2.5 weeks ago, I started a foot-strengthening program. No big deal, right? I did it barefoot and finished off with tip-toe walking a bad idea. I thought I was being proactive with all the trail running impending, getting my feet strong and ready,
I woke up at 3 am, desperately needing to use the bathroom. But disaster struck as soon as I swung my feet off the bed. My top foot started screaming in agony like a 10lb weight was hammered on it. I nearly face-planted right then and there.
But hey, being the determined athlete that I am, or an idiot, I soldiered on. The next day, I casually knocked out a 100-mile, 9700-foot ride. It was all going fine until I had to unclip or walk around; cue #1 was not good. However, I just assumed it was a minor issue.
I bailed on the run OTB. a smart move here. My foot was sore Sunday morning, but it seemed like it might loosen up. LOL. Oh no, it was sore on a whole new level. I headed out to run, thinking it might loosen up and be okay. Big mistake. The pain escalated from a 6 out of 10 to a solid 10 in just two miles. I limped back home, feeling utterly perplexed. It turns out my foot had a bone to pick with me (pun intended).
From that point on, every day was more painful than the previous one. Walking became a Herculean task, and running? Ha! That became a distant dream. I was swimming and biking, and when the pain did not cease, I stopped biking, hoping it would turn around. Without luck, I finally resorted to the dreaded boot. The fashion statement of the year, I tell you.
Meanwhile, I was playing the "Guess the Diagnosis" game with a parade of medical professionals. Strained tendons, muscles, you name it—they all took a stab at it. The X-ray was clean, not surprising. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I got an MRI. And the verdict? A stress response, bone marrow edema, blah blah blah. Simply put, my foot was throwing a hissy fit and didn't quite fracture but came close. Let's call it a stress injury, shall we? There is fluid and swelling around the bone. This the severe pain, my body saying STOP, you idiot, or this is going to break. The prescription? Four weeks of rocking the boot and absolutely no running or walking. Swimming is okay as long as I don’t kick, cue the PBB, and I can bike!
The reminder here is as soon as you are injured, get to the Dr, get the imaging, and find out what you are dealing with, I had people digging into my foot sure it was a muscle or tendon issue, and it turns out it was the bone, so digging was not so helpful.
So, I was staring at my race calendar like a cruel joke. Ironman Worlds Finland in 7 weeks? Nope, canceled. BlackLake Xtri in 9 weeks? Not happening either. Goodbye. If I can run in 4 weeks, that will be 6 weeks off running, and toeing up to a WC on 3 weeks of running is not that enticing, and a hilly AF trail running marathon OTB on 5 weeks of running, not so much.
I'm not one to wallow in self-pity for more than a few days or so, anyway. I quickly shifted gears to Plan B, or "Making the Best of a Shitty Situation." Steamboat Gravel Black in August, perfect 142 miles of gravel bliss with 10K of elevation. Greek Hero Xtri in Corfu in October? Why not? t may not be the original plan; this is a solid backup.
It is what it is. Life has a funny way of throwing curveballs at us, or in my case, footballs. No sense in letting let a little foot drama bring me down.
So, here's a toast to resilience and adaptability. It's not the season I planned, but it'll be a damn good one nonetheless. Cheers to rolling with the punches and turning setbacks into opportunities. Let the adventure continue!
