Running Chick

...but I can still run!

After a three week layoff from running while I was nursing posterior tibial tendonitis and adjusting to my custom orthotics, I started running again on Monday.

The first run went great. There was no pain, not even a twinge. Granted I took it very s-l-o-w and cautious, but it felt great to run without pain. The orthotics felt great - meaning I couldn't even tell I was using them.

The second run felt good as well, but I made a key mistake in the beginning of the run, which I'm pretty sure stuck me back in Podiatrist's office. I ran three blocks downhill. Like straight downhill. As I was about mid-way through the last block it occurred to me that it probably wasn't a smart choice because I could feel the stress on my lower legs more so than before. Wouldn't you know it, toward the end I could feel a little something happening on my inside shin area.

Crap.

Ice, Advil, ice, Advil.

At start of my third run, I felt a twinge. Or maybe something stronger than a twinge. A pinch? Whatever. Anyway, that twinge subsided after about a quarter-mile and I didn't really feel anything until I stopped and then started up again. Then, the twinge hit again. Cue a burning feeling, which is a tell-tale sign that my tendon was on the verge of being pissed off. Fortunately, I was at the end of my run, so I walked home and immediately started my ice, Advil, ice routine.

This morning I woke up and assessed the situation. The burning feeling is still there and is now accompanied by a really tender spot on my shin. So, I called Podiatrist who told me to get my butt into the office ASAP and don't run.

Craaaaaap.

Fortunately, I was able to get an appointment for this afternoon. Podiatrist and I discussed the situation and he agrees with me that it was probably the downhill running that aggrevated my tendon. He made a slight adjustment in my orthotics to give me some more lift in my heel (yay, I'm taller!) and gave me some stuff called CryoDerm, a pain relieving spray that I supposed spray on my leg before I run. I'm also back on the Meloxicam (so long, beer!) to keep the inflammation from getting out of control. Finally, he instructed me that I should do wall-push calf stretches three times/day to keep my calves loose.

Oh, and I'm also supposed to keep up with the icing and try to stay off the pavement.

After discussing all that, Podiatrist and I then had an interesting conversation about the drug Propofol. That's the potent anesthetic Michael Jackson was taking to supposedly help him sleep; the stuff everybody's saying is really hard to get. Apparently the drug companies Podiatrist buys from have started to push Propofol big-time. Cheaply, too, Podiatrist said around $3.50/vial. He can't figure out why they suddenly started to push this drug when he's never used it in his practice before and it's not something he would ever use. The only thing he figured was that this was all fall-out from MJ. I find that to be very bizarre. But, we are talking about Michael Jackson, here, who can probably be summed up by the same word.

He made dang good music, though. Dang good. If I hadn't sold my Thriller and Bad cassettes (yes, I'm that old) at a garage sale last year, I'd totally be jamming out to them right now. Shamon!