Still #%$&%@!

My foot is still swollen! It still hurts a lot. I have stopped PT after talking to the doctor. I am still doing some light work with my foot. I am still using crutches but I have wander off without them a bit but not for long. I was hoping to be without crutches now but I really need them. I want to go bike riding but my swollen foot won't jam into my hiking boots. Still not back to where I was two weeks ago.

It is really looking bad now for doing the Equinox. Maybe next year, but I haven't given up on this year yet. Weather looks great for the long weekend! Happy Independence Day!

Fat Foot

My foot has swelled up (actually not too bad now).

Biking Real Soon Now

I have yet to get out on my bike. I found my hiking boots so maybe tonight if the rain stays away I will get on the bike. I am down to one crutch. Start physical therapy Friday evening. Ankle is a bit stiff and the range of motion needs work. I got told it has great range of motion for be trapped in a cast for eight weeks. I started in on moving it the minute I got it out of the cast. Saturday night after I finished doing my "homework" it swelled up real bad, no good. Iced it and on I go. The range of motion is getting better, but it still hurts now after swelling which still hasn't gone all the way down.

Out of the Cast and into the Boot

Here is the last hour before I got the cast off, with matching crutches.


My new footwear!

I can start the walking game and adding weight. In two to four weeks I will be free of crutches and boot (maybe a bit longer on the boot). The in six weeks I can start running but no pounding or running till then. BUT I can BIKE! with hiking boots and using my heel at first!!!!!!

Freedom.

Whittier Tunnel Walk - Finished & Fun

The top picture is in the Whittier Tunnel and the bottom picture is Me, Steve and Merlan at the start. This was also a Volkssporting Event. Merlan and I signed up to start Volkssporting and this was our first event. We hope to do many more. We walked the tunnel in 58 minutes quite long for a 5k walk but we stopped to take lots of pictures and visit the emergency shelter. This I hope to do next year on two feet.

Mosquito Meander - Finished

I finished the Mosquito Meander in 48:11, preety slow for a 5k. It is far easier to run a 10k race than push the knee walker 5k. It was fun and I am glad I did it.
The picture is me approaching the finish.

Whittier Tunnel Walk

On Sunday I am joining friends in Anchorage and walking the tunnel to Whittier. The tunnel used to be just for trains and now you can drive. The walk is a 5K. You have to wear a bike helmet or hard hat. I have wanted to do this for years and this year the timing is great. Monday I get the cast off in Anchorage! Pictures later, this will be fun. More training.

Information about the tunnel here.

Whittier Tunnel Walk Information here.

Racing this Weekend!

Saturday I am entered in the Mosquito Meander a 5k Walk/Run with people of all levels and ages having fun. I am register No. 3555. It is all flat and paved, well there is about 10 feet or so where the road is dug up. I will post pictures along with my blazing time. Monday I move out of the cast and into a boot.

http://www.fcaalaska.org/race_information.html - Race information link

CRASH!

Last Friday afternoon my knee walker suffered a major failure. The bolt that hold the right front wheel assembly sheered off. As result I went flying and bruised my leg pretty good. Thanks to Phil Sanders he had me up and moving in about an hour. He ran to the hardware store and got parts and then using an easy out took out the old bolt and replaced it with a new one. Saturday my son Spark fixed the rest of the damage. It turns out the cart has a manufacturing problem. The company has sent me a new Knee Walker. It should be here tomorrow. Michael at Drive Medical was a great help. Thanks to everyone for keeping me walking.

Two Miles

Yesterday at lunch I went out on my scooter for a two mile trip around town. Found where there is no ramp access. Lucky I can deal with a step up or down. Feels good. Plan to be out again today. I have to stick to pavement or real hard pack to roll. Looking for wider wheels. GO TEAM!

Training "wheels"

Here I am running up and down the road at Creamer's Field>

Training on four wheels

Even though I can't get my right foot on the ground yet I am trying to spend time in my knee walker doing long walks. I will try to get a picture of my training to add here. Anyone who gets stuck on crutches and can put weight on their knee and bend it should use this. It is freedom. I am like a little kid on a scooter.

Business Cards

I ordered business cards to hand our to help with my fund raising as well as to include in the letters.




I ordered them from blockbusterprint.com because they had free shipping and then they upgraded me to heavier card stock and 2-Day Air with UPS.

Got the Go Ahead - Sort of

Yesterday I gave up my splint on my foot/ankle for a cast. Five week in this. I fits pretty good. With the swelling way down and the bad spots from a the sweating mostly cleared up I got the cast. While I was sitting there after it was put on I asked the PA about doing the Equinox. A long pause of no response so I said "Walking" and he said that was a good goal. Great now I have taken down one barrier. I stopped by at physical therapy to drop off my old boot to see if it was still usable. As I was leaving I told them I was doing the Equinox and I got back "Walking?" It looks like I have support there too which I will need.

June 15 the cast comes off and the boot goes on and I start to apply weight to my foot. Then 6 weeks of building back up to walking!

I still need to check with the Dr. in Anchorage but last time he had no problem with me starting to run. If it is healed go ahead. I also have hockey starting in the fall. He plays hockey so he understands the need to get going.

I did it

Wednesday I went to the Team in Training meeting with no hope of being able to make the Equinox this year. I was on crutches and every step was work. I can't even think of putting any weight on my foot until June 15. Then I have six more week in a boot. During that time I will slowly start to add weight. I had a fund raising idea,a Cook Book, so I went. It got some interest.

Thursday evening I got my knee walker and getting around was far better. I could move!

Saturday I went to the meeting again. This time there would be a fund raising clinic too. I went and as I sat through the information I started to think I could walk it. Now that I was getting more mobile I could build up walking distance with the knee walker even now. So I committed to the Equinox Marathon.

I also had one helper for the Cookbook, Leigh for the layout and such.

I now have a wiki site to with the cookbook information: tntcookbook.wikispaces.com

I also now have $25 toward my $1,500. Go to my site and donate. Please