Time for Team Work

Today was the big day and I came out of my appointment with mostly good news.  I'll warn you, you might want to get comfy and maybe get a drink or a snack, this is going to be a long post.

I'll start with the bad news and get it out of the way and over with:  I cannot run for three weeks.

Here's the rest of the news:
My leg never fully recovered from being casted for an unrelated injury.  My left leg is 1.5 inches smaller than my right and as a result quite a bit weaker.  As a result, I've overworked my poor left leg, have a mild case of posterior shin splints BUT my doctor feels this has already more or less resolved itself (yay #1).
There were no visible fractures on my x-rays (yay #2).
My doctor feels this situation can be corrected and I will be able to resume my training after suitable rest and rehab (yay #3).

That said, I honestly cannot express how grateful I am to have such a wonderful doctor at this moment.  I was terrified going into the appointment to the point I was actually shaking.

When I got to the office this morning, I of course had to have x-rays right away.  As I walked back to their radiology department, I saw some TNT purple on the wall.  Then I realized it was me.  My doctor had hung a picture of me, all decked out in TNT gear on his wall next to all the other athletes he's treated.  That was the first time I almost broke down.  The second time was when my doctor walked in the room.  I was so keyed up I could barely sit and the second my doctor walked in, the first thing he said was how proud he was of everything I've done since I got out of my cast last year.  And near breakdown number three came while he was measuring my legs.  This was when he noticed I was shaking.  When questioned, I admitted I was scared he was going to tell me I needed to quit running.  This is when doctor dear earned my eternal love and devotion.  He sat down on the table with me and very seriously told me this: "My job is  to help you find a safe and healthy way to achieve your goals, not to crush your hopes and dreams."

That's right.  I have the best doctor ever.  Be jealous, people.

Doctors orders are that we will approach this as a team:  I'll shut up and actually do as I'm told; diligently rest, stretch and ice.  He will help me find ways to stay active until I'm ready to run again and find a physical therapy program that will be able to heal my leg so I can still reach my goals.

So there it is: I'm not dying, I don't require amputation and I will run again.  My short term goals need some reevaluation, I think I'm more or less done for the year, but next years' races are still on the calendar.