Run 389
Average pace: 5:50/km
Location: Burnaby Lake (CW)
Distance: 10.02 km
Time: 58:30
Weather: Sunny
Temp: 24-25ºC
Wind: moderate to breezy
Calories burned: 744
Weight: 158.2 pounds
Total distance to date: 3174
Device used: iPhone 6
Good news: My right Achilles tendon felt significantly better on today’s run and was a complete non-factor. Once warmed up I really didn’t notice it at all.
Bad news: Everything else.
This was a fairly terrible run. It started with me making the crazy decision to try my Merrell Apollo “to the moon!” shoes again. With the New Balance MT110s starting to wear I am thinking more about replacements and the Merrells have been worn only a few times so they are still virtually brand new. I put them on, the fit was snug but comfy. I notice the even more minimalist sole compared to the MT110s but everything seems okay as I pad around in the condo with them, so I head out. Within three blocks my left foot starts to hurt. I don’t blame the shoe (Merrell PR people seeing this via Google Alerts, relax! The Merrell shoes are very nice.) but it’s clear the knobbier trail-ready soles of the MT110s may be a better choice.
I head back, put on the MT110s and head out again. I have walked 1.6 km so far and essentially gotten nowhere. But now my left foot feels better with the additional support. I am not overly hopeful but you never know.
It is warm and only the breeze keeps it from being just this side of uncomfortable. I start out and for the first 2 km my pace is decent if not great. Then the bottom falls out. Then my left foot starts to hurt again less than 4 km in. It starts to hurt even more. I feel tired. I think about stopping.
I press on, plodding, aching, gritting my teeth. At one point my left hip starts to hurt just a tiny bit, its way of saying, “Hello, remember me? I remember you!” It stops hurting but a short time later I feel vaguely nauseated. By now the pain in my foot has peaked so I keep going. I actually pick up the pace for the final km but finish with a very slow 5:50/km pace.
Bleah.
On a possibly more positive note, I may have figured out the root cause of my left foot issues. My shiny new theory involves the desk I sit at when I am working/playing on/staring at my computer. Previously I used a foot rest to insure good posture but the current alcove with my computer setup is on a hardwood floor, making it impossible to use the foot rest, as either it or the chair will go sliding all over the place. A mat is the obvious solution but I’ve been lazy. neglectful and generally terrible in getting a mat. What I’ve come to realize is that I often slouch and then brace myself against the wall with–you guessed it–my left foot!–to keep from sliding out of the chair and into an awkward lump under the computer desk. I often keep my foot squashed against the wall until it hurts, then move it away and move it back again when I’ve forgotten that squashing it up against the wall hurts (I apparently forget this a lot).
I am going to get a mat, sit up straight and see if the foot improves. If not it’s off to the doctor and amputation! Or maybe some kind of magic cream or something. The magic cream would be preferable.
