UPDATE: 1.5 miles on Thursday with mostly running and some walking. Minor pain at first but none by the end. I probably could have gone a while longer, but I didn’t want to push it too hard. I got a new pair of Brooks Adrenaline running shoes and tried them out. So far I really like them. They are very comfortable, not super expensive (for running shoes, at least), and look good.

Optimistic after this week’s progress, I signed up for the Skinnydipper Sun Run 5k in Decatur toward the end of this month. Want to run with me? Sign up via the link on the race website! I would LOVE to have someone to run with.

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Yesterday I gingerly went out for a 1-mile walk/run, as I do about once a week just to see what happens. For the first time in a few years, by the end of my planned distance, I was not in pain. I wanted to shout for joy, but I was in my neighborhood and didn’t want to scare anyone.

I’ve had three physical therapy sessions at Restoration Physical Therapy in Grapevine. Their approach is different from the one used by my previous physical therapist. They are focusing on different muscles and using a technique called positional release, which seems to be somewhere in between massage and chiropractic. I can’t really explain how it works, but it “magically” loosens up tight muscles and connective tissue. They are working on my right hip and lower back in person, and I’m strengthening some weak muscles in my hip on my own.

After my run yesterday, I went in for my orthotic fitting. Expecting to dip my feet in plaster, I was surprised when Dr. Crane pulled out some special fiberglass socks instead. After wetting them and putting them on my feet, she waited a few minutes as they heated up and hardened to create a lightweight, flexible mold of my feet. She’ll ship them off to a lab in California for analysis. In a few weeks, I should have my orthotics. Today I get to go shopping for some new shoes. Things are looking up for my leg!