I have some friends who are all siblings, whose dad likes to buy bagels in bulk.

He’ll walk a couple of blocks over to his go-to bagel spot in Park Slope, and buy them out of whatever flavor he’s feeling on that particular day. Then, what he doesn’t eat immediately, he bags up and tosses in the freezer.

Whether it’s the water, the craftsmanship, or the hype and accompanying placebo effect, New York bagels are universally considered to be the best around. And what makes them so great is that they are at once firm on the outside, but incredibly soft and chewy once you’ve bitten in.

To put a bagel in the freezer is to invite frostbite and other subtler alterations to its various textures and mouth-feels. So why would my friends’ old man–a bagel aficionado who is as discerning with his choice in lox and schmears as they come–purposefully degrade his surplus bagels that way?

Because he’s privy to a trait of all physical matter that few are: things can be reconstituted.

And just like this ingenuitive Brooklynite reconstitutes his week-old bagels by toasting them–generally a no-no in New York bagel etiquette–I intend to reconstitute the bone-shards of my left foot by lifting weights and playing basketball.

After resting it for over a month and a half, my damaged hoof is feeling much better, and though I probably could resume Debajo Dos training at this point, I’m choosing to look at the bigger picture.

The longer I avoid weight-bearing activity, the more powerful I will grow. So I’ve made it a daily habit to hobble to the gym, where I alternate between exercising glamour muscles, riding a stationary bicycle for minutes on end, and venturing down to the basketball court to practice drawing charges.

Additionally, I’ve been consistently taking enough calcium tablets to develop bone spurs, but you know how the saying goes: ” you can’t break what’s already been spurred.”

Will I return to high-intensity track training? Yes.

When? I don’t know, and right now, that’s not important, because when the time is right, there will be no bones on earth denser than mine.

Dos will be Debajo’d. Just not today.

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This is the 11th post in a series by Paul chronicling his journey to break the two-minute barrier in the 800 meters. Check out his previous post below:

Introducing Debajo Dos and one boy’s quest to run fast as heck

Inside Paul’s first week of training

Paul has an acute gout flare up scare

Paul’s biggest week of mileage yet

Paul suffers from Runner’s Amnesia in New York

Paul braves the elements and Albuquerque

Paul addresses the critics and doubters of his world record attempt

Debajo Dos: One month left of work

Debajo Dos: Paul’s fitness is lurking

Debajo Dos: The wheels are falling off for Paul

Press release regarding Paul Snyder and the Debajo Dos world record attempt