I still haven't been able to get back into the swing of things. My foot has been feeling a lot better and I've been able to do some run/walk outings - 4 miles during the week; 9 and 14 miles last weekend. Unfortunately, some days are better than others and I've had a few flair-ups. Last week I saw my regular doctor for a referral to a podiatrist, who I'll see this Wednesday. She also sent me to get x-rays of my feet. I got a call from her the next day to report that I did not have a stress fracture. It had been 2 weeks after I first felt pain in my foot so I suppose that was long enough for a fracture to show. I wasn't really worried about a stress fracture, but it was good to know.
Yesterday, I went out for 20 miles of run/walk. I felt pretty good, but I ended up doing too much running. I wore a metatarsal pad to protect the area where I may have the neuroma and my foot itself didn't hurt too badly. But try as I might to run naturally, the foot problem has been impacting my gait. My ankle and shin are now killing me and I need to back off. I'm so mad at myself for putting myself in this position. I'm finger crossing that I haven't done too much damage. Having made it through nearly 2 years of not running, I vowed I would never let a race become more important than my health.
I still want to participate in Across the Years. Unless the podiatrist has a miracle cure for me, I'm going to walk it. And I don't mean power walk. I'm thinking a leisurely 18-20 minute pace sounds very nice. If I can make 100 miles, great! If I can't make 100 miles, I want to still be out there when the clock turns over to 9 am on January 1, with a smile on my face.
I'm posting this here as a reminder to myself. If I wake up tomorrow, or the next day, feeling great I'm NOT going for a run. I promise.
