Dry Bones (Skelton Bones)

With the toe bone connected to the foot bone,
And the foot bone connected to the ankle bone,
And the ankle bone connected to the leg bone.....

We all know these lyrics, don't we? Well, my trainer knows them better than anyone I know, and lives and breathes them as his occupation. Most importantly, I am ever so grateful to be partnered with him again for newest adventure in recovery. If you knew me during my Ironman training, then you knew I worked with a fantastic trainer, Keith. Quite literally, without him, I would never have crossed the finish line, much less cross it in the best shape of my life. His area of expertise revolves around biomechanics and corrective exercises that help you establish good movement patterns from which to build upon. It was the secret to my success at Ironman, and will be the same secret to success for this recovery and training for rigors of a fifty mile run. Under his coaching, I learned many myofascial release techniques using a foam roller and stick. I performed many exercises in his studio to correct my posture and biomechanics. He taught me that muscular imbalances cause biomechanical changes which can lead to injury. My two year Ironman journey and successful finish was nearly injury free thanks to Keith. I crossed that finish line happy and healthy, and walked away all smiles. Realize, 50% of the finishers have to hit the med tent. Not me. I give most of the credit for that to my trainer. Oh yeah, I am not a compensated spokesperson, just a believer in his program.

Where am I going with all of this? As I said earlier, I am honored and lucky to be partnered with Keith again. He now has his own business (irehab.com), an online gateway to personalized rehabilitation and exercise. We will be working together to document this journey of mine, which has already begun. It is critical that I create the muscular balance I need at the very beginning of my recovery so I have good biomechanics to work from as I begin to run again.

Along those lines, the first exercise I am doing is designed to avoid fibrosis in the bottom of my foot as a result of lack of flexibility. I am using a golf ball, covered with a towel, to gently roll my foot over. At first, I thought this was silly. I can tell you that in one minute, my foot loved it. It was like getting a mini-massage! It's a giant "ahhhhhhh" after a long day.

Monday will bring my first attempt at walk/jog on the treadmill. I am actually thinking it will be easier to jog than walk, as walking really forces my toe to bend, which is still having some pain from the surgery. It's recovering very quickly though, and I look forward to just dealing with the workouts!