So as I have said this last 6 weeks have not been that great with my foot. The good news is the open sore is healing. The not so good news is after seeing my original surgeon yesterday he said I will need major foot reconstruction to fix all the deformities which have occurred from the bunion recurrence. I also have the next two toes moving over and shifting and bending. This has also created other skin rubbing, but the more pressing issue is the change in the alignment of these toes. Plus the original bunion issue which has also changed from a distal toe angle to a more proximal toe angle. He has referred me on to a foot and ankle surgeon and hopefully I will get in soon to have a consult with her. I have checked her ratings and she looks very competent and is an athlete herself.

Remaining positive has never been easy for me when it affects what I want to do. To be totally honest I am trying really hard but not doing that well at it. I guess what I need is answers to my questions and knowledge of what the future holds for foot function and running too. Shoe wearing is still not really possible due to swelling of the remainder of the foot. I can start to run short distances for now. Holes cut in shoes to allow for room for the toe and the still healing sore. I really thought that when I had surgery 3.5 years ago that all these issues were behind me. I now find myself buying all sorts of foot straightening products again! Not sure they will make much difference especially if the surgeon recommends surgery but maybe in the short term they may help a bit.

Racing plans…….next weekend we will all go to St. Louis and my husband will run the Go St. Louis marathon. I was to run the half but am going to do the 5km with my 10 yr old daughter. It will be fun to do it with her. I am disappointed that I can’t do the half, but my real big goal was to do the Syracuse 70.3 in June to try to qualify for Mt. Tremblant worlds. I really won’t know if that is in jeopardy but in the back of my head I think it is a long shot. I will see how my foot responds to running over the next month and then make the decision. As with many athletes , being “injured” or having a condition that requires surgery is going to happen over time. It should be a short blip on the screen that we look back on and get through. I will keep that in the back of my mind at least until I talk to the surgeon .

I have had many great years of racing in me. I have been a triathlete for 16 yrs. And a runner for 17 years. I will continue to hopefully run and race even if I have to cut the distance to 5-10km events. I will be happy with that too. I love that feeling of putting on my gear (especially my Mizuno gear!!) and going out for a run. It makes me feel like an athlete , it makes me feel free, it makes me feel like I am working towards a goal. I hope I can continue to do this.

For now, focus is on other stuff too. Work, my daughter and all her activities, and my husband and his goals. And we are still waiting for spring here. It has to be soon. That is not easy on the psyche either when it is still cold and snowy in the first full week of spring.

Hopefully more upbeat news in the future but for today I need to vent!

Thanks for listening:).