Mother's Day weekend was supposed to be all about me. And indeed it was! Dustin was totally all for me doing a 5K, sleeping in, laying out, whatever I wanted! Plus, we had both our families in town to help out with the kids! So, I haven't run a 5K in a while, and I've been running a lot with my competitive racing friend Jessica lately who has been trying to get me into semi-competitive racing. We've been doing lots of track workouts (think sprints and middle distance runs) and less long runs. It's been super challenging and very cool to run with someone who challenges me!
Well, the Saturday morning of race day, (race was Run for Sarah 5K), I head to the race with her and am fully intent on winning 1st in the 30-34 age category ... or at least that's my hope. I've been running sub 7 min miles and know I can do it! 2 miles into the run, there are only 3 women in front of me, my friend Jess (she's 1st - she always is), a 10 year old and an older woman ... I know I have my age category in the bag and I'm pacing 6:53/mile with reserve in the tank! I'm feeling good. I look at my watch at 2.4 .... not too much further, time to pick it up. As soon as I speed up my pace to 6:30/mile, I feel a twinge in the top of my left foot. Then less than a minute letter I audibly hear a crack coming from my foot and feel a sharp pain that nearly stops me. Each step I take after this on this foot is accompanied by that same cracking/snapping noise and the pain gets worse. The sinking feeling hits me. I want to keep going. Only a half mile or so left. But I know, I just physically can't. I can't even walk. I can't put any pressure on the foot and have to hop to the side. I'm in tears and a nice couple stops to help before EMS comes to get me and I know ... something bad has happened.
At the Urgent Care clinic less than an hour later (my girlfriend Jessica did win 1st place woman's overall - no surprise there), I got x-rayed and it was clear as night, a stress fracture of the 2nd metarsal. I got splinted up and told the rehab time would be most likely 4-6 weeks on the hopeful side. Crutches were absolutely necessary the first week. It was so bad, crawling was easier half the time. I couldn't wear the fracture boot because it was so heavy, the pressure of the weight of the boot on top of my foot hurt to lift. I just started wearing the boot Sunday.
As far as progress, the biggest aide in healing has been the bone
growth stimulator medical device that I've been using to help with the
healing process. I can't believe how I can already put pressure (just
some) on my foot already, where last week, I was in the doldrums
thinking I'd never walk again!
We'll see how the healing process continues... hoping to be walking by Hawaii ... but that's probably wishful thinking. In the meantime, I've been biking like crazy!
Oh, and that was just the beginning of my Mother's Day weekend. So much for getting what you ask for!