Dumb Mistake

I started my day with a two-hour nap. Once everything was said and none last night I didn’t find my way to bed until 3am. I desperately need rest, so I picked up a couple hours of sleep as soon as I got home.

At noon I meet Lizy for three miles of hill training. The temperature gauge read 93 degrees. A pleasant summer breeze kept the heat at bay. I felt it was important to change scenery, so we ran a steep hill at Townson BLVD in Humble. This hill is essentially one of two large stair steps. The first step is grass over packed dirt. What the hill lacks in length it makes up in steepness. At the top of the first step we were ¼ the way up the Townsen Blvd railroad overpass bridge. From the top of the dirt step we ran on the shoulder of the bridge. From here the order changed from that of the dirt hill. The incline last longer and is very subtle. We ran to the other end of the bridge, which meant we had to run back up for the completion of the first loop. We ran a total of two loops and pushed aggressively on the first steep incline.

Run (hills):

3.0 miles

41:43

13:54 pace

When Andrea got home from work we bicycled to the Kingwood Park HS track, so I could run a few laps barefoot. I ran the first lap on the infield grass which was not nearly as plush as the Kingwood HS track. There appeared to be stickers in the grass, even though I never felt any. One the second lap I moved over onto the red-rubber track. The track was beautiful to look at, but I found it stiff and slightly abrasive to my feet.

About 200 meters into the second lap I was starting to notice the heat beneath my feet, not from my speed, but rather the temperature of the track surface. I was stubborn and wanted to finish one loop on the track before returning back to the grass. With less than 50 meters to go I was in a great deal of discomfort due to the burning on the bottom of my feet. True to my intentions I ran one full lap and then returned back to the grass.

Once I finished, my feet were in a state of constant aching. The track was so hot that I had actually BURNED the bottom of my feet. Even the bike ride home was painful. Upon evaluation I found several burn blisters. Talk about learning a lesson the hard way. OUCH! Interesting tidbit; All the blisters were located from my arch forward and a few on my toes. The lack of blisters on my heels might give additional evidence that running barefoot really does help prevent running as a heel-sticker!?!?

Barefoot:

0.75 mile

6:49

9:05 pace

Trail Bike:

6.42 miles

33:43

11.42 mph

Tonight was my final session of Power in Motion. I’m essentially going on hiatus until I feel the necessity to coach inside the loop again. The program is great, but it has become a burden. Each session requires nearly three hours away from my family, the use of vacation time at work, plus the cost of fuel for the long drive. I truly enjoy giving back to the running community and helping new runners, but I want to try and maintain these same objectives, locally.

During a scavenger hunt run with the PIM'sters we ran exactly two miles. My first few steps were painful due to the blisters. I did my best to block out the pain and not let it bother me, which seemed to work. Surprisingly, none of the blisters popped. As soon as I finish this post I will properly tend to my feet.

Run:

2.0 miles

21:21

10:40 pace

Push-ups: 33