See Adrienne Run: You're Ugly, Too

What's All This Then?

Greetings!

This blog has run its course, as it were. Actually three courses, but don't let that stop you from reading. Here's the skinny: I dedicated most of 2008 to running and fundraising for cancer research. On June 1, I ran the San Diego Rock n' Rock marathon. On June 21 I ran a half marathon in Anchorage, Alaska. Both of these feats were tackled with the coaching and support of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, for which I raised $5,725. The final challenge was the New York City marathon on Nov. 2. This time I trained with "Fred's team" on behalf of Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where I was treated successfully for Hodgkins lymphoma five years ago. I raised another $3240 (maybe more).

It was a banner year in many ways. I celebrated 5 years of health. I raised a lot of money. I earned a Team in Training triple crown for completing a triathlon, century bike ride and marathon. I was featured on a show about three first time runners in the NYC marathon, aired on NBC in New York. And ....

You can read all about my journey in sneakers below. And remember:
"A journey of 26.2 miles begins with a single shlep."

(For the back story, check out the Sept. 29th entry.)

Thursday, May 8, 2008

You're Ugly, Too

Well, I got a second opinion. Fortunately, I really liked this sports podiatrist guy Connors immediately. He dug into my feet right away. Why should this be notable? Isn't that the way it's supposed to be? What he told me made me want to laugh outloud. In one of the greater ironies of life, I've got nothing but "padding" on the top of my foot where it does no good, but the bottom doesn't have enough fatty cushion. He poked at my metatarsal bones, which are the only bones that can be discerned until you get to my knee cap. He recommended an orthotic ($500 payable upfront!) and his assistant will check on the insurance coverage. I made an appointment to cast the orthotic on Monday afternoon. It will be ready in two weeks, but I'm going to see if they can rush it. The timing isn't ideal since it's best to do a few long runs with the orthotic before using it in a race. I'll have to play it by ear. On a sunnier note, he said I have a neutral foot, which is good for running. It seems a small consolation, but I'm grateful for anything that goes right.

In the meantime, he suggested I have a shoe repairmen build a little bridge on my insoles so that I can get some immediate relief. He marked the insoles so that knew where to attach the bridge, which is basically padding with a beveled edge.

I had a good run by the river today. What I've been doing lately is riding old Nellie Bly to the bike path to avoid the hassle of running and stopping at lights. That improves my mood considerably. The pimped out insoles were a vast improvement. Unfortunately, there was some major burning and numbness is still an issue. I stopped once because of pain, but that's an improvement. I'm hopeful that I'll have a more comfortable long run this weekend. I'm aiming for my longest run yet: 17 miles.

I spent my time tonight tossing around the idea that I could reverse the order of my runs: run the half in San Diego and the full in Alaska. I'll have a nice long run on Saturday to turn that around in my mind a few hundred times. To be continued...

Today: 5.7
Miles to date: 223