… and not because I’ve been taking Jamie Lee Curtis’ advice and eating plenty of Activia.

Rather, because the cortisone shot that Doc Kitchen gave me as the treatment for what is/was now believed to be a case of bursitis in the ankle has been the best shot in the dark we’ve taken at getting me back to running yet. I’m still far from being where I want to be in terms of running, but just being able to go out five days a week and not be too concerned about ending up in the driveway with a screaming achilles has made me a very happy boy.

I waited ‘til five days post-shot to start doing anything that would put to much pressure/stress on the legs and returned to running, veeeeerrrrry slowly, Monday the 17th. While it certainly didn’t feel perfect, I was able to run normally - or at least in a way that felt normal to me - without any pain. I coud certainly feel something going on in my ankles, but not enough to really raise any red flags (I should also note that the out-of-the-ordinary feelings were primarily in my un-cortisoned left ankle, and not my injected right). I’ve been keeping up this easy running most days, very gradually lengthening the route that I run, but not yet even thinking about putting a watch on or trying to figure my mileage. There’s just something about starting to keep track of the quantitative side of running that turns me into a I-wanna-go-fast idiot… especially in situations like these when I’m simply trying not to hurt myself. Rather, I’m focusing more no the qualitative aspect of my running, as in: are the ankles feeling okay? does my breathing feel comfy? and so on and so forth. And I’ve got to say, it’s been highly enjoyable.

I’ve also put an intense amount of focus back into stretching and doing all of the other little things that I sometimes push to the side for the sake of spending more time running. I’m getting looser and making sure I get in a better warm-up before heading out the door, and taking more time to properly stretch post-run as well. For the first time ever, I’m cutting runs short, even on the few days that I’ve felt almost invincible, and taking some extra time for cooling down and stretching rather than adding a few laps around the block. That is just completely not me.

And, much to the surprise of Melissa more than anyone else, I’ve started doing P90X in the mornings. I’m a bit surprised myself that I started doing it, and even more surprised that I’ve been at it for nearly two whole weeks now, but it’s actually kind of grown on me. I think it helps because it’s the only way that I can really stomach lifting, or an act close to lifting. Going to the weight room is an act that I just find boring on the same scale as the Notebook, but P90X doesn’t seem as stale as going to the weight room. Plus, I’ve wanted to try yoga for quite some time, and the Yoga X was the first yoga I’ve ever done and really liked it a lot. Mayhaps I will be starting to hit up the yoga classes I can take for free on campus here soon. I still don’t buy inot the whole getting ripped in 90 days thing that the DVDs claim, but it’s not to get up and do something to break a sweat in the morning that doesn’t make me nervous about ankle pain right now and that’s a ton more fun that just laying on the floor doing push-ups and sit-ups.

Could this be me in a few months?… Prolly not. Could Zumba be next?… Prolly.

But, for all the progress that has been made and as much as I’m feeling better than I did even at the beginning of the month, I know that I’ve still not reached the summit of Mt. Recovery. My right ankle, which has been the worst of the two since the beginning of this 7 months ago now, feels immensely better. I don’t notice it at all when I run anymore, but there are still some things during the day that cause little niggles of pain and discomfort. My left ankle, which has always been the one that I didn’t take much notice of, has begun to be more of the problem. Still, I am finding that with stretching, some ankle strengthening, rolling my feet and icing, things have been fairly manageable with both.

A trip back to the doc to cortisone up the left ankle may be in order here fairly soon, but there is still another aveneu I’m hoping to take. I was initially recommended to the route of fascial/myofascial release by Brandon Birdsong, who seems to have been through something incredibly similar to my predicament. He also ended up being forced into a 6+ month layoff from running, but has come back from that pretty strong. I’ve been pretty interested in this route since he mentioned it to me, but it’s tough to rationalize taking a whole day and driving 8 hours, along with all the expenses that takes, in order to try another seeming shot-in-the-dark. My interest was peaked even more when I came across the article “Understanding Your Fascia” on the Running Times website yesterday, and having done a little more research on all things fascia.  I’m still apprehensive about the thought of the day-long and expensive trip to Colorado Springs or Boulder to try this out, but since I’m going to be in the Denver area this weekend and in Springs Monday for a conference meeting, I’m trying to get in touch with someone who will see me for kind of an emergency appointment. Maybe I’ll even buy into it enough where taking a day to go up there will seem worth it. But, I need to be able to try it out before making that commitment.