We maintain a pretty active lifestyle in our house, and even though Nathan doesn't belong to my gym we try to get outside and just DO things as much as possible. Together we bike, walk the neighborhood, run (well...I run and he skates), or try to come up with something new and fun to do. A few weeks ago a big storm came through so instead of heading outside we tried a kickboxing class and went to a roller skating rink so we could keep moving. I ran a half marathon and countless other races before, and I greatly enjoy being a 25-year-old with almost no health issues to speak of so I can keep on going even when I'm tired.
That all came crashing down on my head this summer when I broke a bone in my foot. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I'm fairly certain it was a stress fracture. Chalk it up to using the treadmill more than running in the great outdoors because of the insane heat, but suddenly the top of my foot started hurting. And then it kept hurting, even when I put ice on it. By the time I showed it to a nurse my entire foot was swollen up like a little sausage and I couldn't wear shoes that put any pressure on the top of it.
Although I was in denial for a little while, it soon became obvious that I could not continue to run on a broken foot. I stressed out a little because this all happened in June, the busiest wedding month of the year, and I knew I had to walk around no matter what. Because of the location of my break the doctors really couldn't do anything for me so I did what I never thought I could do: I stopped running. For eight long weeks.
At home I have a standing desk, and this too went out of commission. I looked pretty pathetic during a typical work day - sitting on our recliner with my foot propped up, cushioned in a bag of ice. I still walked sometimes and was able to bike, thankfully, but I personally find almost nothing more infuriating than a stationary bike. You literally. go. nowhere. for twenty minutes!
I was determined, though, to push through. I knew if I didn't sit down and rest that it would only make the injury worse. I knew that I didn't want to end up in surgery because of my stubbornness. And I also knew that the more I made a big deal of it, the worse it would seem not to run - which is honestly why I'm just now blogging about it!
Thankfully my foot healed beautifully. I very slowly started back in on my regular activities, and I'm happy to say I finished my first 4-mile run since the injury a couple weeks ago. I am healed, ready to go back in action, and all the more thankful for the ability to walk and run as far as I want - it's not something I will soon take for granted!
