The “Heel-ing” Journey

It has been 3 weeks now since I had my right heel operated on. After waiting for 2 years for my turn in the surgery room, I am relieved to have closed the door of constant pain management and to enter into a new chapter, one that will allow me to return to what I love to do without the tiring aspect of a foot that constantly hurts and has a way of taking the fun out of many of my adventures! And might I remind you, I am no stranger to this exact issue. Four years ago, my left heel bone also calcified, leaving me with a Haglund’s deformity on that foot. After a successful surgery (and one that cost me a whopping $10,000 to do via private surgery in order to speed up the wait time) I immediately asked my doctor to get the long and drawn out process for surgery started on the right foot once I realized I had the same thing. So, for the last 2 years, every run, every mountain summit, every multi day adventure race and epic has been me digging deep into the good old pain box just to cope and keep myself going. What I now feel is RELIEF!

Grateful every day for all the help that I have been receiving from Norm and Kiel as they have stepped up to make daily tasks easier. I’ve been spending extra time back in Victoria with my mom which has been great too. Having some meals cooked and that extra hand with an active 6-year-old really makes a huge difference. So many friends have reached out, many of them being genuinely concerned especially about how I was doing mentally! And you know what, with not a BS answer….. AMAZING!

I have wanted this surgery for so long as I knew it was the path to run pain free again. Mentally I had been preparing for it for a long long time, knowing that the Eco Challenge in Fiji would be me my last hurrah before being laid up for a good chunk of time. And time is actually flying by (as is life right?) so I am making the most of this rest and heal period. More important though, not training has freed up a significant amount of time allowing me to focus my energy on other important things. Firstly, after years of searching, I have finally connected with the right functional medicine doctor who is helping me sort through a long list of internal things that need healing. A 17 year career of endurance combined with just going full throttle, non stop in ALL aspects of my life eventually catches up. I have constantly put my body into a state of stress and now I’m paying dearly for it. But how to correct it? I’ve know for SO LONG that something at a deep cellular level was not right but finding that person who actually understood what I was saying and feeling was another story. It all came together when I was in Italy guiding this Summer, I found my “someone.” She has been a huge teacher to me and I am learning so much in the process. It is not just simply me doing yoga or taking 10 minutes a day to meditate (to which I am also doing) but giving my body the support it needs based on a huge series of blood testing. What is so interesting about all of this is that I see the same inflammatory responses so easily now in some of my other athletes. But with new nutrition protocols, training methods and constant education on making athletes understand the big picture of what is happening inside, we can reverse things and have longevity doing the things that we love. I will soon write a blog on this alone as it is too much to share in this one. But currently, I am busy using my time to take courses and read and ask questions. Stress is stress is stress! No matter what form it is coming in (aka via training, relationships, work, family time, trauma, to-do lists) it all must be accounted for!

Before surgery started, I began a cleanse, guided by Drey Voros, in order to prepare my body for the demands of surgery. I think this has made all the difference in my speedy recovery. I even cut out caffeine! YES!! ME!!! No caffeine now in 5 weeks! Don’t worry, it is not a forever thing but right now I am fully committed to this process. I just had my 2.5 week surgeon check-up and they could not believe how fast the foot is healing. I am WAY ahead of schedule. There is very little swelling left in the ankle itself. My range of motion is coming back. I have very little pain other than if I stand in one spot for too long or walk too much. I still have another 3 weeks to go in the boot which is actually a good thing because it keeps me in check and honest about what still needs to happen under the skin. The heel bone was shaved down and the tendon re-attached and cleaned up. No matter what, there is still that binding time needed for the tendon to re-connect to the bone, something that I can’t exactly hurry along. Anyways, I tried to rest as much as I could in week 1. In week 2 I started going to the gym to do upper body strength and core, mostly using pulleys and free weights supported by the bench. I began spinning on the bike very lightly (and yes, this is with the boot on) just to move fresh blood around (oh and for mental health.) I returned to teaching my nightly cycling class at Day Time Cycling as I didn’t want to be gone for long. I spin on the bike lightly while my crew does the hard work. I have to keep myself in check and not get wrapped up in their energy (which is hard!).

It has also been extremely busy on the coaching side as new athletes come on board to reach their 2020 goals. I just launched a new, one of a kind 50km training course as well. Designed to offer a solid, safe and do-able path to having people cross the finish line for the first time, this course has been a year in the making. I know that 1:1 custom coaching is not in the budget for everyone but I still wanted athletes to have access to training and assistance. So this new 50km course allows the athlete to start the course when they are 5 months out from their chosen race. It is complete with a strength plan, mobility and pre-hab plan along with LOADS of information on food, nutrition, fueling for performance, mindset and understanding how to make the most out of their efforts. Plus, there is a private Facebook page for Q&A’s with me. This has taken a LOT of time to put together (we even ran 50 people through a beta program earlier this year) so to have it launched is thrilling. The demand for a 25km and 50miler course is high so I am busy preparing those now too!!!! Im actually grateful for the break in my own training to allow more time to focus on coaching.

So with 3 more weeks to go in the boot, I’m feeling optimistic that I will be back outside on a bike in December and will be able to move to lower body strength as well. I’m in no rush for my fitness to return. It will come back with time. Instead, I will use as much of this Winter to keep healing my endocrine system and giving it the support and break that it has been asking for. I will, however, be able to lace up to coach in Costa Rica and guide in Patagonia starting at the end of February! But for now, I’m playing a lot of UNO with my son, enjoying family time and getting excited for the year ahead.