It's Coming Together

I spent much of the late summer and early fall of 2008 hobbling around on a sore heel and took nearly six weeks off from running. I had done some ultras in April, June, and July, so no surprise...it was an overuse injury. So for the next six weeks, I spent at least 45 minutes everyday, peddling indoors on my road bike and trainer.

I'm just now getting back to where I can increase my miles, having used November and December as a time to slowly build back my base miles. Seems that my strategy is working. Although I still feel a little heel tenderness, everything else is "full-steam ahead." Today, it was a strong and fast 6.5 miles on trails, followed by a 1 mile road climb...the road being about a 7% grade. Then the final flat .5 mile cool-down...and a post-run breakfast of waffles and orange juice.

Coming off a foot injury, I spend a lot of time thinking about my running shoes. Are they giving me enough support? There was a time, though, nearly 30 years ago, where my running shoes weren't shoes, but were combat boots. I recall fondly my weeks and weeks in Texas running daily in combat boots, black cotton socks, cotton fatigue pants, and a cotton tee-shirt. There was nothing high-tech. We hydrated from luke-warm water sloshing around in a plastic canteen and popped the occasional salt tablets in those pre-electrolyte days. My body no longer misses those days, but my mind does.