Dear James, Daniel and Emily
Just before I went on vacation the week before last I got the official call from the doctor with the results of my tests & X-rays. Good news was no gout. Bad news was two fold. First, they confirmed that I have arthritis in both big toes, more pronounced in my left foot. Second, I have a stress fracture in my right foot (fourth metatarsal I think, not sure how they count.)
What does that mean? First, ideally no running and minimal walking for 4-6 weeks until the fracture heals. Well the first week was a wash as I spent 4 days walking around the parks at Disneyland (yeah that hurt, thankful for remembering the ibuprofen.) But now I am on a rest period. Which is getting harder to deal with as the week progresses.
Second, I can kiss the long distances goodbye, kind of sad I never got in a full marathon but I will always have those 3 Half marathons. Not sure what will be a reasonable long distance for me moving forward, depends on how I adjust in other ways.
Third, kiss the minimalist shoes goodbye. Really the only acceptable running shoes will be ones with serious padding and middle rockers, which means a return to the Hokas. Good news on that is that since my mileage will be restricted one pair should last over a year.
Fourth, realistically need to find some alternative exercises. And yes mom, if you read this I have considered swimming, but serious swimming hurts my toes too. I think the best course of action for the warm weather months is getting a new bike or getting my existing one to a reasonable condition and using that more. And that will start with more time on the stationary bike.
Fifth, I really need to get better about my eating habits. Because without the constant running, and until I get the biking to a reasonable distance I will not have anywhere close to the calorie burn I need. So I had better figure out the eating ASAP.
Well that is it, I am accepting the news, and making decisions and plans to adjust. Bottom line I am still dedicated to finding a way to be healthy and active, I just need alter my approach to maintain that goal.
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