So much for that 1/2 marathon...for now

Yes, in case you're wondering that IS my foot in the walking boot.

Here's the story behind the boot...

Last fall I signed up for my very first 5K. My initial plan was that I was going to RUN the 5K (despite the fact that I had not been "a runner" since I was in law school, about 15 years ago). I started "training" ... which was really just me walking 1.5 miles a few days a week. And then, at some point last October I started having excruciating pain in my right ankle. I stopped walking/training and thought "oh it'll go away."

It didn't go away.

Fast forward to the 5K in February. I didn't wrap the ankle, I "toughed it out" and by the end of that day I could barely walk. (But I still managed to limp my way through the Magic Kingdom that night!). As the months went by the pain would get worse and then better and then worse again. Every time I tried to start my walking routine again the pain would get worse. Ice, Motrin, wrapping the ankle ... nothing helped.

A few weeks ago I noticed there was a small lump on my Achilles tendon. So I Googled it. Because Google is where everyone goes for sound medical advice, right? Yeah, from what I could find on the Internet it seemed that I had an issue with my Achilles tendon - a possible tear, tendinitis, something. Then we went on vacation and a week of walking on the sand (and the pain that followed) convinced me that I needed to see my foot doctor.

Last Friday I had my appointment.

The diagnosis: a partially torn Achilles tendon and Achilles tendinitis.

The road to recovery consists of (1) wearing that God-awful boot when I'm at home, (2) wearing my running shoes WITH inserts when I'm going out, (3) three weeks of physical therapy, three times per week, and (4) pain medication.

After the PT, I have a follow up appointment to see how things are progressing. Apparently the goal is to stretch my Achilles tendon (which seems odd, since it's already torn) so that it doesn't tear completely. Because a full tear would be bad. Really bad. If the PT isn't doing the job, I could end up in a cast for a few weeks. Which would be awesome. In a totally not awesome way.

Guess I won't be training for that 1/2 marathon anytime soon. 

A word to wise dear readers, if you're in the midst of a new walking or running routine and you suddenly have terrible pain in your ankle, don't wait TEN MONTHS to visit the doctor.