Agony of Da Feet

The Iron Kahuna's view for the past 48 hours.

On Friday, the Iron Kahuna experienced his first surgery under general anesthetic. He needed to get the Morton's Neuroma removed from both his feet. His wide boats, combined with narrow shoes and repetitive use, caused him to develop scar tissue on his nerve endings between his third and fourth toes. The result: numbness of his toes and occasionally searing pain. First, he thought his basketball career was over. Then, his promising professional career as a triathlete.

But the good doctor (HMO's best!) removed both neuromas on Friday, leaving the Kahuna with two very, very sore feet and a reluctant nurse in Mrs. Kahuna (though she never complains!). The good news: recovery is expected to be fairly swift (4 to 6 weeks), just in time for training for Ironman Arizona.

The Kahuna spent the weekend in an unusual position: flat on his back with both feet in the air. He can't say it was an unpleasant experience. But after a few hours, the boredom bored in, and he would have given anything to be able to run, swim or bike. As consolation, he tried to follow Commodore during the spring version of Ironman Arizona. Can someone please get the "track an athlete" feature on IronmanLive to work on effing race day? Most of the time, the web address turned up nothing but "fatal errors."


A slightly different view.

It will take a few more weeks of inactivity to make sure the Kahuna's feet are healed properly. In the meantime, if health permits, he'll be doing some weightlifting and Pilates. The Kahuna WILL NOT GO SOFT!

This will also mean that he will return to the water soon, something he's avoided since last season. The Kahuna can swim like a fish, but his youth spent swimming lap after boring lap has made him weary of the pool. He'll need to return to his natural habitat, especially if he's going to finish Ironman Arizona. But it won't be a glorious homecoming. It will be a union of convenience.