A Hard Pill to Swallow

Tough day! Went to see the orthopedist today. And it's broke! It turns out I have an avulsion fracture. My ligament snapped and when it did it broke off a piece of the bone. So we're dealing with the broken bone and ligament damage. The good news is it doesn't look like I will need surgery to repair it! Hallelujah! I am in an aircast and on crutches. I can't drive for at least two weeks. No activity (no swimming or biking or anything using my foot) at all for four weeks until I go back to see him. He expects recovery to be somewhere around 8 weeks if I'm really good! This is definitely not the news I was hoping for! Not sure what this means for Ironman training!?!? I'm really worried!

Not How I Wanted to Start My IMTX Training!

Two steps forward and one step back seems to be the story of my life. I took a spill yesterday. I don't even have an interesting story. We were out with friends for dinner and I decided to wear wedges to break them in for my upcoming trip to New York City. We were walking along the Woodlands Waterway with our four boys and our friends and their two boys. Our youngest wandered off and when he caught up he was upset and ran into my arms. Well wearing said wedges, I lost my balance and went down of course protecting him from the fall. I instantly felt shooting pain in my foot. Not my ankle so much but along the top of my foot. so I took off my shoes and my girlfriend got me ice while her hubby helped me hobble to the curb for my hubby to get the car. Thank goodness for great friends!

As soon as I got home I took my prescription anti inflammatory, elevated, and continued to ice. The bruising was immediate. I didn't sleep too well.

When I woke up I was concerned because the bruising and swelling had gotten worse and there was still significant pain. So I had my mom come get me to take me to an Urgent Care Clinic.

No breaks were seen hallelujah! It took awhile for the doctor to give me the results because while she could tell the ankle looked really good she couldn't see the mid foot clearly due to swelling. So we waited for the radiologist to read the Xrays. And I was so relieved no breaks were seen! She called it a mid foot sprain, but did tell me she can't tell if there is any ligament or tendon damage because that wouldn't be seen on an Xray. You would need an MRI. My foot was wrapped and I was put in a boot. If there isn't any improvement by Monday I will see what my orthopedist has to say.

I am hoping Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation, and anti inflammatory meds will do the trick! I'm thinking I should cancel my trip to NYC and go another time when I am more mobile? I want to be able to enjoy the city fully, but I also don't want to jeopardize recovery or have it interfere even more with my training.

Body Composition Analysis

As part of my Ironman training I am focusing on Nutrition and Hydration. I am meeting with a nutritionist at Memorial Hermann Sports Institute Clinic in the Woodlands. Today was my initial evaluation and consultation. It began with a BOD POD Body Composition Tracking System Analysis. You wear as little as possible (I wore my swimsuit.) and you sit for a total of about 5 minutes in this pod. There is no discomfort or loud noises. It's very comfortable. You just experience very small changes in pressure.

I was concerned going in that I would be a little disappointed with the results given the way I have been feeling. And boy was I surprised! And way more than a little disappointed! My body fat percentage is almost 35%!!! That's a pretty hard pill to swallow!

And this puts me in the Excess Fat category! An even harder pill to swallow! I work out 6 days a week between 1 and 2 1/2 hours and I eat pretty well. In fact I'm usually at a calorie deficit. 

So we took this information, looked at my daily intake, and are making a few changes to enhance my training. And hopefully I will start burning some of this fat and start building some muscle! His goal is to get me down to 30%, but 20% is ideal. I am sure he is aiming for a practical and achievable goal. I am trying not to focus on the Red Line saying EXCESS FAT and just work on what I need to work on, but wow what an eye opener!
At first I was in shock, and then I laughed, and then there were some tears. Now I've got a plan and I am going to work hard!

My Mom Ran Her 1st 5k!!

You're never too old to try something new! I ran my first race at 37, ran my first marathon at 38, learned how to swim at 38, did my first triathlon at 39, completed a 70.3 at 40, and at 41 I'm training for my first Ironman 140.6! My mom, at 61 years old raced her first 5k - the Espirit de She! I was by her side the entire time!! This has been on both of our bucket lists!! 

This is a finish neither of us will ever forget!! 

Her smile says it all!!

This was the perfect race for her first 5k! We arrived early and we both got massages. And it was a bonus that it was along the Waterway in the Woodlands where in just a few months I will be racing Ironman Texas! So that made it all the more special! When I am pushing thru I will have this memory to help me get to the finish line!

SHE DID IT!!!

I'm so proud of my mom for not only hitting her goal time in her first 5k, but she also placed 5th in her age group!! At 61 and 41 years old we are making and crushing our goals. We are dreaming big dreams!! Crossing the finish line with my mom is an experience I will treasure forever! 

"You are never too old to set another goal or to dream a new dream." C.S. Lewis