Getting tough

Another run yesterday, a cool 1.5 miles, feels great. Weather is warm, the trees are in bloom, everything is gravy. I am confident the TOFP is something that will come and go for the next year as my feet adjust.

I broke a glass this morning, and cleaned it up, so I thought. I stepped on something which I thought was a bobby pin. When I reached down to pick it off my foot, I found this...
No, not the penny, the glass shard. Damage- none. They call me ol leatherfoot.

I'm back!

I had just about given up. I made an appointment with a podiatrist today, and was not looking forward to it. Went for a run this morning, and no pain what so ever. Felt fine! I really focused on staying loose, and keeping my cadence up. A barefoot runner told me I could be swaying from side to side, which might be causing my foot pain. I am thinking my pace was so slow, it was awkward, like when you are on a treadmill and its too fast to walk, and too slow to run. Kept it below a mile just to be on the safe side. I am very pleased.

Waiting

to run again. My entire life experiences involving running were not fun- pain was normal, expected, encouraged, drunken like smelly sewer wino piss. No more. Muscle pain is fine, but other than that, could be a problem. I'm 99% sure its not a stress fracture. Perhaps I'm re-injuring it by flying up the steps while watching By and Elg. Missing my zen. Time for some pizza.

New Goal, not to have a goal

My last run was Sunday, and it was a wonderful day out. I stepped on a stone which left my foot sore a few days, but no big deal. That's what I get for not paying attention. I did notice some TOFP, a sign I'm doing too much too soon. I found my pace to be much faster than I've done before.

Even though I am registered to race, I may not be running the Boilermaker this year. Speaking with some BF runners, I might not have the time. Everyone responds differently to training, and the years in the sweaty foot coffins take their toll. Its impossible to say how long it would take to prepare myself. My overall goal isn't to run the Boilermaker, its simply to run for the joy of it. The last few runs have been painful, most likely because I mapped out the gains necessary to achieve 9.3 miles and I'm running with that in my head.

So, maybe I'll just do the 5K. I am going to dial it down and stick with 1.5 miles for a few weeks, and slow down.

Why wear shoes?

Courtesy of Wendy Williams. That is all.

A week off?

This is no fun, I've had nearly a week off from running. I did run maybe 1/2 mile, but stopped while feeling some weirdness in my left foot. Turns out not only was my calf strained, but I'm also getting some TOFP (Top of the foot pain.) Important advice- don't listen to other people's advice! Two things to know- 1) start barefoot 2) once your foot lands (on the balls of your foot) pick your foot up immediately. My feet are weak and not used to running . I got too involved with discussing gait analysis and bio-mechanical jib jab. I even got a metronome app because I read 180 steps per min is the optimal for barefoot running. Think of the song, I'm Turning Japanese, which is easy due to the amazing "its so 80's" mix tape my sister made me in the early 90's. God, I wish I had that on my ipod. Anyway, I digress. The point is, I'm waking my science mind, and forgetting about my Zen mind. Ancient runners who ran down antelope on the vast plains of Africa didn't count their cadence. The Terehouma don't talk about their gait, they just go. Thats the best feeling, that I never found in competitive track and field... just running for the hell of it.

On my 1/2 mile run, a woman came running out of her house on the opposite side of the street and yelled, "Where are your SHOES?" I acted like I was checking my pockets, which was probably the funniest thing I could ever do to her, because she ran back inside and yelled "he checked his pockets!" Sometimes I hate standing out, but sometimes its great.

Oh, by the way, I am thinking of going back to shoes. These look amazing.