Good Feet

Life rarely goes just the way I thought it would. Let me paint you a picture with regards to Isaac. He attends two different Mother's Day Out programs, both at churches. One had a "Fall Carnival" (with no costumes allowed) and the other had a "Fall Festival," but the kids could ONLY come dressed as nursery rhyme characters. Well, Isaac chose to be a fire fighter for Halloween this year, so I didn't exactly have a nursery rhyme character costume lying around. And I didn't want to buy one for just one little party. They could be found online (costly, mind you) but not here in local stores.

So, I did what any good mom would do: I made one. By hand. No sewing machine (because I lent mine out ages ago and am, frankly, intimidated by it anyway). I thought "How hard could it be? I'm going to do it simply." Famous last words. I sat in my dining room and hand sewed Humpty Dumpty for THREE HOURS earlier this week.

In goes Humpty to get his trick-or-treat on! Notice the rick rack break line in his shell.

Next I made a beeline for Memphis to go purchase my new orthotics! I was a bit concerned that they wouldn't be "custom," but I arrived at The Good Feet Store and learned that they had 115 varieties, based on the measurements of my feet. I walked across an upside down ink tray that produced impressions of my feet on white paper. The kind fellow said that I had great arches, thanks to my six-year-old orthotics. He said it in a kind of way that indicated "You really shouldn't have such great arches, considering how much you run." Ha!

He brought out two types of inserts, based on my foot length, width and arch position. Detailed, I know. Who needs custom for $200 more? We decided on the lesser of the two (lesser in terms of what they do and how much they cost). He thought the lesser would do a great job for me. He also thought they just might make me less of a heel striker. Now we're talkin'! If that's true, my shoes should last a bit longer.

These will take some getting used to, as did my old ones. Six years ago, I didn't respect the transition time enough and ended up with an overuse injury in my left foot. That resulted in time off and sadness. Here comes the unexpected revelation: I am going to very, very slowly get back to running and NOT be hard-headed and let my feet do what they need to do. I will run "for fun," which is a major change for this "I only train" girl. I might even get out there Garmin-free! I will target a spring marathon and confidently train for it closer to the end of the year. The Mississippi Blues Marathon is not going anywhere. Maybe 2013 will be my year to tackle the hills of Jackson.

Yay for me and my new zen-like running attitude. Quite a change!

Wait And See

I am a happy woman. My foot pain, which was constant, lasted for five solid days (Monday - Friday). Saturday came and it was gone. It has stayed away ever since, but I went to see the orthopaedic doctor anyway... just in case. I felt silly going in there with not a pain in the world, but I thought it best to tell him what exactly happened and how I felt, etc.

X-rays showed "a perfect foot." Well lah-te-dah! Then, the hilarious Dr. C walked in and our matching senses of humor took over. Mind you, others would probably find his manner today offensive, but I did not. I laughed so loud a nurse popped her head in to check on us.

Him: What do you have going on?

Me: I was out running, and... (interruption)

Him: How far?

Me: Eight miles.

Him: That's a long way.

Me: Not really. But after that my foot started hurting (I motioned where). It felt like someone was pinching it in there for five straight days, but not since then. I haven't run since then (eight days ago).

Him: So what does that tell you?

Me: Well, I know it was running related.

Him: Come on, Einstein, it hurt and then you stopped running. Hmm...

Me: I know - it's obvious.

Him: When do you want to go running next?

Me: If you say it's OK, I'll go fifteen minutes from now.

Him: What do you want to happen?

Me: I want you to tell me what caused this, and maybe how I can prevent it from happening again.

Him: People in hell want ice water. (insert huge, belly laugh) You irritated it somehow, and it may or may not come back. I'll give you a prescription for a stronger anti-inflammatory.

Me: But I don't want a 'band-aid', I want a cure.

Him: Well, that's not really an option. Take it for thirty days.

He left to go write it up, and I realized that I forgot to show him my six-year-old orthotics. I stepped out with one in my hand and a nurse said "WHAT IS THAT???" I told her. She asked if it worked, in disbelief. Um... yes. He popped out and said "Where did you get that, the Smithsonian?" Ha! He kills me! He recommended a local store, as opposed to a podiatrist, for custom orthotics. He said he'd rather I give my money to him. Ha!

Again, this totally worked for me. We are well matched. My hubby, however, found it offensive, as might you. Oh well - my foot, my doctor.

So now I will get back on the road and see what happens. I am still unsure about January 7th, but at least I am pain free for the time being and have the promise of being able to do what I love -- all with a funny story to go along with it.

Pondering Change

First, the good news: Chasen made it home safely from his fourth business trip to China! Isaac and I were both over the moon.

Now on to the running. My Hanson-inspired training plan that I personally created has proven to be too much for me, at least at this time. Each run seemed to be more demoralizing that the last. I was feeling "overtrained" a bit, to say the least. Monday was pretty much the final straw. After three days off, thanks to a funky stomach bug of sorts, I went to a friend's house and parked for a 9-mile run. She lives "way out" and had new scenery to offer. I did alright for the first four miles, but then hit my current 4-mile wall and it was all I could do to muster up the energy (and desire) to walk back to my car. Ugh!

I realized that change was in order. I immediately (after venting to excellent friends, of course) consulted my favorite running book that I've had since the very beginning, and I decided to switch to the plan that I used to train for the 2011 Cowtown Marathon. Bing, bang, boom - problem solved. Or so I hoped.

Within an hour or so, my right foot began to hurt. There goes my running! Long story short, it feels like someone is pinching something in there very tightly. It pretty much hurt 24/7 for 5 days straight. Only now am I getting a bit of relief. Coach Terry thinks, based on his own, personal experience, I may have a bit of tendonitis. I have an appointment set up for Tuesday morning. We shall see!

The strange thing is that I am extremely calm about it, and the idea of not being able to run for a while does NOT freak me out. I know, I know - did someone switch brains with me in the middle of the night?

If I can't run on January 7th, well - that race isn't going anywhere. With 44 more states to run in, I'll have no shortage of marathons to choose from. Time (or Dr. C...) will tell.

It's Never Too Early

The awesome folks over at Shutterfly have done it again! They are offering fifty free holiday cards to a few lucky people. I am very grateful to be among that list. I have already been browsing through this year's selection and have come up with a few favorites. It's never too early to get into the holiday spirit!

Chasen is adamant that the words "Merry Christmas" be on the card, so obviously that narrowed my field a bit since Shutterfly has sooooooo many varieties of holiday cheer. Wait a sec - he may have done me a favor!

If you would like to be one of the lucky ones to receive fifty free cards, please leave a comment with a way for me to contact you. The first THREE people will be given free promo codes. Happy Holidays!

Woe Is Me

The past two weeks of running have been TOUGH. All I can seem to do is "get through it." I have come up with a few excuses (103 day running sabbatical over the summer, weight gain, poor sleeping - to name a few), but hey... it is what it is.

In other news, Chasen has left for yet another work trip to China. This is trip #4 since this time last year. Prior to him flying the coop, we tried to make sure that Isaac got plenty of "daddy time."

Last week I skipped TWO runs because I was just plain worn out. They weren't long runs, but still. I don't like to skip runs. This week I ran eight miles on Monday evening prior to Chasen's departure. Eight miles! As opposed to my opening statement, it went decently. Every run since then has been in the toilet. The Hanson Brothers are kicking my rear. By Wednesday's long run I am just dragging.

That said, I am just happy to be getting the runs done considering that Chasen is gone and I only have the time Isaac is at Mother's Day Out to run. People keep telling me "completing the distance is good enough." While I somewhat agree, I am desperate for a good run. Let's hope one appears soon!

Let's Get (A) Physical!

Yesterday I had my first physical exam since probably before I left for college. Two things prompted me to go in for it. 1) Our insurance likes for us to do so. 2) I was concerned about my cholesterol. Even though I run a zillion miles and try to watch what I eat, only once in the past years can I remember having an overall level under 200 (which is considered normal/healthy).

I donated blood at a church blood drive right after my running sabbatical ended (103 days without running and very little other exercise, other than keeping up with Isaac) and my cholesterol level was -gasp!- 229. That hurt. It really got me worried.

I have also been extremely thirsty lately, which I know is sometimes a warning sign of diabetes. I thought "well, surely I'm not diabetic or have a malfunctioning thyroid," but the doc thought we ought to check for those things while we were at it. Better safe than sorry.

I just got a phone call that really turned my frown upside down. A nurse called with my bloodwork results. Here's the scoop:

My overall cholesterol is now 215. Mind you, under 200 is better, but at least it has come down 14 points since I am back on the road. The nurse actually referred to it as "good."

The HDL cholesterol (the good kind) was 100! It is supposed to be over 60, and nurse said he had never seen one so high. Thank you, Jesus!

The LDL cholesterol (the bad kind) was 96, and it should be under 100. So I'm close, but "good enough." I'll take it... and I'll also work on it.

My triglycerides were 95, and they should be less than 150.

My fasting glucose was 83, and it should be 65-100. No signs of diabetes, he said. Or thyroid issues, for that matter. Looks like I'm just a thirsty gal. :)

This is such a huge relief to me. I really want to set a good, positive example for my son, as well as be around for him for a very long time. Now back to the salad!

Survival Of The Un-Fittest

Well, I have done it. I made it through a very, very rough week -- both on the running front and on the life front. Last week was epic in terms of having "a full plate." In seven days I hosted two events at my home (which required LOTS of cleaning), went out to mandatory events five nights, attended a continuing education class and volunteered about six hours away from home, all while keeping the home fires burning while Chasen had a quick work trip to Missouri. Whew!

I was determined to accomplish all of my runs, since it was to be my last "easy" week of only four runs. The three five milers went.... um, err... well, they went. Sometimes just getting out of the house to cover the mileage is an accomplishment in itself.

Now it's a new week! After the previous humdinger of a week, I was staring down a 6-miler on very little rest. Determined to at least attempt it, I was quite pleased with my progress on the out-and-back hilly course. It's amazing how sometimes we can pull decent splits while feeling like death warmed over, yet other times we struggle after a full night's sleep. Such is life.

My 6-miler actually gave me a bit of hope about my upcoming marathon. I still have a long way to go, but that success did help my psyche a bit. We all need a little boost now and then. Let's do this thing!