Temporary Road Block

I'm bemoaning my inability to train right now.  I've been through a frustrating day.  My heel hasn't gotten much better, so I finally got in to see my doctor.  I do indeed have plantar fascitis (PF).  My doctor sent me to have an X-Ray and also gave me an referral for physical therapy next week.  It was a sucky meeting with her though, as she was NOT terribly supportive of me doing this walk.  She told me my case of PF was pretty mild, but she kept saying that she didn't think I'd be able to do the walk in November.  I've talked to several friends of mine who have dealt with PF and they all think that with the right physical therapy, perhaps an orthotic, really good shoes and really good stretching habits that there's no reason I won't be able to continue and do at least some of the walk.  I just think that doctors should encourage physical activity, not discourage it!  I'm not saying I want to walk despite the pain and do more damage to my foot.  I want to do things right.  I just don't get what her deal was.  I may be in the market for a new doctor.  I'll see how I feel about it in a few days when I've cooled down.

So here I am at a true road block.  I think there's construction on the other side of that road block and it's not getting finished anytime soon.  So, once I got home, had a good cry (You should know that I cry pretty easily.  I joked the other day that I will probably need to pack half my bag for the event with kleenex), yelled a little to get out some of my frustration at feeling like I'd been treated like an incompetent child, calmed down, and made my appointment for physical therapy, I started thinking about where to go until this road block is gone.  Well, what do we do when we find that our road is blocked?  We look for an alternate route, right?  Very rarely will a road block cause us to give up the idea of reaching our destination.

So tomorrow I'm planning to visit to our local Y and I'm going to sign myself up.  I'm going to start swimming there until my foot allows me to start doing training walks again.  I know it's not the same as training walks, but it'll keep me in shape and/or even get me in better shape while I'm waiting for a fully functional foot again.  If I don't get as much training in during the official training season as I'd like to because of this, so be it.  If I end up taking a sweep van during the walk and not walking the whole thing, so be it.  But I will be there at the event participating at whatever level I am capable of participating at.  It's not how I envisioned this year or the event going, but life is like that.  Things rarely work out entirely the way we expect them to.  I don't do well when my plans get all skewed (ask anyone who knows me well), but I do eventually reorient, regroup and keep going.

I know the important thing is raising the funds and raising awareness, but I'm telling you this "Passionate Pink" gal is not giving up on the walking part.  No way!  If sheer determination counts for anything I will be back out walking before you know it.  I promise you I will do this.  I also promise that I will do it while listening carefully to my body and ensuring that I stay safe. 

Eventually, almost all road blocks come down.  I'm counting on being able to get back on that road, hopefully sooner rather than later!

(05/19/10)
Fundraising: $500.00 Total: $3,520.00
Total miles to date: 225.5