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Temptation at the Doctor’s office

I went to see a podiatrist today because I had pain in my right foot after my race in March. The pain has subsided since then (I rested it for about a week and went right back into running), but I still made an appointment to make sure I am doing what I need to be to prepare for my next races this year. I had never been to a podiatrist before, so I didn’t really know what to expect. I had just run about 2.5 miles yesterday and had started feeling slight pain again in my right foot. Right on time for the doctor and right on time for the temptation I was going to experience.

They x-rayed my right foot and sat me down in an office. The doctor looked at both of my feet and asked me a series of questions about the foot pain and how long I’ve been running. I answered her questions and she gave me her prognosis. The great news was that I had no broken bones, fractures or tears. The not so great news (at least that is what I thought) is that I should stay off of running for about a month. This is where the temptation started. I asked her for clarification on that and I thought to myself, well it really isn’t hurting that bad, so I can probably run if I really want to. Have you ever been tempted at the doctor’s office to not listen to their suggestions for your recovery? Maybe I am the only one. But I sat there nodding my head and listening very attentively while trying to figure out if I really needed to do everything she said.

Then of course the light clicked back on and I realized that hey, it could be worse (and I could definitely make it worse by not listening and following what she is saying). She didn’t say I had to quit running, though my mind quickly went there. I thought may as well throw in the towel and forget running anymore races this year. It is amazing how the mind works and how we take things further than what the messenger intends them to be. She never said my running days were over. She just said to rest my foot, exercise it, and do some low impact (or no impact on my foot) cardio exercises that will keep me fit and then work my way back into running. She gave me exercises to do and recommended some places where I could get orthotics for my running. It was really a great experience, except for the minor lapse in sensibility that led me to the temptation of not taking her advice. It called me like a still small voice, beckoning me to run just one more day…and then perhaps one more day after that. Some people are tempted by nice looking men, a hot fudge sundae, one more Krispy Kreme donut, one more martini…I was tempted to not listen to the doctor. Hey, we can’t all be perfect….”Lord, lead us not into temptation.”

© 2007 DahGurl.