If you're me, you probably sulk a little bit before moving on to the lemonade stage.
For a bit of good news today, the pain that I was having in my leg, that had been going on for years and I always assumed to be shin splints, but it had gotten worse lately, was diagnosed as a stress reaction. For those without their medical dictionaries handy, it is apparently an indicator that a formal stress fracture might be coming. However, as I said, the discomfort in my shin had been around for years, so who knows whether that's really the case.
In any event, I like to run. It's not just exercise -- well, it is exercise -- but it settles me and keeps me mostly sane. I can work out and if I don't run, then it feels like I didn't do enough. And because of this injury, I might start to feel that way on a regular basis since I've been sidelined for 8 weeks. I can swim, ride a bike, lift weights, but nothing that resembles impact. It will be an adjustment.
So far I've done two things to battle the demons that I see coming. I got a pool membership and I bought a pair of those special clip shoes that fancy bicycle people wear. As fate would have it, my wife was a pretty good swimmer in her youth and will be responsible for helping me to set up a workout plan in the pool that keeps me fit. As for my gym, they seem to have regular spin classes. And before this injury was even recognized for what it truly was, I had two people tell me that the shoes make all the difference with spinning.
So, there you go. Lemonade.
