Dawdled around the house all day, waiting for the temps to lift a little. Finally, at around 3 o'clock I got for a 4 mile run around town. It took awhile to get in a groove and surprisingly, the right heel was fine, but the left Achilles was very painful. I don't get it. Migratory pains, moving from one body part to another. The left Achilles was so sore, I had to stop and stretch a few times. After awhile, it was ok. When I got home, I iced the right sole with a frozen water bottle.

I recall reading numerous times in sundry running literature about how it is recommended NOT to eat fiber before a run because it can cause stomach issues. I usually don't, but today at around noon I had some Cheerios. About a half mile from home my gut felt like it was going to explode. Fortunately, I managed to get home without having an embarrassing disaster. Never again will I have fiber prior to a run!

Yesterday, was the first day since last Sunday's half marathon, that I felt normal. On Thursday, I had picked up a "foot boot sock" to stretch my foot to relive the plantar fasciitis. It is recommended that the boot be worn at night while sleeping. I wore it Thursday night for a couple of hours while watching television and a little while sleeping and amazingly, it seemed to have a positive effect. My foot feels better! So when I got home yesterday, I went out on nice evening for an easy 3 mile run. The heel was fine and continued to be ok for the rest of the night (wore the boot again) and this morning. My quads above the knees were sore but nothing too bad. Am really looking forward now to stepping up my training! Today will be an elliptical day at the gym (4 miles) and Sunday, I wan to do a 5 miler. Let's pray reality meets up with desire!

Long Island Half Marathon
Today is the day! Before I left this morning at 6:00am, I weighed myself and had lost 2 pounds - big mental boost going into the race! When I got to Eisenhower Park at 6:35, it was cloudy and in the low 50s. Lots of anticipation and excitement at the start; thousands of runners for the half, full and 10K races. I was a little anxious about my right heel, but as the race started, all was ok. Shortly into the race, it began to "sprinkle" and continued to light rain throughout the race - the rain was not a problem since I was pretty warmed up. After 5 miles regular walk breaks seemed like a good idea. My quads were burning. I knew I'd finish if I just pushed on. By mile 10 the heel was bothering me but not seriously. From here on I could feel the finish line and began to push harder and through the heel pain. By the time I hit the finish line I was kicking hard, coming in at 2:19:56 or a 10:40 pace.

I felt so accomplished. This was my 13th half marathon and not my best performance, actually, far from it but, it was the longest race and distance since October 2007. This race laid the foundation for my summer training for the NYC marathon in the fall. But, I was hurting: toes, left sole blisters, right heel, quads and chafing. I really wonder why I do this. Surely the finisher's medal isn't it.

Well, it's now a few hours later and my body is coming back to me and the hobbling around is becoming less pronounced. I think I'll take a couple of days off ~ I've earned it.

Finally, the big day is at hand .. tomorrow: the Long Island Festival of Races where I am planning to run the half marathon. This week I have been feeling very touch and go. My right heel has been inflamed with plantar fasciitis. Yesterday it felt so painful that I was not sure I'd be able to attempt the event. I went to the runner's expo last night to pick up my bib and timimng chip and was able to speak with a few veteran runners and got some tips on how to relieve the pain. I now have inserts in my shoes, to lift my heel, to create less of an angle between my foot and leg. This stretches the achilles more and thus takes pressure off the fasciitis in the heel. So far so good. We'll see how it goes, tomorrow. Now I'll have to contend with how am I going to finish thirteen miles when my last long run (9 miles) two weeks ago was a nightmare. This time tomorrow I will be well into it. Hoping for a dry start. May the force be with me!