Trouble in the Toe

So far in this marathon training I've managed quite successfully to arrange my schedule for all of the running I understood to be important &, in the midst of this, to not injure myself either. I've running 99% of the time on roads & blacktops to partially thank for this. I've faithfully stretched & completed daily strength training, both on the days I've run, & on the days I haven't. The discipline has been great for me, especially for my "black & white" frame of mind. Essentially, if I were to not complete my 1+ hour of daily strength training, it's got to be for an excellent reason, & even then, I have to overthink not overthinking in order to "get back on the bus" & back into that strength training routine again the very next day.

I've used this both under & around the sides of each of my knee caps as well as strips along my right calf as it became agitated post-run about a week or so ago (which, just happens to be the very first muscle which I ever pulled in either of my legs). I did a great job of increasing my mileage & putting myself out there each running day (essentially every other day) to the best of my ability.

Then my left foot baby toe did something. Grant it, I've been wrapping lots of this in thin strips around & atop many of my toes, which is much better (especially for skin breathability) than this. I did the same for said toe. Along with a desperate need for a restroom, & the uneasiness of this toe's "unresolution", I cut my [Easter] Sunday run a few miles shorter than I really wanted to. An old version of me would've been so mentally damaged by this necessary decision, I'd likely not have been able to bounce back. Currently, I'm not thrilled, though I'm also readily aware that I'm well prepared & I'm wise enough on the subject to know that, if anything, "chilling" from my prior preparation plans for two running days (Tuesday & Thursday, a.k.a. yesterday & tomorrow) will work out just fine; I might even be all the better for it.

I'm good at draining top-of-toe sores. I don't necessarily go about it in a sterile fashion. There's peroxide involved afterward; however, I typically just poke & pinch with the edge of the nail clippers. This generally does the trick. Well, with this left baby toe, it's been a slightly different aching pain. I made sure to try & work with the basics & go at it with the nail clippers. It's not been completely beneficial.

It's been super awkward (mostly mentally) to not be out running for four to five hours yesterday. And already knowing that I've made that cautionary, healing decision for myself for tomorrow, is likewise premeditatedly awkward & something for which I'm making sure to not overthink. 😂 Which, yes, essentially, is an overthinking unto itself in a sort of way. Although, after all it's to be fine.

I'm soaking my feet each night in this. I've two buckets where I'm running the sink's hot tap & adding five or six cups to each bucket. The buckets are oval shaped in so that they do well to host one leg each & sit alongside one another without, literally, butting heads. Nice.

The toe seems to be less agitated. And I'm very much hoping that's not in my head. Although not an equivalent to this, using these for this healing process actually provides a both successful & necessary cushion, so they're not all bad. 😂 I'm planning to go out for about fifteen, possibly eighteen miles, this Saturday morning. I'll be at a dancing event at night. 💃😍

This past Saturday I ran twenty-three miles (my goal in my longest run before tapering, which I certainly achieved!) before heading out to watch/listen to a friend's band, which happily included hours of dancing. 💃😂😍

And, yes, between hours upon hours of every-other-day running, & muscle maintenance, general life errands, & these fun dancing times, I've stayed away from this space for double the days that I wished. Another discipline. Now getting back on that horse too. 😏

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