Back into the swing and addressing some foot issues

It's been quite awhile since my last post. One of the harder things to keep up for me is the daily/weekly even monthly routine of posting to a blog, despite my best intentions. It's been almost a year since my last post and wow things have changed.

First an update to my last post. I did eventually lose that toenail I was concerned about. It took several months. As an aside I also lost the toenail on my other foot (same toe different foot) a month or so after the troublesome toe but at no time did it hurt so I have no idea if it was because of the walk that fateful day, however the timing seems incredibly coincidental. I have decided that boots that are exactly my size no matter how comfortable is not the way to go. Last summer I bought walking shoes (new balance) a half size larger than normal and they are working very nice indeed. I am actually reluctant to wear my size 10 hiking boots these days and I'm looking to get a new pair of hiking boots soon ... still debating whether to go a full size larger or only 1/2 size larger ... leaning toward the 1/2 size though. More on that in a later post.

Over the last year I have continued to walk sometimes more sometimes less, rarely more than 6 km at a time however. The idea here for me is to just keep walking. Distance isn't as important to me right now. I am not really in "training" mode just walking for pleasure and to stay in contact with a moderate distance in preparation for more intensive training closer to the start date. Since I am not a spring chicken anymore and have a few mobility issues I am somewhat concerned about aggravating them and thereby potentially undermining the whole trek. In the new year I decided to increase my walking a tad to see how I could manage. I am now walking about 2 hours a day on the treadmill at about 2 mi/hr, or outside for roughly the same length of time. Shortly after increasing my walking distance I started to notice a slight knee problem and I twisted my back at some point as well when working around the house and it's been bothering me a bit. Neither really hamper my walking however so I am not sure it's something to worry about. It may sort itself out in time. I am considering a knee brace for my knee though, to give it an assist. While it doesn't bother me walking it does bother me on stairs and I figure that's not a good thing ...I should probably lose more weight and I am working on that, just not having much success (frustrated!) ... The other issue I was having, last summer at least, was my hips ... since then however I ordered some Trekking poles (Pacer) and that has helped tremendously. I'd have to say that on my shorter walks it is no longer even an issue. Not sure about longer walks though, it might flare up after about 8 km or so, we'll have to see. I am delaying any longer walks for the moment while I sort out my boot and foot issues first. Once I have those well in hand I will have to start getting more ambitious.

Last week I had a podiatrist visit to sort out some long standing foot issues and to get custom orthotics (to address those issues) prior to buying my new hiking boots. I have a few things I need to clean up with my feet. Number one is a bad case of toe fungus that I have been procrastinating about getting fixed. Because of my inattention to it the fungus has spread to 4 toes ... one of which was pretty disgusting when not hidden by nail polish .... sorry TMI ... anyway the doc removed half the nail (yikes) never even felt it, but if it was ugly before, it's hideous now. That particular nail was deformed anyway and virtually impossible to clip ... I had to resort to industrial style clippers much like that used to clip a horses hoof ... except human sized (hangs head in shame) I go for a schedule of 4 laser treatments starting in 2 weeks and my nails should be in fine form by next spring :) 

The other problem I have with my feet, is that because of internal rubbing between 2 metatarsal plates? I have built up some internal scar/callus tissue at the base of my toes in the front area of the ball of my foot. (Morton's Neuroma) It isn't a painful condition under normal circumstance, it just feel like my socks might be bunching just behind my toes when I walk, more annoying than painful but that could change when walking the Camino. I have no idea what causes it, maybe obesity, maybe age maybe it's the way my feet are constructed, I have wonky feet anyway, a crooked middle toe on each foot bent sideways and curled under the toe beside my pinky toe (I hate my feet) ... The neuroma may be pressing on some nerves which might be the cause of some numbness in my toes that I have had for some time ... the foot doc was hopeful that fixing the neuroma and the fungus might fix that as well, we'll see.  He is making me custom orthotics for the Camino which will address the neuroma as well as being specially designed to help with the day in and day out pounding I will be experiencing on the walk ... all good! If you are considering a Camino, even if you don't have any foot issues I would strongly suggest a podiatrist visit well in advance of your walk so there is time to correct any issues you might have that you don't know about and if you do have any issues I would recommend getting custom orthotics made ... it isn't cheap but is probably worth it in the long run ... without your feet being in good shape you aren't likely to be able to walk far. I made sure my podiatrist visit was well ahead of time, over a year ahead of time in fact, so I have plenty of time to get everything fixed before I go. Obviously, I have some fairly significant issues to address, which in turn will take a fair bit of time to resolve and I wanted to get everything sorted out, so that when it comes time to train in earnest, I'll be ready!

Well that's it for now .... don't stop walking!

Training

Since I don't plan to walk the Camino until the spring of 2014 I have a bit of time to get in better shape! To that end I have started a walking program not just to train for the Camino but the Camino is a good excuse to get moving so there you have it.

I basically started about 3 weeks ago by walking a bit more than 5 km on a trail at a local nature park I was just in my beaten up old runners but it went well even though the top of my foot ached a bit when done. The recovery was quick however and I was actually surprised at how well I took to walking that distance. I kinda figured I wouldn't actually handle it all that well and would consequently be bushed the rest of the day ... wrong on both counts.

I was so happy with how it went I started walking that distance every other day (weather permitting) and I went out and bought hiking boots. They were great!

Then on the weekend before last I walked 7+ km with my hubby. Got side tracked and had to bushwhack a bit but all in all another nice walk ... however ... after 7 km I did notice that even in my hiking boots the balls of my feet were burning when done and I started to get the feeling that maybe ... just maybe my toes were starting to come into contact with the front of my boot ... slight tenderness and I was curling my toes for the last couple km ... to help keep them from hitting the front of the boot.

After that I tried putting gel insets into the boot in place of the original insert ... bad idea ... foot trouble was worse ... even on my shorter 5 km walks, so I went back to the original inserts and that seemed to fix things ... for the shorter distances anyway.

Last weekend my daughter, husband and I went on another longish walk. Not on trails this time but on a paved path alongside the estuary in Courtenay. The walk in total was again about 7 km and I again started to notice difficulty in the final couple of kms ... then a toe on my right foot started hurting fairly intensely and I thought maybe it was from hitting the front of the boot ... but it wasn't a hard banging it was more of a gentle contact but I guess it added up. I put up with it for the rest of the walk but I was increasingly favouring that foot ...

When we finished our walk I tried to examine the foot but I couldn't quite determine WHICH toe was hurting ... no blisters ... no obvious sore spots on the toe ...I figured maybe I was over reacting. Later that night I accidentally bumped my toe ... WOW ... pain! So I took a second look and still couldn't see anything ... so I gently touched the toe NAILS ... second toe .. nail ... slightly discoloured  (grayish but barely perceptible) VERY sensitive to pressure ... thinking now ... I might lose the nail ... lesson learned.

The boots that I thought were so perfect were fitted to exactly fit my foot ... and they are very comfortable over short distances or around the house ... BUT when push comes to shove and the distances walked increased I am guessing my foot is maybe swelling? ... or something ... maybe it's just a constant small bump that gets exacerbated by constant gentle bumping over time ... I guess all the advice to buy a boot one size LARGER than you usually get .. is good advice, if you plan to walk longer distances in a hiking boot.

Back to the drawing board .... I am going to take it easy this week to let things heal and maybe save the toe nail ...  and before I walk over 5 km again I am going to either get new boots or better yet a new pair of hiking SHOES ... one size too large and try again. My husband has a pair of Keen shoes that I tried on the other day and even though his feet are quite a bit larger than mine his shoe was really comfortable on me .. no slipping ... although it was quite roomy in the toe box ... I am going to experiment with his shoes before I buy new ones of my own but I am hopeful that this is an experiment that is going to bear fruit :)

Beginnings - March 2012

I write this near the end of the month. A month that could well be a turning point in my life. A month that started of in much the same way as many other months but with a twist that I wasn't expecting.


Those kinds of twists can have many consequences, both good or bad ... in my case it was good ... or at least I think so ...


On a rather dull day. I think it was raining. I know I was bored. I decided to watch TV, something I rarely do. As I expected there was nothing good on ... undaunted I decided to check out Pay per View. Scrolled the listings .. nothing stood out so I started to check casting ... ok here was something interesting ... The Way starring Martin Sheen directed by Emillio Estevez ... small budget film, looks to be a drama set in Spain about a father on a journey somewhere for some reason ... he's wearing a backpack ...


Ok I think. I like Martin Sheen. He was terrific in West Wing and I love Europe so a travel movie might be nice ...  .... I click the "Buy Now" button and settle back to watch the film ...


It was a very good movie. Nothing goes BANG ... there are no special effects. It just a solid nicely woven story about a man on a personal journey of discovery after losing his son. It follows him on a trek across northern Spain on an ancient pilgrimage route from France to the ancient city of Santiago de Compostella. A 500 mile (800km) 5+ week walk through some of the most gorgeous landscapes in Europe. The scenery was predictably beautiful, but I expected that. What I didn't expect was how the movie would affect me ... AFTER it was done. Watch the trailer if you like:

After the movie was over I started to think about the Camino. The challenge of walking day after day 10, 15 20 km a day and often more. I didn't know if I could even walk more than 2 km in one go. The idea seemed romantic and adventurous but surely I could never do that ... or could I.

Three years ago I was extremely obese .... Off the scale obese, staring death in the face. Then, when I was least expecting it, my first life changing moment struck. Surfing the web one day I came across a calorie counting website called Livestrong. You can check it out if you like at livestrong.com but that's another story ... anyway, the time was right and over the course of the next year and a half I managed to drop 100+ pounds. That site literally saved my life. I had more or less resigned myself to my fate. I had all but given up, hopeless, not knowing how to change, lacking the will power as well. ... but somehow I did, and my life has taken an abrupt turn for the better and I could not be happier! I have maintained my weight loss for the last 2 years although I can't seem to lose anymore, now that I am post menopausal, but still, every day I get a little bit stronger and more active and you know what they say .... hope springs eternal :) I just need a little motivation to help kick things into a higher gear, cause I am pretty sure I can handle it.

Then like i said above, I watched "The Way" and my world was thrown into yet another tailspin ... what if ... what if I walked the Camino? Could I? I mean there were no rules ... I didn't HAVE to walk 30 km a day ... I could just walk 10 maybe 16 surely I could do that? I could walk 4-5 km/hour on the treadmill easy even if only for 30 minutes ... 16 would be just a 4 hour hike, if I could manage to walk for 4 hours! Could I? Surely I could do a 4 hour hike if I took it slow ... There are alburges in every little town and the towns were all relatively close together ... I wouldn't have to carry much, food was readily available in all the little cafes en route and there would be a bed each night. I'd get stronger the longer I walked ... maybe Peter could join me? This is something that's right up his alley, he'd love it ... he's retiring next summer ... we could go the spring after that ... May 2014 ...

A plan began to crystallize.

Life changing moments ... sometimes the trick is to recognize them ... the next trick is to allow yourself to embrace them.

Dare to Dream ... MY dream is to walk the Camino de Santigo from start to finish in May 2014 ... what's yours?