Thursday, January 31, 2008

To run again!

Good morning to all who may read this. I have good news! I have been running everyday this week. This is huge for those of you who have followed my ups and downs with running.

A little history. I used to hate running. It was painful, tiring, difficult and I usually thought I was going to die! About 5 years ago, a friend told me how she had lost weight after her babies. She ran. She said the fat would just "melt" off.

So, I became motivated by that. I wanted to run. It was hard!! I got up at 6 am and would force myself out the door. My knees immediately starting hurting. A little voice told me to start doing sqats. So I did and my knees stopped hurting. I got to where I could run a mile with out stopping. I became addicted. I would "itch" to go for a run! I loved it. It cleared my head and put me in a good mood. I lost weight. I was looking good.

I then hurt my low back. (weight lifting on a machine I did not know how to use) My sacrum to be exact. There were days I could hardly walk back from a run because I didn't want to stop. With the help of a great chiropractor, I got to the point where I could run again pain free. It took 3 years.

Then my right foot started to hurt all the time. It would burn in my heel. I found out I had Plantar Fascitice.(sp) That is where your arches fall and the tendon that stretches from the ball of your foot to the heel is being pulled too tight. It is not meant to stretch. Much.

I started to wear Birkenstocks to raise my arch. That part worked but because of the new position of all the bones in my foot, my left heel would roll a little bit. I did not know this for a long time. It would make the area under my ankle bone ache with excruciating pain. After one 5k I couldn't walk for a week.

I was starting to get depressed.

I realized the regular Birks weren't high enough so I started wearing high arch birks. These really were great. My arches and knees never ached anymore. My foot still did. I tried everything to fix it.

Finally a foot doctor told me it was the heel thing going on. We have taken more than 6 months to get a pair of insoles right that would feel good and correct the problems. I also roll a small piece of cloth and tape it with duct tape (of course) under the left side of my left heel to keep it from rolling. It has slowly let that tendon heal up and tighten to keep the bone in place that was causing all my misery.

To keep my long story long....It has now been 5 years since I first started to run (on and off). This week, I have run everyday. I run harder and faster as each day passes. Today I ran 2 tenths of a mile farther in the time I usually do it. My heel is doing great. A little achy (a little bit) but it doesn't hurt. My arches don't hurt! I am so happy.

I do feel like I am starting over again. ( which I have done more times than I can count in the last 5 1/2 years) but I feel like it is finally coming together.

I have prayed more than you can know to be able to run. I feel it is a righteous desire and we are promised we will receive our righteous desires if we pray and be diligent and work for it. I have!!! I also feel I have learned huge lessons in patience and perseverance.

I hope i am not counting my chickens before they hatch but I feel good. Maybe this this will be my year!

1 comment:

Laura said...

WoooHooo!!! I'm happy for you!!