A Monday Mish-Mash

Since it's Monday, I'm not really feeling like stinging together a full, coherent post, so I'll just comment on a few things that are floating around in my head right now:

• So, I have a stress fracture in my tibia.  You would think that I would learn my lesson from all of my many running injuries over the years, which seem to become more severe each time, but, for those of you who are runners too, you'll understand how hard it is to go without running, even for a day.  The last time I ran was the Cherry Blossom Ten-Miler on April 6th {which I actually finished in a  shockingly quick time of 1:19, given that I was already quite injured at that point}, and I'm really yearning to run again, especially since running outside at this time of year just fuels my love affair with DC.  Also, I'm not going to pretend that I haven't already plotted out races to run in Chicago.  The doc told me I have to wear my boot for the next 4-6 weeks, so I suppose it's a good thing that I already had one of those suckers sitting around in my closet.  The only reason why I'm not crying on a regular basis is because I'm allowed to swim!  I am in the process of joining a gym with a pool for the next month, and, after going for two swims over the weekend, I think it's safe to say that I'm hooked.  Now, if only I could get Dan to set foot in a pool…the poor thing is traumatized after swimming through college :)
• We had a lovely Easter with both of our families, spending Saturday night with Dan's family {we got to meet his brother's girlfriend and his adorable new dog, Charlotte, as well as see Dan's sister} and Easter Sunday with mine.  I am trying to count my blessings, particularly for these next few months, because I know that this may be the last time we live near our families…sob.
• Last weekend, we went out to the Windy City for Dan's revisit weekend.  While it still doesn't feel completely real that we are leaving our beloved DC in just a few months, I am so, SO excited to get to experience a new city. Having Kristin, Allie and Emily there will be a huge plus for me, and I felt really comfortable with the people that I met at all of the Partners Club events last weekend.  
• We are going to our first Nats game of the season tonight with a group of local admits from Dan's program.  I am excited to meet some of the people who we will be spending 4 years with, and I never turn down an opportunity to go to Nats Park.
• On Saturday, we went to a Drink the District event put on by Living Social.  Despite a brief downpour, it was a fun event, and we got to try lots of good beer and wine {as well as some not-so-tasty mint juleps}.  We went with a group of friends, and, after hanging out with them more at the end of the event, had to say what is likely to be our first goodbye {as some of the friends will be leaving for a few months in Europe next weekend}.  I definitely teared up in the cab ride home.  This endless series of goodbyes is not going to be easy...
• On Thursday, we went to a fun wine tasting event with Dan's parents that was put on by Wine Spectator.  The event was a lot of fun, although I would be lying if I said I wasn't intimidated by tasting a $1,000 wine.  I'll stick with my less-than-$20 bottles, thank you very much!!
• I need a vacation.  So badly.  Which is why I giddily happy that our San Francisco trip is creeping up on us.  I just need to recharge.
• So, I must confess that I've recently gotten hooked on House of Cards.  The show is fabulous!  Fortunately, Dan has no interest in political shows, which means that I can binge-watch this series {which he is less likely to do, hence the snail's pace with which we are going through my other current obsession, Friday Night Lights}.
• Oh, and looking for jobs and apartments is stressful.  I know, right?!  I know people mean well, but both searches are stressing me out to the point where I just don't want to talk about it.

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! The rest of this week is supposed to turn summer-like, and I am using a bachelor party that Dan is going to this weekend as an excuse for some much-needed "me time', which will likely involve too much baking and too many episodes of House of Cards :)

Hobbling

I was able to go see a sports medicine specialist yesterday, because my foot pain had been getting progressively worse over the three weeks since it first started.  The doc ordered a second set of X-rays in an attempt to rule out a stress fracture, which he was able to do.  He is now convinced that the pain is tendon-related, mostly because of the location and type of pain I was experiencing when he examined me.  His main concern was that I would rupture the tendon in question, which would have required surgery and what would likely have been a long recovery process.

So...for the next three weeks, I have this fancy shmancy accessory:

This will look lovely with the cocktail dress that I'm wearing to a wedding this weekend ;)

I'm not going to pretend that I wasn't upset about the diagnosis and course of treatment {and yes, I did cry in the doctor's office}, but I had largely gotten all of my tears out of the way over the past week-and-a-half.  For those of you who know me, the order to not exercise, or do any sort of physical activity, is about the equivalent of a death sentence.  I am an incredibly active person, so it is nearly impossible to go from a high level of activity to nothing at all.

Never fear, though, I have developed, with the help of a good friend who broke her foot IN THE MIDDLE OF OUR MARATHON AND FINISHED {seriously, so many street cred points for Lindsay!}, a lifting and stretching routine that will at least make me feel as though I'm doing something other than sitting around and eating bon-bins.  I joked to Dan that I will have my best abs ever at the end of three weeks {highly unlikely, but I'm all about goal-setting here}, and I just did my first day of the routine this morning.  I can essentially work my arms, back and core, so I spent probably 40-45 minutes doing that.  Let me just say that trying to lift that sucker to do bicycle crunches requires a tremendous amount of exertion.  It's heavy!

I'm really trying to take it all in stride, because I would rather follow the doc's orders now and hopefully be out of this boot in three weeks.  Dan and I have even started calling it Das Boot!  But that's not to say that it has all been rainbows and roses.  For one thing, I live in an incredibly hilly neighborhood, so there is no way to avoid one when walking to and from the Metro.  The boot is awkward to walk in, but any unevenness of surface is even more uncomfortable.  I am trying to be very deliberate with how I walk on those surfaces so I don't inadvertently put too much strain on another part of my body.  Secondly, having to rely on creaky, slow-ass Metro elevators is far from ideal.  Thirdly, the psychological component of this injury has probably been the worst.  I exercise daily to keep myself in great cardiovascular shape, but I can't say that I don't enjoy the benefits of having a fit physique.  The thought of losing that has been a lot to handle, but I think that, if I am diligent about my workouts, I'll hopefully be back in fighting shape before I know it.  I am already imagining the moment when I go on my first run, and I can't wait.  I get jealous watching each successive runner file into our gym in the morning! I want to be the one running!!!

Shameless shout-out to Dan for dealing with the crying, depressing mess that I have been over the past couple of weeks.  He is truly the best, and has been so supportive and encouraging as he has witnessed my emotional struggle over this injury.  I can't wait to run together, hopefully sooner rather than later, once Das Boot comes off!!