When we last left our running heroine, she was curious about what foods are good to eat before running. The general consensus all around was banana: easy to digest and easy on the stomach for a quick burst of energy. This turned out to be a fabulous success. Unfortunately I also developed an “injury”. When I’m barefoot or in cheap flipflops (my two favorite types of footwear) there’s a clicking sensation inside the ball of my left foot. A little Googling (yes, yes, I know, never research your health on the internet) suggested I could possibly have a Morton’s Neuroma. From http://www.foothealthfacts.org/ :
A neuroma is a thickening of nerve tissue that may develop in various parts of the body. The most common neuroma in the foot is a Morton’s neuroma, which occurs between the third and fourth toes. It is sometimes referred to as an intermetatarsal neuroma. “Intermetatarsal” describes its location in the ball of the foot between the metatarsal bones. Neuromas may also occur in other locations in the foot.
- Tingling, burning, or numbness
- Pain
- A feeling that something is inside the ball of the foot
- A feeling that there’s something in the shoe or a sock is bunched up
It definitely felt like there was a rock in my shoe, or like I was walking on a tiny piece of bubble wrap that would POP and refill. So I took a few days off from running, and ordered a pair of inserts for my running shoes. And during my hiatus? I found I missed running. More than I miss yoga now that I’m not doing it. So after the delivery of my inserts, I got back on the saddle, and my foot is improving, especially since I’m not wearing crappy flipflops anymore! So here’s the recap:
W4D1 – Run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 secs, run 5 min. Not much trouble here. I was out and about around 7 am.
W4D2 – Run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 secs, run 5 min. About the same as D1, not much trouble.
W4D3 – Run 3 min, walk 90 sec, run 5 min, walk 2.5 min, run 3 min, walk 90 secs, run 5 min. *sigh* Josh and I run together on Saturdays, and it’s always in the afternoons. This works against me. It wasn’t terribly hot, and it was far less hilly than where I usually run, but I struggled with my breathing. It felt like a chore. I ate a protein bar about an hour before the run, but it was almost 4 pm, and I’d eaten 2 meals plus snacks by then, and worked half a day. This is apparently not good for me. I felt a wee bit nauseous towards the end, but I made it through.
W5D1 – Run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min, walk 3 min, run 5 min. I don’t remember this run, so I’m assuming it went fine.
W5D2 – Run 8 min or 3/4 mile, walk 5 min or 1/2 mile, run 8 min or 3/4 mile. Okay C25K, way to ramp it up. Jerkface. I was nervous about this one. I played music. Jay Z, Rihanna and Kanye saved me with “Run This Town”, which came on near the end of my second 8 minute run. “Victory’s within the mile, almost there don’t give up now.”
For my run with Josh, we repeated W5D2, because W5D3 was a solid 20 minute run. Again, afternoons are NOT my time, and it was 85 degrees and very sunny. I had to walk a minute of the second 8 minute stint, and MAN was I sweaty!
W5D3 – RUN FOR 20 FREAKING MINUTES. I admit, I was pretty nervous after not being able to complete my second 8 minute run with Josh. How could I possibly run 20 minutes all at once if I couldn’t run 16 minutes in 2 segments? It was misting when I started, and I cranked up my music and just decided to go for it. I chose to go east from my apartment, which had a smaller elevation change than west. By the time I heard the apps voice telling me I was halfway there, I just smiled and kept going. I made it! Yes, the mental game was hard in the first half, but once I was halfway done the second half was easier. By the time I was done it was raining lightly but it felt SO GOOD.
Looking forward to Week 6! The good news is W6D3 is a 22.5 min run, but that will be a solo day, and I’ll have shorter stints with my co-run with Josh, since I won’t be able to convince him to run in the morning.
Did you surprise yourself this week with anything you thought you couldn’t do? Let me know in the comments!
A Measured Life 
Your running program sounds like its really working well for you. My big accomplishment this week so far was I drove myself to a dr’s apt, and then went to Costco afterwards. It felt weird to be driving again, but I drove somewhere Monday, Tuesday, and today. I don’t have to go anywhere Thursday, and that’s fine with me 😉
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It’s really great that you’re driving again, Karen! And one should always take a rest day!
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W5D1: If you don’t remember it, my vote is for alien abduction. You lost an hour of your life and are going to start beeping in airports. 🙂 just saying.
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