Finally! Now more patience…

The patience finally paid off. I ran!! It was glorious. Also, very weird. My body forgot what it felt like to pound the pavement. The important thing is that my leg did great. There are times I take for granted what my body allows me to do when I’m healthy. Not being allowed to run for months is a great reminder of how much running means to me. Running a whole 5x30 seconds filled my heart with so much joy.

Mid last week, I reached the point of being fully clipped in while riding. My strength training was in a good place and my body felt solid. My body felt ready to run. Ironically, I ran for the first time in months, then hours later was told no running for two weeks. Post run, I headed to the periodontist office to have gums removed from the roof of my mouth and grafted to the front of my teeth where the gums had receded. That was Friday and I haven’t been allowed to do any training since then. Two weeks of no running or swimming. Tomorrow I can start walking again and easy riding. Not the setback I was hoping for but at least it was a setback not related to injury.     

In the meanwhile, I’m on a liquid diet which means I’m mastering my pureed soup skills. Pumpkin and red lentil soup, Cuban black bean soup, curry sweet potato and red lentil soup, split pea soup. So many red lentil soups. I made the mistake of buying a bunch of crunchy veggies before the surgery, so my morning smoothies are an interesting mixture of protein powder, nuts/seeds, bright fruits and greens. Cucumber, celery, cabbage, kale, spinach, broccoli, whatever I’ve got left over, goes into the blender.

The pain has been manageable, but it hurts the most while eating. Between taking the joy out of eating and not training, I’m going bonkers. My mouth has about two dozen stitches and I’m wearing a retainer to cover the roof of my mouth. At least I can lay flat while sleeping now. Anyway, that’s enough complaining. At least I know at the end of my mouth recovery, I have running to look forward to!