My Left Foot

My ankle is baaack!!!

My faithful followers will recall I did a pretty good job of rolling my ankle a couple of months ago while trying to finish a 10k trail run.  It took about a week for the swelling to go down and another week or so to get back most of my range of motion.  But, it hasn't been quite right since then.  I've walked on it, run a half marathon without taping it, and even sported 4" heels, but it just hasn't been right.  It hurt if I tried to turn in my toe or sit on my heels, which happens to be a favorite post-run stretch for me.

I'm big on stretching after a good workout.  It's part of my regular cool down routine and something I really look forward to.  I've suffered with shin splints in the past so it's been a bummer to not be able to properly stretch out my shins.  Even worse has been the fact that the weight of the quilt on my bed has been enough to turn my foot in a way that has been really painful when I'm trying to sleep.

But, tonight, all of that changed in an instant.  After logging a pretty good interval session on the treadmill, I went into my standard stretching routine.  Except this time, I pulled on my ankle just a little bit more than usual.  It hurt for a second, and just like that, the pain was gone.  Range of motion, check.  And, I'm suddenly back to normal.  I have no clue what exactly was popped out of place, and I'm not really sure I want to know.  I'm just celebrating having it back where it belongs.

Woohoo!

Oh yeah, and since my last post I've been cranking out the miles including a lovely Christmas Day run, something which has become a bit of a tradition for me the past few years. There's something different in the air and the sky on Christmas Day -- maybe because it's quieter, maybe because there's no pressure to accomplish anything more than enjoy the day, maybe it's something else.  I only know that getting out for a quiet hour or so hitting the roads or trails makes the holiday complete for me.

So, here's the tally...

Days 96-102, December 21-27
Miles logged: 48;  Total miles traveled so far: 487
Miles to go: 912!