Defeated.

Ever since I hurt my foot in December, I've been wanting to use that blog post title. And it's not quite true. I actually went to see a doctor about my feet. I'm not in pain anymore, but having first one, and then a potential second fracture/reaction, made me think I needed to check in with an expert. And I changed doctors (again. I have already left doctor #1 before, for the exact same reason, misdiagnosing/blowing off a major injury. I think it's time to move on for real).
New doctor examined both feet, and said there was obvious evidence of a healed fracture on the left (still sporting a big old bone callous on that foot), but also some bone build up on the right. Without imaging, you can still see and feel it. He suggested I'd actually fractured both feet, but "came back too soon" on the right foot, since I never treated it in a boot. I had thought that foot was hurt, too, back in December when I hurt my left foot, just much more mildly. Either way, it's healing now, and he said running was fine, but I might want to change shoes. My arches are SO high and rigid that they don't provide much shock absorption; he recommended perhaps a higher arch support or even an insert. We'll see - I don't much like changing shoes, and it sometimes ends in disaster.

Meanwhile, I am still plugging along, slowly getting mileage and effort back up, feeling very much like a brand-new runner, especially as the humidity hits us as well. Next race is the Crescent City Classic 10k, which will be a cringe-worthy performance. Nothing like a hot, crowded 10k when you're not in shape!