{Getting the Boot}

One of my training fears came true when my phone rang at a quarter to four yesterday afternoon. After a day and half of holding out hope that the pain in my foot was a minor setback, I was informed of something that could potentially cause me to miss out on my dream race, a race that I have been preparing for physically and mentally for over a year now.

The results from my x-rays showed that I have a metatarsal fracture, which is a fracture that occurs to the forefoot bone right above the toe line. I wish I had an explanation for what exactly happened but unfortunately I don’t. I’ve been trying to replay my last run in my head. I think what bothers me the most about that last run is the fact that I was pumped and ready to conquer the world. I had it in me to go the distance that day. There are days when I’m just not on target and then there are those days when I am ready to face it all. Monday was one of those days! I had been taking things extremely easy on myself because I was coming off of a sprain. My doctor is pretty sure that my new shoes messed me up (I guess five finger running isn’t all that wonderful).

My final conclusion: 

new shoes, 

over compensation, 

maybe even a few subliminal messages. 

All of which boils down to 

I KNEW BETTER!!!!

For the next 4 weeks my left foot will look like this

or like this!

Not exactly the ideal situation considering the fact that we are gearing up for the holidays and I am currently a single parent!

The children will be on Thanksgiving Break all next week.

Nana & Papa will be here to visit us for the week.

The Wyatt Family will be here for Thanksgiving Weekend.

Oh wait, did I mention that I will be boarding a plane to Oklahoma City for Jason’s graduation and we will be attending the big squadron Christmas party too!!! My hope at this point is that I can at least find something cute to over shadow the big clumpy boot!

Not to mention that race day is 6 weeks away!!!

Fractures are tricky injuries. There is never a definite answer as to when one will heal. Some people can heal within 3 weeks while others might struggle and take up to 8 weeks to heal. I think I might have had my doctor feeling sorry for me yesterday. It could have been the tears streaming down my cheeks or maybe just my very disappointed face. I was feeling a bit disheartened as I sat in her office however, she did give me a little bit of hope. She told me that I have a chance to beat this and possibly make my way to Florida for the race as long as I follow the rules. Following the rules includes keeping off of my foot for the next 4 weeks, icing, soaking, and elevating as much as I possibly can. This also means that I am to park my behind on the couch no questions asked!       

I am thinking that the next 4 weeks are going to be some of the hardest days for me to get through. For those of you who know me, you know that I don’t sit very well. Being that we are getting ready for the holiday’s and company, timing is absolutely horrible. My list of things to do is a mile long. Cleaning, shopping, volunteering my time at the big Santa Store this week and the book fair after Thanksgiving, and let’s not forget driving the kids to and from different events because I’m the only one who can. Oh my goodness, then there is Black Friday which I was looking forward to experiencing with my sister and my nephew. A first time tradition (well the nephew part anyway). Of course I can’t forget Thanksgiving dinner, a tradition that I quickly fell in love with especially after we bought our house. Do you see my dilemma here?!?!

My timing is completely impeccable!!!!

I am holding out hope for myself. I am doing my best to keep myself focused on the bigger picture. As hard as it will be for me to reach out and ask for help, I know at this point that I need to. I have a wonderful group of friends and an extremely supportive family who have reached out to me. I don’t even know how to begin to thank you all!!!

I have faith that I will heal quickly. I am sad that I won’t be able to take on this race the way that I had originally planned but I don’t have it in me to give up. One thing that has proved to be amazing is the fact that My Jay won’t let me give up either. Last night he told me that he knows how hard I have worked for this and that it doesn’t matter how we do it but more importantly that we will do it together! This has been a goal of mine ever since I experienced my very first 1/2 marathon. If I have to jog, walk, or crawl, I will find a way to cross that finish line and I will do it with my husband by my side!