Thursday, July 31, 2008

Casualties of the tempo run

Today was the first tempo run of the marathon training schedule. 10 minute warm-up run followed by three cycles of a 5-minute tempo pace and 1 minute recovery walk, ending with a 10-minute cool-down run. 

During the warm-up, my legs felt like bricks, so I was a bit worried -- and probably worrying Tiffany! I was proud of us, though, we ran the tempo portions at about a 8.30 pace, which is two minutes FASTER than I'd anticipated. It felt remarkably good. Something about running at a pace where it is hard to br
eathe is rather exciting -- even if my "really stinkin' fast" pace is rather average for many. 

My left foot, on the other hand, is not doing so well. The blister went into hyperdrive along with the rest of me, leaving a gigantic sore spot on the bottom of my foot. Hope you're okay with gross things, since I posted the picture =0) Since there isn't much perspective in the photo, I just measured the thing -- the blister is 2 inches long.

I've got to figure out how to keep this from happening. I've been wearing double-layered wicking socks that are supposed to prevent rubbing. I've tried wearing thick wicking socks... and I've even tried the single-layer thin socks... so I know THEY aren't the problem. My feet are apparently just too narrow for my own good... having a high arch that collapses when I run doesn't help either. 

Here's hoping a simple insert will solve the problem.