Two Steps Forward and One Step Back

I've been remiss in posting recently, partially because work has gotten busy and partially because there's not a lot to report.  My running is on and off.  Some weeks are great, and I crank through runs with no problem.  As soon as I start to think things are good, though, I have a run with numbness and pain. 

The past two weeks have been quiet running-wise.  I was building miles through July, but weather and life have gotten in the way and I've only been running a couple of times over the past 10 days.  I planned to head out for 8 today, but the pouring rain is dissuading me yet again.  During a normal training cycle, I would berate myself for deviating from my schedule.  Since surgery, I'm finding myself more laid back.  As my runs get faster (I hit 8:20 miles twice this week), I can feel the surge of competitiveness returning, but for now, I'm pretty happy to be out there plodding.

Next on the horizon is a half marathon for fun in October.  Of my three besties from graduate school, Lindsey never really bought into KC, Emmy and my insanity about running.  However, osmosis occurred and we're all running the Divas Half Marathon on Long Island in October. It's the silliest half we could find: shirtless men handing out medals, tiaras and boas as uniform and champagne for hydration. I am nowhere near in shape to be racing, so an event that is intended to be 100% fun will be great.  I haven't been doing a lot of running, so 13 miles will be a push, but I'm sure we'll survive. KC and I plan to carry a camera and document in a way we haven't previously been able. I'll post the winning shots up here.

The specialist shuffle begins again next week with an ankle/foot specialist, so look for more frequent posts as that begins again.

Ahhh, Finally

It's been a decent week for me running-wise.  I put in 22 miles and was only mildly symptomatic.  On today's 7 miler, my "long run" of the week, I had no symptoms at all.  I took it very very easy, making sure to slow down as I found myself pushing too fast.  More and more, I am understanding the idea of the true easy run. My other great run (yes, great run) of the week was on Tuesday, when I got caught in a torrential downpour. Instead of being annoyed, I was running with a big, dumb smile plastered across my face, intentionally splashing through the puddles on the trail.  As my inner cross country girl woke up, I actually felt like a real runner for a few minutes.

I also touched base with Dr. Slauterbeck this week.  He, Dr. Zweber (Nerve Specialist) and another foot/ankle surgeon are going to team up to better identify what we're dealing with and how we might fix it. One option, of course, is to ignore it.  Dr. Slauterbeck's concern, which I share, is that the numbness will eventually begin to happen at rest. Even now, going down stairs or descending on a hike is difficult.  Getting in and out of my bike clips is near impossible.  I have some feeling in my foot, but I am not confident that I know where my foot is in space, which makes my movements tentative at best.  Because running is so practiced for me, I'm okay while doing that, but as a relatively new cyclist, being stuck in my clips is a downright disaster.

Moving up to 25 miles this coming week.  Boston registration opens September 1st...current dilemna is to register or not to register...