This Might Hurt

I’m scheduled to run 13 miles tomorrow. There just happens to be a half marathon in town. What are the odds?

I have mild plantar fasciitis in my left foot and some sort of soft-tissue inflamation on the top of my right foot. The right foot hurts more than the left. I ran three miles yesterday and could feel the right foot discomfort with every step. I’ve been icing and taking Aleve. I’m stuck in that space between “this hurts” and “this doesn’t hurt bad enough to stop running.”

I bought a pair of these in hopes of taking some pressure off of the foot. I bought them yesterday at the half marathon expo. I was with my friend, Lynn. I asked the sales guy if the laces were difficult to figure out. His response: “Well, if triathletes can figure them out, so can you.” Lynn’s response: “Um, she is a triathlete.” He was true to his word and I figured them out.

And so I think I’m ready for tomorrow. I’m going about it as an easy, no pressure training run. I’ll just happen to get some medal hardware when I finish…assuming the foot pain remains mild enough for me to finish.

I think I’ve got everything I need all laid out. When I prepare for an event, I “build a person” by placing everything I need on the floor in the order they will be on my bod. Here’s what I mean.

How about those bright laces? The fuel belt is about five years old. Until I took this photo I had no idea it has reflective strips. If a motorist hits me from behind, he or she did it on purpose. Can’t miss my caboose when I’ve got that junk on my trunk.

All races between now and my March marathon are simply miles to be logged. It feels great to not worry about finishing times. Tomorrow I’m just going to enjoy checking out the course, hamming it up with some spectators and hopefully making a friend or two along the way.

What’s your plan for the weekend?