Sunday

So I've been tracking two people running the marathon in Chicago today. I can't imagine running a marathon, but I think it's something I would like to do some day. I ran cross country in high school and while I did enjoy it a lot, I managed to hurt myself pretty badly. I had to go to an orthopedist who diagnosed me with flat feet and scoliosis and wasn't a bit surprised that I got hurt this way.

After a few months recovery, the cold shoulder from my coach, procurement of custom-made shoe inserts, and a lot of boredom and depression, I decided that maybe running wasn't for me. So I took up smoking pot and hanging out with a bad crowd. It was just so much easier than getting back in to running.

Now here I am, almost 20 years later, and still considering the implications of not resuming an activity that I really enjoyed. I'm still wondering if there will be a day that I can run again. The chances are looking slimmer given the fact that I have a bunion now (thanks again, flat feet). 

I'm not going to write too much about this stupid bunion because I think it will become a hot topic in the future. Suffice to say that it hurts just about every day, sometimes pretty damn bad, and I find myself not exactly limping, but babying it in a way that can't be good for the rest of my body.

2009 is going to be the year of medical and dental procedures for all of us. The kids of course need the routine stuff and we're going to get on track entirely as far as that's concerned. The baby is due for another echo-cardiogram before she hits age 5. It's for something that the pediatric cardiologist has labelled as "trivial" but "worth monitoring." The thing is, they can get the best picture of the area of her heart that they want to look at while she's still a toddler, before her internal anatomy starts to change. I say, let's do it while our schedule is open.

Me-yeah, I have a lot on the plate. More tooth extractions.  Podiatry. Maybe a bunion removal. I am not a BIT afraid of that. I am most afraid of this stupid foot getting more and more deformed, more and more painful, and hobbling around for the rest of my life, throwing my entire skeleton out of whack. 

Yeah, I know, titillating talk here...

Back to the marathon:  my co-worker finished a little while ago, but he's always training so that was no big surprise.  His time was awesome, in my humble opinion.  The other runner I am tracking hit the 30K mark a while back and is moving along toward the finish line. 

Maybe running won't be in the cards for me. I would really need to discuss this with a doctor, which irritates me. I feel frustrated with my physical annoyances, which are pretty small in the grand scheme of things. 

Most likely, I just need to get a grip.