Better to Laugh

Tuesday morning was glorious! In fact, this has been the best week for running by far, perfect temperatures and no humidity. Unfortunately, I cannot run. As I ran Tuesday morning, enjoying the beautiful weather, my foot suddenly felt like it had exploded at 2.25 miles. No warning. No twinge. I couldn’t run another step. All winter neither snow nor ice could keep me from running. Now, on a beautiful morning, I could not run. Ironic…I hate irony. I laboriously limped the 1.5 miles home. I felt frustrated, angry. My dreamy running day had turned into an injury nightmare.

When my husband called, I told him I possibly had broken my foot. My voice cracked as I uttered, “I might not be able to run the rest of the summer.” Saying it out loud made it seem too real. I almost cried, but I stopped myself; crying won’t fix my foot. So, I hobbled to the orthopedic immediate care and got it x-rayed. They didn’t think there were any fractures. They advised taking a 10 pound boot and calling them in two weeks. I made it out the door wearing the boot and promptly took it off as I waited for my husband to bring the truck around. My husband had that ‘oh brother’ look on his face, that ‘we just spent how much for that stupid boot you are not going to wear’ look. Hopefully I invested in a boot I will never need, kind of like buying car insurance. This is irony in my favor.  

After icing the heck out of it and taking ibuprofen, each day there is a little improvement. I don’t know when I will run again, but I pray it isn’t too long. Running is a part of my soul. It cleanses my lungs, clears my brain, and lifts my spirits. Funny, I could never understand the attraction running held for others until I started running, now I look forward to it and even crave it.

But, I refuse to let my injury dampen my spirits. Others have come back from injury, and I will, too. I will focus on something else as I heal, like enjoying the nuances of this beautiful weather. I can still let feel the breeze on my face, inhale the freshness, and let the sun warm my skin; I will just have to do it at a much slower pace, at least for a while.