That’s exactly what my podiatrist told me, and she’s right. My long-awaited visit occurred this morning. Although I’m not healed yet, I think we have a solid plan to get there, and I’m very pleased.

I actually have a variety of problems (which I’m sure you already knew, but these are leg-related):

1. My feet are jacked up. I have some kind of foot deformity with a long, complex name that I couldn’t understand or remember. The outside bones aren’t connected properly to the rest of my foot, my feet are very flat, and they roll inward too much. When a normal foot hits the ground, the outside part hits first, and the rest of the foot rolls inward. That motion and the structure of the foot absorbs much of the impact. When my foot hits, it is already rolled in. I naturally hit the ground almost flat, which eliminates much of the shock absorption and causes problems higher in the leg. This must change.
2. My right leg is shorter than my left.
3. Perhaps as a result of #2, my right hip and knee make a weird twisting motion as I move.
4. Yes, I have been wearing the wrong shoes.

So what happens now? My treatment is threefold:

• Custom orthotics, which are special shoe inserts that help the foot work properly and correct any leg-length discrepancies
• New shoes
• Physical therapy to loosen up and align my right hip and knee

It might take several weeks to finish the PT and get the orthotics made, but I excited and hopeful. Time to go check out some races in May for my possible comeback…