Before I start my self-absorbed story about my broken foot, I want to tell you about Tommy Rivs Puzey. This guy is just about the nicest person you will ever meet. Just so amazing enlightened and still down to earth. And he is amazing athlete. And a loving husband and devoted father. My favorite memory is running with him at Aravaipa Big Pine and he had so much bllo running down his face he looked like he had been in a bar room brawl and lost. I just get nose bleeds when I run I said when I expressed concern. I am telling you this because Tommy has been diagnosed with a rare lung lymphoma. I read the journal articles this morning and I wish I hadn’t. If you can give anything to help this family, here is the link
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Tommy-Rivers-Rest-Up
If you believe in miracles and say prayers, this family needs them.
There hasn’t been much to blog about when it comes to running because I have basically been injured since January. While trying to heal my Achilles tendonitis I developed what seemed to be another sports hernia. I intended to just have the surgery to repair it this time, but due to Covid that option was off the table. I tried to manage training and running and healing. After moving back to Phoenix, I met with Charlie (my PT) and he gave me some abductor exercises to get the strain healed. I was going to yoga a few times a week and running again. Adjusting to the heat was not going well but I was happy to be back to running on a consistent basis.
I hadn’t ventured onto the trail. I was nervous. I worried about snakes. I worried about tripping because I haven’t been on rocky trails in such a long time. I worried about the running hills and stressing the adductor strain. But I signed up for the Silverton Alpine race because the stress if trying to find housing in Casper, WY is getting to me. (I took a job in Casper, WY and can’t find a place to live, but will explain all of that later.) Then I told my friend John I would run with him on the trails and decided I better give it a try first. Everything was going well. I was a bit slower than I would like to be, but I was enjoying the run. Then I came down on my left foot and knew instantly that something was really wrong. But it is often the case that I think the world is ending only to discover that is a few minutes the pain is much better. I waited a few minutes, but it didn’t seem to be getting better. I try to run, but it isn’t possible. I try to walk and that isn’t happening. I have to stop and just rest for a bit. Minutes pass and the pain is not getting better. I am 3.5 miles from home and I have to get there someone.
I can walk and it will take forever, or I can run and get there in half the time. I decide to run. Either way I am terrible pain so I might as well get home more quickly. I get off the trail and onto 7th Street thinking that the road might hurt less than hitting rocks on the trail. The road isn’t better and the people are driving way over the speed limit and dangerously close. I decide to hop back on the trail. I tough it out ofr 3 miles and end up walking the last half mile because I can’t take it.
I round the corner on my street and see Norm. He is walking back and forth across the yard and I am calling his name, but he never hears me. I see him get in his truck to leave for work. Lucky for me Norm sits in his truck for a ridiculously long time before actually starting to drive. He sees me come into the yard and comes inside but I am super cranky because I am in pain. We get my shoe off and my foot is swollen. I sit on the couch and try to decide if it is broken. The swelling is now like a gold ball in the bottom of my foot and there is bruising across the top of my foot at where the toes meet the foot. I decide it’s time to see someone. A friend tells me when she broke her foot the ER wouldn’t treat her and sent her to an orthopedic doctor. I discover that the Core Institute is doing emergency orthopedic exams due to Covid and call them. All is fine until they tell me my insurance says it is inactive (it isn’t). I call my insurance company and they tell me everything is fine. I call the Core Institute back and tell them my insurance is active and they have the same problem again. They tell me they will call me back. Meanwhile, Norm has come home to take me the doctor. Since I am in a holding pattern I have him help me with a shower and find my crutches in the shed. Just as I am getting settled on the couch again the Core Institute calls and says they have my insurance approval. Norm takes me to doctor.
I had an appointment at the Core Institute back in 2013 and it was a nightmare. I didn’t have insurance and so I have to prepay for my appointment. Then the doctor was over an hour late to my appointment. And the staff acted like I was an ass for wondering how much longer I would have to wait. I was in tears in the waiting room because I had already paid for this appointment and the doctor being so late meant I was going to be late to a meeting with my new boss, a boss I had not even met yet. I am happy to say this was a much better appointment. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Poor Norm had to sit outside and wait for me.
The diagnosis is compression fracture in my 3rd and 4th metatarsals. I am non weight bearing for 4 to 6 weeks. I have to wear a compression sock during the day for the swelling and take aspiring twice a day to reduce and risk of a blood clot. I am on prescription Vitamin D. My osteopenia is to blame for this. After going down a internet rabbit hole it seems like my osteopenia might be full blown osteoperosis now. The did say I could try getting around in the walking boot. (I own so many different medical supplies form previous injuries that I am like my own store.) I am not sure the boot is very helpful at reducing pain.
I woke up Saturday and the swelling was down a bit, but the bruising was worse. I am not very good at sitting around and this day has been torture. Four to six weeks of this? I will never make it! What do people who aren’t training do with all those extra hours? I asked about swimming, but the doctor wasn’t so excited. She said no swimming for 7 to 10 days and if it causes pain then I can’t do it. I ventured out to Sprouts and learned that the walking in the boot combined with crutches is a much better option for getting around. I hate the compression sock and I don’t know how people wear these things! It was a long day of watching tv.
During all of this emotional injury turmoil, Enzo moved to LA. On Sunday, I spend some time chatting with Enzo and Norm helps him pack his car. He will be back in a few weeks to have his wisdom teeth taken out so it won’t be long before I see him again. I know this will sound weird because I have been in North Carolina and I am leaving for Wyoming, but I am sad that he won’t be living at home. Even if I leave, I always know he will be at home when I get there. I would be happy if my kids live with me forever. I know I am meant to raise them and send them out into the world but no thanks! I would like to point out that in many cultures families still live together when the kids are adults. I cry off and on all day. It’s just a lot going on. Enzo leaving and moving to Casper (which is a while disaster I will write about at some point although it would require a book). I also spend too much time on my foot trying to move furniture and organize the house.
Four weeks later and it is back to the Core Institute. I will admit that I have done some weight workouts on my foot. Not more than squats for the lower body because I can keep my weight in my heel, but I am convinced they are going to tell me that my foot is still not good. I was wrong. My doctor tells me that I am good to go back to running at 30 percent of my normal mileage. We agree to 2 to 3 miles a day. I am very skeptical. When I get home I am struggling to make myself walk on my foot. I decide if I am going to run I should invest in new shoes with nice new padding. I call Runner’s Den and they put a pair of shoes on hold for me.
I go to pick up my shoes and have a great conversation with the staff. It is so nice to be home. I ran into someone the other day from when I worked at the Cheder and they kept saying “I can’t believe you couldn’t find a job here.” Me either! Trust me, I tried. I am not thrilled about leaving my family to move to Casper.
I try walking but it is not easy. There is some nerve pain every time I stop walking and the start again. My brain can’t seem to catch up with the fact that foot is no longer broken. I don’t try running until Saturday morning. It’s comically. It takes some weird bounding to get myself to land on my foot normally. But in a few minutes, I am running like a normal person and with no pain. My ankle does start to hurt, but that is to be expected since I have been off my foot for 4 weeks. But no pain the rest of the day so hopefully I am slowly back to training.
So… a little over a week of running and I am doing well. The first few days it was tricky to get myself running in a normal way at the start of every run. But I was able to run 7 miles on Sunday. I wanted to run more, but the heat was killing me. I am back to doing weights and plyo. I used to do weights and plyo without shoes because I have some maybe not accurate theory about strengthening my foot but working out barefoot. On the tile file it was causing too much pain. The tile floor in general is now my nemesis. And my crappy flip flops. I bought a pair of Birkenstocks and the problem was fixed.
https://www.gofundme.com/f/Tommy-Rivers-Rest-Up
If you believe in miracles and say prayers, this family needs them.
There hasn’t been much to blog about when it comes to running because I have basically been injured since January. While trying to heal my Achilles tendonitis I developed what seemed to be another sports hernia. I intended to just have the surgery to repair it this time, but due to Covid that option was off the table. I tried to manage training and running and healing. After moving back to Phoenix, I met with Charlie (my PT) and he gave me some abductor exercises to get the strain healed. I was going to yoga a few times a week and running again. Adjusting to the heat was not going well but I was happy to be back to running on a consistent basis.
I hadn’t ventured onto the trail. I was nervous. I worried about snakes. I worried about tripping because I haven’t been on rocky trails in such a long time. I worried about the running hills and stressing the adductor strain. But I signed up for the Silverton Alpine race because the stress if trying to find housing in Casper, WY is getting to me. (I took a job in Casper, WY and can’t find a place to live, but will explain all of that later.) Then I told my friend John I would run with him on the trails and decided I better give it a try first. Everything was going well. I was a bit slower than I would like to be, but I was enjoying the run. Then I came down on my left foot and knew instantly that something was really wrong. But it is often the case that I think the world is ending only to discover that is a few minutes the pain is much better. I waited a few minutes, but it didn’t seem to be getting better. I try to run, but it isn’t possible. I try to walk and that isn’t happening. I have to stop and just rest for a bit. Minutes pass and the pain is not getting better. I am 3.5 miles from home and I have to get there someone.
I can walk and it will take forever, or I can run and get there in half the time. I decide to run. Either way I am terrible pain so I might as well get home more quickly. I get off the trail and onto 7th Street thinking that the road might hurt less than hitting rocks on the trail. The road isn’t better and the people are driving way over the speed limit and dangerously close. I decide to hop back on the trail. I tough it out ofr 3 miles and end up walking the last half mile because I can’t take it.
I round the corner on my street and see Norm. He is walking back and forth across the yard and I am calling his name, but he never hears me. I see him get in his truck to leave for work. Lucky for me Norm sits in his truck for a ridiculously long time before actually starting to drive. He sees me come into the yard and comes inside but I am super cranky because I am in pain. We get my shoe off and my foot is swollen. I sit on the couch and try to decide if it is broken. The swelling is now like a gold ball in the bottom of my foot and there is bruising across the top of my foot at where the toes meet the foot. I decide it’s time to see someone. A friend tells me when she broke her foot the ER wouldn’t treat her and sent her to an orthopedic doctor. I discover that the Core Institute is doing emergency orthopedic exams due to Covid and call them. All is fine until they tell me my insurance says it is inactive (it isn’t). I call my insurance company and they tell me everything is fine. I call the Core Institute back and tell them my insurance is active and they have the same problem again. They tell me they will call me back. Meanwhile, Norm has come home to take me the doctor. Since I am in a holding pattern I have him help me with a shower and find my crutches in the shed. Just as I am getting settled on the couch again the Core Institute calls and says they have my insurance approval. Norm takes me to doctor.
I had an appointment at the Core Institute back in 2013 and it was a nightmare. I didn’t have insurance and so I have to prepay for my appointment. Then the doctor was over an hour late to my appointment. And the staff acted like I was an ass for wondering how much longer I would have to wait. I was in tears in the waiting room because I had already paid for this appointment and the doctor being so late meant I was going to be late to a meeting with my new boss, a boss I had not even met yet. I am happy to say this was a much better appointment. Everyone was very nice and helpful. Poor Norm had to sit outside and wait for me.
The diagnosis is compression fracture in my 3rd and 4th metatarsals. I am non weight bearing for 4 to 6 weeks. I have to wear a compression sock during the day for the swelling and take aspiring twice a day to reduce and risk of a blood clot. I am on prescription Vitamin D. My osteopenia is to blame for this. After going down a internet rabbit hole it seems like my osteopenia might be full blown osteoperosis now. The did say I could try getting around in the walking boot. (I own so many different medical supplies form previous injuries that I am like my own store.) I am not sure the boot is very helpful at reducing pain.
I woke up Saturday and the swelling was down a bit, but the bruising was worse. I am not very good at sitting around and this day has been torture. Four to six weeks of this? I will never make it! What do people who aren’t training do with all those extra hours? I asked about swimming, but the doctor wasn’t so excited. She said no swimming for 7 to 10 days and if it causes pain then I can’t do it. I ventured out to Sprouts and learned that the walking in the boot combined with crutches is a much better option for getting around. I hate the compression sock and I don’t know how people wear these things! It was a long day of watching tv.
During all of this emotional injury turmoil, Enzo moved to LA. On Sunday, I spend some time chatting with Enzo and Norm helps him pack his car. He will be back in a few weeks to have his wisdom teeth taken out so it won’t be long before I see him again. I know this will sound weird because I have been in North Carolina and I am leaving for Wyoming, but I am sad that he won’t be living at home. Even if I leave, I always know he will be at home when I get there. I would be happy if my kids live with me forever. I know I am meant to raise them and send them out into the world but no thanks! I would like to point out that in many cultures families still live together when the kids are adults. I cry off and on all day. It’s just a lot going on. Enzo leaving and moving to Casper (which is a while disaster I will write about at some point although it would require a book). I also spend too much time on my foot trying to move furniture and organize the house.
Four weeks later and it is back to the Core Institute. I will admit that I have done some weight workouts on my foot. Not more than squats for the lower body because I can keep my weight in my heel, but I am convinced they are going to tell me that my foot is still not good. I was wrong. My doctor tells me that I am good to go back to running at 30 percent of my normal mileage. We agree to 2 to 3 miles a day. I am very skeptical. When I get home I am struggling to make myself walk on my foot. I decide if I am going to run I should invest in new shoes with nice new padding. I call Runner’s Den and they put a pair of shoes on hold for me.
I go to pick up my shoes and have a great conversation with the staff. It is so nice to be home. I ran into someone the other day from when I worked at the Cheder and they kept saying “I can’t believe you couldn’t find a job here.” Me either! Trust me, I tried. I am not thrilled about leaving my family to move to Casper.
I try walking but it is not easy. There is some nerve pain every time I stop walking and the start again. My brain can’t seem to catch up with the fact that foot is no longer broken. I don’t try running until Saturday morning. It’s comically. It takes some weird bounding to get myself to land on my foot normally. But in a few minutes, I am running like a normal person and with no pain. My ankle does start to hurt, but that is to be expected since I have been off my foot for 4 weeks. But no pain the rest of the day so hopefully I am slowly back to training.
So… a little over a week of running and I am doing well. The first few days it was tricky to get myself running in a normal way at the start of every run. But I was able to run 7 miles on Sunday. I wanted to run more, but the heat was killing me. I am back to doing weights and plyo. I used to do weights and plyo without shoes because I have some maybe not accurate theory about strengthening my foot but working out barefoot. On the tile file it was causing too much pain. The tile floor in general is now my nemesis. And my crappy flip flops. I bought a pair of Birkenstocks and the problem was fixed.
