The Wrench in my Plan

For those of you that know me, you know that I run. I run in the rain, I run in the heat, last year I was so very thrilled to run in the snow even! (It only snows once every 10 or so years in Valencia, CA when I saw that it was snowing, I sprinted outside in my running gear for a very cold 6 miler.) I run when I am tired, I run when I am sore, I run to be free and to think. I often stumble out of bed before the sun comes up to run to prepare for my day. With 3 kids, 2 part time jobs, a full time class schedule, and the like, running is often my only time alone.

In all of this running, I have been fairly lucky. I have yet to find myself plagued with a major injury or pain that does not go away. I have been lucky, until now. In training for the Ultra Beast in Killington, VT over the past few months, I have developed a nagging pain in my left foot. This pain is a pain unlike any other that I have ever experienced. Though unwilling to stop running, I roam the trails with a limp in my step. My days are spent with my foot taped to the hilt. My nights are spent with my foot in a tub of ice. I am not sure what this means for the rest of my racing season, or for my race in Killington in 9 days. I guess I am not invincible. I guess that every once in a while every runner needs to be humbled. I am left to fight. I will head to Vermont fighting with every ounce of strength that I have, fighting to stay on top of my racing season, excited to run with the friends that have become so dear to me over the last year. -Ang