Prognosis and Downtime

Your foot is broken

  This is one of the worst things you want to hear if you are an ultrarunner.  It was a funny story because I went to the doctor a few weeks before my race for a physical and he told me I was doing great.  I looked to be in great shape and I was telling him about all my races and how I had never been injured in 43 races.  He was impressed.

  It was very humbling to go back to the doctor two weeks later with my broken foot and tell him that I injured myself during the race.  The prognosis was 6 to 8 weeks in a walking boot.  Ah man that sucks because I had another race in two weeks, well looks like I am volunteering for that race that I was going to run.  

  I am writing this 7 weeks after the initial prognosis and my foot is almost totally better.  I did my first workout this week of 45 minutes.  I did core work, spin bike riding and a short run on the treadmill of 5 minutes and my foot felt sore but now two days after the workout my foot feels stronger so that is good.

Carkeek 12 Hour Race

  

  This was a race I was really looking forward to running, but because my foot was broken that was out of the question.  I decided I needed to go volunteer anyway since I wasn't able to run.  I arrived at 5:30 am and started checking people in.  I came totally unprepared because I wasn't running I did not think of logistics like hey you might need a headlamp at 5:30 in the morning.  Fortunately they had an extra one that I borrowed. 

  The weather was pretty horrible but I was looking forward to having a chance to talk to some of the people around the race and in the race.  Some of the great people I got a chance to talk to were Sam and Brock the race directors who put on a great fun race.  I enjoyed hanging out with them at the start finish line.  I also met Betsey Rogers who I found out is married to Matt Hagen.  Matt is a guy who is a fun guy to hang around with with a great attitude and someone I want to hang out with more hopefully at other races.  His wife is just as awesome it was fun talking to her and helping count laps.

  I also got to meet all the runners because for most of the 5 hours I was there I ran the aid station.  So I got to talk to all the runners and see how they were doing and having fun with them.  This is a great race!!  If you have never run a 12 hour this is the one you should run it is awesome.

  I get to run this race next year since I wasn't able to this year because of my foot.  Brock has already assured me that he will be giving me crap the whole day so that should be fun.