My brain hurts…

Every morning is different, but nothing seems to change. New aches and familiar pain greet me as my feet touch the floor.  I have gotten use to this AM ritual.  Within the first few steps, I can feel the joints warming up and the muscles start moving without protest. Sometime I groan, sometimes I giggle.  I am of course doing this to myself.

This is not job related. This is not due to my age (I hope). It is only a reminder that I am doing everything I can to achieve the goal I set for myself.  As long as the pain moves into the background by the time I reach the other end of the bedroom, I am good. 

A couple of days ago, I felt a pain in my left heel.  I did not pay too much attention to it. I just added it to the list.  After several days of this constant pain, I told my coach.  Planter fasciitis, we both agreed. When we discussed the down-time necessary to heal (no pun intended), I felt the tears well up in my eyes. No running for weeks, maybe longer!!!! OMG!!! Within seconds, I had played-out all of the worst-case scenarios in my head, landing on: “I am done!”.  You see, my husband has PF and hasn’t run in 2 years.

“The Iron isn’t just about training. It’s about dealing with what gets thrown at you.  Your race is long, and a lot can happen, learning to maneuver is part of it.”

(To paraphrase my coach.)

Today I went to the Doctor. I do not have planter fasciitis. I have an infection, most likely from walking through new construction and old homes with no shoes on (part of my job).

So for now, I am not injured. But I did learn something. Injuries are probably going to be part of this journey that I’m on. I am tough as nails when it comes to aches and pain, but a complete baby when it comes to deviating from the plan that gets me to the end of my race. I am going to have to stretch that part of my brain. I wonder if there’s a plan for that?