Monday, April 9, 2012

One Foot in Front of the Other

Well, now that I have recently told you I was going to begin training for my second half marathon, I should probably let you in on another piece of my journey. It was just 7 months ago that these were my shoes for nearly 8 weeks! 

Yes, I know.  It was not my idea of fun after working so hard to get the weight off and get to the point where I was, but it was something that had to be done if I was going to enjoy my new body and  be able to use the feet that were attached to my new looking legs.
Many might wonder what was wrong with my feet anyway?  I had severe bunions on both feet as well as some bone spurs that needed fixing. Not a day went by that my feet didn't hurt in some way. Blisters would come and go.


Some days were worse than others and towards the end, most days were very painful and I'd find myself trying to find cold to places to soak them so the pain wouldn't be as noticeable. 






Now, most people when having this type of surgery are encouraged to only do one foot at a time. In fact, it's hard to find a good podiatrist that will operate on both feet at the same time.  For some reason, God knew I needed to be with the doctor I was with. She was the BEST! She listened to my worry and concern about not being able to do any exercise and basically being sedentary for many weeks. She told me because of how far I'd come, and what my body was now trained to do, that it would be more of a mental battle than anything else.  She didn't want me to have to go through it twice, so she actually encouraged me to get them done at the same time. She thought that doing one foot, waiting six to eight weeks and then diving in and doing the other would only push my recovery process out by an extra 2 months.  It would be that much longer before I would be back to doing the active things I had recently discovered a love for doing. 

So all said and done, I've only been running on these new feet of mine for a few months.  It's been very sporadic as they have been trying to make a full recovery. I was given the okay by the doctor just a few weeks ago to run on them as I wish but with caution. I'll admit, this first week of my training schedule for my half marathon has been brutal. It's hard for me to even wrap my head around the idea that I've already done this once before. In some ways, it's like starting from scratch. Being out of breath, feeling like a 4- mile run was the hardest thing I've ever done, and feeling depleted as a runner were only a few of the things that went through my head this week. Then I can't help but think about my journey and what I've already been through.  I am comforted to know that I've already done hard things. Very hard things. And as long as I can continue to train my mind to only focus on what it should and not start catastrophizing on the things of the world or the tricks my mind so readily wants to play on me, I will be fine. I CAN do this! I WILL do this! One step at a time. One foot in front of the other. (Yes, I even had to sing that to myself while running down the road yesterday.)


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14 comments:

  1. Thank you for posting this! I too have the same problem and need both feet operated on. I have just started to become more active and have been having some increased pain. I also have the worry of being sedentary while recovering and then getting back into the "groove" ... It was nice reading your story and seeing that it can be done. Keep up the good work and keep up the posting, I love reading about your journey and your success! =)

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    1. Sam, I definitely would find a doctor that will do both feet at the same time. It is a bit of a pain but so doable if you have good people to help take care of you afterwards. I'll blog more about recovery soon but it wasn't so bad. I found ways to exercise. :) I do know the sooner the better. If you wait too long they may have to be more invasive when they make the fix. Hang in there! :)

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  2. I think it's amazing you were able to start in at 4 miles!! That is a HUGE accomplishment and testament to all of the work that you did before! Yea it's all over and you can just move forward now!

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    1. Thanks Cyd! I can use all the encouragement I can get these days.

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  3. Wow, I had no idea that you'd overcome such an obstacle in becoming a runner- that looks very painful! Congrats to you in persevering in your training despite the difficulties, you will kill it for sure!

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    1. Thanks Sherrie! P.S This is YOUR week! :)

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  4. You've overcome so much! Such an inspiration every time I read your posts. Keep on keepin on, girl!

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  5. Wow! You go girl!

    I have terrible tailors bunions that I was born with...I accidentally kicked a cart's wheel one day in the spring and it took 5 months for me to be able to wear shoes without hurting...I need to get them removed but the thought of being DOWN that long is scary! We've got 4 going on 7 kiddos so this mama needs to be able to MOVE!

    Keep going at your goal! We'll be praying you on!

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    1. Thanks jolene! I recommend the surgery to anyone. It was so worth it. I may feel OUT OF IT as far as my running goes for a bit but to run without my feet throbbing is a whole story in itself. 4 - 7! WoW! You will be busy. Thanks for the prayers! :)

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  6. I've just recently gotten over a bout with recurring blisters! Ouch! As it turned out it was due to my spine and neck being out of allignment. My chiroprator has me back out there pounding the pavement...blister are gone! All this to say that I can somewhat understand, although your situation was much more intense. I'm so happy for you that you're healing and back at it!

    Blessings!

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  7. Wow, you are a true fighter. That looks awfully painful, and I can see why you'd want to do both feet at a time!

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  8. Wow! That must have been really rough! Way to get through it and keep running. You are awesome.

    Sarah
    notaneffingdiet.blogspot.com

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