My Date with the Planter

Early in my running career I developed all kinds of injuries, but not being the regular running sort, I never gave them an opportunity to bloom. Ever since I've been running regularly (2-3 times / week) I've started deveoping a searing pain in the sole of my foot.

My reading had prepared me for this scenario, but nothing prepared me for the pain. Plantar fascitis, is apparently a common running injury, manifesting itself more often in how shall I put it ... the more corpulent runners. It has something to do with some muscle in the sole being inappropriately stretched. For me the simpler explanation is 'the heavier you are, the more you stretch the muscle in your sole, which connects the ball of the foot to the heel'. Makes a lot of sense ... does not necessarily make me feel too much better.

For the past few days i've been struggling with taking even a few steps without wincing in pain. My evolution as a runner is manifest in that instead of putting off running for a fortnight, I immediately start looking around for answers. On the internet the truth is out there ... unf this truth sits alongside some cockamie theories, whcih makes it hard to tell which is which. So I went through plantar stretches, tippy toe routines, toe towel pulls, self massage (unf I don't live in bangkok) and finally came upon something that made sense - I needed to invest in running shoes before all else, since mah boots were made for walkin' - running wasn't part of the program.

Guarding my Chafing Nips

Ouchiee!!

I thought i was breaking ground with my oatmeal experiment, but the true runner's arsenal was yet to show itself. While browsing for tips on good running form, I casually browsed through running injuries .... and there it was in plain view - NIPPLE CHAFING. Apparently the friction with the running shirt sandpapers your nips to become hard enough to cut glass ... and draw blood!!

I stared at the screen in shock - these runner's were not going to let a thing by. Sure I felt a little sore at times, but it's supposed to be a sport for God's sake!! I searched some more to see if this was an isolated mention, and found a bevy of articles dedicated to the fine art of protecting ones nips. I rolled my eyes in disbelief and then came upon this one image which made me a believer.

I'm now a nip-guarder. I've tried multiple options (I won't be letting on the list to prevent myself further embarrassment), and what i find works best is some vaseline a well placed band-aid to seal up the area. Getting it off is blue murder, and I'm glad not to be a regular runner, else I'd have to shave my chest!!

Still, I must confess I have much more mental peace now, even if i feel a little foolish. The bloody image haunts me, and I'd rather no be in that position. Hope I r'ber to keep my shirt on after the race, though.

Taking stock - just 3 months to go

Not enough ticks

My progress thus far has been minimal, but it's just enough to allow me to see daylight on the race to come. At this point I've run 11K once, I've lost a few kegs and I'm able to sort of keep my mind from drifting back to the sorry state of my calves every 5 mins.

On the flip side, my legs are going to need to rebuild some resilience in moving my girth along, I'm going to have to start running outdoors (since the treadmill is rumored to be less tiring), and I've gotta get some running strength back. I will also need to break out the ice packs, which served me well through my pre-reg training days.

3 months doesn't seem enough to turn the corner on completing 21k, but I can either mull over it or get off my keister and start hauling ...