(A flower picture from months ago that has nothing to do with this post)
It’s Wednesday. But it feels like Monday, because I’m sleepy and it’s a little gray outside and those two things mean I’m generally not enthused about being at my desk. But it also feels like Friday, because tomorrow is Veteran’s Day and I have the day off work! The weather is being strange again — the humidity is back and it was above 80 degrees yesterday. I’m very ready to wear jackets and sweaters, but then I remember that I live in south Texas. There are benefits of living here, but an abundance of jacket and sweater-wearing opportunities is not one of them…
I had a nice run in the dark last night. I’ve always enjoyed running in the dark. It feels quieter and calmer, and it’s always cooler, but unfortunately the lack of visibility and the potential safety issues mean that I usually try my best to run in daylight. It’s hard to do in the winter though, especially during the week when most of the daylight hours are spent at work. Last night as I ran on the sidewalk next to the busiest road in my little area of town, I crossed paths with another women who was wearing a red blinky light. I need to get one of those, and possibly a reflective ankle band or something. But I digress…
Last night I had some formal speedwork on the schedule, but I wasn’t really feeling it and I suspected there wouldn’t be any lights at the track anyway. I chose to replace it for this week with a fartlek run of 5+ miles over the river and through the woods — or at least across the golf course and through the neighborhood streets. I’ve been doing so many formal workouts with specific goals that it was nice to just get out there and run however I felt like running. This is the continual challenge for me when I begin to train for an event: preventing burnout. So instead of dreading my speedwork, I switched it up and had a fun time.
Starting at the 10-miler last month, I’ve had some pain on the outside bottom of my left foot. I thought it was just from the race, but it hasn’t gone away. Conversely, it also hasn’t gotten any worse, and it’s not enough to keep me from running — just a persistent ache that comes and goes. My superficial googling indicates it’s probably just some minor tendonitis. It got a little more noticeable this weekend after my 12-miler so I did some math and realized that I’m WAY overdue for new shoes! I ordered a new pair from On The Run that should be here soon. I hope that will solve the issue.