Stupid Foot

"Oh God" the young doctor (inappropriately?) said to me as he flexed my big toe with one hand and held his palm over my foot with the other. Great. "This is insane", he continued. Finally, he cut to the chase: severe tendinitis. From my big toe all the way up to my ankle and into part of my shin. Apparently, you could "feel" it. After the x-ray confirmed there were no cracks or fractures, I immediately ask about the half. The last 4 months of training is flashing through my head. "But what if I wake up next Sunday morning and feel fabulous?? Can I run??" ...I am begging. He could tell that if there was even the slightest improvement in my foot in the next 8 days, I'd be in that race.

Home with instructions to pump myself full of ibuprofen and rest/ice/elevate whenever possible, I had a decision to make. Up until this morning, I seriously debating running - pain or no pain. What's the worst that could happen? It's not a stress fracture so my foot won't break. It's already spread as far as it could. I'd rather run the half and take whatever time off afterwards to allow my foot to heal. However, the one thing the doctor did say is that he believes the inflammation was so severe that it would become unbearable and prevent me from finishing. Those words, along with the support of Eric and my dad, guided me to bag the half and take this time to allow my foot to fully heal. I've never been more disappointed. It really sucks to have worked so hard for something, taking time away from my husband and kids, and not be able to complete my goal. But on the other hand, it was amazing being able to see how far I could push my body.

Having fractured my hip in high school cross country and being told by my PT that anything over 6 miles would cause a re-fracture, completing over 11 miles in training is an accomplishment in itself. I pushed my body to its limits; giving my all in both my speed/distance work outs and cross training. I carb loaded before and protein-boosted after. I stretched and foam rolled until I swore I was inches taller. All this training won't be put to waste, since I hope to complete a half this spring. But as for this Sunday, I'll have to cheer on my dad and my husband - who took my place in the race.

Stupid, stupid foot!