Buttsweat Towel© season has begun

45F.  6 @ 8:08 AP.  Goal is to nap a lot today.  We hosted a party last night so I couldn't go to bed until waaaaaay after I usually do.  Our neighborhood goes absolutely bonkers with fireworks!

41F, raining.  6 @ 7:47 AP.  All I could think about was all the mud being generated at Bandera.

41F.  12 @ 7:25 AP.  Legs are still kinda mushy from overdoing Thursday's workout.  5 easy days ahead though...hopefully I'll get those springs in my legs to grow back in time for the race!

38F.  6 @ 8:03 AP.  Barely made it through this run, had a sharp pain on the top of my right foot.  I started feeling it right at the end of yesterday's run and throughout the day Sunday...but didn't think much of it.  Then the first 3 miles today were ok, but it got sharper and sharper after that.  Last mile I walked and hobbled, and now have a nice limp.  Not good.

X-ray was negative, MRI next week.  Feels absolutely terrible, already dropped from Bandera...

No change at all in the foot...MRI Tuesday night.  I offered to work an aid station at Bandera instead.  The weather looks absolutely freakin perfect.

I actually had a pretty darn good time working at a couple aid stations at Bandera.  First with the Rockhoppers, then with Team RWB.  I probably would've stayed all night (even though I only committed to 6 hours) but there's no cell phone coverage through most of the park...I might've shown up on a milk carton.  Pretty cool to see things from that perspective, and I managed to keep my jealousy/bitterness of missing the race in check...

Had my MRI and the message on my phone said I pretty much had everything...stress fracture, edema, tendinitis, tendon tear, ligament damage...  Really?  Not a doctor reading the MRI, so we'll see.  I'm probably screwed though.

The foot specialist isn't available until Wednesday next week, so I'll see him then, but I'm starting to accept that ibuprofen isn't gonna get me through this one.  Cross-training regiment might be for real this time!

Getting injured opens your eyes to stuff.  I've talked about running being a bandaid and now that the bandaid has fallen off, I'm realizing there's a bloody mess underneath.

Never been a big believer in "things happen for a reason" but the timing of this injury coinciding with some other things in my life is almost unbelievable.  Some of me has been trying to piece this together and figure out why, and poor me, but that's useless.  The reality is I have some really hard work ahead, and this foot thing is going to make me do some work that's been needed for years.

Foot specialist said they didn't see an actual fracture, but definitely highlighted to me the "stress reaction" and warned of an impending fracture...I got to see the MRI and, yeah, 3rd metatarsal looks jacked up compared to the others.  All the other stuff mentioned to me on the phone was likely the normal wear and tear of being a runner.  I'd bet we all probably have jacked up tendons & ligaments if you look closely.

Anyway, their guesstimate was 4 more weeks and they put me in a boot.  It could definitely be worse.  Cleared me to elliptical, bike, swim etc.  Whether I get off my lazy ass and make myself do something is another story...

I'm still alive.  No cross training whatsoever, but foot is definitely improving.  I still favor the inside of my foot while walking, but no longer limp.  Never once wore the stupid boot.  Feels like maybe 2 weeks away from a short test run, at least.

Lots of life changes in the works, but this is a running blog, dammit.  I feel happy and hopeful though.  2016 started out like a big fat pile of crap, but I still think it could be a great year.