I ended last week's post on a bit of a cliffhanger, sharing that my right foot, the one where my swollen, middle hammer toe resides proudly, did not ache on Monday after running about twenty miles or so with Kat during Ultraman that previous Sunday. That was an odd, yet fantastic realization, because it has been registering on some level of the pain scale while sitting still or moving at all times for the last few weeks, and then voila, the day after Ultraman, nothing.
It didn’t hurt the next day either.
I didn't want to make any definite proclamations about Ironman Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago, because I thought maybe I could race it as an Aquabike, (swim/bike), but when I told Marion my idea he replied,"There is no way you're going to stop after the bike, and not run. Really?"
Still, I did not want to be rash about my foot. Something was amiss, so I decided not to get too excited until I went to see my podiatrist last Friday to pick up my orthotics. That appointment went well, and was pretty much the complete opposite of how the “Doomsday” one went a few weeks ago. I told her my toe wasn’t hurting, and asked if the surgery was necessary right now if my condition was improving.
“If your toe feels better using other methods besides surgery, that is what we want. But, I do want to see if there is any tearing in the plantar plate, so let’s get an MRI, and we’ll go from there.” The Dr. suggested.
“Yeah, okay, that sounds great.” I replied calmly, while internally bouncing off the walls that the surgery was not necessary yet.
The orthotics feel amazing. She accounted for my bulging callus on the ball of my foot, so there is a groove to fit it in, thereby it does not pound against the ground first like it has been, which is a revolutionary improvement. However, I still need to break them in walking for another week before I can run in them, but I know they will make a huge difference in my running future.
My friend and teammate, Lynne Fiedler and I post-ride, pre-run last Saturday.
Which started that following Saturday.
I ran comfortably on Saturday and Sunday, and pretty well. Apparently my fitness had more faith in my toe than I did, because it hung tight throughout the last few roller-coaster weeks, and showed up during my big ride on Saturday, both runs on Saturday and Sunday, and during my two mile ocean swim race on Sunday.
Exiting the water at the Pier To Pier race last Sunday. Photo courtesy of Hadara Katarski.
Therefore, as of right now, my season is back on!
I plan to race the FULL Ironman in Wisconsin on September 8th, and run the New York City Marathon on November 3rd. However, if something horrible comes up on the MRI, I will re-evaluate, but so far so good.
Next, I will be dropping into the Ironman training black hole as soon as I hit publish on this post.
It will be a challenge to boost my fitness to the level an Ironman demands in this short period of time, but I am excited and grateful for the chance to try.
Dancing during a strength session in our HOT garage last Sunday.
I will keep up my blog and Taryn’s Triathlon Time, (new episode’s every Friday on Instagram TV), otherwise, if you need me, I'll be riding up one of the Santa Monica Mountains, swimming in the ocean and/or at a variety of southern California pools, running anywhere I can, inside and out, and sleeping and eating inside the hottest house in the Valley.
Yep, our AC is broken; again.
The new part should be installed this week, but honestly, I don’t really care. I am adapting to the heat.
Also, none of that compares to the ultimate joy and satisfaction I had when sharing an afternoon with Hannah last week, when I was finally able to give her something tangible that all of these years of triathlon, running, and social media content churning has provided. What started as a passion that she supported, but did not understand, and as much as I tried for it not to, on more than one occasion got in the way of things while she was growing up, next turned into a lifestyle, and now, actually a career, and that after seeing the look on her face last Thursday, I know she is proud of.
I cannot express how heavy I have felt the tonnage of guilt over the years while pursuing what I believe is my purpose, but when I saw her smile, it all clicked, and finally felt worth it.
I am aware that I have a long way to go in order to achieve the success I am after, (on the race course and off), but the biggest lesson I have learned in the many painful ones within the last few months is that I am moving in the right direction, and enjoying every step of the way.
Let’s GO!
The song choice this week is a throwback that celebrates one of my favorite lunchtime ingredients, Raspberry Beret, by Prince.