And the Good News Is…

My leg is okay to run on, according to the sports doctor I saw this morning! The left leg is still bigger than the right, but it is not due to anything dangerous and my ankle and foot are okay…no longer sprained. There is some possible nerve damage in my left foot, but it wouldn’t cause swelling. I will have further tests done in October.

However, there is a bit of bad news that I have neglected to talk about here, and mostly it’s because I feel people don’t really care to hear about health issues all the time. But I have had an often-occurring abnormal heart rate in the past month, starting before vacation. When we went hiking at Turkey Run, it got pretty bad after climbing the last bit of stone steps and it was a little scary. I did see my doctor later, and she ordered a Holter monitor, which I wore for 24 hours, starting last Friday. I’m still awaiting results. I have cut out caffeine and alcohol from my diet, but the positive is discovering great herbal teas. The one I’ve been hooked on lately is Dandelion Hibiscus. It’s naturally sweet with a bit of spice.

Still, I have this last hurdle to jump through before running again. And I guess I’ll start the C25K training one more time. I’m still biking or stationary biking, but doing anything like going up stairs or even sometimes just going on short hikes will set off this weird heartbeat.

That being said, I have been thinking a lot lately about the exhilaration I feel when running, especially on the trails. I just love letting loose and going as fast as this body will let me go. That is usually not very fast, it seems, but for me, it feels wonderful. I miss that whole feeling, from the running itself to listening to music or story podcasts to things I see in the forests and along lakes or streams. It’s an experience that wraps up together to take me somewhere that is thoroughly alone but not lonely. Can’t wait to get back to that.

On the way back from the sports doctor, I came the back way into work, which is where I always start my runs at lunch. Sometimes I may go one way, sometimes another. There are small trails all over the place and even a couple different ways to get to Deer Lake, where, time willing, I can do a 5K and have time to change and shower during the lunch hour. I saw that the place where I fell down the hill last summer now has a proper sidewalk. That was the time I saw a bear ruffling through garbage in the green village behind campus. I bloodied my face up good that time. Just seeing these areas made me excited because I never drive back there anymore. We take the train to work now, so I come into work the other way.

Anyway, I am re-energized today, now that there is nothing seriously wrong with my leg and doc says I can put impact on it again. A little worried about the heart, but I’m hoping it is really nothing.

In the meantime, I have been having a great time working on eco-fiction projects and with authors. I’ve also been doing a careful re-read of all the GRRM series, A Song of Ice and Fire. In particular, I’m not only just reading but taking some detailed notes about the environmental aspects of it, mostly the weirwood trees, old gods, and Children of the Forest. Really enjoying this story. I want it to go on forever. I’ll compile all my notes in an essay when I’ve completed it. I want to read all five novels first though, noting the places in which we learn more about Old Nan’s stories, the Others (aka White Watchers), etc.

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