Using the term setback conjures up images of a broken bone or bad sprain, but in our case it wasn't something quite so detrimental. My husband, Daniel, began experiencing some common pain that held us back from running for over 5 days. Needless to say, I was anxious and nervous when we started our run this evening.
It is our understanding, after years of suffering and mis diagnosis, that Daniel suffers from a form of chronic gout. His body is less efficient at flushing out the uric acid, which then builds up in his joints to form crystals. When this happens, his joints (mainly ankles) tend to swell, flare up and hurt. He basically hobbles around until the uric acid crystals are flushed away. The gout really seems to come on strong when he his water intake is lower than it should be on a day where he exerts himself at work (like scrap day in a hot warehouse).
Besides being our first run after a setback of more than five days, it was a run of new shoes, too. I had been running with a pair of Vibram FiveFingers, which I love dearly. Seriously. Ask anyone in my family and they can tell you of my love for these shoes. Regardless, I began noticing some pains associated with no cushion betwixt myself and the hard pavement. While these Vibrams may be amazing for trail running, some sharp turquoise Nike's are a better choice for a hard surface.
We both expressed our doubts and low expectations as we walked down the driveway to the road.
"I'll be lucky to make it to the one minute marker mailbox."
"I'm not sure I can even make it there!"
After a five minute warm up walk, it was time. And with each stride we both noticed that our muscles, while a little tight, were not holding us back! Our breathing was difficult, and as we passed the one minute marker, we kept going. To our amazement, we made it to the two minute marker with no leg pain whatsoever. Our labored breathing was the only obstacle we truly faced.
Thankfully, this gives us a little hope for tomorrow.
