And the mystery is solved...

So, after a few years of painful long runs, and limping for days after long races I finally know why it's happening. It wasn't the doctor who figured it out; it was the man who was fitting me for custom shoe inserts. Apparently the reason my left ankle hurts so much and swells the way it does is because my leg and my foot aren't lined up correctly. We don't know if it's a result of being born with club foot or if it's something that just happened over time. I'm leaning more to being born that way since I think I'd be in pain all of the time otherwise.

The man fitting the inserts said he thinks that with the right shoes and the right inserts we can help control what's happening to my ankle when I run. It would be great to be able to run more than 7 or 8 miles and know that I'll still be able to walk normal the next day. I'm optimistic that we can get there.

I hear so many people say that they can't run. In some cases that's true - there is a physical limitation that prevents them from running. Most of the time though the only limitation is the one that we let our brains put on ourselves. We convince ourselves that we can't do something without ever really trying. I know because I used to be that person. I was the perfect case of "I'm not running unless something is chasing me". I never knew how wrong I was. Running is one of the best things I ever did for myself. In the past 7.5 years I've ran 5 half marathons, and numerous 10k's and 5k's. I'll never be the fastest person out there, but I'm proud of what I've done. I have PRs of 1:59:58 in the half marathon, 50:12 in the 10k, and 23:33 in the 5k. And to think I did all of that on this ankle:

If I can do it, anyone can. The only bad runs are the ones you never take.