A Fitting End...

So...I have a stress fracture in my left foot (several of you called it correctly).

On Wednesday, after waking up for the third consecutive morning with a swollen foot, toes that looked like thumbs, and even Walter saying: "you should get that looked at." I decided to call a doctor.

I am one of the lucky ones in this country with very reasonable insurance and a PPO, so I called a Sports Medicine specialist directly instead of going through the whole rigamarole of contacting a primary care physician, then getting a referral, then getting to see a specialist. I'd heard good things about a place called the San Diego Sports Medicine and Orthopedic Center*, and it's near my house, and it's covered by my insurance, so I called them.

As luck would have it, they had a cancellation..."Could I be there in a 1/2 hour?"

Oh sure.

So, I talked to the doc briefly and gave him a really brief history of my injury issues this year (quite frankly, not that he asked, but I offered information nonetheless, and was COMPLETELY DISAPPOINTED by his response that maybe I should find another activity than running! And for THIS I went to a sports medicine specialist?)

((sigh))

So, they X-ray'd the foot and the doc looked at it and reported back that the X-ray looked clear and that I didn't appear to have a fracture, but "let's take a closer look." Then he started poking around my 2nd and 3rd metatarsal, at which point I almost screamed in pain.

"That hurts?"

"oh yeah, when you push there, I want to slap you."

"hmmm...let me take a second look at that X-ray..."

So he returned and said that when he shone (shined?) a light on that spot, there was a very small chip in my bone... diagnosis? A stress fracture.

((double-sigh))

So, I'm not to run for the next four weeks...at least. I have a followup on January 13 and he'll let me know if it's healed.

((EVEN BIGGER sigh))

In all honesty, I wasn't surprised by the edict. I haven't written much about my foot aches and pains recently because 1.) I was in denial. If I wrote about it, it'd be real then I'd have to deal with it, which would mean not running and I was minimally running already, 2.) I'm sick of writing about foot pain, and 3.) I suspect everyone is tired of reading about it. But, I'm pretty sure I did the damage sometime before the 1/2 marathon because I would feel some little twinges in my foot, especially after the SDTC Turkey Trot (where I was running fast and hard...don't laugh...yes, I wrote "fast and hard" in the same sentence. You're welcome) and of course running 13.1 miles in Las Vegas on it (and then walking for another hour trying to get out of the Mandalay Bay/Luxor/Excalibur area) didn't help.

The "good news" is that the doctor said I could continue riding my bike. He suggested the usual replacement activities ...swimming (need to find an indoor pool...the backyard one is 48º right now..brrrrr), weight training, elliptical, those activities in which there is low or no impact on my foot. But no running or even vigorous walking, even on a treadmill.

I keep dreaming of running. Last night I dreamt that I was finishing the San Diego RnR Marathon again (in the dark, and I could barely see the finish line...so Freud, what does THAT mean?)

((QUAD-SIZE SIGH))

So...how absolutely fitting is it that I end 2009 with a f*ck!n& stress fracture.

(((shakes head in utter frustration)))

And finally there's this...because if I'd be remiss in not posting at least one picture from Monday's Heffer-Holiday Event (thanks Momma for hosting again).

The herd wishes all of you a happy holiday season!

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* heard good things = found them on the Internet and the webpage looked OK to me