Figured we could start out the new year with a cautionary tale. The following first-person account was shared by CRR Rachel Strickland, whose foot, yes, still hurts after having run two shorter races in lieu of one longer one.

Probably not the best decision I have ever made, but…

…I had signed up to do the half marathon of the Best Damn Race in Safety Harbor, Fla., a race I had done seven years ago for its inaugural run. They have really fun medals.

My foot hurt so bad on my last training run the previous Sunday that I could only do five miles and had to walk a lot of that. The race organizers let me transfer to the 5K/10K Challenge. Still 9.3 miles, but I saved nearly four miles of pounding on my foot.

I did the 10K at 7 a.m. then the 5K at 9:00. I got a medal for each event and a third for having done the combo. It hurt every single step, so probably not the best decision (hence the meme about being in denial). This is the same injury that kept me from doing the Wring Out the Old [at the end of 2018], but it seemed like it had been getting better.

I like to practice medicine without a license and know a little about anatomy, but I’m seeing a podiatrist this week to find out what the problem is, and, hopefully, I’ll have a real diagnosis. Likely a long time away from running in order to rehab. Just as well, because cycling season is just around the corner, and I can start training (I have the bike hooked to a trainer in the basement) for the Monkey Knife Fight on April 6—a 30-mile hilly ride in Emmaus, Pa.

Oh well, you just can’t keep some runners down. But, as a general rule, we don’t recommend running injured. Stay healthy in 2019 everyone!