I haven't been able to run since this whole thing started last March. It was a big deal just to go on a simple day hike in September. And that was the only one I got to go on.
It was a Sunday. Had no plans for the entire day. My house-mate remembered that she had cross-country skis in storage. She was going to be gone for the day, so I could borrow them if I wanted to ski around the neighborhood.
My first reaction was, "I won't be able to. The shoes will probably bother me [I can't wear anything with the slightest incline], the motion of skiing will aggravate the injury, and the skis themselves will be too heavy or awkward for me to lift by hand."
We dug them out anyways. And guess what? None of that came true! The shoes were a perfect fit and didn't bother my ribs. The skis were light enough. The actual motion of skiing wasn't a problem either. And I always feel better in the cold.
Imagine not being able to run for 9 months and then discovering you can ski! I went all over the neighborhood - was out there for about three hours. It would have been longer, but the sky had been dark all day and it was Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year. I went in to my wilderness mode and thought, "better get home before it gets dark," forgetting I was in a city.
The only thing I regretted is that I didn't have someone along with me. But maybe that would have messed up my pace, or make me realize I was actually slow or something. I did run into other skiers, though, and we would chat the way two dog owners who come across each other do on a walk.
The only picture I have of me on skis:
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