Update time, on second thought

Went out over the weekend with plans to run longer on Sunday and if it went ok then maybe still go for Med City. In attempting to prove my heel drop theory: "The theory was that having a higher heel drop would take the pressure off the calf which would relieve pressure on the posterior tibial tendon", I put on my old Montrail Rockridges, and quickly disproved the theory, plus I had additional issues.

The goal was to run 12 to 15 miles but after only 4 miles my left foot was hurting and even worse my right achilles was screaming at me, you know those nice sharp pains like someone stabbing you. So I walked a lot  more than I ran to get back home. The other issue I had which started earlier in the run was that both calves seemed to tighten up as I went along and I was not running hard. I was walking every mile but just couldn't get them to loosen up. So the theory for this run was that the right achilles was due to either the foot causing a change in stride or the right calf tightening up and pulling on it or a combination of both. Previously when I have had foot pain, I have not had any right calf issues or achilles pain.

So tonight, I wore my Brooks Pure Cadence's and got in a 6 mile run with no achilles pain and manageable foot pain. It seems that the foot does better after a day off so I was pleased tonight as I had run yesterday. BTW, these are the brightest shoes I have ever worn and frankly ever seen (the picture doesn't do them justice, trust me if I wear them you will see them before you recognize me). They are comfortable, have a decent anatomical last with a decent width in the forefoot, have a 4 mm drop with some overpronation support. I have become a fan of the Brooks Pure series, too bad they don't sponsor me. I think they could really benefit from an old, slow, overweight guy as one of their shoe testers.

One other toy that I bought for myself and am enjoying a lot is a Garmin 310XT, yes Wayne, you were my motivation, along with the fact that my 205 seems to be having trouble holding the charge when I leave it my car for the day. I did get the HRM and am planning on using it to follow the Maffetone training plan during the summer to help me re-develop my training efficiency. Check out Phil Maffetone's website for more information.

On that note, I listened to him being interviewed on the Trail Runner Nation Podcast, he was featured on their January 22, 2013 podcast.  If you haven't listened to their podcast, give it a listen as they do a great job and all of their shows are interesting.

So what am I going to do with regard to future races and the foot, great question, I think the best thing for me to do is work on stretching more than anything else. Which I am sure will have my wife telling me, it's about time.