If it ain’t broke don’t fix it...

Difficulties are meant to rouse you, not discourage you. The human spirit is meant to grow stronger by conflict. Adversity causes some men to break, others to break records. Today let your test become a testimony and your pain become your power! Invite adversity in. Always remember....A wounded deer leaps the highest. - Rex Crain

The phrase “If it ain’t broke don’t fix it” is used a lot and growing up I heard it playing sports. (Yes, for you sticklers out there, I know “ain’t” is not a word…lol)

Whether it was playing basketball and shooting the ball the "correct" way, or having the "correct" stance in baseball while in the batters box.  If it worked, I saw no reason to mess with it, despite a few coaches thinking otherwise.  Maybe that’s why at a certain point in High School I stopped playing those sports.  I didn’t want to “fix it”. (or maybe I just wasn’t any good…haha)  Same went with swimming.  I went with what worked for me, but realized in college I couldn’t do that all the time.  When the coach said to do it this way, it was a rough adjustment, since what I was doing WAS actually working, just not fast enough.  So if I wanted to get better, I had to “fix it”.  Of course it would usually work, but thats another story.

 

When it comes to body parts….you gotta fix it whether it's broke or not.  I had my appointment with the sports doctor last week and the X-Rays were clean, despite the pain.  So this week I had my bone scan.  Went to the hospital to the Nuclear Medicine department for my test.  First off, as I joked on facebook earlier in the week, I have never heard of “Nuclear Medicine” being a part of the hospital.  I meant, I always figured nuclear was something that blows up in a bomb….hey, as those that know me, I never CLAIM to be smart.  :-)

I arrive on time and as I’m sitting with the front desk person going over information she informs me that I’m going to head to the back and they take some pictures and inject some dye in me.  Then I am to come back in 3 hours for the bone scan.  Well, the look on my face and the fact I said, “I’m sorry, what was that” seemed to confuse her. 

Receptionist - Did you not know that?  

Me - Gee, what part of my facial expression or comment gave it away. 

Receptionist - (after giggling at my comment) They should have told you when you made the appointment…Do you want to reschedule?

I laughed and said that was fine.  Granted it was a bit annoying, but it made it worse that that day may have been the busiest at work for me.  At this point I needed to know what was going on with my body and delaying would just drag things out, as well as frustrate me more than I already was.

As most things usually do, it all worked out ok (Hence the reason I find it silly to stress out over things you can't control)

 

Wednesday arrives and I have my follow-up with the sports doctor to find out if I won the lottery (ok, so maybe just for the results of the tests).  He comes in smiling asking how I am, and of course in my usual sarcastic self tell him that I’m great, just figured I stop by because I’m bored…lol

He takes out the chart and the first thing he says to me is “well, you have a lot of things going on here.”

Going into this, I was obviously hoping nothing would be wrong.  But as each day passed, the pain kept getting worse and worse.  It was annoying to walk and I also was failing miserably in “hiding” my limp.  The past week more and more people were noticing and asking what happened, what's wrong, why you limping...

Now in the same sense, while I hoped nothing was wrong, I was at the point where I sorta hoped he didn’t say I was fine, because obviously I’m not. (no comments from the peanut gallery from those of you rolling your eyes at that one…lol)

Started with the foot…..good news, there is no stress fracture that showed up.  I immediately put my head down and said that’s not really good news.  He actually said he understood what I meant.  But for the bottom front of my front and top side of my foot, I have something called metatarsalgia, which is severe bruising of the bones.  Then he threw me a curveball.  I also have a stress fracture in my lower leg above my ankle, which confused me, since I really didn’t have any pain there.  That is, until he started poking around to feel….ya, funnnnn.  Right leg completed and said that it will need a boot and to stay off of it until further notice.

And just for fun, to throw a little twist in….now to the left leg.  I knew I had been having some issues w/my leg giving out on me recently and I thought it was my LCL, but my ligaments seemed fine.  He said that I have a stress reaction in my fibula, below the knee.  Seems a stress reaction is not a fracture, but a precursor to one.  I guess meaning that if my stubborn self kept running, it probably would have turned into a fracture.  Of course I had no plans to run, since it hurt just to walk.  Now lets be honest here, if I had no pain walking and just had a bit while running, I would have kept going….heehee  I mean I did I have pain at times even before the marathon but still went through with that.  He did actually ask if I had any plans to run, which I thought he was trying to be funny.  (For those of you wondering....the answer to that question is a hellll no)

 

So here is my new fashion attire.

 

I’m going to be sporting this for awhile.  It even has the Dee Brown "Pump it Up" part...Not sure it would make me able to dunk a basketball though...lol.....I go back in 3 weeks for another follow up.  If my left leg gets worse, he is leaning towards adding a boot to that leg as well.  JUST DANDY, maybe I should grab some bunny ears, a big red nose and a long tail so I stick out even more.  Have I mentioned I don’t like attention???  But as my friend Kim mentioned to me….The spotlight makes me shine. (Not sure I believe her)  Well, a lot of times my redheaded fair skinned self just likes to stay in the shade.  Teehee

I'm not alone and have had permission to vent at times.  One of the most cheerful and upbeat people I have ever met, Morgan, has a stress fracture which kept her out of running the Cleveland Marathon sent me a message and said she heard that we're twins now.  I told her I wanted to be just like her.  Unfortunately she has been a trooper for 14 weeks now....Hey Morgan, since your's is your left leg, do you want mine so you can have a matching set?  :-)

Of course at this point I may start to carry flyers around with me, that way when someone comes up to me and says “Oh my, what happened to you?”….I could give them the flyer and save both of us the time….hahaha  Ok, that didn’t mean to come off as rude.  The amount of people that have asked that is rather funny actually.  A lot of it is my fault since I spent so much time trying to hide the limp people didn’t see that much wrong with me over the last few weeks.  Heck, alot of people didn't even know I ran a marathon.

I'm kind of going with the flow for now.  I make jokes to make light of everything and have heard a few people tell me I'm awfully chipper for having this thing on.  Well, first off, it could be alot worse, it's only a boot.  Granted, it's annoying, but I'll live.  Second, I think having the past 3 weeks to "deal with it" has helped soften the blow since I sorta expected it.  Ya, it sucks that I won't be able to run just as the weather gets nice along with having the chance to run with some really great friends.  But I'll get over it, I always do, life goes on.  I'm used to it.

 

Right now I’m allowed to swim, as long as I don't push off the walls.  Luckily I’m like a fish out of water.  I just need to get back into the mindset I had, since I have not done anything as far as working out in about 2 weeks so I don't want to fall into the "lazy stage".  I don’t specifically have anything to “look forward to” as far as a specific event, and possibly won’t do another event in 2011.

 

There's always next year...lol   Ok, so it's really not that bad.  Just got thrown a curveball by the man upstairs and how it goes for the next few months is how I swing at the curve.  I can sulk and whine....and swing and miss....or figure out a way to go with it and work around da boot....and hit it out of the park.

 

Until Next Time…

The need for more....

"Let go of your need to have more. When you stop needing more of everything, more of what you desire seems to arrive in your life. Since you're detached from the need for it, you find it easier to pass it along to others, because you realize how little you need in order to be satisfied and at peace." - Dr. Wayne Dyer

So this won't necessarily be about me and running, since well, there has been none of that lately.  I do however have an appointment in the morning with a sports doctor at Max Sports Medicine, so we shall see what bad news he has in store for me.  (Ok, Ok, I know, I know...positive thoughts...but as each days goes, the pain worsens and the optimism seeps away.)

Reading a friends blog got me thinking and it's only fitting that I saw this quote today from Wayne Dyer.  My friend Beau is a teacher and recently blogged about some stories from his first year teaching in the "suburbs" after years of teaching in the "ghetto" (not sure if that is politically correct or not or even the proper term, but let's just say it's not somewhere you want to hang out at night).  Now there is a difference in school systems between inner city and the suburbs, but the goal is still the same.  Reach out to as many kids as you can and help them learn and grow.  Beau is the type of person who wants to get to everyone, reach everyone and help them all.  If even one fails, I think he looks on it as a failure in himself.  I have always mentioned to him to look for the positives, even as small as they may be.  Sure, it would be great to get the whole class to "get it".  But rather than be disappointed when the whole class doesn't, be proud in the few that get it.  Revel in that small success....Why let the accomplishment of what you just did, be ruined in wanting more.
Now granted I am not a teacher (unless a year of majoring in elementary education in college and a semester partial student teaching counts, which of course it doesn't...lol), but as a teacher your success is not based on how many A's your kids get.  In my opinion success is about touching someones mind and making a difference in their lives.  Doesn't have to be everyone, even one kid would be a "success".

In my ramblings, I guess where I am going is that we always seem to want more.  But why is that?  More success, more money, more toys, more free time, more wins for our sports teams.  Sometimes people don't take the time to step back and appreciate what they have accomplished or what they have.
People get success and immediately they want more.  Is it because of egos?  Is it selfish?  People get money and immediately want more.  Is it greed?  People get free time and immediately want more.  Rather than enjoy the time they just had, they tend to forget about it and quickly just wish for more.  Even with sports teams.  Our favorite team wins a game, but rather than enjoy the victory, the thinking goes to the next game and having to win that or it won't be good enough.  The season ends and rather than look at the positive, people tend to wish they did better.
I'm not trying to sound hypocritical.  Don't get me wrong, wanting more is good.  I'm not saying to just settle and be happy....We always need to push ourselves, set a goal to strive for.  We need to always push ourselves to learn and grow as a person.  Let's face it, if you aren't growing, you are not living....We need to learn to not settle, something I have trouble doing myself. 
BUT along the way we need to realize that this IS our only chance at this thing called life and in order to enjoy it, we need to avoid getting caught up in "always" wanting more and step back and appreciate what you have once you get it.  Sometimes realizing that makes all those little annoyances that go on in our life seem irrelevant.

Live life, love life....Once it's over, what you have doesn't really matter...It's not about you, but about the lives you've touched.

Until next time....

May in Review...

There is real power in being thankful and appreciative. When you express appreciation, not only does it empower the people who hear your words, but it also releases joy inside of you. You'll find whatever you will praise, you will raise! Who will you empower & raise today with your words? - Rex Crain

May has come and gone which comes with mixed emotions.  Since January, the focus has always been on the marathon.  Making it there, then finishing.  Now that the calendar has turned to June, there is alot of "what's next" and uncertainty.  Next was supposed to be a Triathlon, but that is on hold.
Since this is my first "Month in Review" that I decided to do this year, I wasn't sure how to go about it.  Didn't want to just copy anyone elses, although I thought about it....lol

The first week ended with the Cap City Half Marathon w/Marla, which was the final test.  Pass it and be clear to attempt the marathon.  Fail and well, that thought was being blocked out....but as you can read here, I thankfully passed.

Week Two was what we had been planning for months.  The Cleveland Marathon....You can read about it here (for those that have not, be careful it's long and may put you to sleep....lol)  While the day did not go as planned, the most important part was finishing.  I also have to remember that up until May 15th, I had NEVER run more than 13.1 miles at once.  I also had never run more than 25 miles in a week, so being able to "whip through" 26.2 miles in one day was pretty cool and I'm kinda proud of it.  Heck the day was still awesome, the weekend was awesome.  I was able to meet alot of new people, put some faces to some names.  And in the end I was able to help a great friend of mine accomplish what she missed out on last year....The finish line.

Week Three was recovery week.  There were no plans to run and lets be honest, if you had told me at the beginning of the month that I'd be able to WALK this week, I would have been estatic.  Other than soreness, I felt fine and ended the week with an 8 mile run in Antrim Park.  I really wondered if it could be that good.  Well, there was obviously no wood around when I thought that, so I could not knock on any....

Final week was realization week.  I realized that the pain would not go away.  It was supposed to be a bruise.  Granted I have to be honest, I knew I had some minor things (or major but I was not letting it stop me, or tell anyone) during the final weeks.  Later in the week, the leg started to give out every so often, partially because I was favoring that side.  So now I'm trying to figure out how to walk on my hands, since both limbs are not cooperating.  Week 3 I followed the "post race" program and rested.  Week 4 I couldn't just sit around so I got back in the pool.  Got a mile in one day, 2 miles the next time and 3 miles yesterday.  At least I don't feel completely useless.  Although I did have to focus on the turns, since pushing off was not fun...LOL...

But the month is over....Winter and spring have come and gone.....

And for you Cleveland 10 miler girls, don't think I didn't notice that we were not able to run together all month....hmmmm, how am I supposed to enjoy running without your smiling faces, awesome personalities and little hotties to run with...   :-).

For now it's a wait and see approach.  I probably need to suck it up and see a doctor, since it is starting to hurt just to walk.  I spoke with a friend of mine who runs and bikes alot and has had his fair share of injuries.  He gave me advice on his thoughts and his "diagnosis".  He's NOT a doctor, but he did stay at a Holiday Inn Express last weekend, so his info is good. (ok, someone I know reading this giggled) 
But I know my stubborn self has to do something about it.  I have ditched my plans to do a triathlon in 2 weeks, but still hoping to do 1 or 2 by the end of the year.  I guess the injury gives me time to focus on myself, becoming a better person.
So for awhile, rather than spending my time on the trails (since the weather FINALLY gets nice out), I'll be in a pool.  Nothing wrong with that though, luckily the pool is my first love.  Heehee

After finishing "The Long Run", I need to start on my next book.  Either a Myles Monroe, Rex Crain, John Mason or Rex Crain book...will have to see.  Anyone have any suggestions on an inspirtational or uplifting or spiritual book??

No matter what happens....I'm learning to be appreciative for the things I have in my life and the people that I get to share it with....It's been a rough past few days but no matter what I'm thankful that I went through it all.  It's not about me, but about those whose life you are able to touch.

Until Next Time.....