"Dude, where's my ankle?!"

I was on the phone at 7:30 am trying to book a same-day appointment with a podiatrist this morning. Luckily, Virginia Mason Sports Medicine clinic was able to fit me in. The wrong address was listed on the Aetna insurance website, so I spent about 10 minutes running around First Hill trying to find Lindeman Pavilion. By the time I arrived for my appointment, my ankle was on fire.

So, good news first. I don't have a stress fracture and I don't have Cuboid Syndrome. I have Peroneal Tendinitis which subsequently caused IT Band Syndrome (I had no idea I had this in my right leg). The Peroneal tendon starts in the foot and wraps behind the ankle and up through the calf, meeting up with more tendons in the knee which extend upward through the thigh. So an inflamed tendon in the foot can also affect the calf and the thigh.

The doctor believes running on a canted, or slightly angled, surface caused the problem. I tend to stay to the right of the trails I run on, mainly to accommodate bicyclists. He said next time run in the middle of the lane and let the cyclists go around me. It's not worth it.

He's not sure if I'll be able to run the marathon. He prescribed me a six-day superdose cycle of steroids to knock out the swelling, along with 2-3 sessions of deep muscle tissue PT and ultrasound therapy, and NO RUNNING. He's not sure if this mix will do the trick, but said it's my only shot. I've already made an appointment at Real Rehab just around the corner from my place, and unfortunately my shitty insurance makes me satisfy my deductible before coverage kicks in for PT, so I am looking at $125/session :( I guess it's a small price to pay for a slim shot at completing something I've worked so hard for these past months. One thing's for sure, no more running after the marathon!

(Famous last words.)

Six days to go...

I ran my last long run yesterday and ended up having to walk the last 1.5 miles due to increasing pain in my right foot. I felt the pain for the first time starting at around mile 15 of my 20 mile run two Saturdays ago, and it's been appearing around mile 4 on my shorter runs. It's continued to get worse.

I've been researching the problem online and am almost certain I have Cuboid Syndrome, if not a full-fledged stress fracture. My ankle is also swollen, like the beginnings of a sprained ankle. I am calling my doctor first thing tomorrow to get some x-rays done immediately and possibly get in to see a podiatrist. From what I've gathered from the research, if it is Cuboid Syndrome and not a stress fracture, a podiatrist should be able to manipulate the bone back in to place.

Let's hope. I can't run a marathon on this foot.