Legs!

Today was an early day, up at three to take K~ to the airport. By 5:15 I was sitting in my truck trying to nap until it was a respectable time to go to work. I was barely awake and Starbucks wasn’t even open… so much for the much needed energy boost.

I was already contemplating my excuses for not running tonight, it’s hot (of couse it is FLORIDA weather sucks), I am tired (duh, 3 hours of sleep will do that to you), I have to pack (no shit you are MOVING in 2 weeks and a few days). I have excuses like nobody else.

But as I was formulating my best excuse and surfing Facebook (there really isn’t much else to do at 5am in a parking lot, and sleeping wasn’t working) I messaged a friend regarding her post, I could tell from the tone something was wrong. I was right… her fiancé stepped on an IED yesterday. He is now down one leg and part of a hand (I am flippant because that’s how I handle bad news). Reading that was like a shot in the gut, S~ is a young, fun, energetic crazy ass, and he deserves to all his appendages.

So now I am sitting at work, my mind racing and I feel like a long run or a really short all out sprint will help quell the voices fighting for air and release some of the stress that is building as I sit here unable to help in any way.

I was definitely looking for motivation for my run tonight, but I was thinking more along the lines of being chased by a dog, or needing to get out of the house because the kid was driving me nuts, not this. I think that every time I try to shrug off a run I am going to remember that I am lucky to have all my parts, and that they are all in great working order, if only we could all be so lucky…

Pussy foot

So lately I have had an issue with my left foot falling asleep and getting tingly while I run. I have been running exclusively in my VFF Bikilas and around mile 2 lefty gets tingly and then eventually it feels like I am running on a stump. Not so great for my form or for my feet. On Thursday I ran about 2.3 miles before my foot went to sleep. Then I took off my shoes and jogged barefoot all the way home after a bit of feeling came back into my foot. So today, my 4 miler day I decided to do an experiment. I laced up my New Balances with arch support insoles and set out on my merry way. I was feeling pretty good, running my little hiney (ok big hiney) around the neighborhood and low and behold at mile 2.6 my righty went to sleep. Lefty was wide awake and ready to kill the last bit of pavement. At this point I know it is my shoes, I stop stretch, walk a little and begin again, but righty is STUBBORN and won't wake the fuck up. So after running .9 miles feeling only half my feet I decided to take off my shoes and walk a little barefoot, as the feeing comes back I run the last .6 miles home.

So now, please tell me what is the answer to this dilemma. Obviously something about these shoes (both pairs) are causing my feet to fall asleep. And I don't know what it is... But I guess the upside is it isn't my feet causing my feet to fall asleep.

Maybe I need to upgrade to the new Bikila LS, with the adjustable speed lace. I do have pretty thick feet, and the I could barely put on the VFF's when I first bought them. And this is the longest and farthest I have worn them. All I know is this is irritating me.

Four-mile barrier…

So yesterday, I conquered my four-miler. I have only once previously run that distance. Then I quit running... but not this time. Last night as I was running, around the 2 mile marker I started to question why I was out there running. I was getting tired, my left foot was tingly and I thought, “shit my couch is so much more comfortable than this sidewalk.” But then as I let my mind wander a little I realized all the reasons I had to be thankful for my ability to get out there and run.

It is amazing the things that run through your head when you just turn off the world and listen. There was nothing but the breeze, my crazy ass brain and me. Let me tell you, there is some twisted thoughts running around up there, it’s no wonder I don’t listen much. I scare me, and I make me laugh. I am sure it would have been entertaining seeing me run down the road making alternating offended faces and giggling, but the 3rd and fourth mile just kind of went by…and I didn’t die.