DW Runners

Thanks, blnchflr, franzi1981, raininshadows, ilanarama for the advice on my foot/ankle issue. Ilana, thanks in particular for reminding me about elliptical trainers. [g] Here's the latest:

Last weekend I spend the most godawful boring two hours ever on an elliptical trainer--thank heavens for back eps of iZombie. No pain at all. And I walked all over the place for two days, wearing heels, without this problem flaring up. (My toes were happy to be done with those shoes.)

Last Friday I went in for an evaluation at a physical therapy place in town. He thought it was a ligament thing and ice (which I'm always horrible about) and ibuprofen might help, but if it didn't get better I should probably see an actual doctor. So I made an appointment last Monday with an orthopedist, who scoffed at the ligament idea and thought either it was a stress fracture (nothing showed up on the x-ray, but still a possibility) or an issue with my form--he thought maybe my glutes aren't strong enough, which, really? Yes, I've been upping my miles, but that still seemed unlikely. At any rate, he suggested I get an MRI to rule out a stress fracture, and if that was clear I start seeing a physical therapist.

That afternoon things were feeling pretty good, so I went out and did 2.5 miles, just to see how it felt. No pain while running, a little soreness afterwards, but nothing like it had been. The MRI place couldn't get me in until Friday--i.e., today.

Spent the week waffling about whether the MRI was necessary, because stress fractures don't usually get that much better so quickly, especially since I haven't exactly been resting the foot. Yesterday I went to the running store in town and had a chat with the owner; it was much more productive than anything I got from the doctor. She recorded me running on the treadmill and said my form looks fine, and we agreed that maybe my feet just need more support on long runs than the Altras provide. (And I love those Altras--will be keeping them for shorter runs.) I picked up a pair of Hoka Ones, which are about a zillion times more supportive than the Altras. They're amazingly cushy, but still remarkably light. The owner had just done Boston in them--she said she would have worn Altras but she's had a foot injury, too.

This morning I did 3.6 miles in the Hokas. No pain, even three hours later. I cancelled the MRI, since I don't think it would show anything useful, and I'd be paying for it out of pocket.

This weekend I'll probably do another horrid two hours on an elliptical (and I'm caught up on iZombie, darn it--anything else I should watch?), then start running more regularly next week. I'm hoping to do 11 miles on the 17th and 12 on the 24th, which will put me right on track for the Edinburgh half. My time might not be as good as it would have been if I hadn't basically missed two weeks, but at this point I'm reasonably confident I'll be able to run it.

(And if my foot starts hurting after the 11 mile run, well, it's back to the drawing board--with a different orthopedist this time.)

See a bunch of you in Edinburgh, anyway! I'm so psyched!