Rockin' das "boot"!

DRAMA!!!

I'm tempted to submit a full fashion shoot of myself with this awesome new accessory - it is *just* that sexy! Yes, the doctor recommended THE BOOT, and as much as I wanted to resist and protest, I'm also determined to be a good patient (for a change). While the good news is that the third metatarsal (I'm excited that this experience has expanded my miniscule knowledge of the foot and its complex structure) is not fractured, the doctor did not share my optimism over the inflammation. He kept repeating "severe, severe, severe", and then expressed his concern that if I kept walking on it and did not rest it or keep it immobilized, then it possibly could fracture.

So, yes, I opted for the boot, in part because I know that I am not fully resting the foot and that I will not teach sitting down and give it the rest that it probably needs. I wouldn't say that it's impossible to teach while sitting, but I find it challenging to engage with a class while I'm sitting on my ass. The doctor did say that we could take it week by week, and I will give the boot one week, maybe two, and hopefully it will heal (it actually felt better just last night - funny how that is).

I was also open about my hope/goal to finish a triathlon at the beginning of May. Oh, yeah, big announcement: I'm training for a triathlon! Or at least I was hoping to... So, I'm still training and hope to "compete" as much as I can. I have, however, downgraded my expectations!

But because I can still swim and bike and will hopefully give the foot time to heal, the tri is still on! He did ask how I was dealing with the fact that I couldn't run, and I brushed off the question, pointing to the swimming and cycling. While I am relieved that I can still work on the other skills - more on that later - I did not directly answer the question. When I think about it, however, the situation does provoke frustration tinged with anger and a bit of depression. Despair would be too damn dramatic, so I will reserve that emotion for something worthy of desperation, quiet or not. But I didn't run for years, and returning to running was like the cliché, 'new lease on life'. I do feel the injustice of it all - after all, I did not go crazy with running, did not run crazy mileage, varied the terrain where I ran, rested more than enough! And now this?

I can turn all of the possibilities and injustices around and around in my brain, and it will accomplish nothing.

Apparently, the best and only thing that I can do is REST. I even asked the doctor, with naive hope, if I could do some PT to help with the healing process. He said that I could do as much PT as I wanted for the rest of my body, but not for the foot. Funny, I suppose, that I've become such a believer in the idea that something can be done to fix an ache, pain or injury, and being the masochist that I am, I can take the pain and suffering of PT. When the doctor prescribes rest and recovery, that poses a far greater challenge.

I am, however, determined to meet that challenge with flying colors. Thus, the boot, no vigorous walking, and even when the foot starts to feel better, continue to rest!