I started writing this a few weeks ago, and just didn't get around to publishing it, mostly because I was hoping it would change. I've been dealing with a pain in my foot for awhile. I was running through it, and just hoping it was something like a pulled muscle, but the longer I ran the more it throbbed. The nine-mile run I completed was pretty painful, and I started to worry that I had a stress fracture. I went to the orthopedic doctor and they ran x-rays - no fracture. That was great news. The not so great news was that I had a very, very inflamed tendon. At the time I went in (about 5-6 weeks ago I suppose) it was hurting simply to walk on it. You guys know how important this half is to me. He told me I couldn't run it and I immediately started trying (unsuccessfully) to hold back tears. He said that if I continued to run, I was at risk of more permanant damage, and also told me that it would absolutely only hurt more and not get better if I didn't rest. As much as I want to do this half, I want to enjoy the experience. But, I felt like I was letting people down. So many people have been cheering me on, and the last thing I want to do is be a disappointment to them. I'm not a quitter anymore, and it's been really, really hard to listen to the advice of the doctor and postpone this dream for just a little while longer. That's best though, so that's what I've done. I was in a boot initially just to settle the inflammation, and I'm in physical therapy twice a week right now. He hasn't cleared me to start running, but I'm back to yoga, and modified HIIT classes. I feel like it's getting better, but there are definitely things that are still painful for me, and that's frustrating. I know this time will pass, and I'll be glad I fixed the problem, but it's hard to wait. Apparently, the impact to that particular part of my foot is due to some pretty severe pronating. That just means I run on the inside of my foot rather than distributing the impact over my full foot. It's likely what caused my knee issue earlier in the year as well. We're focusing on retraining those muscles to work properly, and that's proving to be a challenge. I'll get there though. I'd like to run a half that is here in Texas at the end of February, but it all depends on when he releases me. I need to be able to build up my training again, and I'm not sure I can do it in under 8 weeks. I'm keeping an open mind and being patient, and when it happens, it happens.
In other news, IT IS ALMOST CHRISTMAS. I love everything about Christmas, and I'm already over-the-moon on the daily. I want all the music, all the decorations, and allllll the Christmas shows. It's my favorite time of the year, and I am so very happy about that. It's quite the welcome distraction!
