I would start to lose control of my left leg, and I felt like I could lose my balance at any moment. It would become almost impossible for my to drive the knee forward, and as a result my left knee would splay to the left and I would feel completely off balance/out of sync. However, I kept pushing through, and by July I had 95% gotten over it. From July to end of September I had the best training of my life, running 100MPW and doing THE best workouts I've ever done. Loss of coordination/weakness was no longer an issue.
Then I got a severe groin injury in the fall lol...and was out for 7-8 weeks. I cross-trained heavily, and when I returned I felt refreshed and ready to go, + no coordination issues. I trained for 6-7 weeks with no issues and felt amazing.
Then 2024 began, and the loss of coordination/extreme leg weakness came back way worse than before. So instead of running, I've been doing 1.5-2 hours of elliptical every single day. I've hardly run at all this year, and until four days ago, every time I would try to run I would be so uncoordinated and weak that my body would shut it down after like 200 meters. I took 8 days in a row completely off all exercise this month, and I still feel weak and tired. I managed to run four days in a row this past week (5 miles, 6 miles, 8 miles, 6 miles), but I still felt "off".
I had an MRI last week and I should get the results at the end of the week. I have started taking magnesium because I know that promotes muscle function. I am doing strength training to try to correct the weakness/coordination problems. But nothing seems to be doing the trick and I'm feeling hopeless. Is it time to give up? Take an extended break? Why is a woman who ran 3,500 miles in 2023 suddenly unable to run at all? Thanks for you input.