Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow

Another day off running...one of what will be many days off by all indicators. My back was pretty stiff this morning, but has loosend up a bit after going to the gym and doing some light lifting and core exercises.

I made an appointment with a podiastrist to get my foot officially diagnosed. If it is indeed plantar fasciitis, from what I've read, I should expect to be out at least 4-6 weeks...if things go well. For some people it takes over a year to heal.

It's crossed my mind several times that there's a possibility that I may not run competitively again, at least at the same level. My body has been messed up for a year now. You have to been able to train hard to be fast, and if I am unable to train hard...Well, I can't really think like that at this point, but it's in the back of my mind: what would life be like without running and racing?

The answer is: pretty good. I have a wife who loves me, a satisfying career, a good group of friends, and MOST importantly, a God that loves me and promises salvation through grace as well as a life in full here on earth.

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

"The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full."

John 10:10

Life will go on and be good with or without running, and I feel blessed to have had the chance to do what I already have.

Those thoughts have kept me grounded and given me peace about being injured. If all thing go well, I could be base training again by June or so, and run St. George well. Even if I can't run until July, I could run St. George well. If not until beyond that, well, I guess keep trying. I'm young. (although I feel like I'm 80-years old sometimes)

No running. Rode bike to and from work and did core exercises/stretches and icing in evening. My knee feel a bit better today.

No running. Went to gym in morning to do some light lifting, core exercises, and few minutes of spinning on the bike just to get loose.

Still more improvement on the knee, so the layoff is finally starting to pay off. My foot is roughly the same, but definitely no worse. My left hip flexor is still inflamed, and quad muscle still numb; no change. I'll try icing my hip flexor tonight to see if that helps. My lower back has been stiff when I wake up the last few mornings, and loosens up during the day. Kind of annoying, but not too dehabilitating.

No running, just stretching and core strength.

I went to the ortho clinic today to see a podiatrist. I got my official diagnosis of plantar fasciitis there. The stretching, icing, and ibuprofin I've already been doing are good and I will continue with that (except stretch more frequently). He also gave my heel a shot of cortisone (anti-inflammitory steriod). The doc says the first step is to get rid of inflammation, then healing can begin.

The doctor seemed very interested about my other multitude of injuries. The IHC Med Center here in Logan has a facility that does a running gait analysis through video tape and foot sensors while running on a treadmill. The sensors are particularly important, because they can show quickly what imbalances and assymetries a runner has that video cannot detect. Then they can mold custom orthotics to fix the problems.

It has occurred to me that this rash of injuries could be a trickle-down from a common source. Perhaps it is my feet or leg length. I am signed up to do this analysis, and they'll probably have a slot for me in a month or so. In the meantime, my foot needs to heal before I can do any sort of running anyway.

No running. Rode my bike to work and did some core exercises and stretching.

It seems like the cortizone shot is kicking in. Last night and today my foot has felt much better, and I walk with much less of a limp. I will have to restrain myself from running if this trend continues. My knee has been feeling great too. Not 100% yet (I can still feel it if I go into a complete squat), but it does not affect daily life. I wonder if the steroid shot to my foot is reducing inflamation to my knee as well?

If things continue to improve I may start some cardio cross training again (probably recumbant bike).

No running. Biked to the gym (took the long way; beautiful day!), where I did my core strength workout and some light lifting. I also jumped on the elliptical for 5 minutes, just to see how it felt. Although it didn't really hurt, I could feel my foot some, so it may not be a great cross training method at this point. Recumbant bike may be safer, although harder to get a good workout on. I'll have to call my podiatrist and ask what cross training methods will be best for my foot. Especially with that steriod injection, I don't want any weird side effects.