This is the story of my red right ankle.

Warning: This particular post will end with a photograph of my bloody ankle. I have not applied any filters to the photo, so the bright red blood you will see is the same bright red blood I saw in my car in the mall parking lot this afternoon. You have been warned and I know you’re smart, so please don’t act like you’re surprised that I’m shocking and awing you with a bloody body part. I told you it was coming. Proceed with caution.

Do you remember several months ago when we talked about school fundraisers? I finally talked to the right people and put together a fun run at our school, and it took place yesterday and it was SO much fun because as a team we ran from St. Louis to Atlanta by way of 3,765 laps around our school track. Students and staff and parents (and one grandparent) received a bracelet for every lap they ran and at the end of the day all of the bracelets were counted and whoosh! Exercise and excitement and community and $1,500 to go toward an outdoor classroom.

Because I was there all day, I spent most of my free time walking laps. (I did take time out for a Subway veggie sandwich because Jeff delivered it to me and That Is LOVE.) Do you remember all of those ridiculous stress fractures I dealt with last year? Only one of them was bugging me, and the air was crisp and I had a tumbler full of hot tea and this song shuffled three times on my phone:

Cannonball made me all Girl Power! and Keep Walking! and (ouch) and If I Walk 1,040 Laps We’ll Exceed Our Goal!!!

At 3:00 I packed it up and declared the day a success. You should have seen all of those kids running. It’s a wonder I didn’t start weeping while thinking in metaphors and symbols and What An Amazing World We Live In. (My endorphin tide tends to run high (unless it’s running low).) One boy who is clearly not a runner ran eight laps in 15 minutes. Eight laps is a mile. When I told him that he just ran a mile, he actually stomped his foot and yelled, “Oh my God I DID NOT KNOW THAT!” That was my favorite part of the whole day.

Anyway, because our next adventure involves dressing up like people we’re not and passing out candy from the back of our car, this afternoon’s list included: freelance (done), talk to vet about Henry (done), and search out Mockingjay pin at mall (done). The list did NOT include suffer a blister while wearing my favorite shoes.

(Done.)

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I know. Oh, and it bums me out because I LOVE those shoes! I’m starting to feel like I shouldn’t be allowed to own shoes that aren’t clogs. Any shoe with a back on it eventually leads me to Bloody Blisterville, and I can only assume it’s because of my protuberant thin-skinned tendon. Shoes would be easier if I knew what I was doing. How are you? Should we do NaBloPoMo next month? ‘ ‘ ‘text/javascript’>

19 thoughts on “This is the story of my red right ankle.”

  1. I wore the most comfortable pair of sandals the last time I was in NY, but for some reason NY turns shoes into zombie monsters. I have scars.

    Try gluing a soft bit of felt into that part of the heel of your shoe that rubs. I did that with a pair of dress shoes once and it worked like a charm.

  2. I got these stick-on shoe pad things from Sears a while back. They’re meant to make a big shoe a little smaller, but they also prevent me from getting blisters on my heel/ankle from rubbing shoes. Try em out!

  3. you’re awesome! I love that you planned that run and that it went so well. Sorry ’bout that bum wheel though.

  4. Holy moly-I was just thinking that NaMoBloPo was coming and wondering if you would do it again. Yippee! Woohoo! Yes please!

    I rub a little stick antiperspirant on any area that feels like it would rub. No more blisters! It’s like magic!

    That kid who ran a mile made me do a big, silly grin!! Hurray for him!

  5. Next time – get yourself a pair of Wrightsock dual layer running socks. I promise you won’t blister with them on! Or, option B, Band-Aid blister blockers.

    And I totally agree with Cindy and shoes in NY. Not only did my most comfy Merrells give me blisters after walking around that city all day, but in the oddest places on the bottom of my foot. Who woulda thunk it?

  6. Yes please to NaMoBloPo!

    And with the stress fractures and the blood warning I was seriously prepared for a stress compound fracture. So the actual picture was underwhelming considering the BUILD UP!

    And for blistery bits, I like Bandaid Blister Block for prevention and Bandaid Advanced Healing Blister Cushions for treatment. Because it seems like when I travel my feet swell and no matter whether the shoes are super comfy or not, there’s always a spot that gets rubbed raw.

  7. I am your sister in raw heels. I got new shoes the other day and made the mistake of wearing them for about 8 blocks. Instant bloodbath. But I hate backless shoes. What is a girl to do?

  8. If I have shoes that basically fit well but rub in places I wear them round the house for a few hours with a medium thick sock. It seems to stretch them that little bit so they don’t rub but not so much they fall off your feet.

    I wish I lived near a mall that stocked Mockingjay pins.

    And I had forgotten that song was so awesome!

  9. Moleskin put in shoes with fix that problem permanently. It is GREAT. And cheap. Look in the Dr Scholls section of first aid – it’s the BEST.

    All the way from St Louis to Atlanta? And you didn’t come see me?

    Oh wait. That was just around the track. Never mind.

  10. Photo not as yucky as I thought it was going to be. Happy Halloween – I miss the years when my girls were little.

  11. Photo was not yucky and I was glad it was not. I’m the same way if I dont have socks on or some type of stocking. My heels suffer.

  12. Oh my God I DID NOT KNOW THAT!
    That’s pretty great.

    I have some Alegria shoes and I get impatient if no one compliments them by 11 am.

  13. Oh man, I totally feel your blister pain. I went shopping this weekend for anti-blister socks so I don’t tear up my feet when I WALK. THE. DOG. Is this another “maturity” issue? Because it sucks.

  14. See? I completely missed this post!!! Bad, Carroll!! (I would have said “yes”, of course, to the NOMOBLAHPO participation question)

    Bummer about the blister, but yay you for organizing and participating in such a great event. And that 4-miles-an-hour kid is going to remember that the rest of his life! :-)

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