Wednesday, June 30, 2010

MystoMan

By my senior year of college, I had kind of outgrown the fraternity thing.  I had my friends and we all hung out, but not much at the fraternity house.  So, when we went to the house, all of the other guys would give me grief, saying things like "Whoa!  Who is that?  Mysto Man!  Where have YOU been?"  And that made it uncomfortable to go back to the house so that over time, I didn't want to go to the house to avoid everyone asking where I had been and why I didn't come by the house anymore.  So, maybe I have avoided my blog because I haven't been here for awhile.

So, where have I been?  Well after my last post and recovering from a maybe stress fracture in my right foot, I had a series of mishaps and set backs, primarily injury related.  In May I ran a fun run with my 9 year old daughter and friends.  After we got spread out I turned around to look for them, running backwards.  I promptly stepped into a pothole, and went heels over head, landing on my head and elbow.  I sprained my ankle, severely bruised my elbow, and had to get checked out for a potential concussion.  All is fine on that front.  But my left foot starting hurting.  Namely, the base of my left big toe.  I have always had some toe pain there, and it does not go away with rest or inactivity.  But this toe pain got much worse over last several weeks.  After putting it off, but being unable to run with it, I went to a podiatrist.  The verdict: Stage Three hallux limitus.  In  essence, arthritis of the toe joint.  This is rather worrisome in that it is chronic pain, and will NEVER go away.  I have dealt with it for years, but it has gotten worse lately.  I am not sure exactly what to do about it, actually.  My podiatrist is developing an orthotic to limit toe flexion, but still, there is no cure for it. 

So, I have run about 5 times in the last 3 months, none of which were memorable except for how hard they felt and just how far from OK I felt.  My plans for the NY Marathon this fall are really, really unsure now.  I might defer for a year.  If I can get a good July and August in, I can make the call then.  But I also need to drop some pounds now (I have been eating during this layoff), so I will need to train and diet, which is hard to do.  And avoid injury to boot.

Later this week we leave for Colorado for 10 days.  It is always good to get out there and be outside as much as possible.  Running out there is a total bear because of the altitude, so it is a hard place to start a health kick, but I simply have to do it.  It is also difficult because last year when I was out there over July 4th,I was in great shape.  I had just lost 45 pounds, run a 1:39 half marathon and felt and looked great.  This year is the polar opposite.  In fact, it is why I have avoided my blogs and everyone else's also; sort of guilt at not being in the club, but almost the exact opposite: unhealthy and injured.  And that is why I didn't post;  my medical travails (and lack of motivation) were depressing enough to live through, but to blog about them would have been a real downer.

But one thing I have realized lately is that I am not getting any younger.  These injuries, while annoying are not life threatening and just part of leading an active life.  And as the saying goes "Get busy living or get busy dying."

I have missed reading about everyone's struggles and triumphs, and getting feedback also.  But I am back now, hopefully for a while.

14 comments:

  1. Was wondering where you've been...that fall doesn't sound pretty, and that's lousy about your toe.

    Try not to compare yourself to where you were at this point last year, I do the same thing and I drive myself nuts. Maybe being in a different place will give you the jump start you need to get back at it. Hope you have fun!

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  2. Love that saying. Just had a friend end up in the hospital for a something MAJOR, but the doc told her that her fitness saved her life.

    The fitness comes back quick.

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  3. glad your back!
    I just started running again after 8 months of absolutely no running or exercising of any kind. 2 surgeries later, I ran a whopping 2 minutes the other day! I am totally out of shape! Hang in there!!!

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  4. soooooo happy you are back.
    Love the new banner on your blog.

    I love that quote, "Get busy living or get busy dying."

    enjoy Colorado!!

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  5. Happy to have you back. No questions, no reprimands! Have a nice vacation!

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  6. Nice to have you back mystoman! I do the same thing though, it happened to me once at the gym. I stopped going for weeks because of a death in the family and was scared to go back, but when I finally did I blended right in, I don't even know what I was so scared about in the first place! Sorry to hear about the arthritis, but I'm pulling for you for the marathon!

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  7. Welcome Back Mysto Man! I've been wondering where you've been! Sorry to hear about all the trip ups with training and being injured. You'll get back to it soon enough, of this I have no doubt!

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  8. I'm so glad you are back! I think if you are going to be in this sport for a long time that you have to accept that there are going to be ups and downs, injuries, and times where it just doesn't work out to run for whatever reason. You are still a runner and an athlete and you will find your way back. I hope that the toe gets better and that you can train for the marathon. It would be great to meet in person and see you at the race. Take care and enjoy your vacation!

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  9. Oh man, bummer!! Sorry things went sour in the pothole (I had a horrible pothole incident last year, too). These things happen, and you have a great outlook on it and it will all come back soon. Have a blast in CO and enjoy yourself. And if you're in my neck of the woods, give me a shout and maybe we can hook up for a hi. :)
    runlikeagirljp@gmail.com

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  10. You have had one long bad luck streak! Sorry to hear about it. Give it a go through July/Aug like you plan and then be ready to defer NYC if you must...there will be better years ahead!

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  11. Oh i hear you! I'm coming off a heel injury for the past ~1.5 mo's and it was hard. But it made me focus on the other stuff I could do: bike and swim. and that helped a lot.

    we're all human eh? ebbs and flows of life;-) good to hear your post

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  12. Colorado will be a beautiful place to get back into running - the beauty will distract you from how tired you are. Have a great vacation!

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  13. You've been missed. ;)

    Oh Colorado! Now I'm in the ranks of "I used to live there." I'm returning in August, and after living at sea level for a month now, I know I'm going to die when I run in CO. No more making fun of the people that go to CO and run!

    Where will you be?

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  14. With luck and the cool mountain air, you'll be back. I've been there with injuries that knocked me out for months. Not fun. Let's hope you too can put them well behind you. That toe thing, though, is creepy.

    Besides, you're still young.

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