The whole story, in order
Start at the top and read straight through.
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.…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
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.…
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…
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…
The Waiting
I know. I KNOW. I am obsessing over this. But really, I swear I'm not. This is the process I've honed over many prior surgeries, and it earns its keep every…
The Final Countdown
3... 2... 1... it's go-time. And it feels exactly like my very first Badwater race day in 2015, and the ones I was lucky enough to run in 2016 and 2019. All of…
I Wanna Be Sedated
Post-op update time. First, the bad news: I did not get the continuous no-no-nerve juice machine I'd campaigned so hard for. Boooo. Instead they sent me home…
Feeling Good
Just a quick check-in. I'm closing in on 48 hours post-op and I have virtually no pain. I honestly can't tell whether I'm happy or really nervous, wondering if…
Mr. Sandman
Check-in time: we're right about at the 72-hour mark, and honestly? What a chill three days it's been. Mostly. For starters, the extended-release OxyContin has…
Saturday in the Park
It's the Fourth of July, which in my corner of DC means one thing: the Palisades parade, my favorite DC event of the year. For one glorious hour, anyone who…
Easy
Day 5. Time for a check-in. But first, a reminder of why this journal exists at all. Yes, it's an outlet for me to process everything I'm going through. But…
Patience
Day 6, and I've entered the in-between. The acute pain is gone. Not "managed," not "tolerable": gone. What's left is soreness, plus the occasional sharp little…
I'm So Tired
Today's entry is going to be short, because I'm about to pass out. I am TIRED. Tired. Day 7 was my return to work, and I came back to a wall of meetings and…
The Pups Are Back in Town
Today is special: my pups came home from summer camp! Okay, fine, they returned from their stay at the boarder, where they've been since the day before my…
Physical
Today's entry is about stretching, and how it has officially become a non-negotiable around here. Since this is my 1, 2, 3, 4, 5... 6... 7... EIGHTH foot and…
Under Pressure
This morning I woke up oddly curious about what will actually happen with this hammertoe. I mean, I know what will HAPPEN happen: it should be fixed and no…
Milkshake
Today's deep thoughts are on the big D. Not that one. Diet. Or "recovery diet," which is the more honest framing. Here's the thing. When I'm logging 70–80…
I Can See Clearly Now
Today was a BIG DAY! It was the "unveiling of the foot!" Aka, the day all the surgical dressing came off and I finally got to lay eyes on the masterpiece that…
Hurts So Good
Ohhh the pain train pulled into the station overnight, woke me up damn early (2:45 anyone?!) and I'm running on fumes today. The reason? This heavy metal…
These Boots Are Made for Walkin'
So one of the fun things about Amazon is that you can find annnnnnnnny old thing on it, and I decided to go find myself a new boot. One that presumably fit…
Itchycoo Park
One of the advantages of having a new comfy boot is that it makes my leg generally feel so much better. I even made it through the night, sleeping fairly…
Fists With My Toes
My foot hurts. I know, I KNOW, why is this news? It should hurt because it's been through so much but no, it's not that kind of pain. It's the kind that comes…
Material Girl
We went out today for breakfast and groceries, my second time doing this since my surgery almost three weeks ago. One thing that tends to happen when I do the…
Born to Run
Right before my surgery, I was scrolling Instagram, as one does to pass the hours when sidelined with injury. By that point my feed was full of foot and ankle…
Footloose
THE STITCHES CAME OUT!!! Hooooooooraaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyyy... one more step (har-har) towards recovery. We are 3 weeks in, and today Dr. Stein popped his head in…
Personal Jesus
Today was an awesome day. And not just because it's exactly 3 weeks post-op. And not just because my foot got its first bath. And not just because it's…
Walking on the Sun
I've been putting this off for days. But it's time to name the elephant in the room, the one thing in my running life I've never been able to quit. Badwater.…
Lean on Me
Let's talk about how much surgery recovery leans on a positive mindset. Look, I'm not going to get all goofy here or start spouting Brené Brown-isms, but this…
A Change Is Gonna Come
OK, peptide convo time (so muff your eyes and ears if this is not your jam) OMGGGGG the FDA's Pharmacy Compounding Advisory Committee did something amazing…
Here Comes the Sun
I skipped yesterday's entry but I did not skip all the required stuff like stretching and eating healthy and soaking up the sun. I realized I was feeling a…
Scar Tissue
Facebook did the thing today where it reminds you who you were nine years ago. And nine years ago today, I was parked in a chair a lot like the one I'm in now,…
The Waiting
Some days the headline writes itself. Today's headline is: nothing to report. The update is that there is no update. Exactly four weeks ago I came home from…
Time Is on My Side
I am, at my core, a person who needs a finish line. Hand me a goal and a timeline that ends somewhere I can actually point at, and I will happily grind toward…
The Distance
Let me be straight with you: today the foot genuinely hurts. There's a deep, insistent throb in the heel bone this morning, well past the dull background ache…
The Future's So Bright
Confession: I forgot to post yesterday. Not because anything went wrong. Because everything went... fine. I stretched. I slept great. I hit the weights, ate…
Shock the Monkey
Hooo boy. That foot nerve pain is back, baby. BACK. It showed up around 10pm last night and yanked me right out of a dead sleep. For whatever reason my foot…
Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
Going on week 3 of heavy lifting, week 4 of stretching and mobility. And god, what a difference it all makes. The catch is that it matters what and how I'm…
Fly Like an Eagle
OH MY GAWD, I just realized it's been days since I posted. And honestly? I think that's a good thing. I've been off doing this wild new activity called life -…
Don't Stop
Today is a time machine. It points backward and forward at the same time, and I'm standing right in the hinge of it: six weeks post-op, to the day. First, the…
Illegal
Okay, back into one of those grey areas (oooo, see what I did there). That's right: we're talking peptides again. And this one feels important to share. I've…
I'm So Excited
The day has arrived!! And it's AWESOME! Now I know I promised a video of the [ahem] "pin extraction," but I want to save that since it's long, and I need to…