Going for the chop!

This next section should really be entitled "seemed like a good idea at the time!

When the surgeon told me a few years ago that I might have to have this foot op, I managed to put it off for over two years! But eventually I thought whilst I was still (relatively) young, I should probably get it done as the lumps on my feet wouldn't be getting any smaller.

Well post op everything looked rosie, and that wasn't just the colour of the fluid leaking out of my bandaged foot! I actually walked out of the hospital (on crutches) the same day and I was thinking that the only issue I'd be having was shifting the strange pins and needles feeling from the general anaesthetic.

That was until the drugs wore off :(   The pain was "reasonable" and even though I had pain killers, I decided not to take them as I thought I'd save them for when it really started to kick in.

Anyway cutting a very boring story short.... eventually the pain did fade and after ten days the dressing came off and the stitches were trimmed. By now I was walking without support and had tried to keep in the fitness routine by borrowing some 25 kg kettle bells from a friend.

The doctor said that I should be able to cycle as soon as comfortable maybe after a week and could even start to light jog short distances possibly after another two? Soon I was wearing normal shoes again but had to remove the insoles as the foot was still swollen.

I created a Post-Op fitness plan and set out goals that I could try to achieve and this helped as I had things aim for. During this time I was told I couldn't return to work (which I never even thought would happen) and settled down to a routine of TV, magazines and books. It was one of these books that resulted in the creation of this thread.

I'd brought a copy of Born to Run by Chris Mcdougall whilst at the London Marathon Expo as it was cheap and i'd heard of it but I'd never even turned a page yet, I brought it as i was interested in running futher! I knew about Vibram 5 Finger running "shoes" (VFF's to those in the know) for years but had thought of them as a gimmick and for strange people to try and than relegate to the bin.

Well I was now really bored at home and decided to give the book a go. Well the rest as they say is history!