Man in Motion

I had 80s throwback tunes going today, and one of my all-time favorite running songs came on: “St. Elmo’s Fire (Man in Motion)” by John Parr. I always loved the line “I can climb the highest mountain, cross the wildest sea,” especially mid-grind on a brutal hill repeat. It’s a runner favorite for a reason; it gets played a lot at the Marine Corps Marathon, which was my very first marathon 20 years ago.

Anyway, today is gear day. The job is getting all the equipment that’s going to make this tolerable, which mostly means dragging my old stuff out of storage. Way back when, I was smart enough to save the things that proved useful, and it has turned out to be a genuinely wise financial decision. So it’s time to dust everything off and get it ready to report for duty again.

You know how they say to make sure you have the “right tool for the job”? Well, I think you also need the right recovery gear for post-surgical comfort. I’ll start by admitting that pretty much all of it (save for a few key things I’ll share later) came from Amazon, the greatest online shopping mall ever invented. To that end, I’ve started a public Amazon list of everything worth buying to make lower-limb surgery and recovery bearable.

A few things are worth highlighting. First, my iWALK. I call it my “peg leg” because it literally looks like I’m missing my leg below the knee when I have it strapped on, but ohhhhhh is it worth the coin. It leaves you hands-free and standing up straight, which anyone who’s done any real time on crutches knows is a serious buzzkill for your back. I can motor around my kitchen and cook dinner, I can do the laundry, and I can even walk on beach sand. True story: I did exactly that in July 2017, after my first surgery on this right foot. Badwater was off the table that year, so we went to Maui for eight or nine days, and I was able to saunter down to the water on my peg leg. It was glorious. If you must live the crutch life, you’ve got to have the iWalk, and switch off regularly.

I also just bought a knee scooter, which is something I’ve never had before. I’m honestly not sure how I’ll like it. There’s something really awesome about the iWalk, though maybe that’s just because I got fairly good at balancing on it, hands-free; a sort of “badge of coordinated honor,” if you will. Maybe it’s my pride. Maybe it’s the ultra-runner in me and the stubborn desire to keep moving on both my own feet, but something about being able to say I can still get my steps in while on crutches feels important.

Then again, I’m only getting older. Maybe I’ll find I’ve been missing out this whole time, zooming around on a little scooter. People keep telling me to give up running and try the active life on a bike. Who knows? Maybe John Parr was right, and all I need is a pair of wheels that’ll take me where my future’s lying.

St. Elmo’s Fire.