Happy New Year Everyone!

Happy New Year Everyone!

It seems like just a few short months ago that I spoke those words. I’m sure, like everyone else, this year just flew by. It seems to be a constant topic of conversation around here.  Carolyn and I talk about it a lot. We wonder if it’s because our lives are so full of events, activities, and people, that it just moves so quickly. In this business you’re always living in the future. I’ve already met with vendor partners and have been planning and purchasing new shoes and apparel for June, July and August of 2018. Not to mention budgets and the event planning for the entire year.  It’s a little crazy at times when you are working so far in the future.

Speaking of planning, this is the time of year a lot of us make new resolutions and plan training, races for the year, fitness goals and many other things. I had a lot on the bucket list this past year and fortunately, I managed to accomplish a lot of great things. It was a great year and I’m really looking forward to 2018. For me, one of the things that helps me accomplish a goal is to write it down, plan it out and even get someone else involved with me and then tell the world. We’re stronger in numbers and have some accountability. Many of the goals I had last year, involved other people and that really helped me to stay focused on the goal. Plus I had someone to talk with about my planning, training and progress.  In addition, because I told the world, people were always asking how my training was going. I had a chance to discuss the good and tough days and receive a lot of help and encouragement. Carolyn was a great coach and helped me with a lot of the planning and training. 

Carolyn was not as fortunate as she ended up having hip surgery a couple of weeks ago. She had several races planned but due to some severe hip pain, she had to seek some help. At first she thought it might be a pinched sciatic or piriformis issue. The first stop was to Oceanside Physical Therapy (http://oceansideptfl.com). She hoped that a good stretch, some rolling or massage would take care of it. But after consulting with her Physical Therapist and Owner, Bryan Graham, he felt something more severe could be happening and recommended an MRI. We had the Ragnar Trail Relay (https://www.runragnar.com/event-detail/trail/alafia_river_flcoming) coming up and she didn’t want to miss that race.  She was hoping for a shot in the hip and everything would be fine. Unfortunately the MRI showed avascular necrosis (https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/avascular-necrosis/symptoms-causes/syc-20369859), and it was stage 2 out of 3. This was alarming as stage 3 is basically the hip crumbling like an egg shell. We’re still not sure what caused it, possibly some type of trauma to the hip. Basically what happens is, the blood supply is cut off somehow, usually trauma, and then the hip bone begins dying. Bryan Graham at Oceanside Physical Therapy was able to get us to a great surgeon in Wellington. Dr. James Ross (http://www.bocacareorthopedics.com/james-r-ross-md/). He’s one of and possibly the only Dr. in the state that does hip preservation. We can’t say enough great things about him. When we first met him and listened to him discuss the procedure and surgery, we knew he was the guy you wanted working on your hip. The surgery was about 4 hours long. In simple terms, they drill a hole up through the hip bone to decompress it , taking out the dead bone, he then pulls stem cells from her hip, takes her bone marrow, mixes it into a putty and packs it into the hip. So it’s all natural and far better than a hip replacement. The surgery was a success and everything went very well. The pain was pretty intense that first week, but she’s getting better and stronger each day. She is doing physical therapy multiple times a day and progressing nicely.

Carolyn has some races on the calendar and is very excited about getting back out there. I see the gears turning each day as she plans her year out. This sitting still and lying down stuff is not for her. She’s anxious to get at it.

We try to cover all bases here at Fleet Feet to help you accomplish whatever your goals might be. If you want to be more social, (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/walk-fit) join a training group. Want to train for your first 5K, trying to get back at it, or coming off of physical therapy, join one of the many 5k groups (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/no-boundaries-couch-to-5k-program). Maybe you’ve done a 5k and want to kick it up. Check out the intermediate 5K (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/no-boundaries-couch-to-5k-program) or 10K training (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/no-boundaries-10k-training). Maybe your goal is to be more flexible and have less stress in your life, try yoga with Deb (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/yoga-with-deb). Have you ever thought of running a half (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/halfandfulltraining) marathon or full (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/full-marathon-training-copy), possibly your resolution is to volunteer (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/become-a-mentor) your time and help others and share your love of running. If your goal is to get your children more active (http://www.fleetfeetstuart.com/training/mini-milers), the Mini-Milers program is such a great opportunity for them. We’re here to help, you don’t have to do it alone. The schedule, planning and goal setting are already taken care of for you. Your only job is show up. Come in and sign up for whatever your goal is and we’ll get you there. 

I’ve got a few great races picked out to train for that I’m very excited about! I’ll be doing our annual Run for Your Heart 5K/10K (https://runsignup.com/Race/FL/Stuart/FleetFeetRunForYourHeart) February 10^th. The Marathon of The Treasure Coast half marathon (https://www.treasurecoastmarathon.com/) on March 4^th and another 50K, the DTR Endurance Challenge on April 28^th, (http://www.downtorun.com/events-item/dtr-endurance-challenge-spring/) We’ll also be doing the Soldier Field 10 Mile in Chicago on May 26^th with our daughter and her husband, so that will be a lot of fun. We are very excited about this New Year, our resolutions, your resolutions, let’s make it happen together. This is going to be another great year of seeing dreams and goals happen.

We’ll see you out there. Stay safe, healthy and happy.

Edgar