Plantar Fasciitis

I haven't been for a run since last Monday morning. Which was a good run, I might add - 4 miles with an average pace of 9:48. Score! That's good for me. But, the heel pain I've been dealing with for the past few weeks really started to flare up after that run. I came to work, as usual, sat at my desk and started working. An hour later, when I tried to get up and walk to the printer, I could barely walk on my right heel.

So I went to see my old friends at OrthoCarolina - they also treated me for my Achilles Tendonitis. From everything I read on the net, I figured it was plantar fasciitis, but I just wanted to make sure. Of course, that was the diagnosis. After listening to the options, I opted to go with the cortisone shot.

Uh...lemme just tell you. That would be the 2nd most painful thing I've had done. The 1st would be the dentist attempting to drain an abscessed tooth - but that's another post for another time. Anywho, his exact words: "I'm not gonna lie to you - it WILL hurt."

He didn't lie. He had a student in training following him, and I heard him explaining to her that he did not like to do the injection from the bottom of the foot, as it tends to hurt worse. So he came at it from the inside on the side of the heel. They attempt to numb it with that freezing spray (yeah, right) and then tell you to be very still as they are about to start the shot.

Can I just tell you, it felt like he STABBED that needle into my foot?!? What the? My foot was assaulted and battered! And then you can feel the cortisone going in. It's a weird feeling. YOu get some numbness for a little while after, and then it's just weird feeling.

It's been almost a week. So far I can feel the biggest difference in the morning. I no longer have the excruciating pain when I get out of bed. I was given a list of stretches to do. Basically, a lot of the same things I was doing for my Achilles. WHich would be a good time for me to admit that I had slacked off...so, yeah. My fault. I complete the "towel stretch" in the mornings before I get out of bed, and the wall stretch in the shower. I have a water bottle at work that I keep in the freezer. In the mornings I will take it out, and then I roll the bottle back and forth under my foot.

So far, so good. I still have days when it's aggravated throughout the day. I've been wearing flip flops to work. Y'all know how this hurts my feelings...I like my high heels. I am not supposed to be walking around barefoot - which is a bad habit of mine. I have to force myself to wear flip flops around the house. I'm trying to do better.

I've decided that I will hit the elliptical all week. I've been eating like I don't know any better, and it's showing up around my midsection and thighs. Booo. Hopefully next week, I'll get back to running. I plan to start my half marathon training in August.

Hope no one else is sidelined with injuries!

Big Chop...again

So, yeah. As you can see from my new avatar, I chopped all my hair off. I did it for several reasons:

1. It was not growing the way that it was in 2005-2006. I loved my hair then. A trim turned into a cut back in spring 2006, and I have not gotten back to that length since that time. Frustration with the growth/thickness led to me not giving the time and attention I gave previously...so it really wasn't thriving.

2. I'm all about random changes. I like routine, but every now and then I like to change things. My mom says I used to change my room around so much when I was younger, she thought the furniture would fall apart. I needed a change, and I was actually going to just trim it, but the more I thought about it, a BC seemed to be the right choice.

3. It's HOT! I'm going to start half marathon training in August, and figured it'd be nice to be able to "wash n go" during these next few months.

My new avatar pic was taken the day I cut it - June 19, 2010. It's already growing out some and I actually think it's too long in the back. I'll be headed back to the barber soon for a trim and a shape up.

I Am Yet Alive

Hiya blog world. I'm still alive. I don't have much to blog about right now. I think I've gotten so used to condensing my life into 140 characters or less for Twitter, and into status updates for FB. So writing anything longer than that requires more thought and effort than I'm willing to give.

I'm sure if I REALLY thought about it, I'd have some things to blog about. Like, my trip to Vegas in May...where one of my BFFs lost her dayum mind. And how I nicknamed her Janet from the Muppets because of the ridiculous fake eyelashes she had plastered on her face. I have pics and I most certainly could describe the sights, sounds and crap load of FOOD on that trip.

I could also talk about my trip home to NY. My first time seeing LDR for an extended period of time, since March. I could talk about how we met each other's families, all the fun we had.

I could talk about how my dad's cancer is back, so he's gearing up for his 3rd battle with this disease...but I don't really have all the details yet. And thinking about how frail he is right now just makes me sad, anyway. :(

I'm also getting ready to cut my hair. I just need to figure out if I'm going to a stylist or a barber to get this done. I will post pics of my hair once it's done. I'm really hating my skin right about now, so I haven't been in a rush to post many photos, either.

I haven't done a road race since the CPCC 5K, but I was running regularly up until my trip to NY. Just getting back into the swing of things. Might be developing plantar fascitis in my right heel. Sigh.

So, as you can see, plenty of blog fodder, but no motivation to post any of it. Maybe if I tweet and FB less, I'll blog more. Hmmm. Something to think about.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous spring/summer so far. I'll try to get back here soon with a good post. Smooches!