Best Foot Forward.

Pre-op

Night photo from my first 24-hour run: bib 321, white long sleeves, red flowered skirt, mid-stride on the track.
Pre-op · 19d to surgeryPre-op

T-minus 19: why I'm documenting my second foot reconstruction

Nineteen days until surgery. I'm handling it the way I handle most things: prepping like the end of the world is coming, while ignoring the very real downside.…

FWB pre-op · countdown · running-identity
The Union Chain Bridge: a chain-link suspension bridge with a stone tower, spanning the River Tweed between England and Scotland.
Pre-op · 18d to surgeryPre-op

London Bridge has fallen down

Eighteen days out, and I figure it's time to explain what's actually going to happen on June 30. Not "foot surgery." The real thing, all five jobs, one…

FWB pre-op · surgical-plan · anatomy
Two neat rows of athletic shoes lined up on a white closet shelf: white sneakers, a pair with red accents, tan suede trainers, and white slip-ons, with dark clothing hanging on either side.
Pre-op · 17d to surgeryPre-op

Walking Papers

The warm weather showed up this week, and once again, I'm not lacing up for a long run to meet it. So I'm pointing all that restless energy somewhere my foot…

FWB pre-op · organization · footwear
The 'Confession Bear' meme: a glum-looking sun bear resting its chin and paws on a log, with white caption text reading 'I could use a massage' across the top and 'It's great to feel kneaded' across the bottom.
Pre-op · 16d to surgeryPre-op

Knots Landing

The closet purge wasn't the only thing on this week's list. Today I did something for the rest of me: 90 minutes, full body, face-down on a table while someone…

FWB pre-op · self-care · bodywork
A lateral X-ray of a foot on a lightbox, the heel and midfoot bones held together by two large, bright-white surgical screws; overhead light and a hand are reflected in the glass.
Pre-op · 15d to surgeryPre-op

Some Assembly Required

Fifteen days out, and the menu just grew. I laid out the five-job rebuild earlier this week and figured the order was locked. It wasn't. Dr. Stein added…

FWB pre-op · surgical-plan · bunionectomy
Dr. Ben Stein: a smiling man with short dark hair and a trimmed dark beard, wearing a white physician's coat over a checked dress shirt and a dark red patterned tie, photographed in a softly blurred hospital corridor.
Pre-op · 13d to surgeryPre-op

Doctor's Orders

Thirteen days out, and it feels right to introduce the person who actually rebuilds the foot. Meet Dr. Ben Stein, the orthopedic surgeon who has now agreed to…

FWB pre-op · surgeon · protocol
Gollum from The Lord of the Rings, gaunt and gray-skinned, crouched on mossy rock in a dark cave, cradling and gazing longingly at a bottle of Advil the way he covets the One Ring.
Pre-op · 12d to surgeryPre-op

My Precious

Every runner has a Precious. This is mine. I've been leaning on Advil like a crutch since the ankle went. But if I'm being honest, I was leaning on it loooong…

FWB pre-op · medications · nsaids
A John Travolta meme from Saturday Night Fever: Travolta in his iconic one-arm-up disco pose on a lit dance floor, with overlaid text reading 'I GOT DAT NIGHT FEVER WHEN I WATCH THIS MOVIE.'
Pre-op · 10d to surgeryPre-op

Stayin' Alive

Recovery isn't only about the foot. It's about not losing my mind while the foot heals. So today is about motivation, the stuff that's going to keep my spirits…

FWB pre-op · recovery-mindset · fitness
Bright purple-white electrical arcs branching upward from a dark horizontal surface against a black background, like a plasma discharge or St. Elmo's fire.
Pre-op · 9d to surgeryPre-op

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…

FWB pre-op · gear · mobility
A narrow road winding down through dark, reddish volcanic hills into a vast open desert valley, with a long mountain range rising in the hazy distance; a remote Panamint Valley descent at low light.
Pre-op · 7d to surgeryPre-op

Dream Weaver

The other night I had a dream that I was running on a cart path. And I was running fast. Nothing hurt. I remember thinking, clear as day, "why on earth am I…

FWB pre-op · dreams · pain-science
The Zoolander 'so hot right now' meme. Will Ferrell as fashion designer Mugatu, wild blond hair and a shiny red outfit, clutching a tiny white poodle in a crowded fashion-show audience, captioned 'COLLAGEN' across the top and 'SO HOT RIGHT NOW' across the bottom.
Pre-op · 6d to surgeryPre-op

Stuck on You

Let's talk supplements. Specifically, let's talk collagen: the holy grail of soft-tissue support, and the one tub I'd grab first if the house were on fire.…

FWB pre-op · supplements · collagen
A white coffee mug with a black handle and black interior. The text reads 'I START WORKING WHEN MY' above an OxyContin 80mg pharmaceutical label graphic, then 'STARTS WORKING' below.
Pre-op · 5d to surgeryPre-op

Comfortably Numb

Let's talk about pain. Specifically, let's talk about the plan to outsmart it, because last time pain and I had a very bad weekend together. Rewind to the left…

FWB pre-op · medications · pain-science
A boxing meme. A boxer in a blue helmet takes a hard right glove square to the face. The incoming red glove is labeled 'hamstring day,' and the boxer getting hit is labeled 'me, feeling good about myself.'
Pre-op · 4d to surgeryPre-op

We'll Meet Again

Today was my last day at \[solidcore\] for the next three months. Not because I can't work out, to be clear. I could. I've done it before, plenty of times.…

FWB pre-op · exercise · solidcore
Comic-book Wolverine in his yellow-and-blue suit charging forward mid-stride, both sets of metal claws extended and teeth bared.
Pre-op · 3d to surgeryPre-op

Stronger

Fair warning: this one's going to be controversial. Today is reconstitution day for my recovery peptides, and for anyone who isn't up to speed on grey-market…

FWB pre-op · peptides · bpc-157
A close-up of a small tan Chihuahua with huge glossy eyes and a tense, nervous little smile, staring straight at the camera against a stormy grey sky.
Pre-op · 2d to surgeryPre-op

Under Pressure

OH GOD, the anxiety hit this morning. Out of nowhere. And I don't even know why, because this is my eighth foot surgery. I've had half of this exact procedure…

FWB pre-op · anxiety · mental-health