Skeletons abound this time of year, but what about our own bones?  How can we keep our bones healthy aside from consuming Calcium rich foods and beverages? This summer I learned a valuable lesson about bones from Dr. Jamie Lemeck of Glastonbury Chiropractic. I have been a patient at this office for the past seven years, where they take excellent care of my spine, which sometimes endures up to seventy miles of pounding per week, depending on what event I am training for. This past summer I noticed a sharp pain in my foot after jumping off the side of a swimming pool. I thought that I had a stress fracture and that I would not be able to run for at least two months. When I visited Dr. Lemeck, she could see that my toes were not straight, and she told me that it is very common for our metatarsals to “get stuck”. Dr. Lemeck was able to gently push the bones back into place, and I was back to running in a day or so. Dr. Lemeck began taking care of me as a teaching, running and volunteering mom in 2009 before my daughter Annie was even born. During pregnancy, when you want to limit or abstain from any pain medication, Dr. Lemeck helped me survive my workouts with just an adjustment and an ice pack. Over the past few months, my daughter Annie has been watching “Dr. Jamie” with great interest as she carefully straightens out my spine, hips, neck, wrists and even my fingers. I recently completed my third Hartford Half Marathon, and I know that there is no way that I could have survived this grueling event without the skilled hands of Dr. Lemeck. Carrying my wiggly two- year old and/or boxes of books, or rearranging classroom furniture are also activities that have gotten my bones out of place many times. I can certainly choose not to run 70 miles per week, but I have no choice but to take care of my daughter and my students. Life as a working and running mom can be painful at times, but luckily I have Dr. Lemeck who has the training and expertise to recognize a case of “stuck-toes” when she sees them pointing slightly askew.