dr. dreamboat strikes again

Well, well! Surprise! I paid a little visit to Dr. Dreamboat this morning! It's time for a new pair of orthotics (geez those things are expensive), so I went to have them made. The Dreamboat and I had a lovely little rendezvous as always.

The morning started a bit roughly. I was really tired and it was snowing a little, so I just wanted to stay home on the couch. But, the call of The Dreamboat is just too strong. I left early and made my way through the treacherous Boston area rush hour with plenty of time to spare. Dr. Dreamboat is a very friendly and personable guy (until he gets his knife out, but we'll get to that later on), so we chatted a bit and talked about my job, road races, the latest gossip in the podiatry and foot surgery community (no joke! Hilarious!), and then got down to business. If you have never had orthotics made, let me tell you: It's incredible. It's like a foot massage combined with a warm paraffin treatment. It basically involves casting your feet so the orthotics can be made to mold to you. You get to lie down, relax, have a little chit chat, and get a fantastically relaxing foot treatment all in Dr. Dreamboat's (if you're lucky) dreamy hands. Ahhhhhhhh.....

If I keep up with these Dr. Dreamboat posts, I'll be surprised if my husband lets me go to future appointments without a chaperone. I promise, it's all on the up and up....

After that was done, Dr. Dreamboat said (and I kid you not) "I'll get a weapon." Haha! He had noticed that my big ol' calluses were back on the outsides of both feet, and he wanted to shave them off. He really does get a kick out of the whole callus shaving thing. It turns out that because I have very high arches, my weight gets distributed completely between my heels and the bony sides of my forefeet and I develop these thick calluses. It's fascinating, I know. Ooh, I feel a little ill after all this callus talk. Sorry... Anyway, Dr. Dreamboat satisfied his masochistic urge to apply razors to my feet and we were done!

The best part is that I get to go back in about a month when the new orthotics come in! Time to go put a good toe and leg shaving on my calendar...

new running shoes, and how I eat an entire bunch of kale in one sitting

Quite some time ago, Dr. Dreamboat said I needed new running shoes with more of a curved last. The shoes I had weren't ideal for my feet. (By the way, you really should read all the Dr. Dreamboat posts. It's one of the great love stories of all time.) Well, I'm happy to say that it's time for me to visit the Dreamboat again. Yippee! I'm due for new orthotics and it would be good to get them in time for warm weather running. The only problem with planning my next Dreamboat date is that I never got the shoes he recommended. I wanted to, but I was halfway through marathon training and very attached to my Nike Vomero 4s. Dr. Dreamboat had already scolded me a couple of times, so I knew I had to get new shoes before I made an orthotics appointment. Today I had my chance. I made the long drive to the running store where Dreamboat's patients get a discount, and came home with a pair of Gel Nimbus shoes. Henceforth, they will be called The Nimbi. They're just about as cushy as my old Vomeros, and hopefully curved enough for Dr. Dreamboat's liking.

BEHOLD! The Nimbi.

I'll bet you've been wondering what kinds of compulsive displayed-by-the-register purchases runners make. They're ones like this:

Could use another visit to the car wash.

On the way home I stopped for several other errands. Whole Foods was on the way home: a great excuse to stop for organic kale (the only place I can find it). I got home, ripped up that kale and stuck it in the oven for kale chips.

I had a big bowl while calling to make an orthotics appointment with Dr. Dreamboat. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to go inspect my toes in preparation.

i shaved my toes for dr. dreamboat

I know, it's pathetic. But I did. I noticed a few hairs on my big toe (since when do I have hairs on my big toe?! Is this the kind of thing that happens as you enter middle age?) and, knowing that Dr. Dreamboat would be examining that foot, I did what any reasonable person would do and shaved them off. I shaved my toe for a man I see once or twice a year for ten minutes. Oh Dr. Dreamboat, such a tangled web you weave!

Ahem.

So, I had my appointment with the Dreamboat today and the news was good! I do not have a stress fracture. He tweaked my orthotic a little and shaved off part of a callus that may have caused too much pressure on the part of my foot that was bothering me. I think he enjoyed making me nervous about that part, since as he took hold of my foot he said something like "Don't move. Don't even twitch or we could have a very bad situation". Okay... As it turned out, I had no trouble keeping nice and still, and warm and fuzzy and relaxed in Dr. Dreamboat's dreamy hands... Ahem. So, basically I'm good to go for Saturday! Hopefully the cause of my foot pain is no longer there, and it will have subsided enough that I can get through the marathon relatively pain free. I do need to go back and have new orthotics made sometime in the next year. Marathon training has really given them some wear and tear.

The marathon is officially a go! Not that I was too worried, but it's good to know I can run without worrying that I'm doing some sort of damage to my foot. Today was cold and rainy, so I put in 40 minutes on the elliptical. I'll get in a short run with a few strides on Thursday, and see what I feel like doing for tomorrow and Friday. It's also time to assemble everything I need and start packing!

my morning with the dreamboat

Today was a long awaited day: My appointment with Dr. Dreamboat. It was almost everything I had hoped for, really. Except for the fact that he had two students shadowing him today and it was a bit awkward trying to have a Dreamboat date with two eighteen year olds looking on. Oh well. I made the best of it.

So, it turns out that I have a pinched nerve in my right foot. Who woulda thunk it? That's why I had that terrible pain in the top of my foot last month. It really hasn't been bothering me lately, but Dr. Dreamboat said that if it starts acting up again I can go in right away for a cortizone shot. It can be taken care of very easily and should have no impact on my running! The pinched nerve is probably caused by a combination of my gait (I tend to turn in a little on my right side, which I knew), my shoes (I should wear running shoes with a curved last), and the fact that I often run on roads as opposed to a track or sidewalks (roads are graded, so if you run facing traffic like you should, you're on a slanted surface with your right foot striking the ground higher than your left). Changing my shoes should help. I just bought a pair that I had already decided to return, so that's fine. Yesterday I also had an online shopping cart ready to go with two new pairs of my current running shoe, but at the last minute I decided to wait for Dr. Dreamboat's opinion. Good thing I did! He said my shoes were a pretty good choice (I need very flexible, unstructured shoes), but a curved last would be better. It really is amazing how using orthotics and the right shoes can change your running so significantly.

When I first met Dr. Dreamboat, he changed my life. I thought I would never run again without pain. I thought I'd never race again. Today's appointment wasn't all that groundbreaking, but it sure was great to hear that my foot problem is a minor one that can easily be fixed. So again, I ask: "Dr. Dreamboat, where have you been all my life?" Sigh...

doh!

So, I really was planning to take the week off from running until Saturday. But I am a weak-minded, jelly-spined, antsy-pantsed and jumpy-legged running junkie. So I had two days of complete rest, and when I had absolutely no pain this morning decided to ice my foot and go for a little run. I just had to do it. Two miles in, my foot was bothering me but not too much. I got home, iced again and took ibuprofen as preventative measures, and promptly made an appointment (still 4 weeks away) with my amazing and handsome sports podiatrist to the stars. Seriously, this guy has thank you notes and autographed pictures from famous athletes all over his office. I don't mess around when choosing a foot doctor. So, I will spend the next two weeks strengthening and stretching, taking ibuprofen and icing, and keeping to my training as much as possible. If I'm really lucky, maybe I'll already feel better by the time my appointment comes around. In that case, I'll still keep my date with Dr. Dreamboat to have him check my orthotics and tell me what about my running mechanics is causing aches and pains only in my right leg.

I just have no self control when it comes to running. But, there could be worse addictions...