Flat feet follies

I have flat feet. As a kid I thought this was really cool because my feet made the best footprints. Evidently it's not so cool anymore because the sports medicine doc said my flat feet are causing the tendinitis in my ankle. No one had a good answer as to why it only affected one leg or why this problem has only surfaced now, after 15 years of running on my flat feet. The doctor recommended custom orthotics to correct my wayward arches. I don't think my feet are going to like being bossed around by some fancy pants inserts, but if it will make the tendons happy, I'll give it a try. The orthotics won't be ready in time for the Poconos marathon, but the trainer showed me how to tape up my feet, which will supposedly offer more support and inhibit any further damage. I'm planning on doing a test run this weekend with my taped up feet to see how it feels. The first order of business is to keep on icing and resting my leg to cure the existing inflammation, then the tape/orthotics take over to prevent a recurrence.

It would be nice if there was some overlap between the things I'm good at and the things I enjoy. I was pretty good at school and chemistry, but I didn't take much pleasure in either of them. Running is one of the few things I'm actually passionate about, but I'm not much good at it. And it seems I'm built all wrong for it too. I wouldn't care so much about the not being good at it part if I could just get back to running without hurting myself. Sure, getting stronger and faster would be nice, but all I really want is to keep running for as long as possible.

It's time to let go of any goals (read: foolish hopes) for the Poconos race. I don't know what's going to happen and I'm guessing it won't be good, so all I can do is run and enjoy it. I found a zipline adventure place that's close to our hotel, so I'm totally getting in on that awesomeness. I'm going to think of it, not as a race, but as a fun weekend getaway in which I also happen to run for a long time with a bunch of other people. When I put it that way -  running! zipline! exploring new places with new people! - I'm starting to get very excited about Poconos weekend.

Lyric of the moment: "It was the hope of all we might have been that fills me with the hope to wish impossible things..." (I would much prefer it to orthotics, but sadly The Cure is not the cure for everything.)