Last weekend I competed in a 32 km event called 'Sea to Summit'. It was a run but I spent most of the time walking up hills, and after my feet packed up, I walked down them as well.
It turns out that my shoes, whilst okay for short distances, were too ill-fitting for longer distances.
Nevertheless I perservered and finished the race. The first 15 kms were okay, the next 10 were painful, and the last 7 I spent saying to myself 'I feel no pain'.
The next day one foot was swollen between the toes and pad, and it was painful to walk on.
So after various warnings and advice, I bought a pair of properly fitted running shoes, and a pair of running shoes that look like feet, aka toe-shoes. The toe shoes are meant to be theraputic. After all, it's vitally important for the feet to be in good shape and well supported for running long distances.
After a 2 day break, I walked 8 - 10 kms, without discomfort. Yesterday I swam in a pool, the first swim in a week. Today I swam in the sea, 2 kms, and ran back. I wore my toe shoes swimming and running and they worked well. The sea was stormy, with sand mixed in with the water, which ended up in my shoes, but it didn't seem to affect the run.
So I'm easing back into training. I met a friend of 100 km fame, who trains 20 hours a week, and has a full-time job. Given that running 100 kms is my goal, I have decided to train more. I'll do this by walking more, riding a bicycle, and doing more in situ training. The events I'm interested in are trail runs, and are typically up and down hills along hard trails with slabs and outcrops of rocks on them. I think I will be pushing my limits for the foreseeable future. The trick will be to avoid injuries.
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