It's Not Good.

Let me apologize to you in advance: this is not a happy post.  I just returned from the orthopedist.  I'm really disappointed.

Hold still; this won't hurt a bit.

Ok, it's not that bad, but I'm pretty upset.  The doctor said that the fracture is still visible after four weeks of being in the boot.  I have at least two more weeks in the boot, and I'm not allowed to do ANY exercise involving my foot.

Me:  What about yoga?

Doctor:  Well, you could. . .no.

Me:  Aqua jogging?  I promise I won't touch the bottom of the pool.

Doctor:  No.  That will keep you from healing.  In fact, that will lead to surgery.

Me:  Swimming?

Doctor:  Uh-uh.

Me:  Can I run the Akron Marathon at the end of September?

Doctor:  Oh God, no!  That was never in the cards!  You need WEEKS before you can even start PT.  You won't even be able to think about running until November.

At that point I started fiddling with my boot so she couldn't see the tears in my eyes.

I realize that I have first-world problems.  I do.  I came home to my family basically telling me to Suck-it-up-Buttercup-and-take-care-of-us, and I just don't think I can today.  Jesus, I've been trying to be a ray of sunshine for weeks now; I need a day to mourn.
1.  I can't run the race I look forward to the most during the year, the Akron Half Marathon.
2.  I already paid for my bib, so I lost my money.
3.  I won't be able to run the Columbus Hot Chocolate, which is my only destination race.
4.  Running was my stress therapy.  I am having a difficult time keeping my head together.  I have been miserable since I broke my foot.  I don't know if I can continue like this for another two months.

I'm telling you this because people have been so kind, asking about my foot and wishing me well.  I hope to be able to overcome this setback, but right now I see black clouds.

Keeping the Faith

The only good thing about this broken foot is that today I was in the supermarket and a cute guy asked me about it and then we compared injuries and healing time.  He looked exactly like this:

I have an appointment with the orthopedist this Friday, which will mark almost four weeks of healing.  I'm wearing the boot whenever I have to put weight on the foot, and I am doing all my exercises, including aqua jogging.  Think good thoughts for me!

Aqua Jogging It

Today marks two weeks since I broke my foot.  Click here if you wonder how I did it.  A broken metatarsal is no reason to slack on my training.  Today I am on Day 13 of the 30-Day Ab Challenge (60 sit-ups, 75 crunches, 40 leg raises, 50 seconds plank) and Day 9 of the 30-Day Push-up Challenge (23 push-ups).  I also use an exercise ball to do back, arm, chest, and shoulder strengthening exercises, but I know it's not enough.  If I expect to run the Akron Half Marathon at the end of September, I've got to keep up the endurance.

Enter aqua jogging.   Aqua jogging is perfect for me because I wear a flotation belt when I do it, so my broken foot can't touch the pool bottom.  Check out this demonstration video:

One big disadvantage to aqua jogging is that it is boring as hell.  Luckily for me, my friend Shannon has agreed to do it with me 2-3 times a week.  We tried it out last Friday, and even though I was "running" as quickly as I could, I didn't feel the cardiovascular workout the way I do when I run; however, my legs felt a bit wobbly when I got out of the pool.

I am in week 2 of my broken foot; my appointment is at the end of August.  I'm really hoping the orthopedist will give me the go ahead at that point.

Good thoughts good thoughts good thoughts good thoughts good thoughts

SuperFanning It

Today was a significant race for the Towpath Turtles, the Perfect 10 Miler.  They have already run eleven miles on the long, slow run, but as we all know, racing is different.

Here we are AFTER the race, looking pretty. . .pretty badass, that is.

I was incredibly frustrated because I was supposed to run this race, and well, you know what happened.  The course is largely fast and flat (with a little hill at the end for some added torment), and I had planned to really push myself as a practice run for the Akron Half Marathon.  Needless to say, events did not go as planned, but I really wanted to be there. . .as a SuperFan.

One thing that makes our running club different is that we celebrate all runners.  That means that we cheer for everyone, and we cheer to the end.  Lauren and I met the Turtles before the race to wish them luck, then we drove to the midpoint of the race and cheered EVERY RUNNER who passed us.  Then we drove to the end to cheer everyone through the chute.  There were other supporters there who didn't seem to do much supporting.  They stood around silently while Lauren and I lost our voices hooting, hollering, joking with runners, promising beer and cookies at the end (we were lying about the beer) and uvulating every time we saw a Turtle.  No link here, folks, look it up if you don't know what it means.  Shannon was down the course from us doing the same thing, plus she had a cowbell (I have a fever . . for more cowbell).

It really was a lot of fun.  So many runners thanked us or laughed or smiled at us, and I remembered what it feels like when someone, ANYONE, acknowledges me in a race.

So far I have been able to SuperFan one race and volunteer twice for the Burning River 100 Mile Endurance Run.  Each time I have given my time and effort, I have received a return that was greater than my investment.  In the case of Burning River, that is literally true: I arrived with nothing and left three hours later with a watermelon, a case of ginger ale, and two jugs of water.  Anyway, you know what  I mean.

Well done today, Towpath Turtles!  You rocked the 10 Miler!

This is Shannon and me, with one good pair of legs between us!

Anything to Heal

Today I had my first Reiki session.  The link tells you a bit about Reiki.  I bought a coupon from Groupon to Iuventus Spa in Hudson.  I had never done this before, and I was curious to try it.  What better time than when I have a broken foot and I am already desperate?

The session was much more than a relaxing laying-on-of-hands.  It was very emotional for me.  I did several exercises to unblock some memories and the feelings just came pouring out.  Bring Kleenex if you go.  What I liked about it was that I felt very safe, and I was able to not only express my emotions, but I had specific tasks to do during the session to bring myself safely through the feelings and to a better emotional state at the end.  I feel better, but I think I'm going to need a few more days to process those feelings.

I truly believe that if I find a way to unblock the way I repress the negativity around me, I will stop injuring myself in stupid ways.  Health isn't always just about eating right and exercising; there is a lot of psychological and spiritual stuff that needs to happen, too.

Even though I am in a boot, and I am out of commission for 4-6 weeks, I can't ignore the physical stuff.  I have re-started the 30 day ab challenge (because I value my life, I won't be including the kids this time), and I have started the 30-day pushup challenge, as well as adding some glute and thigh exercises to my morning.  I am going to ask my school's recreation center if I can buy a temporary pass so I can do some swimming or aqua jogging before school.

I am really motivated to heal.  I want to run in the Akron Half Marathon, but I will be cutting it very close.  I realize that I might not have a PR, but I will be happy to run again with my peeps.

Here is a screenshot of the 30-day ab challenge.  Want to join me?

See those abs?  That's EXACTLY like me.

Nuts

There are so many ways to approach the title of this post. . .

It was a beautiful morning, the sun was shining, it was 63 degrees--every necessary component for a successful eleven mile run with the Turtles.

"Look out for these nuts," Renee said.  "They are treacherous."    The nuts were covering the side of the road, slippery little suckers.  As soon as Renee warned us, I stepped on one and my right foot rolled in.  I saved myself from outright falling, but I knew as soon as I stopped that something was very wrong.

Nuts

"Nuts!"  I said.  Ok, at this point if you know me at all, you know that I didn't say that, but hey, what if a kid is reading this?  I tentatively started walking, and the pain was intense.  Maybe you've stumbled or overextended a muscle and you knew that you would be ok in a few minutes?  Yeah, that wasn't me.  I KNEW that I had jacked myself up.  Again.

I told my fellow Turtles (who were kind enough to offer to run for a car for me) that I'd be able to make it to my own car (which was over two miles away).  They looked at me like I was nuts, and I realized that they were right when I limped to Szalay's Farm Market about a third of a mile away.  There was no way I could walk to my car.  I borrowed a cell phone from a kind couple on the Towpath ("What?" they said.  "You don't even own a cell phone?  That's nuts!"), and called my husband, who already thinks I'm. . . well, you know.

Nuts

One trip to the emergency room later, and I know I'm going to go. . . batty (see what I did there?) from not running for two weeks AGAIN.  My foot is broken.

The good news is that the emergency room doctor thinks I'll be able to run in a couple weeks, but I have to see an orthopedic doctor right away to make sure I don't need surgery.

The bad news is that I already paid for the Perfect 10-Miler for next Sunday.

The good news is that this is my chance to be a SuperFan for the Turtles in the race next Sunday.

The bad news is that without running away from trouble, I may be driving those I love. . .

Nuts