On May 5, I went for a run in Georgetown. It was hot, more hilly than the flatlands of my home, and lots of concrete. My right foot had been feeling a little tweaked lately but I was just trying to stretch it. About a mile into my run something in my foot went "POP!" It wasn't excruciating, but I definitely didn't want to keep running on it. I did the walk of shame back to the Metro and then my hotel room. I didn't think much of it since I could still walk. The next day, though, I thought my foot was going to explode.

I spent about three weeks going to see my trigger release therapist. We did make progress but my foot still hurt. Finally at the end of May I agreed to see my sports doctor. Dr. Sam Wittenberg is awesome and a runner as well. He gave me a air cast boot to wear for three weeks and then said we would do physical therapy. I left a little frustrated but optimistic.

The boot on my foot came off June 18 right before we went to San Francisco. Dr. Sam said I could try running a mile three times a week and see how that felt. He said I should keep seeing my therapist Denise (who is amazing and I love her). I was chicken to do much of anything besides just walk around.

I saw Denise the day after the boot came off and was pleased that my foot was acting like a foot again. I saw her again on July 3 and decided I was feeling brave enough to try running.

I already do a run/walk method where I run for a minute and then walk for 30 or 45 seconds depending on the length of my run. But this felt like starting all over.

Two months after something in my foot went "POP!" I put back on all my running gear and walked out the door. And I didn't die. I walked a mile, then I did two miles of running for 45 seconds and walking for 60. It was incredibly slow but after my second running segment I was grinning like a fool.

I've now run three times this week. Each time with a mile warm up walk. Each time with these incredibly slow intervals. And each time with a huge grin on my face. My foot is doing ok. It's tight today but I iced it and keep doing my exercises, one of which is called "toe yoga" and feels amazing.

So blahblahblah running blahblah but the point is I spooked myself with an injury, got a little stubborn, did what the doctor and physical therapist told me, wore that damn boot religiously, learned that my foot can't heal if I never stop moving, gained an appreciation for our modern society where the rest of the clan wouldn't just leave me behind on a rock to die since I was too much of a burden, and am dipping my proverbial toe back into running again.

I have signed up for the Rock n Roll half marathon in Vegas this November. I have just enough time to recover my foot, train back up, and complete that race. But even if that race doesn't happen for some reason, I'm still grinning around my neighborhood for now.