No More Big Toenail

5 weeks almost to the day after the Laurel Highlands Ultra my right big toenail gave up and finally separated from the toe. This morning while putting on my pants I had a funny feeling in my toe. Upon inspection it was very loose, so I clipped it back almost to the cuticle. Recently it had turned to a milky color, so I know it was going to happen soon. Enjoy the pic!

[caption id="attachment_110" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="Missing Toenail "][/caption]

Laurel Highlands Ultra Action Pictures

A fellow Runner, Paul Rudman sent me this link to the pictures he took while running the race. This should give you a real feeling about how bad the terrain is, and how wet it really got that day.

Tarsal Coalition and Me

The day after I completed The Laurel Highlands Ultra I could not put weight on my left foot / ankle. This was not uncommon as I have had similar pain to a lesser extent before. After a few days the pain level went down, but not away. I decided to see an Orthopaedic specializing in the foot and ankle. After a lot of X-Rays he determined and diagnosed me with a Tarsal Coalition. The bones in the back of my foot do not work properly and cause pain. Under normal circumstances I do not have any pain. I did not have pain during or after any previous 50k races, but the 70 at Laurel Highlands put it over the top. It is now 5 weeks after the race and I am still in a small amount of pain. The doctor recommended that I stop running on trails and only run on the road. To me this is a bad option. He competes in ironman length triathlons and recommended that I start doing that as well to take stress off the foot. I have no plans to stop running on the trails. Surgery is an option, but it may or may not help. My next race is in 16 weeks. I have not been able to resume training properly yet, but hope to get my mileage up to a higher level soon. I am not sure why I am sharing this, but I am. Please pray for me and my foot.

Foot Issues

I went to see Dr. Stewart today at Virginia Sports Med to see what is going on with my ankles/feet. After a round of xrays I found out that I have a condition where 1 bone is too large and fills a hole up. This does not allow a ton of lateral movement or rolling of my feet, thus I easily roll ankles. This puts stress on the muscle band that runs over the foot and under the outer ankle bone. Dr. Stewart suggested that I run on roads only and I should be ok. This is not an options as I love the trails and mountains. We could do orthodics in my shoes, maybe would help, wear the correct shoes will definitely help a lot. The last resort is a surgery where he would remove part of the bone and then put some tissue in the hole. This has worked for some, but not all patients. This is probably the long term solution once the pain is not stop and prevents me from running.

C25K - The Couch To 5 Kilometer Plan

Running is a huge part of my life and thus impacts all those around me to a degree. I wish all of you would pick up a pair of shoes and head out the door for a joyous run. It is a true stress reliever and builds confidence like nothing else I know of. For those of you who want to start running I recommend the 9 week couch to 5K (C25K) running program. The official site is located at http://c25k.com. The actual plan is located on the cool running site.

This program is designed to take you off your couch and put you on the road. You will start off with alternating between walking and jogging. Do you worry about pace. Most of the workouts are based on time. The ones based on distance can be easily measured with the odometer on your car. Nothing to precise here, do not worry about running exactly 1 mile, just get close. Give it a try and in 9 weeks you will be running 5k, or 3.1 miles. YOU CAN DO THIS. I know you can.

One last note: If you get a few weeks in are going to stick with it go and invest in a pair of running shoes. Go to a running store and get fitted for the correct shoe. They will measure your feet and watch you run and recommend a shoe. I know it is more expensive this way, but your health is priceless and the correct shoes will make it so much more enjoyable.

DISCLAIMER: Running is addictive. Try this at the risk of -

• Waking up early on the weekends to run


• Wondering why I missed my run this morning


• Getting wet while getting in your miles on the road


• Making your whole family healthier from you lifestyle choices