On the Capital Crescent Trail
Back in early March, I signed up to train to walk a half marathon to raise money for the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America. The race (click here to donate) is in Napa in July. I’ve been training for six weeks , culminating with a six-mile walk using the Bethesda Trolley Trail from near my house to the Capital Crescent Trail, which begins in downtown Bethesda. My pace was easy — about 20 minutes a mile — and I had NPR for ear bud company. This week I dialed back my wine consumption with a little 2007 Trimbach Riesling and some 2008 Caymus Conundrum. I have been living with Crohn’s since 1997. I am getting better at living with it, but have had several surgeries and a lot of medications during the 13 years or so I’ve been doing battle with my immune system’s skewed reasoning (yes, I am assuming my immune system is sentient.).
However, these days I feel great. I’m taking Humira, a biologic immunosuppressant that has taken some getting used to. I jab myself in the leg or the stomach every other Monday with the stuff. I also talk about 25 pills a day including vitamins and supplements. I also have type 2 diabetes and all this walking has resulted in a loss of nine pounds and some stellar blood sugar and cholesterol numbers. I am sleeping well and much is good.
But, as with all incipient triumphs, there’s a little pain (doctors call pain “discomfort.” If you’ve ever had pain, this kind of makes you laugh.) Thanks to the Crohn’s, I’ve had my knees replaced at a fairly young age. The replacements made me less knock-kneed, but no one told my feet and ankles. So, as I have been walking these past six weeks, I have had pain running down my right ankle to where a tendon attaches to where the arch would be if I weren’t hopelessly flat-footed. The pain made me worry that I might have to quit training and postpone a return trip to Napa. So, sensibly, I visited a podiatrist. After some chatting, X-rays and gait analysis, Dr. Lazar diagnosed me with posterior tibial tendonitis. I have a navicular bone shaped like a boomerang, which has put some tension on the tendon. Hence “discomfort.” I am now wearing an elastic ankle brace, am occasionally taking prescription anti-inflammatories, and not going barefoot ever. I’ve even found hose shoes that are orthotic-friendly. The diagnosis came as a great relief — I can still do the race and continue the training.
After today’s six miles (capped by a venti skim latte and a morning bun), I’m a bit sore but feeling happy and waiting for the Kentucky Derby festivities. If you read this and you can help me raise money for Crohn’s research, you might win a hat hand-knit by the Negress. If that’s not enough incentive, you can help the 14 million or so of us who are living with inflammatory bowel disease to find better treatments and maybe even a cure. I’ll check back in after another six weeks of training has gone by to update you. Thanks for reading and hope you can help.
