The Unexpected Incident in the Street

Back in November, at the very beginning, I was running and feeling pretty great. In fact, while I was out running with Charlie, like we had been doing three times a week with walk days in between, I was thinking just how good I felt. It had been raining earlier that morning and I was actually excited to be out in the inclement weather even though during this short 3 mile run around my neighborhood it didn’t rain a drop!

I have not been running more than 3 miles per run. I want to run more, but have been tentative because of my history with Plantar Fasciitis. Let me repeat that: HISTORY! I am optimistic that it won’t come back as it has been over 9 months since my PRP injection which is the longest run to date that I’ve been pain free.

But… on this one particular overcast, wet morning in my highs of running euphoria, an unexpected incident occurred. I am not even sure exactly how it happened, but next thing I know while my head was chanting how great I feel… I was quickly tumbling to the pavement. On a downhill slope on the left side of a street, there I was smack on the hard cement. I lost the grip on the leash and thankfully Charlie heard me shriek her name (she runs out in front of me—the sled dog that she is) and she came back! I wasn’t sure she would as Huskies are known to be runners. A lady at the humane society had told me when I was looking for a rescue this:

What do you call a husky off leash?

Gone.

As if that didn’t freak me out about ever letting the leash go? Yikes! But Charlie is a good girl and she came right to me and it was comforting to know she was concerned that I had fallen. My other good blessing was that a neighbor was out in his front yard and he heard me squeal and came to my aid. Because, seriously, I don’t know how I would have gotten up without his assistance! It felt like I had broken my foot. I limped, with his help, over to his house and we put Charlie in his car and I sat at the edge of his car seat. I took a moment and assessed my injuries. Thankfully during the nosedive I had defaulted to the ice skater in me, knowing how to fall on hard surfaces. I managed to just hit my forearm which was covered in an arm warmer so I only had a mild abrasion. No other marks. My face saved, thankfully.

While I was taking inventory the man offered to drive me home, but my runner’s mind told me to just wait a tad and I’d be able to run home. LOL and WTF? Have I not learned a dang thing?? Needless to say, adrenaline had kicked in so I wasn’t exactly thinking clearly. Additionally, I didn’t know this guy and although I appreciate a good samaritan, there is so much ugliness out there, I don’t trust anyone and didn’t feel comfortable having him know where I live, let alone getting into his car. How sad it is really, but did you see No Country for Old Men? Because scary shit happens.

 

The site of the incident (and said truck!) I’m guessing that I tripped over that uneven pavement, but I don’t remember at all how I tumbled to the ground.

About 10 minutes had passed and I felt like I could bare weight on my left foot, the same foot that had the PF incidentally, so I thanked him and told him I was good to go. I gingerly walked down the hill as if I was just fine and turned onto the next street out of sight. Then, [stupidly] I actually tried to “run” but that was quickly nipped, the pain so intense, and it brought me back to limping. Of course at this very moment Charlie took a poop, so now not only was I limping the remaining  ¾’s of a mile to home, but I was also carrying a weighty bag of poop! Suddenly the ride was seeming like the better idea!
**Let me just note here: I always pick up my pooch’s poop. I hate that so many people don’t pick up after their dog. It’s really irresponsible and reprehensible as a pet owner to not and it drives me bonkers how much poop litters our streets and neighborhoods.
PEOPLE PICK UP YOUR DOG’S POOP OR STAY HOME!

Back at home, I sat down, pulled off my shoe and sock and saw my ankle. It was swollen the size of a baseball. I started to cry. Because. Just because.

Then I got some ice and iced it. I also got a ankle compression sleeve and wore that for a week. It was black and blue the second day. I saw the doctor a week later and she said it was sprained and had me get a lace up ankle bootie and I wore that religiously. She said I could walk on it. I had taken a week and a half off. When the bootie arrived I went out for a walk the next day-if you own a husky you know that walks are not to be missed OR ELSE!! My ankle still hurt a little, but I had to keep moving. And walking wasn’t too difficult.

Fast forward to today. It’s been about 11 and a half weeks since the incident in the street and even though I am still walking, I am not pain free. In fact at the end of 2017, I went in to get an X-ray because I was still in so much pain. The X-ray’s showed no broken bones. Then 2 weeks later I saw a foot specialist and showed him how I am completely unable to move my foot into a pointing position. Just zero mobility there. This is 10 weeks out from the injury date!

 

I’m equally pointing both feet here… wah!

He told me to wear a different ankle brace, which he gave me, that offered compression and stability, which the lace up had only offered stability. He said that the compression should help with the inflammation that I was still exhibiting. He gave me some exercises to do multiple times a day, which I will just say have been difficult to do even one time a day because of the pain, and told me if there is no improvement in 3 weeks time I will have to get an MRI to see what is going on. I have another week and a half, but so far, the mobility has been minimal, if at all, in terms of progress. At least he told me I could walk Charlie 3-4 miles a day as long as it’s on flat ground. I already knew, from trying, that hills were just too painful and if not for Charlie pulling me up them I would have not navigated them at all.

So for now, walks it is and that is better than nothing.

Run or walk, Charlie doesn’t care—just as long as we go!

I think about running while I’m walking, which is good, because I am determined to run again. People often tell me to stop running but I am not going to listen. Non-runners just don’t understand I am am not going to take the time to explain. It’s just not going to happen. There are tons of runners out there with worse hardships than plantar fasciitis and sprained ankles working hard and running miles and miles. I find inspiration in them. So, no… not going to stop even if it’s only 3 miles a day. It’s my sanctuary and I still see more miles ahead of me.

This is the first time I’ve sprained an ankle.
How have you dealt with a sprained ankle from running?

Has the pain lasted this long?

I’d love to hear from you!!

 

Balancing Act

This past week has been a test of my will and strength. I had never experienced using crutches before and have always thought, in my simple mind, it can’t be that hard/bad. Boy was I mistaken.

I should add that I went snowboarding last weekend prior to my PRP procedure and in a “skilled” move, looking to take a rest break, I sat back in the snow and bruised my tailbone. Ouch! Not only did that ruin the rest of my ski trip-because I couldn’t risk falling again, but as anyone who has done this knows, sitting hurts and it takes weeks for it to heal. Now add crutches and only balancing on one foot. Yay me! 😊 

So this is how my week has been. It’s bad enough to have you foot totally immobilized and unusable, but having to sit and roll on your tailbone to facilitate getting pants on over said boot, bending to tie shoe on the good foot, sitting on hard tile in bathroom trying to pull plastic boot cover on so you can shower…. ouch, ouch, ouch. You get it. No fun. The tailbone hurts way more than my foot, which doesn’t hurt at all. That’s the most important thing.

In fact, every part of my body hurts except my booted leg and foot. Hobbling around in crutches for the entire week has been quite the workout! The first couple of days I could barely get around without breaking a sweat! Nothing like a swift reminder of just how OUT OF SHAPE one is!! My right leg has had to balance and hop, perform single leg squats and pretty much bare all my body weight, which has accumulated since I haven’t run like I once did. It took about 3 days for my body and mind to adjust to this new way of getting around.

I have found it very interesting how our minds and body adapt to our circumstances. Survival instincts kick in. Or at least our capacity to invent. Ingenuity. How will I get from point A to point B with the things I need to carry when I have no extra set of arms? (use a handled bag) It really made me feel how fortunate I am that this is only temporary. How so many other people in the world are faced with certain disabilities and adversities and overcome them. We find a way to move on with our limitations. We don’t just give up. 

I’ve learned to manage my way, figuring out that I can do quite a lot of things left to my own devices. When my boyfriend is gone at work all day I have no choice but to get up and help myself. I am grateful and fortunate that our bathroom shower has a seated area (which I hadn’t given thought to before) so I can sit to wash my hair/shave my leg, etc. That the tub edge is wide enough to sit in so I could dry my hair. The kitchen is set up well too. The island is just close enough to the back counter that I could pass a plate or glass back and forth and slide it along to where I would need to, so I could feed myself (somewhat). In fact, our house is fairly handicap accessible. It’s one level and the only hiccups were entering the garage because it has a step down and getting into the shower-slippery and a step up and over. That scared me the most, but I figured it out and managed not to fall. I was mostly limited by the balancing on one leg. An out of shape leg that got tired fairly quickly. 

One night I was adventurous (or determined) and committed to cooking dinner. I had my boyfriend get the dry necessities down from the pantry shelves and place next to the stove that morning.

When it came time, I gathered the remaining items from the refrigerator and since I couldn’t carry all of them, I threw them to my workstation I was setting up so I didn’t have to go back and forth. This is what it looked like:

With all the pieces in place, I dragged one of the tall kitchen chairs over (thankful for slippery wood floors) gingerly sat down (remember my tailbone) and set to create my famous minestrone soup. Yes, beer IS part of the recipe. And yes, I ended up having to get a second one out because I drank the first while chopping up my ingredients. I’m human. And it tastes so good.

The soup turned out great and I know my boyfriend was thrilled he didn’t have to come home from work and try to figure out dinner, which is NOT his forte! That’s my department.

I have watched A LOT of TV this past week. I’ve been reading a bit too. It’s been restful, trying at times, as well as filled with tons of time for contemplation. I am grateful for all I have in this life and the ability to adjust to micro changes, temporary inability and self discovery. When faced with challenges it’s good to know that I can figure out how to make things work with limits. It has been a good lesson in not surrendering to defeat. It’s been nice to have help for sure but it’s also been nice to realize I can do things on my own as well. 

I’m hoping today is my last day on the crutches. I’ll be speaking with my doctor later and seeing how the foot feels. I’ve babied it all week and with that the hope is I will be able to bare weight on it and start my new job (I’m very excited) tomorrow with only the walking boot. I’m additionally thankful that my new boss already knows and is cool with it. 👍🏻

Abracadabra ⭐️⭐️⭐️ plantar fasciitis be gone!

Oh it’s been so long since I’ve written here, but I’m hoping that is going to change starting now. 

I peeked at my Facebook today (my New Years resolution is to stay off FB and check in once a month, which so far I have accomplished). But I peeked today, looking only at my “memories” which, I might add,  I haven’t liked being reminded over the past year of how many miles I used to run. Those posts have become a sad, distant memory for me. Today’s memory was just poetic- I was reminded that I had a cortisone injection 3 years ago today in my left foot for plantar fasciitis. I think that was the second of a total of three injections over the past 5 plus years for said injury. 

As I write this, I’m laying supine on my bed, my wrapped and booted left foot propped up on a super thick pillow, cat tucked in for a nap. A giant sigh escapes my body. 

Two days ago I had a procedure -a PRP injection – done on my foot. After 5 plus years of on and off chronic plantar fasciitis I decided to try something that will hopefully (and let’s all say a positive prayer for me right now) and finally end this injury. 

I researched, about a year and a half ago when I had my last flare up, shock wave therapy and found a doctor who is local (SF Bay Area) who does that procedure and does house calls, but at the time didn’t pursue him because insurance doesn’t cover the procedure and I didn’t want to spend the money when I was already paying for health insurance. I went to my regular podiatrist and that is when I received my third cortisone shot and was back in my walking boot. That worked as far as no heel pain and I only ran very short distances, 3-5 miles, closer to the 3 mile range and with walk breaks. I was terrified my PF would return if I did anything more. 

Last year I managed to run three 5K’s (2 of which I placed 1st and 2nd) and one 10K trail run (Angwin to Anguish), in the rain, where I was squeaked out of 3rd and got 4th. The 3rd place lady bamboozled me- but I won’t go there. It’s a great race btw, very scenic and hilly. 

 

The last 5K was a Turkey Chase here in Napa Valley. The whole family participated.

That was the last time I ran, and since then I’ve been mostly walking on my treadmill. After work, I’d jump on my treadmill and binge watch Netflix getting in about 20 miles of walking in a week. 

I could feel a tinge of pain in my heel coming on, but ignored it until about a month ago. The pain was coming back and I couldn’t really continue walking like I was. 

Enter depression. On top of having to put down my sweet golden retriever of 15-1/2 years in mid January, something that still makes me sad,  the pain was back and I was feeling hopeless. I would sit and think, why? Why when I finally found something that made me super happy, that made me feel like a superhero, that inspired me to push myself and encourage others, that made me feel like my life had purpose, why was this taken from me? Yes, I was feeling very sorry for myself. 

I was interested in the shock wave therapy again and decided to see if I could get that done. I called my podiatrist and asked if I could do it. Typical doctors office response “we haven’t seen you in 15 months, so you need to come in first and have the doctor exam you.” Yes, so he can tell me the same thing and charge me more. This doctor too, advised me to stop running. This is just not an option. 

Enter Doc On The Run. I emailed him all that I have been through with the laundry list of therapies I’ve done to rid myself of PF. Nothing has permanently gotten it to go away. 

Doc On The Run isn’t your ordinary podiatrist. He’s an award winning foot surgeon who is himself an athlete, runner, cyclist, ironman. Who better to consult with than someone who can relate and is an expert in the field? I’d been on his email podcast list since I researched him a year and a half ago and because I am in between jobs this week, wanted to take advantage of this time off to fix my foot once and for all! Unlike my old podiatrist who couldn’t move quickly, Dr. Segler was on it. He called me right away and we talked about my options.  We set up a formal consultation for the next day (this was last Thursday before my week off) and he told me all the options I could choose from and recommended the PRP injection as my best treatment. Taking advantage of having this week to recover he arranged for the procedure to happen on Monday giving me the entire week to rest my foot before starting my new job. 

I can’t tell you how impressed I am with Dr. Segler and his services. He is available 24/7 to answer questions. He responds within hours of any emails. He calls on the Weeknd. HE MAKES HOUSE CALLS! 

Doc On The Run check him out for yourself! He works worldwide.

The big day: Dr. Segler worked some magic to expedite getting the equipment and drove up to my home in Napa to perform the PRP injection. He was very professional and took the time to go over everything and answer all the questions I had. He set up a sterile area in my living room where I would be getting my injection. 

First he drew blood from my arm. I told him I bruise easy with blood draws and he said then I would probably have a bruise. But my bruise is very small and almost unoticeable which is great since I expected it to be huge. It’s not. Then he placed my blood in a centrifuge, where it spins my blood for 15 minutes. This separates my blood into 3 sections. The middle section holds the platelet rich plasma which is what will be injected back into my foot to promote healing. 

You can see my foot is all prepped. While my blood was spinning he injected my foot with lidocane, a numbing agent. This was the most painful part. I think I kicked him during one of the injections. Sorry doc. 

Now that my foot was numb and the PRP ready he quickly injected my foot on the spots he had marked on my foot prior. I didn’t feel a thing and afterwards he showed me the rather large needle. Yikes! I kept my eyes closed for all the injections as I was already nervous about it all. I kinda wished I had watched the plasma injections. When I had dared to open my eyes he was already done.

He then wrapped my foot and leg in a wet cast and a couple other layers of gauze or dry cast material. Not sure of the technicalities of it all. He finished it off with a sock.

And lastly, the full length walking boot.

I was given a folder of written instructions and a pain script, he made sure I was comfortable and had my TV remote. ☺️Number 1 instruction: stay off my foot for 48 hours, best… stay in bed. And so here I am. I have crutches if I need to get up, and am to use for the rest of the week. Followed by a week or two in the walking boot. I’m not thrilled to be in the boot for my new job, but at least I won’t be on the crutches and frankly, the more I can stay off my foot the better it will heal and I’m 100% behind that! 

Can I say, walking on crutches sucks! My armpits hurt!! 

Dr. Segler was here for about an hour and a  half. My foot was pretty numb afterwards and that lasted for a few hours. He called me before I went to bed to check on me. How many doctors do that? Um… none! The only pain I felt was during the night. The top of my foot was super achy. I called him at 5:30 am after being up every two hours. He told me to remove the top layer of coverings on my foot. That helped. Last night I still had some pain on the top of my foot. I don’t know why things have to hurt during the night. I think it hurts because my foot is in a flexed position and when I’m sleeping it doesn’t get much circulation. One thing I haven’t felt, heel pain. The only pain I feel is from hobbling around in crutches. All those muscles hurt and make me not want to get up. I guess that will keep me off my feet! Did I mention my armpits HURT! 

So the doc will check in again this week and I will take off the bandages maybe Friday while he is on the phone with me remotely. At that point I will just be in the walking boot for a week, maybe two, hopefully not three. It will just depend on how my body is healing. This has been chronic for so many years, it could take time. I’m hoping not so much time. 

For more information about PRP click this link.  PRP
Keep your fingers crossed for me, say a prayer, send me good positive vibes. I need to get better. I need to run again. I need to be my best self. I need to be me! Whole and healthy. 

Thank you!! I will keep you posted.

Because I’m Happy…

Doc M to the Rescue
I went to a new “foot” specialist this past Wednesday. The previous week I had seen an orthopaedics and sports medicine specialist. I saw her a year ago, and although not too impressed with her then (I swear she keeps her office temp at 101 degrees), I did get the results I needed which was she referred me to another doc that gave me a cortisone shot. After that, it was all good from there on. I never went back. My PF got better and I went to see the wonderful Dr. Chappy, the chiropractor who helped, I am sure, in keeping me out on the road.

But then the Plantars came back and here I am today, not running for 12 weeks. Except for 3 days ago.

So why did I go to a new doctor? Simply put, this first Doctor, Kristin Wingfield, would not let me get another cortisone shot and suggested I get an MRI. She thinks I could have a tear. Then she told me to “go to the gym, work out your core, strengthen your legs and come back in 6 weeks.” I actually felt like she was making me feel like I don’t ever excercise. I felt insulted by her. It was a strange visit. I felt like she wasn’t even listening to me and I left frustrated and in tears on the drive home.  Plus, her office was so damn hot… I was sweating in there (again). I did not like this doctor, and I would never, never recommend her to anyone, EVER!

In my previous post, my friend Andrew taped my foot this past Sunday, as he has been doing for his PF and I got to run for the first time. I took it easy, I warmed up with a 1/4 mile walk (all on the treadmill here, I’m not trying to be a hero), then a 1/4 mile run. Pretty slow, 5 mph, but still running, and pain free. I continued this alternating pattern until I hit 3 miles total, making my run a 1.5 mile run.

I can’t even begin to tell you how wonderful it was to run again. So I will let you hear it here, in this video of my favorite song right now (and a great run song.) It says it all:

My little run, it was PURE JOY! It was so wonderful, and I had forgotten just how much I love to do it. I’m sure some  people will think what a crazy lady… she wants to run… she loves to run. I’m sure it sounds like drudgery to some. That is what house cleaning sounds like to me—drudgery.

I won’t lie, although my foot didn’t hurt even a spec while I was running, it did hurt later. Which was ok, as I had my doctor appt. the next morning.

Enter Dr. M.
He was friendly, he listened to my entire tale of my PF, which spans over a year of time, trials, and woes. I told him how I get blisters on my feet, that I’m a toe runner, that I’ve broken the small bone (years ago) in the ball of my foot, etc. I told him of all the doctors I’ve seen, the therapies I’ve done and of course he never heard of the previous not-liked doctor. HA! He had heard of all the others I’ve seen including the one Andrew goes to.

He did some mobility tests. It was interesting. I could bend the normal foot fairly normally, but when it came to my left one, the PF Pain-in-the-butt foot, I could bend my toes abnormally way back and not a spec forward. Not so good. He said I am really tight.

He also told me I didn’t need an MRI and that if I had a tear, I would not have been able to run the day before and I would be in a lot more pain. He said that 98% of people with PF can cure it conventionally. And even before surgury for the other 2%, they can do this shock wave therapy, which is non-invasive.

I wish I had an awesome memory like my son does, but I don’t. I can’t share all the details with you. But what we concluded was this. I will get some custom orthotics insoles, which I have been so against, but enough is enough, and he promised they won’t be all that hard. And that they would help me not get blisters like I’ve been getting. Thanks to ObamaCrap ObamaCare, I have shitty insurance now with a company that used to give me great insurance, so I will likely be completely out of pocket for them. Way to go Barack!

OK… the best part. He said, ‘I’m giving you a cortisone shot today.’ Woot Woot… I didn’t even mention wanting one. He also said I should wear small heeled shoes the rest of the day… UM… do you know who you are talking to? I am the HEEL QUEEN! That was music to my ears! He said normally he doesn’t recommend his female clients to wear heels, but in this instance, it would help take the pressure off my heel. He said ‘doesn’t wearing heels feel better when you wear them?’… um yeah! He said, ‘but I bet the ball of your foot hurts too?’… um… yea, I said sheepishly. He told me to ice it at night the first few nights and to make sure I stretch my calves as I had done that run and would be tight.

Get a second opinion
I finally feel like I’m getting somewhere with solving my PF problem. I even think that if the orthotics work how he was describing, than I will be able to run like the wind again. I am so excited. First, though, I need to let the cortisone do it’s job in making the pain go away, which so far has not happened. I can’t remember how long it took the last time to kick in. A week? I hope only that long. Next step: the new orthotics and then hopefully some awesome running and no more pain or blisters are in my near future!!! I CAN’T WAIT !!

Have a wonderful weekend. Run safe.

Wise Words From The Road

I was told yesterday by a wise individual, that in life, we can pretty much relate all situations to running. He had a great metaphor to running that related to something we were discussing. Damn if I can’t remember it precisely, but it was good and struck a cord with me. It got me to thinking… about what running has done for me and what it means to me. I don’t think everyone who runs feels this, but this person does, like I do… we see a correlation between running and, well… life.

When I started running, it filled a void in my life. It brought me back to life from the depths of despair and made me a stronger individual. It showed me who I am, and just what I am capable of, which turns out, is quite a lot-more than I ever thought. Running makes me a superhero version of myself. I read a quote somewhere that said something of that sort. There is also this great quote by George Lucas.

“The door to your cage is open. All you have to do is walk out… if you dare.”

How many of us are living in cages? I mean, it is scary out there right?

Being that it is still January and the New Year, I might as well tell you my new year’s resolutions. They are pretty simple, but I need to kinda repeat them to myself now and then. The first one is this:

1. Do the things that make ME happy.

This is something that I don’t always do. I tend to want to make others happy and forget about myself, which often tends to backfire, so I am being proactive about taking care of me–FIRST. Running is one of the things that makes me happy, and it’s something I haven’t been doing much of due to the PF. I am hoping that is going to change soon. That is another post. Another day. For now, I am walking, and that (even though I am still having pain) is making me happy. I also changed my hair recently, I’ve gone blonde, because I wanted a change (and I prepared myself for months for it) and that is making me happy. I love to travel and want to plan more escapes, so that is on my list… traveling sure makes me happy. So, you get it… do things to please yourself. They don’t all have to be big. Maybe try a new soap scent or something on a smaller scale.

sometimes change is good? you tell me…

The other resolution is:

2. Don’t be afraid of change.

Whew… that is a toughie. At least for me it is. But this year is going to be full of changes I’m afraid and I need to embrace them and not panic. I tend to like things that are familiar and easy. I don’t like surprises and I like having a plan. Sometimes you can’t always plan and I can roll with that, but in general, I live a much less stressed out existence by having a plan in place. I feel more in control, secure and that brings peace of mind. I think others can relate and I’m not alone in that kind of thinking. Geez, I hope I’m not.

Now and then, life throws you some zingers, and running usually is there to help even out the craziness. But when I’m not running, I can reflect back on what running has taught me in how I deal with certain ‘potholes’ if you will, in life. Sometimes you can’t side step them, avoiding them completely, and you have to run through them, head on. And yeah… you might get wet, or even muddy. But you will survive.

I guess this brings me back to PF (Plantar Fasciitis for those of you just tuning in) and not being afraid to get to the bottom of this ongoing pain. Which means, I guess I’m going to talk about it now. Hey, it’s run girl’s ramblings and I have the authority here to ramble.

Over the last month, I tried a few different things to fix my PF. I went to an acupuncturist, and was so hopeful he was going to heal my heel. He even said he has fixed hundreds of PF patients and claimed he could fix me in 2-3 visits. I wanted so badly for that to be true. But… unfortunately that didn’t work.

Then I saw the orthopedic doc I saw a year ago who referred me to get the cortisone shot, which now was what I wanted as if life depended on it. She said no, that I needed an MRI and if not that then to strengthen the rest of my body for the next 6 weeks and then see if my foot still hurts. That sure depressed me. And MRI is $$$ and my insurance isn’t the best. And wait another 6 weeks? No thanks. After a sleepless night, I decided to bite the bullet and get an MRI, after I get a new doctor and a second opinion.

Yesterday, a running buddy-the wise individual I mentioned at the beginning of this post-showed me his taping method for PF that he has been using. It’s top secret, so I can’t tell you at the moment how to do it, but I will say, it has certainly taken the bite off of the pain in my heel. I have worn it for over 24 hours now and I wore 4″+ heels to work today for 8 hours. I was certain my foot would hurt after sitting around during dinner and such, but oddly, it doesn’t. I also walked over 10 miles this past weekend, so you would think it would be sore from that. It was pretty sore, yesterday prior to my foot getting taped. I find this weird and fascinating all at once. Even more crazy is that for the first time in 12 weeks.. yes you read that right… 12 friggin’ weeks, I want to try running tomorrow. Crazy talk, I know. So, if I feel like this in the morning, I am going to do a walk / run on the treadmill and see how it feels. At this point, I don’t think I can do any more harm, and as a back up, I already have an appointment in play with a new foot doctor for the next day. I will get to the bottom of this. As Tom said to me last week (even though at the time I didn’t want to hear it or accept it, and when I was at a very low point with that doctor visit), he said… I need to tackle this foot issue as if I was tackling a marathon. Full throttle. I hate when he’s right. Which by the way is only 10% of the time, I’m right the other 90%. 😉

One thing I know, I am capable of getting through this low point, running has taught me that. That superhero version of me is waiting to fly again. So I will hold strong and work my way back down the road to running again, and solving life’s problems, one footfall at a time.