The Joys of Aging

Last weekend Linda I traveled to Lexington, KY for their State Finals track meet.   The weather was perfect temperature wise, but a stiff breeze was blowing down the finish straight and fast times were not going to happen that day.  I would call the meet frazzled in term of organization.   It started on time, but the heat races were all intermingled and you had no idea who was in your class.   Also there was almost no rest between the different heats.  It was 50, 100, 1500 --some resting--200, 400, 800.  I ran the 50, 100, 200 and skipped the 400.  I would have had about 5 minutes to recover from the 200 and was still gassed.  I wanted to run the 200 as fast as I could and finished second by 0.03 seconds, had it won and it slipped away in the last 15 meters.  In the 50 and 100 I finished 6 th in each!!  We did not get the results on race day, it was electronic timing and they had to sort the classes out and they it plenty tangled.  I found out about my finishes the next day when I checked in on line.  

The times were not fast, due to the wind and the chaos at the meet.  But two 6 th places was really bothering me- a lot.  I had changed my training for this meet and it was a test for my times.   Well, I stunk and that experiment was DOA.   The competition was very good, I nearly won the 200,  but stunk in the short races.  There were people there from at least 6 states I raced against.  A bunch of the fast folks from TN also ran.   They finished well, but their times were pedestrian as well.

I think the answer showed up yesterday.   About two weeks ago my left big toe in the big joint was ouchy and I thought my mining under the house was starting some turf toe.   So I was icing the foot and it was doing OK and I could run and walk around without much pain.   Yesterday, the shit hit the fan.   My left foot was swelling, impossible to get the pain under control and time to take action. I even got a pain pill off  Dr. Linda.  Not much help.  I am still thinking turf toe--by the way this is the problem that forced Deon Sanders to retire.   Linda took me to Good Feet to look for a plate to put in shoe to prevent flexing--typical treatment for TT.   They were no help, pricey, but no help.  
We then went to the local urgent care--nicest people you will ever meet- and asked for some help.  I told them my left foot was hurting and since I had been there twice for walking pneumonia, I was in the system and in the door in 5 minutes.  The doctor and I chatted for 5 minutes, he said  GOUT, and I was just totally surprised, that is for OLD people,  I am not old people yet!  We took some X rays and it was gout.   On the X ray of my left foot, a bone that was broken on the outside of my little toe side of my foot in 1980 or 1981 had never healed.  It was about 3/4 inch long and just floating in there.  I have wondered why at certain times I can feel it causing some pinching, now I know, it is floating around.    I wore that walking cast for 6 weeks until I cut it off myself, must have needed another couple of weeks. 

I chatted with the other tech and he ran track in college and was a 400 meter specialist.  We were really getting into it and had to shut up to get the X-rays and also to get out of the place.  He ran some 47's in college, nice kid. He understood the crap I go thru for each 400 race.
The doctor and I talked about treatment, by then I had Linda involved to make sure there we no screw ups on my part, and he said "two shots and you are gonna be feeling a lot better in 20 minutes".  Two shots and I felt better in 3 minutes and basically walked out the door with out a limp.  We were there for a total of 40 minutes and were done!!!  I love that place.  When we looked at the bill, I had a credit on my account, I really really  love this place.   It is called Physcians Urgent Care, open 7 days a week. 

I picked up some meds today that will go for 4 days.   Looking back at the last weeks, I have had some changes in my diet that were the cause of the gout flare up.  Hot dogs, smoked sausage and bacon are going to getting winnowed off the diet plan.  I have already cut out 75% of my beer, so I will need to keep that consumption limited.  Other foods will be swapped out, but it will done.  

I think the gout was a factor in my lousy performance, not an excuse,  but enough of an edge removed that I was not at optimum strength.  I have to really force the action to have good times and finishes.  My next meet is the district qualifier in two weeks.  Typically this is a jog fest, you just need to finish, but I will have to check my 50 and 200 times against the clock, to make sure the experiment was effected by gout.  Gout is for old people, I am not an old guy yet!!  Or am I?? 

We also went to IKEA in Cincinnati during our trip to Lexington and ate at one of favorite restaurant--Pappadeaux's.   Great seafood and cajun food.  We enjoyed some great salmon and redfish.  Yum. At IKEA we bought a load of chairs and a kitchen table for our kitchen remodel, some doors for the closet in the laundry room, a Billy bookshelf and some wedding stuff.    We need IKEA in Nashville, bad!!

Linda and I also acknowledged our tenth wedding anniversary this week.  Neither was in good enough shape to celebrate last week or this weekend, but "by gum" we are going to go out to dinner tomorrow before something else crops up to sicken or maim either one of us.   This partying is harder than you think.   'Sickness stuff 'was in our vows, we are really getting thru that section slowly as of recent times.

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