Good news from the LaPrairie camp

Yes, good news indeed. I went to see my orthopedic doctor to find out what was wrong with my leg. I was having some bad pain on my upper shin bone by my knee for a while. It has put me out of training for some days now. Luckly, X-rays revealed that I am only having some tendinitis or bursitis, and thankfully not any fractures or things like that. The doctor told me to make sure my shoes were updated and that I should get orthotics.

Conversely, this was the same doctor who recomened me to Performance Zone Orthotics afer I had my stress fracture some years back. After this I told him about my minimalist theory. It was fun to present this arguement to a sports medicine doctor. He could only suggest that first, our ancient ancestors who ran barefoot only lived to be 35 years old and had many lower limb problems, and secondly was his obsurd suggestion that humans weren't designed to run, given the anatomy of the human foot compared to that of an animal. We didn't really talk about it for very long, but I would submit that through the evolutionary process (and also through modern medicine, which I strongly believe is a failure anyway) we have come to live longer, and that if we weren't designed to run, then why can we run? Why do we have an anaerobic system? Why do we have fast twitch muscle fibers in our legs? And so fourth.

Having said that I have a special anti-inflammatory drug perscription and a special knee band to hopefully help combat my leg problem. If I can get back into training regularly again, I will be able to contest this cross country season just fine. I may have to miss a few early meets. If my problem does not cease, then the season may have to be abandonded, or if possible, I may have to just concentrate on running the national championship meet, which I think I can win. There is a bad strom going on right now, so I'll stop here before my computer gets fried!

-RL