A behind the scenes take on Racing

The wonderful Hobblecreek Half Marathon was yesterday. Unfortunately for me 13 days out of the boot is not enough to run 13 miles, so I volunteered, spectated, and cheered for friends. My family has helped to run this race for the last 4 years (my extended family has made this race happen for the last 15 years), but I've always been an athlete in the race, so haven't seen all of the action. After going through it all again this year, I can confirm that I really have no desire to be a race director. They have so much on their plate! There are many aspects of the race they have to let out of their control to other people and sometimes people don't come through. There were many people who did come through though. Orem High School x-country athletes worked 2 of the large aid stations and did a great job. The handful of other volunteers working at the finish line made the race happen. There were people moving runners through the chute, managing the back up timing, my own daughter handed out the flowers to all the female finishers. There were brave souls at the T-shirt table, my husbands Grandparents and Aunt and Uncle prepared and served all of the post race food, and then we all spent 2-3 hours packing and cleaning up after the race was over.
I really encourage everyone to volunteer for a race. It really leaves you with an appreciation for the race directors who most often make $1-$2/hour if anything at all for all the time and work they put in after everything is paid for . It also reminds me that this is supposed to be fun, I need to come prepared and calm so that it can be.

I worked packet pickup for 6 hours on friday. It's so fun seeing people's excitement about the upcoming race, being able to answer questions and calm new runners fears and concerns. Of course I had my share of angry people that I couldn't help because they weren't following the protocol given in the emails and race website. Everyone please remember to bring your photo ID and don't expect to pick up others packets without a copy of their ID (if your race allows that). People really have and do try to pick up a strangers race number to use for themselves on big races like this that sell out. Sad, I know, but it happens.

So on to the night before the race, the bus company called to let us know that they will not be sending 3 of the busses we ordered. So we would now be given 17, not the 21 we paid for and ordered 5 months ago.
Well guess why the race got started 30 minutes late? Because there were 3 bus loads of people waiting at the pickup for the buses having to return from the top of the canyon. I know it sucks to be waiting up there forever, we were going crazy trying to rush things and get those last people up.

Anyway, so we're ready to start the race and guess who isn't a the top? The race photographers. So the RD's notice I have a fancy camera (Heidi's) with me so toss me and my bike into the clothing trailer where I got to take pictures of the leaders for the first few miles until we flew down the canyon a few miles at like 40mph trying to gain enough lead to get me and the bike out and ready to ride down. It was fun riding down, a quiet canyon, observing the scenery, stopping to take pics of the leaders here and there. Then I got to see my friends pass all looking good about mile 7. I had to ride up the course some to find the last friend, and knew I didn't have much time to get to my friend Heidi before she finished, so I hauled my butt down the course cheering others on, to find Heidi at 12.My friends Becky (who has 3 month old) with husband Vince, the elusive Heidi, 17 min PR Jamie, and myself, flower in my hair courtesy of my favorite 5 year old.

Afterward I was glad to hear there weren't any mobs or riots on the volunteers at the shirt table. I know runners and their race shirts, it's not something you mess with! Unfortunately the printing company decided not to keep their contract finish dates and all of the size M and L shirts are still in California somewhere. Oh man, you should have seen the fear on the race directors faces trying to figure out what we were going to tell the racers, Luckily I think most everyone dealt with the "blow" fairly well. They will get their shirts either at the store next week or mailed to their house
(a big added expense for the RD's).

Oh and I'm sorry for my friends who didn't expect the trail part of the course, I feel bad, lesson to be learned though: always look at the course map online.

Anyway, I had a good time, saw some excellent running....but
I have 'watched' my last race!

Race Nutrition

I've had several friends ask me lately, so I thought I'd do a post about it. Here's what I think about pre race and race day nutrition.

1st Rule - DON'T EXPERIMENT ON RACE DAY!
That means if you haven't tried it before a long run, don't try it on race day. If you haven't practiced anything, well, then, uh, I guess you're going to have to do something and be conserative, but if you've been ok without anything, you probably ought to race that way. That said, I definately feed my body before, during, and after a race.

Days Before

Carbo loading in the way most think of it with a big ol table full of pasta the night before won't help you. The only thing it'll do for you is give you a heavy gut. The body stores in glucose and other carbohydrates over time. Typically, you should begin consuming a bit more complex carbohydrate than usual (25% more than normal, not twice what you normally eat) starting wednesday evening (we're assuming a Saturday race). Eat frequently throughout the day and don't stuff yourself, it won't help. Lots of fruits and vegis are important, and cut out the simple sugars all together. While sodium is a neccessary and important for racing, we get plenty in our diet, no need to consume more (during the race is a different story).

Water is a crucial component to glucose absorption and storage as well as sodium and other electrolyte transfer. Hyponatremia, or when the body's electrolyte (mainly sodium) levels have been diluted to such a point it becomes dangerous, is rare, and not something you should worry extensively about. But it is out there. Starting thursday, or wednesday night, begin drinking 150% of what you normally drink in water. I personally drink about 96oz/day pre race (not more than 20-27oz per hour). Water needs are much based on body weight, the climate conditions around you, and personal experience. This is an excellent article everyone should read that does a much better job than I do explaining the top 10 mistakes athletes make in race nutrition.

Also, in my personal opinion, you shouldn't run past wednesday. Give your legs thursday and friday to rest. Cross train if you want thursday, but just focus on stretching, massaging, and working out any junk that might be hanging around. The Stick is one of my favorite tools for this.

Race Day

True glucose storage will have taken place over the weeks before the race after you've depleted them in a workout and replaced them properly promptly after. If you've stored well, you'll have almost an hour of energy already in your body. All that's necessary race morning is to top the stores off. Your meal should be no more than 400 calories and it should be something you have eaten already before a long run, something your body is used to and tolerates well. Mostly carb, some protein. It should be eaten 3 hours before the race. That advice is for a half marathon or longer. A 5k/10k doesn't need quite so much and should just be 100-200 calories 2-3 hours before if needed.
That's it. Eat your meal 3 hours before, and nothing to eat in between. 15-20 minutes before the start I use a Hammer Gel. 100 calories of complex carb that's easy to digest and easy to throw away at the start. Gel is always followed by 4oz of water, always.

Water is still important race day. I try to drink 16oz every hour before the race, ending that drinking about an hour before the start and just sipping until 30 minutes prior to the race. That way the body can empty what it doesn't need and you're not stuck waiting for a bathroom on the course or jumping into the bushes - which I by the way, have no qualms about - we're all adults, and sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do, just try not to moon everyone :). Ladies, a nice trick is to just pull the liner in your shorts to the side when you squat down so you don't have to pull the shorts themselves down.

During the Race

This again, should have been practiced. So you've taken your gel and 4oz of water 15 minutes before the race. After this I'll consume a gel every 45-60 minutes, and water every 15-20 minutes or so. Sports drink can work too if that's what you prefer, I just alternate sports drink at one stop, water at the next. Don't stress about running through the aid stations. I've come to learn that it's worth the extra 10-20 seconds to get a good drink in without also taking in a lot of air. It can also be helpful to know you just need to run to the next aid station (2 miles typically) and you'll get a quick walk break.
I suggest only consuming the specific product you've practiced with. So either find out what your race will use and practice it, or bring your own product along. You can buy elastic race belts for $10 that have little loops sewn on for you to stuff a gel package in. I'm really interested in this new one that has a little zip pocket you could put a tissue, or key, or Endurolytes, and it's only $10. There are also great running shorts out there that have multiple pockets to slip gels into. You can also pin the gels to your waistband and flip them inside your shorts to reduce the bouncing. Beware of chafing though, I had some mean scrapes after the St George Marathon (but it was also raining the entire time, which didn't help). Ladies, also, don't be afraid to take advantage of the sports bra. Lots of places to stuff things there in the front, sides, back, whatever works for you.

Endurolytes are a lovely little item from Hammer Nutrition that will help you maintain electrolyte levels, ward off cramps, and help in digestion. These you could probably use race day and not worry about it if you haven't in the past. Just start with 1 capsule per hour.

Post Race

Just like in training (SO important folks), you need to get your 3:1 carb to protein ratio in within 20 minutes of finishing. It will feed your body, and help it fix the good damage you just did :). Whey protein is the best protein source for after, and again, we want complex carbs with some quick absorbing carbs like fruit or juice in there too to get into the system quickly. Water, water, water is important as well.

Above all, practice your race day nutrition in hard and long workouts. You have to find what works for you. Everyone is different.

Good luck, don't stress, and have a great time. This is reward for all that training. Enjoy the atmosphere and the people and beauty around you.

My little Triathlete

My 5 year old Mckayla did her second triathlon Saturday at the WVC Recreation Center.

She had a blast, did very well, and had a great time! I'm so proud of her!!!

I had to highlight a couple things.
1. She's such a purist.....hmm, wonder who she gets that from :) Anyway, all the other kids set their bikes down on the ground, not our Mckayla.
She insisted her bike be racked in transition.

2. We realized a minute before the swim that we didn't bring any kind of floatation. I panicked a little, mentioned running out to get her arm floaties, but she said she wouldn't be able to reach her arms through the water, so no floating for her :)

3. She insisted we stay behind her, she wanted to race on her own.

4. You'll also notice her little bike crash at the first turn.
What a stud, she didn't even cry, just got up and kept going.

5. Love this kid. You'll also notice her dodge the high-5's at the finish line. She had her eye on the prize and wasn't going to let anyone get in her way :)
Oh, and.....

Good job to my husband on the video!

Some additional photo highlights from the day

Coach Talm

Prerace Interview (which she took very seriously)

Off on the bike with Talm cheering along the way

Look at that form! :) I love this pic

Posing as a Trophy (love this kid!)

Final X rays - Healing week 8

Alright, folks, here they are. The 8 week x-rays. I had 2 docs tell me that they looked really great. It's healed very well. They said I must be eating well (which is true and I've been taking a lot of calcium/magnesium as well as a liquid vitamin/mineral supplement) and being good wearing the boot the whole time. These x-rays look much better than the 4 week. It appears that bone has healed completely over. The dark lines you may see are the top and bottom of the new bone, not a fracture line, it's just the angle of the x-rays. There is also a slight bridge (bump) on the outside, but it shouldn't affect me.

You can see the 4 week x-rays to see the difference. I'm really happy and relieved.

Now I guess it's a good thing no one noticed that my "days till I can run" ticker had finished because you won't see me running right now. I need to take this week to wean off the boot and into my running shoes. I wasn't expecting that, but it makes sense. I'll go 3 hours on/3 hours off between the boot and shoes. Then next week I can start running. Doc wasn't very specific, which was frustrating because I felt like I needed it, but also understandable because my recovery will be based on my own pain level. As I start running he suggested starting every other day with 6-7 minutes after a good walking warm up, then a walking cool down. I can have pain/discomfort that evening, but if it remains the next day I've done too much. He thinks I can increase the running time at 20-30% per time (I think he meant session, maybe week though).

Basically, what it comes down to, is I have to consider myself a brand new runner. My bones, foot, and leg have weakened, so if I jump right back into stuff I could get a stress fracture. I do not want that happening. The word of the day is Gradual. Gradual in kicking, cycling, running, weights, etc. If I get up to 10 miles a day a month from now, great, but it has to happen gradually. I don't anticipate getting to that mileage that quickly, I'm just hoping to be 10k ready in 6 weeks.

Thanks all for your support. Your comments mean a lot to me. The mind is a powerful tool that I feel I've made good use of so far, but this next journey is an important one to proceed into with caution. That said - I can't wait!

Bear Lake 50 miler

We had a family reunion up at Bear Lake last weekend and I got the ok to ride the week before, so what did I bring? My bike of course! I'm desperate for a new racing bike, but I don't know if I've ever been so happy to be on my road bike. It's 50 miles around the lake and it was great! No issues on the foot at all, and I felt pretty much back to normal in conditioning and whatnot. I rode it in just under 3 hours, a good time for me considering I wasn't trying to ride at 100%.

I took off from the campground at the south end of the lake at 6:30 am to avoid the heat and any crazy rural drivers. I also wanted to enjoy the lovely sunrise

The west side of the lake is good road. Fairly flat and simply wonderful scenery. I'd love to have a house up there! About halfway up the west side you cross into Idaho. Felt pretty cool to say I'd ridden into another state! The rest of the west side were a few cute small towns with populations under 200. Turned east riding on the north end of the lake. The first 4 miles were just perfect road, oh my tush was loving it! Here's the view from the top looking south. We're camping next to those moutains at the other end.

Right at the halfway point there's some kind of old water treatment or hydro-energy plant. The water comes out of it the coolest color blue, almost a turquoise.

The road after that was horrible! Luckily the "pavement" only lasted 3ish miles till I turned south. The east side of the lake is very baren for the first 10 miles or so until you come to a few vacation home areas and campgrounds. It's also very rolling. That is definately going to be the harder section of the Bear Lake Half. Oh did I mention we had a very strong north wind the 2 days prior to this ride so I decided to head out early enough and into the north so I could enjoy a tailwind back. Did I have a tailwind back? Nope! Darn wind turned on me as I turned south. It wasn't horrible though, just a little dissapointing.
Anyway, I think the race will be a great one. Not sure how they're going to do the run though. They plan to run in on the sand, but the water level is high enough that there isn't any beach in some areas. I'd wanted to do this race, but I just won't be healthy enough in time. I did however totally enjoy my time out there. 50 miles really helped boost my mood and confidence.

Oh and I also got to practice some decending, although I didn't do super great. We went on a little hike at the top of the summit between Logan and Bear Lake, and I rode back down into Garden City and back around the lake to camp. So a 65 mile total for the day.

So pretty!

See that lake down there? That's what I have to get down to
Kind of a steep view if I do say so myself....and I do :)


As far as swimming goes, flutter kick still isn't feeling great, but I keep hoping it will soon. I go back in for new x-rays a week from today and should be able to lose the boot then and s...l...o...w...l...y start running again. Cheers for now!

We might have a problem........Healing week 5

I think I'm gonna need one of these come next month when I reach that 8 week mark. I went to an awesome seminar last night at Salt Lake Running Company. Terri Schneider, a world class former professional triathlete spoke about mental training, and it was great! I need to sit and meditate and visualize more for the big races, and harness the power of the mind. It really is more powerful than I give it credit for. I've always known sport is mostly mental -why else would we go through the physical punishment?- but it is a tool I have under utilized. She callenged us to set two goals to "stretch for", so I'm thinking about that so I can be very specific in the route to achieve them.
Trihive was a sponsor of the seminar, as was USTrisports. I came away with some sweet swag from these guys! Greg from USTrisports was kind enough to give me a race tech tee from Rockcliff, I got a handfull of Raw Revolution bars (good stuff!), and.....drumroll please: An Amphipod! Holy cow! Now I already have a Nathan that I use and love, so I'm still in debates as to whether I'll keep this one or not.
Anyway, the night was great. Fun people to talk to, a very motivational speaker, and awesome swag. It left me ready to take off and run the second I get the ok!

Fast forward to today. I tried swimming for the first time without the pull buoy. Talk about a bring me back down to earth after my high last night...lame! It's hard to pinpoint how it exactly feels. There's no pain in my foot, the kick just feels totally off and awkard. That's so hard for me, I love to kick, it's my favorite part of the stroke. I think and hope it's just a weakness and flexibility issue in my ankle. The back of my ankle bothers me the most. Again, not pain, just akwardness. I hope things come back smoothly for me...
Looking forward to 4 days at Bear Lake this weekend. Hoping for some long rides and swims

4 week x-rays - Healing day 32

Today was my half way there (hopefully) visit to TOSH. The doc I met with was not the same Dr Drew I met with in June. This concerned me at first since this new guy, Perry Hall had not seen or examined my foot at the initial visit. How would he know how much progress I'd really made? Well I'm still a little concerned with that, but apparently each individual exam is really important. How much pain I feel when they press on different points of the bone tells them almost everything. In Perry's words "I could look at pictures all day, it's the exam that tells me more". He was really cool and was actually someone recommended to me now that I think about it. He spent a lot of time with me, asked me what questions I had, and he's a cyclist so I feel he understood and related to me well. He didn't look at me strange when I said I want to get running as soon as possible and race in September, he actually discussed it with me.

So onto the healing. When we pulled the x-rays up I immediately noticed the fracture looked darker and wider. Crap! Not complete cause for concern though. Apparently fractures can heal with some inflamation (that's not quite right, can't remember what word he used), and the bigger space we see contains scar tissue taking its place there.

The fracture is the line to the left of the mouse arrow. Click on the picture to enlarge it and it should be more clear.

But can you see the thin bridge on the outside of the bone? That really is bone and that's where bones heal first, so that was good to see. Again, you're probably going to have to click on the picture to see it.

And here is the x-ray from the first appointment, 5 days after the accident. Interesting how that tiny little thing that was missed during the initial day of x-ray caused so much pain.

Here are the cool deciscan's they take. We didn't look at them, but I thought they were cool showing so much tissue and where the bones sit in the foot and leg. They pull up all the x-rays up on the computer, pretty cool technology there at TOSH.

Ok, so here's the verdict. The swelling is basically gone, and I didn't jump out of my seat when he pressed on my foot. I can walk pain free most of the time in the boot, and there's at least a bridge forming on the outside of the fracture. While we want the whole bone to heal over with bone, it may not happen. 6 months down the road, if it does heal over completely it should be permanently stable, but I could experience chronic soreness in that foot and would have to be careful not to change my gait (running form) to compensate for the pain. That's not guarenteed to happen, he just wanted to make me aware.

There's not a lot I can do to increase the healing, just give it time and take my vitamins. He also encouraged more activity. Some stress on the bone is good for it, but in Perry's words "If it's hurting, it's not healing" He thinks I'm good to get back on the bike as long as I don't stand in the saddle and just ride on flats. He also thinks I can lose the pull buoy and try kicking, as well as try the eliptical! Not bad eh? Weight training is fine too as long as it's with the boot on and doesn't apply too much weight. The biggest weight training change is that I can do leg presses in the boot as long as I don't lift more than my weight. Still no calf raises though :( My right calf is looking pretty pathetic.

Not all great news though. That 2 mile run I thought I'd start with next month? Nope, not that far, gotta start smaller. But alas, it appears I am healing. I go back in another month, hopefully things only look better.

And you know, as excited as I am to get the ok to do more, I'm also nervous. Mostly nervous to get back on my bike and try to clip out (no twisting of the ankle, that would hurt big time) or put the foot down or crash or something. A nice man I talked with at Rockcliff told me of his experience after rupturing his Achilles tendon (big time injury). He said he was always worried he'd get hurt again, so he wasted 5 years of his kids lives not doing the skiing and other activities they had once enjoyed. He told me not to be so scared that I don't go out and do what I love. I'll try to take his advice. I'll probably ride in the safe controlled environment of my basement on the trainer for the next week, then hopefully venture outside. Sure would be nice to ride with people, I feel more secure that way. Anyone wanna come on some easy flat spins with me?

"One of these things is not like the other"......

"....One of these things just isn't the same"

I rode up to Echo Reservoir for the Echo Triathlon with my friend Jen today. No, I did not race in my boot (although I was asked that several times). I was going to volunteer, but had lots of friends up there racing and didn't want to be stuck in one spot. So I tortured myself yet again watching others race. I really do enjoy it, I was just itching out of my skin wanting to join them and race. There was some good competition up there!
A few observations from the race include watching a girl take 5 minutes in transition brushing and drying her hair. I know, I know, not everyone is like me and runs out as fast as they can, but seriously, this girl had me wondering.
I also saw this 80 year old man racing. It took a lot of effort just for this guy to get his shoes on and off, I just couldn't believe he was racing! I hope I'll still be kickin like that when I'm that age.
Speaking of shoes, I had forgotten about this since I raced Echo several years ago, but they have a whole 20 yards of a "shoe zone". There must have been 10 of these cones with signs on them showing people according to their race number where to put their shoes to wear from the swim to T1. Kind of like an additional transition area :)

I brought the wetsuit up with me not wanting to miss a chance to swim without walls to slow me down. Since I can't flip turn or push off well it's really annoying swimming in the pool. A new friend of mine Te Koi came down and swam with me. I chatted with him a little while he was volunteering earlier that day and didn't even notice that he too has a broken foot!
Notice the matching boots :)
Te Koi is a great swimmer and it was nice to have someone to venture out into the water with. The course was still set up, the water wasn't cold, and the lake was glassy, all which made for a perfect swim! Here we are afterwards showing off our broken feet :)
I've thrown myself some pity parties wondering why this happened and what I'm supposed to get out of it, and I'm becoming enlightened a little bit. I don't really ask why anymore, there's not point, but I do want to get something out of this. I am spending more time in the pool and weight room working on my arms and core. I've also met some really cool people in the last month. I'm so busy and self absorbed when I'm racing I dont really take time to talk to people. This sport is just full of great people! I've met some very talented athletes I hope to train with soon, a lot of people on the buisness side of events and gear, and just some really nice people I can say hi to at future races now.
I go in for new X-rays on wednesday and am hoping things look better. I'm not expecting to be healed, I just want it to look better than it did 4 weeks ago. I am optimistic. The swelling is almost gone completely, as is the bruising, and I'm able to walk around the house pain free 90% of the time in the boot. I'll still be in the boot for 3 weeks, 6 days more, but hopefully the X-rays will show us that I should be good and mended come August 8th, 8:32am - yes I know down to the day and minute when I'll run again :)

A humbling, giving back weekend - Healing day 14

I volunteered at USTrisports Rockcliff Triathlon today. I don't think I've volunteered before, but it was a good experience. Nice not to have to remember all my gear and get everything ready race day, fun to watch everyone race, and really rewarding to answer questions and offer help, especially those who are new to the sport. I had a lot of really nice people ask about me and my lame situation as well. I was placed at the transition area, by myself most of the race. I was there from 6:30am-11:30am. A long day for sure, and I felt bad getting back so late to the family (we camped at Rockcliff that night).

These guys did a great job with the race and as fun as it was to volunteer, it really sucked not doing the race. Amazing course I've yet to do, and stellar prizes. Like 1st place for instance (which I could've been in the running for) won $60 to PowerTri, a triathlon store in Lehi, concert tickets, and a free entry into Daybreak. They were giving away lots of Hammer products too. I can really use stuff like that!

Anyway, later that afternoon I put on the wetsuit and attempted an open water swim. I was really looking forward to it. I haven't done any cardio at all in 2 weeks.

Don't you just love my kids in their caps and goggles (their idea btw)

Unfortunately, it just didn't work. The ortho doc was firm in his statement of "any discomfort at all means you're doing too much" and I believe him. Because of the buoyancy of the wetsuit I didn't need to kick, but just the motion from being in the water was too much. I swam maybe 200 yards and had to call it good. I was hurting pretty good. I didn't need them getting in, but this must've been a funny sight to an onlooker (I only put the crutches in like 6 inches of water Heidi, promise I didn't hurt them!)
I was so hoping it'd work! I miss jumping in a lake and taking off feeling strong and fast with strong arms and a fast kick. I miss that so much. Getting the wetsuit off was horrible! My husband helped me, but pulling it off just put too much stress on the bones and ligaments pulling on the bone. I won't try the wetsuit again for at least 2-3 weeks. I'll try a pull buoy in the pool on monday, but I'm not holding out a ton of hope. I think I'm just going to have to wait another week and see if things are any better.

Makes me think about putting the screw in. Just a better chance everything heals up well. But I really worry about not liking the screw 10, 20, 30 years down the road. You hear people say it is uncomfortable, painful, or they can feel it. I don't know, any advice? I just hope the 4 week xrays look better.

I really wrestled with whether or not to do BAM. I was worried about the weather, and it was a more expensive race to enter, but I wanted to race in those neat venues and see the atmosphere I'd heard so much about that these race directors put out. After volunteering at Rockcliff and seeing the race though I'm just kicking myself. I tell myself "if I'd listened to my instinct and not done BAM I wouldn't have a broken foot, could've saved $25, could've scored some sweet totally useful prizes Rockcliff offered, and I'd still have a whole season in front of me". The whole foot breaking thing was not a direct result of that particular course (BAM), but if I'd just listened maybe I wouldn't be in this whole mess. What good came out of BAM? I mean I met some great people, had a good swim and bike, but not so good it was worth breaking my foot. Any words for me?

Healing Day 8 - Wasatch Back!

The swelling remains much the same, a little better though. Sometimes when I've been up for too long the increased swelling and itchiness that comes along with it and the wounds on my toes and foot just drive me crazy. I melted down a little friday as my Wasatch Back girls were getting started. I was stuck home doing dishes, not being able to carry anything or get around anything quick because of the crutches, knowing I have another week till the pool and another 3 at least till I get back on the bike and 7 till I run and I just let myself have a little cry. I seriously believe my body is/was going through seratonin withdrawls. I maintain such a high level of it consistanly with being outside and exersizing like I do, I think my body was a little in shock. It's been tough, but one week down now, things will be better soon.
Back to the healing, I can put a little weight on my foot if it's in the boot, but I'm really trying hard not to, giving myself the best chance to heal I can. I think I'm going to see what the 4 weeks x-rays look like, and if things aren't healing well I'll strongly consider the surgery. Here are current pics. I find it interesting that most of my swelling resides near and in my toes.

My 'lovely' fat foot. The wound is taking forever to heal and the swelling keeps it feeling stretched and the boot fastens over it which is uncomfortable. The bruising is at it's peak now I think, down at the bottom and side of my foot near the break. My ankle is a pit puffy too, I'm guessing I probably did a little ligament damage.
As a nice distraction I did get to go up to the finish line to see my Wasatch Back girls. Here's what it looked like driving up. And I hear a couple of them got super soaked the end of Saturday. They did great great though, what troopers! I know they're all exhausted and probably sore, but what an experience. I'm definately jealous. I always hear "there's always next year", but that sounds soooo far away. I would've loved to have done my first time when the rest of them (save 1 runner, Lindsey) did their first times. Oh well. I'm glad they had a great time and let me run down the chute with them. Great job girls! My friend Heidi has a good race report and fun pics on her blog

My team. Thanks for letting me hang around guys