Two Words

1. Achilles.
2. Tendonitis.

Put them together and they spell givemeabreak! After two days of alternating between denial and misery, I hobbled into the podiatrist's office to hand over two twenty dollar bills for a diagnosis, a fistful of anti-inflammatory medication and a perscription for a round of physical therapy that begins tomorrow in the a.m.

I didn't allocate time for achilles tendonitis in my marathon training schedule. Silly me.

I don't know what this all means in the long-run long-walk but for the time being I've been stripped of my running flats and water bottle until further notice. I'm hoping to be able to go on a 10 mile long slow distance walk Friday but between the frown that suggestion produced on the face of my podiatrist and the ache in my heel, that might be more fantastical than hopeful but my fingers are crossed and my sneakers are by the door...just in case.

What does a phatgirl do when she can't go walking?

1. Pout extensively. Worry. Obsess.
2. Spend two hours reading the blogs of runners and walkers. Top favorites? Not Born to Run, 21st Century Mom, and BayCityWalker.
3. Spend an equal chunk of time hovering on the Walking Site message boards.
4. Trim my toe nails, including the complete removal of toe nails from both "This little piggy stayed home" toes (collectively known as "the evil twins").
5. Watch my entire archive of television on my Tivo Now Playing List including "The Actor's Studio," "Workout," "48 Hour Mystery," "Nightmares and Dreamscapes," "Queer Eye for the Straight Guy," and I'm sorry, "Big Brother: All-Stars."
6. Post my Tivo Now Playing List on my blog as though anyone in this world or beyond could care less.
7. Read two chapters of "Leaving Church" by Barbara Brown Taylor. Spectacular.
8. Ordered two pairs of black shorts with pockets from RaceReady. I continue the eternal quest to find a good pair of walking shorts with a long inseam and pockets. To have pockets in my walking shorts is my holy grail.

I began the morning with my daily trip to Peets Coffee and Tea Shop where they start pulling my shots before I reach the counter. Make that my usual...four shots, four Splendas and a 1/3 cup low-fat milk in a large cup of ice. Beverage bliss overdrive. Outside at one of the umbrella-shaded tables sat five people dressed in sneakers, shorts, tees, sunglasses, and visors. Walkers. My peeps. I was instantly gripped with a craving to go on a long, long walk with my running flat rolling across the pavement, arms swinging to a brisk pace matching the beat of the tunes humming through my Ipod earbuds, and a water bottle riding on my left hip. Walk. Life. Good. Yum. I love walking and even more than that, I love that I love walking!