Here's a little backstory about the last year - in July of 2010 I decided that I was going to step it up and do an Ironman Lake Placid in 2011. You actually have to volunteer, sit at your computer waiting for the exact second they open registration or you can take an Ironman Foundation charity slow which is about $1200, half of which is tax deductible. I was late with my registration so I took a charity slot, this was not only a huge time commitment but obviously the financial commitment was no joke.
The end of my 2010 race season was fantastic minus a procedure that kept me from working out and a weird, almost unbearable, pain in my foot when I was finally able to hit the pavement again. It was October when I first started to see my podiatrist about the pain so I wasn't too worried about actually training because that wasn't going to start until January which was months away. Well no running in October turned into no running in November which turned into no running in December because no matter how much rest I gave my foot it would NOT get better. Finally I gave in and went for an MRI in early January. The MRI showed that I had a tear in my Plantar's Plate on the bottom of my foot - kind of like a meniscus tear meaning the only true way to fix it was with surgery - unless you have a doctor who will do anything he can to prevent it. Surgery was not an option since I was doing Ironman in July so to help rest my foot I was put into a boot to my knee for 9 weeks.
The boot and I were together through many events including a trip to New Orleans with a group of peeps who were doing a half marathon I was supposed to do. My foot was supposed to be getting rest so that when the boot came off I could run again...all the boot really did was weaken my entire body, cause me horrible back pain, keep me home from work on heavy snow days (it was a horrible winter) and it didn't even get me a seat on my beloved Metro North ride to work. I was able to swim, bike and workout with Brendan. Nothing felt good and none of my workouts made me feel like I was progressing at all with my fitness or towards my goal but I kept plugging along.
FINALLY in March I was relieved to be out of the boot and back on the road again, kind of...I was allowed to walk but not run. Now let's just say I LOVE walking but running not so much which at this point it was not even an option. I had resigned myself to the reality that I would be walking 26.2 miles after biking 112 which I was OK with since I was still going to hear those words "Shoshana Riss you ARE an Ironman" so who cared how I got to the finish line. As I said above none of my workouts were progressing because I was weak from having virtually no use of the right side of my body for weeks.
When I tell you that my doctor did everything he could to prevent my surgery I am being completely honest. After the boot we tried some treatments where I had electric shocks on my foot which was somehow to going to improve blood-flow and help "heal" my injury. Since I was still insisting on training and obviously showing up "prepared" at Mirror Lake in July I was actually causing a secondary injury...I developed a Hammer Toe because my toe was unstable thanks to the tear. Oh joy!
On the Monday after Mother's Day I had yet another foot doctor appointment and on my way there I had called my dear friend David to see about securing a slot for Ironman Florida in November...I had decided on my own that surgery was the only alternative. I had pain, swelling and was only allowed to wear sneakers so the decision was really a no brainer once I faced reality. It was a devastating blow and I cried as I told my doctor what I had decided. Honestly I do think that he was relieved and he said that I really did make the right decision. He did explain that if I wanted to live a "normal" life I would not have to have the surgery but since I am masochist who insists on doing Ironman it was the best thing for me. He has even promised to put my finisher picture up in the office which is really touching.
June 10, 2011 was the day. I had 3 incisions made in my foot, 2 bones cut, a screw put into my second metatarsal and the most dreaded of all, a pin into my toe, which stuck out the end, to give the newly shortened toe some stability. THAT WAS HORRIBLE. Needless to say my summer passed at a snail's pace and it took me until November to come out of the funk that I was in. At the end of the trialthon season, typically mid-September, everyone is kind of bummed but we're all going through it together for me my season ended before it started and all of my friends were still training....it sent me for a loop.
It is now the middle of December and I am able to swim, bike, run and strength train. My foot causes my anxiety from time to time but in the few months that I have been back at it I have seen a huge improvement in all 4 disciplines (OK not so much on my swim unfortunately but everything else for sure!). My coach, Ray Kelly, told me that I am going into my training season strong and ready which is not how I went in last year.
All of that said I am going to document my journey back from foot surgery with my bionic foot to the finish line of Ironman Lake Placid on July 22, 2012 where I hope to hear "Shoshana Riss you ARE an Ironman". I am racing and raising money for Challenged Athletes Foundation for many reasons but this summer was eye opening for me being on crutches and commuting to Manhattan...that was 2 weeks and I struggled....think about doing that every day. Perspective is everything.
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