Freak of Nature

Today I had confirmed what anyone who has seen my overly-long toes already knew. I am, in fact, a freak of nature. Or as the podiatrist I saw today diplomatically said, "It's not completely rare, but I wouldn't say it's common." I feel so special!

The reason for the visit was because after doing some of my long runs, the ball of my right foot is incredibly painful. I can't walk on it, can't stretch it. The pain goes away after a few days of staying off it. But because I'm running a marathon in SIX WEEKS, I can't exactly stop running now. Plus, I also can't seem to stop eating leftover birthday cake, so I REALLY need those extra miles right about now.

Sage and I headed to the podiatrist this morning. I packed lots of snacks and toys for her (yes, including her talking princess mirror), which came in handy because we were kept waiting almost an hour. An hour! With a two-year old. Hellooo!?!?!

We finally got into the exam room, and Sage was fine until the doctor came in and attempted to speak to me. That's when Sage started screaming. So I had to bring out the heavy artillery: grapes. Not only does she need her entire mouth to chew, so is quiet, but the labor of pulling the grapes off the stem was all-encompassing. This is what I'm using my brain to come up with these days.

The doctor wanted x-rays. Luckily, a front desk woman put Sage on her lap and the two of them kept very busy tracing Sage's hand with pencil. Meanwhile, I got to wear a ultra-chic radiation sarong to protect my reproductive organs, should I ever require them again.

Then it was back to the exam room, to wait another 15 minutes for the doctor to get my x-rays. And there, in black and white and shades of grey, was absolute proof. So all of you who have seen - and laughed at me - about my crazy piano-playing toes did not realize you were, in fact, picking on my birth defect. Because there's a reason for my over-long tootsies.

All the big joints in the foot that connect to the toes are supposed to line up with the one for the big toe. Shockingly (NOT) mine do not! The joints for my first and second toe are like an inch higher than they're supposed to be. Seriously, if I had normal toes, I'd wear a size 9 instead of 10.

I also have something going on with the two sesmoid bones in the ball of my foot, but that's not nearly as interesting as my completely freakazoid toes.

Fortunately, the doctor said I can still run. I'm going to put in an insole and take anti-inflams. And hope that Saturday's 20-mile run will be pain-free. At least for my foot.

Incidentally, just because I can pick up and peel a banana with my toes does not mean I'm going to post a picture of them! Too many foot fetishists out there!