My foot started with a dull ache on Thursday afternoon (Thanksgiving) as I was preparing food to bring to my brother’s house. It felt “tight,” so I tried some stretches. But, the pain lingered. And lingered. And then did some more lingering. It was lingering and lounging on the top of my foot, as indicated in this picture. (Notice, also, the use of dark nail polish to hide the black toenails underneath.)
If you read my blog regularly, then you already know I have a deep-seated paranoia about *stress fractures*. (Shhhh, say the word in your quiet voice…) So, I immediately thought the pain stemmed from a stress fracture in my foot. Then, I did what any paranoid person does: I googled, “foot stress fractures.” I had every single symptom, sort of. Seriously? Why do I do this to myself?
When I woke up Monday, and still felt the ache, I decided it was time to call the podiatrist. Perhaps the first reasonable thought I had since my foot started to hurt. Dr. Demarco is a patient and knowledgable guy, who has run many marathons, completed a few ironmans and plenty of triathlons. If he was a general practitioner, he would be my go-to guy for all things doctor-related. Alas – he just takes care of the feet. (Side note: after the first time I went there, he sent me a thank you note. I have never received a thank you note from a doctor before. It impressed me.)
Even though I called on Monday, he was able to squeeze me in this morning (Wednesday). He took x-rays, and also asked me about the symptoms. On both counts, the verdict was: no stress fracture. Relief! He said that I have a “cranky” tendon, which is causing a bit of a rubbing sensation because it’s inflamed. Okay, I can deal with that. I can handle inflammation. My husband and I buy bags of ice by the 10 pound bags. I’m a real ice queen.
He also said that I need to take it easy, but–and here came the sweetest words ever–I could run easy. Okay, I won’t be doing a mess of running over the next week or two. I need to appease the cranky tendon. And, the cranky tendon much prefers swimming and biking right now. But, I figure that’s okay because, after all, I’ve got an Ironman I’m preparing for, and biking is my weakness. And, well, 112 miles is a long way to go on a bike when you are good. If you need experience, 112 miles might just be a lifetime. So, if I want to be optimistic, I could say that the cranky tendon is doing me a favor, of sorts.
You know what else the cranky tendon would like? Some donations to the Iron Scholarship. 🙂 Please consider contributing to this fund, which will help economically disadvantaged college students pay for the costs of school. ANY amount–truly!–would be greatly appreciated. I know times are tough right now, so your support means that much more. Here’s the link for more information: https://www.runningalife.com/?page_id=374.
