plantar fasciitis is a four-letter word.

Well, I'm just going along in life, complaining about being busy and being happy that I am running again, and BOOM.

Plantar fasciitis rears its ugly head again.

The doctor warned me that it can flare up at any time, and I might be able to run a lot with no pain, or I might run a tiny amount and suddenly feel it again. So, apparently he was right. I am trying to figure out if there is any option (besides another shot in my foot, yikes that was brutal) like maybe wearing a walking boot or something so that I can at least walk around at work and for things I have to do, without being in so much pain. I'm not sure if that's really something they do, but I am trying everything I can. I'm taking some time off from running, but I want to stay active with biking, swimming, weight training, etc. I am just frustrated with this.

Especially because my #1 favorite 5K is coming up next weekend and it doesn't look like I'll be able to do it. It is the best race ever because husband proposed to me at the finish line, it is one of the first 5K's I ever ran when I started running, it costs $8 and includes a huge bag of candy (it's sponsored by Nestle), and they give away tons of prizes at the end! I've never won anything at it, but the same year that Chris proposed, my dad won a new TV! So I am so sad to not be running it with my parents this year. I didn't run it last year either because it was the day after my grandpa passed away. So sad.

But I am trying to be positive and not lay around and cry all day. I got a Fitbit so I am going to work hard on sticking to the diet plan that it gives, to try to lose weight and ease up on the pressure on my poor foot. My usual tactic is to just become very lazy and mad at everyone, but that's not really working out for me... I am also doing anything and everything I can to help with the symptoms- ice, night splinting, etc. Fingers crossed!

May

The past couple of months have been so busy around our house. Suddenly both husband and I have new jobs at church, which have more responsibilities, so one of us is often running to or from a meeting...and on the days we don't have those, we are running to a friend's choir concert, babysitting, trying to catch up with friends, or somewhere else. I am wiped out and looking forward to a long weekend. Although we didn't have much planned for the weekend at the start of the week, pretty much every day now has something planned, so it may not be as relaxing as I hoped...and we don't even have any kids. It's hard to imagine getting it all done when we do.

It's helping me realize that I have to learn how to prioritize and sometimes have the courage to say no to things. I imagine that becomes easier when you do have children, since their schedules dictate what you can and can't make happen, but I need to work on that now. Sometimes it's okay to say no, and not give a myriad of reasons why it just won't work out. It's really hard for me because I want to accommodate and make things work, since I feel like my schedule is probably the easiest one to alter, when I am making plans with friends who have kids, or more rigid work schedules, or whatever else might make their life seem busier than mine. But I am realizing that because of this personality trait, I am coming home late, feeling exhausted, and struggling to get to work on time because I am just tired from running around.

So I am making my life and schedule a priority. I remember when I was losing weight, and I was extremely rigid about my workout time. I went at a certain time every day, and nothing short of a stress fracture could stop me. My life definitely had less going on then, but I still think that I need to bring this mentality back. When I am working out, everything else feels so much more manageable.

Anyway, I'm done with that for now. I got a treadmill a couple weeks ago, and I have been running on it a lot. I'm still having an issue with my hamstring, but when I run slower on the treadmill, I don't feel the pain like I do when I run outside. So, I'll take it.