Off to the Races

    2011 has been a good year; I've been running as much as I can work into my schedule, and the dogs are almost always at my side. According to the awesome iPod Nano that Mom gave me for my 2010 birthday, I had run 169 miles by the end of 2011 (and I started using Nike+ in February, so that's 11 months' worth).

   None of the miles have come close to my personal bests (as fast at 6'34"!), as I'm trying to overcome the hip injuries I sustained in summer 2010—and so far, successfully avoiding surgery, with little pain! My ankle, however, which I injured approximately 25 years ago, is another story. But I'm thrilled that I have *finally* been diagnosed—which *only* took THREE specialists! And the orthopedic surgeon feels sure that removing a ganglion cyst from deep in my ankle joint will do the trick. (Unless tendon or ligament damage is discovered while they're in there—stitching those up would make the recovery in the 18-week range. Ugh.)
   So I'm excited to go under the knife this Wednesday morning. If this works, I can do more running, more yoga, more swimming... all of the stuff that bothers my ankle when I overdo it. Here's hoping I'll have a speedy recovery—and be even speedier afterward!