More Inspiration

When I got the news that my foot was broken, I panicked a little. I don't want a repeat of the epic slide I made 10 years ago.

I decided to be proactive and meet up with friend of mine, Suzie Cooney, at her fitness studio. Suzie is the instigator behind many of my friends taking up stand-up paddling through her free SUP clinics, she's somewhere around my age, and she has bounced back from injury with great results - a perfect fit for a personal trainer. Even though her injury and rehab we're much more serious than mine, I knew she wouldn't discount my concerns about maintaining my fitness while I am recovering myself.

Suzie met my expectations and more! In this intro session, we talked about my injury and my expectations, and she took me through a series of modified exercises that were creative and challenged me. One of the most important things, though, was that she reassured me that I was in good shape and despite this downturn, I would be able to regain my cardio fitness fairly quickly once I was able to bike or swim.

It was a great experience and I'm looking forward to some additional sessions to "check-in" during my recovery. I feel motivated, refocused and confident that I will come out strong and healthy at the end of this period.

Thanks, Suzie!

"Walking Cast" is an Oxymoron

It's more like "hobbling cast." For someone whose friends refer to as "the gazelle" this cast is seriously hampering my long-legged strides and fast walking pace. I'm not getting anywhere fast these days. It does, however, give me a new perspective as someone who is always playing catch-up.

Each day I find different reasons to be thankful. Saturday's reason: Chrissie Wellington, the favorite to win the women's division at the Hawaii Ironman World Championships in Kona, withdrew from the race and Did Not Start (DNS). I don't know the nature of her illness, but can be sure of one thing: it had to be something serious for her to scrap an entire year of training and racing and not compete in what was undoubtedly her "A" race of the year.

Sunday's reason: my mother-in-law's friend. This woman is going to the doctor tomorrow to see if she will even BEGIN to put weight on a leg that was broken in 5 places almost 8 weeks ago.

Every time I talk about taking the cast off "just to rest" or "just to sleep" or "just because it is driving me freakin' crazy," my husband reminds me to be patient. Take these few weeks as a well-deserved rest - do some things I don't normally get the chance to do like read, and BE STILL. He reminds me that the better I behave now the more quickly I will heal.

As I hobble off at half-speed today, I will remember to be thankful that I have a minor injury and a relatively easy recovery in the grand scheme of things. That will be my reason for today.

Regrouping

I don't know if I mentioned this before, but years ago when I was running A LOT I was sidelined with tendonitis in my hip. It started a downward spiral that lasted 40 lbs and seven years.

The culprit: overtraining.

So it became my goal this year, as I trained for my first triathlon, to be mindful of this tendency and listen to my body. I took an extra rest day here and there, got plenty of sleep, and watched my diet carefully. After you put in so many months of training to get to race day, there is a slight shiver of fear (or is it paranoia?) as you go through the final days preceding the race. I was always reminding myself to "be careful, watch your step, etc." Nothing like a twisted knee or ankle, or a shoulder pull to derail your race day plans. I think if I could have wrapped myself in bubble wrap, I would have!

Thankfully, I made it through my race injury free, and as I made my summer race plans I applied the same rules. Since another triathlon was over a year away, I concentrated mostly on running, with two swim sessions and some light weightlifting each week. Because I was in good running condition, I jumped at the chance to run the Hana Relay in September with a group of friends who had a team member drop out.

The Hana Relay is GREAT FUN -with costumes and a mardi gras-like atmosphere. It is a 6-member team relay from Kahului Airport to Hana Town, along the 52-mile, twisting, turning, climbing, descending, scenic Road to Hana. Each person runs roughly three, 3-mile legs.

About half-way into my last leg of the race, I felt a pinch in my left foot. It hurt for a bit, but went away and I didn't think much of it, thinking I had probably stepped on a small rock or some other debris. Two days after the race, I noticed some bruising in the area, but still did not have much pain. I decided to take the "wait-and-see" approach, and when the pain did not dissipate after two weeks, I went to the doctor for x-rays. Turns out, my first metatarsal is fractured. The reason is was not more apparent is because the fracture is near a pin in my foot from an old bunion surgery, and the pin is holding the fracture together.

Treatment? I'm hobbling around in an air cast with instructions not to swim, bike or run for a minimum of four, and maybe up to eight, weeks.

There was initial panic. I've worked hard on my fitness and nutrition over the past three years. I have lost 30 lbs. I fell in love with the sport of triathlon. I have BIG PLANS for 2011! This can't be happening!!!

Now, with calm determination, I am going to modify my plans a bit. I am going to continue to work out any way I can without jeopardizing my recovery and maintain my fitness. I am going to watch my diet. I will get through this.

Strap on your seatbelts, my friends...it's going to be a wild ride!