To say I was devastated is an understatement. Yeah, in the scheme of life and death events during a lifetime, it seems insignificant. On the other hand, I had survived a challenging year and had worked long and hard since November 2011. When I started training with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team in Training, I went from not being able to run to the end of the driveway, to racking up over 200 miles with my longest run of 10 miles outside in the dead of Winter.
All for naught. I was crushed.
I wish I could say I attacked my rehab with as much enthusiasm as my training program but truth is, I was in so much pain, I didn't know if I'd ever run again. Additionally I felt the burden of having raised money for LLS with a commitment to run in an event and if I couldn't complete it, I was letting my donors down. Did I say I was crushed?My first glimmer of hope came from a marathoning Podiatrist who, after filling him in on the events and possible diagnoses (I was awaiting the MRI results), slowly turned to me and said, "Weeeeell, you're a runner. Runners get injured. Welcome to the club."
So the good news is that I didn't tear or break anything...the bad news is that bone bruises are very painful and take a long time to heal.
Even better news is that since I started run/walking very slowly again last May, I've slowly built my mileage up to the point where I completed 6 miles last Sunday, my longest run to date.
I'm not 100%, but I'm getting stronger every day and I know healing fully takes time. I'm just so very grateful and thankful to be hitting the road again!
