mojodragon

Note: This update actually pertains to 26 Sept. I'm just really slow in posting it.

One of the guys at work gave me a really cool nickname. Shoeless Joe Morris. I think it may stick. Anyway, my toes don't hurt as much today, what should I do about that? I know! Going running again.

Another 1.5 miles, and a few more lessons learned.

First, try not to step into wet mud. Ok, it seems like wet mud would be nice and cool and refreshing, but it actually sucked. Toes were a bit bloody, then mud got in! It also took about 20 steps to get the mud off, so that it didn't feel like I was constantly running on something foreign.

Second, stay out of the grass, especially underneath trees. Grass in the middle of, say, a soccer field is probably all-right. But grass underneath trees, that tends to hide nasty things like pine cones, roots, and little rocks. At least on the pavement, you can see where these things are.

Post-run sensations: the toe damage is there, but it's more of a pleasant reminder of my new hobby. What is really odd is the muscle tightness around the ankles. My achilles is stretching out a bit, and some muscles to the sides of my ankles are a little tight. Also, the ball of my foot, and the heel, are feeling a little bruised. It's not painful, but it's a shock to someone that is used to "gelling". This too, shall pass.

Note: The following is about 27 Sept. The system automerged the two posts

Last night, after class, I decided to get my running in before going home. I drove to the UNO track, and took my shoes off. Tonight, I only ran 1 mile. The track was actually a mix of concrete and some type of rubbery material. It felt really jarring to go from the rubbery stuff to the paved portion. Also, one of the ends was coated in pine needles. No cones, and very few rocks, though. Tonight, I did a little thinking. I think that I decided that I'm going to mix barefoot and shod running, at least at first. I was running 10+ miles at a time before I took my shoes off, and now I'm only running 1 to 1.5. That'll also give my toes an extra day between to heal a little, before I rip the skin off of them again. And, I can keep my distance training going, so that I don't really have to build that up again. I envision getting to the point where I can run all of my runs barefooted, and not bleed when I do it. We'll see.

Total BR miles to date: 4