Advice

I really like getting advice. I listen to it all. I take it in. I use what I think sounds useful and smart. I appreciate it all. I got some interesting advice today. Here's a few of the things I learned:

DO NOT and I repeat DO NOT take Lava home from the Big Island of Hawaii!!!!! Apparently you will need an exorcism and have really bad luck for years and years. Sorry boys... :-(

Save my energy for the week I'm in Hawaii. Dont' use it all up getting ready at home. The energy in Kona next week will be intense and I need to rest up for that in addition to that little 140.6 event I'll be doing.

Trust my nutrition plan. I have trained and trained and it is locked and loaded. Trust it.

Don't fight the wind. Go with it...if you don't you'll pay for it on the run.

Believe that I deserve a vacation from home. And therefore, the kids. They will be fine. I will be fine. This is good for me and my husband.

The special needs bag on the run is too late in the game. Mile 18? By then it's all over...your hot, begging for ice, taking in Coke and talking to dead relatives. What?

I earned this trip. Believe in my abilities. In my strength. In my toughness. But be smart. Don't get too excited at the wrong point.

Savor the moment. Enjoy the experience.

It's Ali'i Drive after all......

Good Stuff

• My husband is flying to Hawaii with me!!!! (he was going to meet me there 4 days later...long story...doesnt' matter 'cause he's going with me and I'm Happy!!)
• I nailed a hard workout today. I worked hard..hit my zones...felt strong...and enjoyed a few miles running after.
• My good friend Mike hooked up some Web Cams for us so I can see the kids while I'm away.
• The infectious laughter my little Nick has every single night when I kiss him goodnight.
• The smile I got from Tommy when I said he could have a bath in our jacuzzi.
• my sparkling clean bike....ready to be shipped over the Pacific for a ride in the big game
• I"m going to Hawaii one week from today!!
• The gorgeous Fall weather Maine is having! THANK YOU Mother Nature! I didn't have to endure any long rides in the rain this time!
• did I mention that my husband is travelling with me?
• my 39 y.o. body stayed healthy and basically uninjured through two rounds of Ironman training!
• I get to sleep in until 6:00 tomorrow!!

I'm gearing up...getting excited. Nervous. Ready to make this journey and see what I can do on the Big Island.

13 days

In 13 days I'll be racing in Hawaii. In another Ironman. In Kona. The World Championships. The race I've watched on TV for years...in disbelief. How can those people do that? And now, it's me. I have made it. I am going to Kona.
Wow.
It's been a wild ride. It's felt surreal. Now suddenly, it's here. It's real. One week from tomorrow...I will fly half way around the world.
The training has been going pretty well. When I dive in the pool, click into the pedals, or tie on the running shoes....I am all about the workout. I am focused. I do the job. I work as hard as I can.
It's time for rest now though. And I'll admit. I'm human. I'm no longer 20. And I need this rest. The stress of the training + the stress of a major trip has caused me to break down a bit.
I just read Marit and Michelle's blogs. I was comforted to know I am not alone. They sound a bit like I do...ready to taper.
I got the email the other day too---- " Ange, I'm staging a little intervention," Jen said. I was showing signs of fatigue and it was time to pull back a bit if necessary.
I headed out for my run this morning...I felt good when I left home. It was only 50 degrees and pouring rain but hey, no big deal. In a week I'd be sweating and praying for rain so I would enjoy this. My legs felt good! yeah! I would do the whole run. But something was strange. I was lightheaded. Dizzy. Spacey. I couldn't focus. Why??? I had grabbed 1/3 of a power bar before I left home and stopped and ate that. It helped a little. I just kept running and waited. A mile 5 I had a gel. By mile 8, I was fine. I have no idea why I felt so weak and woozy...is this a sign of fatigue?
I ran most of the 2 hr run. I thoought it was a good sign that I felt better as the run progressed. Apparently I was low on calories. I have no idea why. I had eaten a normal breakfast.

I am really close now---I like that I'm a little tired. I know that with some rest I will feel fast adn full of zip. Ready to tear up those lava fields!!

Oh and the Best part of my weekend??? My special activity with my little boys yesterday. We bought beads and 'wrist band' cords. (they're boys---no bracelets) They each picked 2 colors. I braided a band for each of them to wear. I mixed all 6 colors into one for me to wear in Hawaii. And they made me 3 necklaces. The little beads spell:
GO Mommy!
Ironman Mom and
CamTommyNick with hearts between each name
Perfect

Lobsterman, Last 100 miles, and Goodbye Horton

So much has happened this week! I raced last weekend and honestly, I can barely remember the details to write my race report. But I'll make an attempt.
I love the Lobsterman Triathlon. It's held in beautiful Freeport, Maine. I love it. Freeport's practically home to me. I get to pick up the packets and drive 4 miles to Mom and Dad's house. A far cry from my norm. I usually have to make an hour drive to get the pre-race essentials. So this one is a treat.
Race Morning: I got up earlier than everyone (even my hubby who was racing too) and did my routine. I even drove to the race site seperately from him since I need to be there early. I'ts just my thing. I arrived at Winslow park to dead low tide. No water in the cove. None. Nada. Mud. pretty funny. The race started at 9:30 and this was why. It cracked me up to watch us all rushing around with our pre-race rituals and yet there was no water.
I love being in the race scene again. I saw friends I haven't seen all summer. I needed this. I saw Mary, Andy, ah yes, Mark (he got there about an hour after me!), Melissa, Robin, Mike, Katie, and a bunch more great Tri buddies.
I finally got in the water for the final part of my warm up. HOLY FREEZING DON"T PUT YOUR FACE IN AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!! It was cold. Very very very cold. Hurt me cold. Hurt me cold? You know what I mean. It hurt. I was pretty worried. I couldn't even keep my face in. I rushed out and over to the starting area. We all commiserated over the cold. My brother had braved it and swam out further. He Promised me that the water was warmer out further. We'll see.
I was in the elite wave. I never really know where to put myself but I wanted to race against these fast women. they push me. There was awesome age group competition that day too...ahem, note:MARY!!!., but here I was in wave 1. I had to give it my best shot.
We put ourselves out in the water and begged them to just start us. GOOOOOOO!
It was Rough! The current was pushing us back and the waves were going over my head and into my mouth. Not an easy swim. I pushed so hard. I was out of the pack and 2nd behind the leader. Man is she fast. Before too long, I lost sight of her.
I swam and swam and swam and just hoped I'd see the buoy soon. The sun was in my eyes so I had trouble sighting.
I felt strong and just chugged along. Out of the water....21 min. Last year was 16? Hmmm. Later I was happy to learn it was a bit longer and everyone's times were slower.
I sat on the ground and strugged to get the wetsuit off! I hadn't done it all summer I realized! The two races I used it had wetsuit strippers! This time we also had to wear 2 chips! I couldn't get the thign off. But finally, I hopped on the bike.
I rode pretty hard adn got tossed around the roads. High winds + disc wheel = scary ride. I learned this! I was passed by the Pro after about 7 miles. I held on for a while....but couldn't catch her. I took a corner tight and felt proud. And then I saw the pothole. So I weaved to the right and almost hit a police car. So I weaved the other way, could a big gust of wind, and almost went ina ditch and saw Kona come and go before my eyes. Phew. I saved myself. Close one. NO MORE CRASHES Ange!!!
One good thing about the ride...I felt stronger as the miles went by. Guess that's a sign of IM traning.
Onto the run. I got into T2 and our local awesome coach and athlete was there.....Get outta here Ange...they're right there! I might have taken too long if he hadn't been there but instead I grabbed the esssentials and headed out. Thanks KP. :) I was fast in T2.
My run was adequate. I ran hard and kept my pace pretty steady. I didn't break any records but I think it was pretty solid on my IM legs. I hope so.
I had a fun day and am So glad I raced .It was fun to get out there and get my adrenaline moving.
Total time: 2:21 swim: 21 bike: 1:14 run: 43 4th elite wave

This week I have been back at the long hard Ironman prep. I am 2 weeks away from Kona and feeling strong. Ok, tired, but strong.
I rode my Last 100 mile training ride yesterday. Maybe my last ever. Well, who knows. But last one for a LONG long time. I am just not interested in riding 100 miles by myself again. 50 miles-great 60- still good 70---perfect long hard ride. But plenty. 100 miles is just long. I mean, I rode to Yarmouth. From South Paris. Via Raymond. And back! And it still was NOT long enough! What made it more fun? The headwind. The relentless headwind. It was about 75 degrees. Beautiful day. However, I had on 4 tops. One was a fleece. Another was a heavy coat. Michelin man eat your heart out! So it wasn't my best ride. But I am Sure of one thing. It made me stronger. Tougher. And when I get to Hawaii and it's windier and hotter... I'll be ok. Because as I told my kids--that's the party. People are screaming, GO! You're STrong! And saying, "would you like a drink? " Great things like that.
I'm ready.

Today I swam 2 miles in the lake with my friend Mary Lou who is also going to Kona. It was windy again and so so choppy. Again, great for training. Next time we get in the open water, it'll be warm and full of tropical fish! Yay!!!!
After my swim, I ran for an hour. I felt aweeeeeesommme! Fast and light despite the sore quads. There's Nothing like a good run to make things all seem ok.

One more story from my week. Last Sunday morning, we were all relaxing. My son was outside with our kitty. My 7 y.o. was watching out the window while my husband was on the phone with his sister. I am used to one or all of the boys running in from time to time hollering about who knows what. But this tone was not the same. Cameron came in screaming in a voice I can't get out of my brain. It was panic. And fear. "MOMMY!!!!!!!!! Horton GOT HIT!"
Mark and I were outside in a matter of seconds. My heart stopped. And I shook. My 2 other boys were running down the driveway now. I grabbed all 3 of them and forced them inside to a couch with me. I held htem down as much as I could. Every time I ran out to ask, "Mark Mark can we do anything? ARe you sure? Can we go to the vet?" They "escaped" and ran out too. Oh oh oh...the horror of the scene still make me ache. The poor kitty. He was hit by a car in the head. And it was too late. The person didn't stop. He hit our cat in front of our son, and didn't stop. We have a big yard with woods on 2 sides and plenty of space. It is just heartbreaking to us that this little sweet cat ran out in the road. IF Only.....it haunts us.
My boys cried all day and night. Tommy couldn't eat. It's been awful. We miss the little guy running around the house. He took turns with a different boy each night. We miss him very much.He was much bigger than this when he died. He was a baby in this picture.
Goodbye Horton

Time for some FUN!

I get to race in 2 days!!!!!! As big and intense as this year has been, I haven't raced much. Last year I raced alllllllllll the timmmmmmmmme!!!!! JUst ask my kids. Seriously, I raced a lot last year. I loved it. It's tough with a big busy family but it was fun I must say.
This year has been devoted to Ironman. I was forced to be smart and focused and well, boring at times. I had to say No to a lot of local races that I Love!
It was worth it. I loved my Ironman day. I will never forget it. I made the right decisions this summer and skipped some races. I was ok with that. I was focused. July 26th went almost perfectly for me. I met all my goals. And now, I am gearing up for a big huge long trip across the world to Hawaii. I'm psyched. And it's still not real for me.
But what IS real is that I'm still a competitor. I love to get out there and suffer. And chase others. And try not to be caught. And to find the place Beyond where I thought I could go. That's just me.
I need this. The season is almost over. Yes, sure, I have Kona. But that's not a race race. You know? It's different. It's a massive challenge. A long long endurance day. It's an honor.
Saturday, is a race! Woohooooo!!!!
My first and only Olympic distance race this year. It's in Freeport....which is like home to me. I will look across the cove to my cottage as we start. (that secret getaway I posted about a month or so ago...and refer to a lot)
It may seem strange that I would go after something so close to my big day. You know what though...I need this. I need to get out there and find my fire. I work hard day in and day out. I hit the roads and the pool and the track and I suffer and push and fight the fatigue. It is important for me to reap the benefits of that so to speak. I need some feedback. I need to show myself that I still have it. I want to see my friends. And watch them race. And chit chat after about how nervous we are and how psyched we are when we are done. I love the social scene of triathlon. It's one reason I love this sport. SO many great new freinds....it's just what a stay at home Mom in rural western Maine needs!!
So I will race. And I can't wait.
And the day after, I'll run 20 miles! Yikes! Back to reality of Ironman training!!!

When you think you're so tired you have to stop and lay down-Don't

That's what my training has been like the past few days. Earlier last week...I ran through 2.5 hours. It hurt. I banked a few hard swims. I ran a little more. Friday I cranked out a pretty hard 100 miles and then a fabbbbbbulous run. Loved that run.

Saturday, I had another run. A "it's time to see if you can hack this" run. Okaaaaaay. I knew I was running that day. I was excited for it. I love to run. But I failed to read the details of the run...until about 15 minutes before I headed out.

oh oh. My quads were Super sore from the day before. Um, can I do that? I had some intervals. 8 of them. That's a lot. Faster than 5K pace. That's pretty damn fast. Especially on my sluggish 'what are you doing to me now' legs.

I bucked up, grabbed a gel and a water bottle to stash, and put on my game face.

Time to make it count. My warm up was slow and relaxed. I was sore. I stopped numerous times to stretch. Run 1 mile, stretch 1 minute. I felt my quads loosening.

GO! round 1. Pretty painful.

round 2 -miraculously better and faster---that warm up phenomenon is real.

round 3 - more pain

round 4-serious wind sucking. Bending over at end and wondering how I'd do 4 more

round 5- hanging in there and getting faster again.

round 6-really want to stop. My body is on fire. I can barely control the muscles in my quads. Ready to stop. Walk. bend over and sit down.

Instead--DIG DIG DIG!!!!!!! I was determined to make it count. These are the moments that make us stronger.

rounds 7 & 8 Knees up and push. Just put your head down and go.

It hurt so much. It pushed me past my comfort zone. But, I did it. I hit the goal pace and can check that one off.

But wait! You're not done yet Ange. One more biggy for the week. Jen said it would be a tough one. It didnt' get to me until the end.

Today was a beautiful day in Maine. Warm temps and sunny skies. But not warm enough. And, in Paris, not flat enough. I had a date with the trainer. And three shirts. And closed windows. And my recording of Ironman Hawaii.

I am not sure if I have ever sweat that much in my life. My shoes were soaked. My 3 layers were saturated.

I cranked the resistance on my trainer to the max, put it in the hardest gear, and pushed my quads until they shook. I did this for several hours. And it was great. I watched the athletes from Kona '08 and felt massive amounts of inspiration.

I can't wait to get to Hawaii.

And this week I put in the work needed to get through that day.

Tomorrow...I will start again!

Math

Think of all the different numbers that add up to 100.
100 miles that is.
I headed out this morning for a 100 miles of riding. I was feeling good about this ride. I was 'in the mood' for it today. The weatherman said rain earlier in the week and I feared either a miserable 6 hrs in the cold rain or a torturous long long day on the trainer. Instead...perfect Fall weather. Cool, crisp and sunny. Ok, I realize this is not ideal for Kona prep. So I donned my Michellen Man get up as Steve ( Mainsport) suggested.

Back to the math. I contemplated my route all week. For my Lake Placid training, I had a handy 2 loop route....100 miles exactly. The problem? It's over a few mountains. It was absolutely ideal for my first IM....as that took us up and over the Adirondack mountains. Not so ideal for what I'm told Kona is like. Apparently it's mostly big gear grinding....some long gradual climbs and lots of wind. Hot-hair-dryer-in-your-face wind.

At first I thought I might ride to Freeport. That's where Mom and Dad live. I could stop, say hi for 10 minutes, fill the water bottles and head home. There would be fewer hills and more flats. The problem? It's about oh...8 towns away? It's just far from home....an hour drive. Sometimes I am just not in the mood to go so so farrrrrrrrr away from home on my little bike. Plus, there would be construction to avoid, tons of big 18 wheelers at times, bad shoulders, and a city to navigate.

Just last night I decided to do a nice loop I have here in town. Four times. Umm.....why would I want to do that? It's sounds a little abusive. And the boredom factor was a little daunting. But I liked the idea of staying right around town. After loop two, I could swing into Mark's office and grab new bottles that I would leave in a cooler in his car. I could take off or add clothing. The route is a bit hilly for the first half, but there are sections of great flat for me to attack. And, I could descend. I could practice IM pacing.

If it was easy, it would have been 4 x 25 miles. I couldn't remember how far the loop was-exactly. In the 20s. 26? 28? I wasn't sure. I would figure it all out on the first loop.
So I left home at 9:08. Only 8 minutes late. not bad. This did matter though. More on that later.
Down the hill to the main road. 1.5 miles. Ok. remember that.
Around loop one. 27.5 miles. Ok. So the loop without the hill back home is 26 miles.
I could do 3 loops and that would be 78 miles. Add the 1.5 down the hill and I'm at 79.5. Only 20.5 left.
I can't do a 4th loop as planned. that would be too far! why not go too far!??

Well....another math problems goes through my head at that point. See that photo on my blog heading. Yup...the 3 boys! That's why I can't go too far. Time! I left at 9 after dropping them at 8:30. They get out of school at 3:05 but today I convinced them it would be fun to take the bus. ( I always pick them up. Our bus takes 40 minutes and we live 3 miles away....silly...so I pick them up.) Back to the time. I had until 3:40? 3:45? 3:50? This was a problem. I didn't know! They haven't taken the bus this year.
I knew I had to KEEP moving out there on this ride because I had a finite period of time so I could also do my 30 minute run.

All this is going through my head while I'm looping around my town. Every hour goes by and I review my nutrition plan. Endurance amino yet? Salt? HOw is the bottle? Should be 1/4 gone...keep drinking.
Pedal pedal harder harder! Pick up the pace girlfriend!

Then back to my math. I decided to call Mark and convince him to ride loop 3 with me. He's racing next weekend and needs the occasional nudge to get out there and train. He jumped in for the fun and met me on the roads. But 2 minutes into his ride-Flat! I rode on and then back tracked a few times to wait for him to catch up. that threw off my numbers.

When loop 3 was done, and I dropped him back at our road, I had 14 miles. what to do.....I didn't have a handy 14 mile loop. I had to do some back and forth stuff. Blah. No fun. I had already travelled these main roads 4 times! I was a getting sick of it. No matter how good you feel on a ride, by mile 86, enough is enough. At least for me. I just dont' need to ride much longer than that to feel good. At least when you're in the Ironman, you have the whole "I'm about to run a marathon" thing to distract you the last few miles. I was just out there pushing as hard as I could counting miles.
I had to get back to the house by 3:00 in order to change and get out and run. It was going to be close.
I headed out on the road to the kids school. It was newly paved and fairly flat. I could go 7 miles and turn around and all would be good. One mile into that plan and it was thwarted by a school bus. It was stopping every 30 ft and that was not part of the plan. I had to move Faster than that!
I headed back down to the big fast road and road back adn forth. I did my math again. Now 11 miles to go. 5.5 miles Back down route 26. I can do it. Just. Keep. going. I would turn at mile 93.
89. 9.....91.2.....91.9...would it Pleeeeeeeese just turn to 93!!!? Torture. I had had it!!! And then I saw it 93. Ahhh. I turned.
this all may seem a bit obsessive. But I know that all of you out there who head out for 100 mile rides wouldn't stop at 97, or 98, or even 99.6 either. Right? Admit it. You must see 100!!
So I rode on. And on and on. It just never ended.
2:54. I was on the clock. It was close.
The problem now was getting home. Back UP the 1.5 mile hill. It hurts at that point. It's brutal. I live half way up a long long hill. So when I ride, I start down and end UP. When I run, I start with a big climb and end down. Tough warm up on the run and tough finish on the bike. I try to convince myself Every single time that it makes me stronger.

And finally....I got to the driveway. 99.6. You have GOT to be kidding me. Yes, I turned around. I was not getting that close to log 99.6 in the book!
Ok, that's better. 100.01. Perfect.
3:06. If I was out by 3:10 I could do it.
And I did. I ran up that hill. I felt good. I felt Great! I have been waiting for some great runs. I am actually more convinced than every that I am officially just a triathlete now. My runs are just fabulous off the bike. Much much better than straight out the door. I need to bike first. That's all there is too it.
I finished with 10 minutes to spare. Enough time for a quick recovery drink and to run the ice bath.
The boys came off the bus and just like that---my workout was history. Immediately into Mom mode again. It's hard sometimes...to switch gears like that...but I wouldn't want it any other way.

Busy times, Good training, and Lots of Fun!!!

I haven't posted for a while. Things have been busy here!!! Getting the kids and I back into the groove of school & adding in their fall sports has kept us hopping.
You see....my days are not spent sitting idle after they head to school. No, I don't read books and watch tv all day as the man at the post office suggested we Moms do when our youngest head to Kindergarten. (Did you hear me just scream under my breath?)
Moving on....
This particular Mom is training for Kona. My 2nd Ironman of the summer. So...Mr....take that.
I said I'd move on.....
I've had a few great workouts. I've also had a few not-so-great ones too. There are ups and downs with this and I'm learning to accept that.
Last week I had that MRI that revealed my ankle is ok to pound on again. The first thing I did? I went back to the pool to proove to myself that I can in fact do a Mean flip turn! I've been pushing off like an old lady since May. I've been barely tapping my toes on the wall and lightly swimming away. Not my style. I pushed and pushed off that wall, hyperextended and headed out past the flags. Ahh..much much better. that was fun.
Next, I hit the road for a 5 hour ride. In the sun. the Warm sun!!! Most of my IMLP training was done in the cold rain. Blek. I began to dread all long rides and that was tough. I truly had fun out in the sun that day. I found a road that wasn't up and down and up and down. It was only ~ 3 miles long so I rode back and forth about 6 times. I loved it! I pretended my legs were pistons going up and down and pushed to hit the HR zones for the long intervals I had that day. Success.
The next big one of the week was on the track. I had avoided the track since spring as well. Saturday, I hit it hard. I even dragged my husband with me. I had the great idea of bringing the boys---they had their soccer balls and would run around in the middle while we worked.
Figures, the sprinklers were on that day. Five minutes into the run, the boys were Soaked.
I attacked the track and did pretty well. I was solid and quite fast. And then, on the way back down the ladder, I was done. That's it. Body used up every single little bit I had. My leg was actually a bit numb. I felt nauseus. I'm quite sure I sounded like I was about to hyperventilate. I pushed and pushed knowing that it was working through those moments that makes you a better athlete. It's what allows you to push at the end of the race when Everyone is suffering.

After that...Fun. Labor day weekend at Camp. Our last hoorah of summer. We stocked up on loads of food, invited some friends and family over, and just sat back for some good times. There was swimming, tubing, eating, hoola hooping (yes...it's true), a recovery brick (I was toast the day after that track workout!), and singing by the campfire. Forty seven people on our tiny little island for the weekend. The kids were up too late, they ate smores, swam, swung from rope swings, and played with cousins all weekend. And then on Monday, the windows were closed and we moved out. That's that. In the blink of an eye the summer haven is quiet and lonely.

Now we're home and back into real life. Soccer games and practices all week. Swimming lessons. Homework. Too much laundry. And of course, training plans. I ran 2. 5 hours yesterday. That just almost always hurts me. I didn't feel as zippy as I had hoped. I had looked forward to that run. But...I just wasn't 100%. But, I did it. I have had a few strong swims. Tomorrow, I run again but not too long. I love runs. So tomorrow I will make up for my pathetic long run. It will be great.
And on Friday-a 6 hour brick. I am ready to attack it.

time for bed!!

GREEN LIGHT!!!!!!!

Great news for me today!!! I had an MRI on my ankle. I was So nervous. Nervous about the outcome...not the MRI itself. Although I must say...those aren't so fun either.
Background info- I noticed my ankle was swollen sometime last winter. I thought it was strange and then put my socks back on and went on with life. I had no pain.
Sometime in May, I started to feel tightness in my achillis area. I let it go but after a few weeks decided I needed to be proactive since an Ironman was looming.
I saw the orthopaedic dr. (who, by the way, is also a triathlete) and he did an ultrasound in the office.
The peroneal brevis tendon concerned him. Given my symptoms & the pictures, he thought it might be a "partial" tear. However, it had been going on for a while so I wasn't too worry too much. We decided that rest after Lake PLacid would allow it to heal and for us to make a new plan.
On and off this summer it was sore. Never too sore. Always swollen. After Lake Placid, it swelled A LOT! It got worse. I was worried. I made another appt so he could give me his blessing to keep going...or not. We decided to do an MRI to put it to rest one way or the other. "It's not healing. You might need surgery." Great. I already tore a tendon in my shoulder, had surgery, long arduous rehab and came back. I Did NOT want to do that again. It was tough. very tough.

I layed in the tube for an hour. I listened to the jackhammer noise. I held my body still. It hurt after a while. I was relaxed and quite content to chill at first and then every single part of my body itched and ached. I am just not meant to lay still...unless it's 2 a.m.

Dr. Marr smirked and asked me how it felt when I went to see him. He refused to tell me anything until I gave him an update.

He began to show me the pictures. The Tendons are all INTACT!!!!! THey are Not torn or partially torn and NOT on the verge of rupturing. Amen! The peroneal tendon does show some signs of teninosis. But it's no reason to worry. that's all I needed to hear.
And then he proceeded to tell me that the tendons are not the reason for the swelling. He showed me another angle.
My talus bone is "ragged." It's torn up on the end. It is the bone between the calcaneus (heel) bone and the tibia and fibula. It is most likely being impinged by the others.Who knows why. I did have multiple ankle sprains as a HS soccer player and this may have made me more suceptible. Hard to say. I have lots of fluid all around that area. It's basically like a bursitis.
But all I wanted to know and what I really wanted to hear were these words,

"It does NOT need to stop you from doing what you want to do. Go ahead and Train. Intensity and distance. Anything. And good luck in Hawaii!!"

Thank you Dr. Marr!!!! We shook hands and I was OUTTA there!!!! No need for idle chit chat. He was busy and I was psyched. He said, "is that what you wanted to hear." He knew I was pumped.
No surgery. No more air cast. No more walking egg shells. He did tell me to watch it if I ran in the dark. Will do.

The Fire is officially back.