I know, by now you think who would want to miss reading about a post that has to do with feet but if you love me you bare with me as this is a big crisis for little me.
You all remember my motivation in getting myself in shape and better health. As I do with almost everything that does get my attention I dive right in and don't like moving slow or taking to many cautions. I started my adventure with hiking the Incline in Manitou Springs a few weeks back, this summer to be exact as we just entered fall yesterday :) I loved the hike as one might love something that is exhausting and somewhat painful to a body that is out of shape but never less also very addicting because the feeling you get after you finish the hike is second to none. My first hike up was very unprepared as I started out without having eaten anything first and also wearing NIKE shoes but NOT Trail Running shoes. That first time I ended up nauseous and sick and sliding down the trail with hardly any traction. The second part was corrected by my wonderful husband who took me to the Bolder Running Company and bought me $100 Trail Running Shoes. We also bought some great Energy Bars that tasted more like Chocolate Candy bars. Win, win all the way :)
Now my tummy was feeling better and I was not slip sliding down the Mountain anymore but my next two challenges were a right knee that started hurting and an Elimination Diet that I started around that time. The knee we tried to 'fix' with a Knee Brace and I got over the low Energy and cramping of my muscles by stopping the Elimination Diet after about two weeks in.
Now enter a new era ... We became the owners of a very nice Treadmill and I became hooked on the Book 'Born to Run'. The book really touched me and made so much sense about how we have been weakening our feet with to much fancy footwear and that the best runners in the world are actually almost running barefoot for miles and miles a day. They just have on sandals made of old tires and some rope ... this is what they run with for 47 miles through the Canyons in Mexico in a time frame of 7 hours!
So here I thought ... yes scary, I know :) ... that if they can run barefoot why can I not try this out here at home on the treadmill. I did not go completely barefoot but did keep my socks on ... big difference, right? ;)
The first day I ran two miles in my shoes and one mile in socks. Day two I ran all three miles in socks and so one for about one week. Now I did feel as if the impact I made when my feet hit the running belt that it was very hard but truly did not think much about this beyond that. Now about one week later I was sitting on the computer and telling my husband that me ankles are hurting me. He asked me to show him and when I pulled down my socks I was shocked to see that both my feet were very swollen. We iced them and I started taking Motrin. Now, being me I figured I take a break from running on the Treadmill and now move over to running in my expensive shoes again around our Mountain. I figured I do this until my feet start feeling better again. Well, this kind of math did not work out very well as we are now two weeks later and I am able to walk but not much of that and running seems like a distant memory :( My days now go from walking a bit to putting ice on them and medicating the pain that shots up my heels with lot's and lot's of Motrin. We added the Tense Unit as well which helps on some days and not on others.
I finally broke down today and called a Foot Doctor to make an Appointment. The first opening was for mid October and when the Receptionist asked what the problem was I told her and said I do not like the pain I have when I run. Her reply was that I should not run at all. This I told her was a problem as we are now entering the perfect season for running (Fall) and that I need the running now more then ever as my Parents have arrived from Germany and there is literally Chocolate and yummy foods around me 24/7. I was more thinking in terms of days for them to get me back on my feet ... Can you believe she actually laughed at me through the Phone??? She said I will need to focus on sitting out this whole season and that I can enjoy hopefully running in the Fall of 2012. Well, I admit she had a funny laugh so I did laugh with her but thinking she really does not know me very well or not at all. It took my brain 40 years to finally wake up and say I like to move and stay fit and my feet will not be my stumbling block ... just a little obstacle to over come. Now reading all this did you realize the silver lining? Not once during my barefoot runs did my knee bother me. Not once was I wearing a brace on my knee or needed it.
On the upside of all this is that we are thrilled and happy to have Oma and Opa here! School is going very well for the boys and the weather here in Colorado is beautiful.
Life is truly good and now my feet just have to wake up and follow suit.
Thank You for letting me take the stage again here and I am sure I will be back with lot's of JDM news once we come back from Chicago next week. Connor is scheduled for a Checkup and we are so looking forward to spending the three days there with our favorite Roommate (HAPPY 13th BIRTHDAY Grant!) and his beautiful Family. This is the part that always makes us look forward to traveling to Chicago!
Hugs,
R A C A
P.S. oh and we did get to celebrate the Oktoberfest last weekends therefor the pictures on the top :)
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