Waiting and Looking Long-Term - The Lunch Hour Athlete

Training Log For: 12/04/09

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Posted by Yvonne

Writing a blog is not as easy as I would have thought it initially to be (although it is therapeutic). It's especially difficult when you are having to take a rest from running and still writing a blog about training for a marathon. Nevertheless, I am here every week, writing about the training until March.

Last wednesday, I went to see a new podiatrist. I have been having a lot of problems with my feet and ankles and I wanted a professional opinion on what I should be doing to help easy the pain and heal. He looked at my orthotics (now nearly 6-7 years old) and knew right away that he wanted to recast me for new ones. I made an appointment to come back and see him in two weeks to clear it all with insurance. But I hope to have new orthotics in a month or so.

He also said that my ankles were so weak from all the twists and turns that I endured when I was a competitive volleyball player that those ligaments and tendons never heal properly on their own without surgery. SURGERY!!!!! Gasp... I don't need it right now, though he said it would help, I will wait until I absolutely have to be cut into! I have never even been admitted into a hospital since birth (knock on wood), so I will wait on that one.

But this acknowledgement that I have weak ankles was further proved when I went to visit the personal trainer, Robert Lee (as soon as his website is up and running I will add it to my blog, because he is a genius and not just a Burn After Reading trainer like the one Brad Pitt played, but the real deal that maintains a holistic approach that includes the entire body-mind-engery connection) in West Hollywood. After a few deep tissue exercises with some pipes from Home Depot, he proceeded to do a few ankle exercises. Let me just say, I was laughing (mostly to not cry) at how easy they looked, but how difficult and painful they were. Let's just say, I now know exactly how weak my ankles are: very (to say the least).

So, for now, I will swim a few times this week, watch what I eat, ice my feet and wait. I went for a walk today but thats the most I have been on my feet in a week. Then maybe try a run this weekend after getting some temporary orthotics. It was a hard and long-thoughtout decision to take a week break from running, but I figure it's better to take a break now, when the marathon is still 15 weeks away rather than not to be able to run it.