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Well here it is....just two days between now and the BIG DAY. I ran 8 miles this morning thinking along the way that it would be many months before I do that route again ... its sad. Trying to stay positive though and see this "sabbatical" as a good thing enroute to (hopefully) running pain-free again .. something I can't even remember how it felt .. I injured my foot on October 14, 2006, so yeah, pain-free is sort of difficult for me to remember. Thinking back, I can definitely see how this condition has deteriorated over the months / years ... my ROM in my toe is just about NIL .. in fact when I went to the surgeon on Friday for my pre-op visit, he *attempted* to move my toe and I screamed with pain .. he said "I don't know HOW on earth you can run ..." My response? "GUTS and sheer determination." Isn't that really the essence of being a dedicated runner? I think it has to be. I honestly doubt there is a disciplined athlete (specifically a runner) who hasn't convinced themselves that indeed "pain is weakness leaving the body." That's what makes this surgery so MENTALLY difficult to ponder .. as I am NON-WEIGHT-BEARING for 2 months. Oh the agony.
My podiatrist (surgeon) is a runner himself. In fact, he was the founder of our local "Gasparilla" marathon weekend. I asked him how to cope with the mental agony of being sidelined to which he said .. you simply MUST see this as part of your training .. yes, you will lose the strength you have now, but NOT FOREVER. You *will* run again .. this is just a bit of time that's necessary to ensure that you can ... for many many many more years.
Then he told me he "blew out his heel" once and was non-weight-bearing for 15 weeks. Yes, it was difficult, but TEMPORARY. Being sidelined while HEALING is always temporary....there will be a finish line to recovery ... so, he said, use some of that "mental toughness" that has turned you into a runner and focus on allowing your body to rest and recover ... after all don't you think its earned the rest?
Hmmmm... Yes, I suppose it has. Nearly 5 years / 7,000 + miles / age 52 ....not a bad achievement, but certainly NOT the end of the story ... I SHALL RETURN !
The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.
Betty
My podiatrist (surgeon) is a runner himself. In fact, he was the founder of our local "Gasparilla" marathon weekend. I asked him how to cope with the mental agony of being sidelined to which he said .. you simply MUST see this as part of your training .. yes, you will lose the strength you have now, but NOT FOREVER. You *will* run again .. this is just a bit of time that's necessary to ensure that you can ... for many many many more years.
Then he told me he "blew out his heel" once and was non-weight-bearing for 15 weeks. Yes, it was difficult, but TEMPORARY. Being sidelined while HEALING is always temporary....there will be a finish line to recovery ... so, he said, use some of that "mental toughness" that has turned you into a runner and focus on allowing your body to rest and recover ... after all don't you think its earned the rest?
Hmmmm... Yes, I suppose it has. Nearly 5 years / 7,000 + miles / age 52 ....not a bad achievement, but certainly NOT the end of the story ... I SHALL RETURN !
The greater the difficulty, the more glory in surmounting it.
Betty
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popping in a hug to Betty while she's getting her "tune-up" and sending good recovery thoughts! 
but I'm still lifting my dumbbells and doing what I can for the upper body as I sit here with my foot elevated trying to keep the throbbing down. I go to the doctor for my first post-op tomorrow .. Gad .. I'll need lots of drugs to get me through that, I'm sure! The toes are still pretty puffy compared to my right foot, but I tried moving the big toe ever so slightly today ... Yeah, pain !
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