Is the fog clearing?... actually I don't know!

Ouch… the last time I scribed a rambling, it was 121 days to Paris! That’s a little lot unnerving on many fronts. Anyways, during that time, I have been toying with updating the blog many times; but a conveyor belt of faltering starts on the trails had robbed me of my enthusiasm to relive in detail more frustrated pull ups and depressing walks back to the car. That notwithstanding, much as this frustration embittered me to the blog, I continued to crave a good… solid… long… free… uninterrupted… run! (what did you think I was going to say - naughty).

A chance meeting with a friend last Sunday culminated with a recommendation for a new physio to have an experienced poke. Long story short, I’m ‘kind of’ back running again, with a few caveats – my foot is  heavily strapped up, I’m confined to grassy terrain, and although I can choose the pace (within reason) the duration is restricted to specific periods (these days, no longer than 30-35 minutes). I say this like I’m desperate to run for hours – I’m not. Come the end of my 30 minutes, I’m yelping down air as the lungs and head send conflicting messages to the legs to run a touch faster. BUT, I’m not in pain at the end, I’m aware of tightness and soreness, but not pain. And the strapping is lending me the necessary support. Crutches and restrictions aside, it’s f*cking awesome!

What’s going on, actually, we don’t know. As the MRI didn’t show up anything conclusive bar tissue damage, we’re shooting blind. So, my runs are experiments; the strapping which is pulling in the inside of my foot, together with my own body sensing feedback, are the parameters we’re going to analyse at the end of the week. She’s working on the theory that I’ve pushed a bone out – can’t remember, or even pronounce it, not to mind spell it, so I won’t embarrass myself here with any attempts. But as you look down at my feet, you do notice a bulge inwards on the right foot. It’s rare, but it happens, and the stone story tied to running on the arches would explain how it might happen. Anyway, if her theory is right, there are two potential working outcomes (1) there is no bone damage, and with strapping, I’ll be able to recover/run with mild irritation and soreness, or (2) the trauma was severe and caused bone damage. I don’t even want to think about 2 (I asked, she answered, and I don’t fancy airing what would be next steps) so we’ll work towards theory #1.

Given my penchant for myopic recovery plans in the recent past, I’ll stick to the physio’s sage advice to take it handy as I slowly load up my foot with longer runs at a ‘reasonable’ pace. I’m not jogging, I’m running – that’s all I really wanted anyway. Paris is 50/50 but who cares at this stage. These are my cards I’ve been dealt for this hand of poker. 

Experimental runs they may be, I’m just happy to be out running again.

77 days to Paris (sssshhhhh)