Longest Run Ever!: Part Two

   True to my training plan, I ran 12 kilometers today, my longest run ever! This was one more kilometer than I ran last Saturday and my plan is to add 1K to my long runs every weekend. So far, so good.
   Similarly to last week, I set out from my house and headed east to Springbank Park. From there, I just followed the path along the river until I got to Guy Lombardo bridge. Here is where I clocked out at 6K so I turned around and headed back the same way I came.
   It was an overcast day and only just barely above freezing when I set out. Fortunately it warmed up another couple of degrees by the time I was mid-run and, with a couple of layers on, the running was just right. All the snow and slush from last week had disappeared as well so that was kind of a bonus.
    I've been noticing over the last two or three long runs that, round about 7K in, my right foot starts to become numb. At this point, it sort of feels like I'm running on a wad of something underneath the balls of my feet. It's kind of disconcerting, to say the least. The first time it happened, the feeling never went away and I actually needed to stop running. The last couple of times, it's happened but to a lesser degree and I at least was able to finish. I'm thinking I'll just continue to monitor and if nothing changes then I'll get myself checked out. Today wasn't too bad.
   What was bad today was this occasional searing pain in my right ankle after my run---there have been three or four occasions when I put a quick lateral movement on it and I thought it was gonna snap right off! My calves are also feeling it so there might need to be some TLC this evening for me and my sore body parts...

Made the mistake of putting my hand right INSIDE the ENERGYbits bag!

   I've been popping ENERGYbits the last few long runs. I still haven't been able to decide how much of a real difference they make---I haven't found myself hitting the "wall" if I use them but, at the same time, there always seem to be other variables going on that might account for that. What I can say, though, is that I have a hell of a time getting them all down in one sitting! For the uninitiated, ENERGYbits are small tablets of pure spirulina algae and are meant to more or less replace many of the other energy enhancers runners are prone to trying. The base dose of ENERGYbits for an athletic endeavour is thirty tablets. I make a big production of downing the two small pills I normally take in the mornings so you can imagine what goes on when I try to swallow thirty of them! On top of the sheer amount of them, they taste like...well....algae. Kind of like licking the insides of your fish tank, I imagine. So, at the same time I'm grappling with the amount of them I am also coming to grips with the smell/taste of them. I swallow them in batches of ten and the third batch is kind of iffy, kind of hard to suppress the gag reflex, if you know what I mean. Having said all this, though, I feel I must re-iterate that I've never bonked after taking them. I remember taking Buckley's cough syrup once and it was one of the worst things I've ever tasted but, damn, it worked! So maybe ENERGYbits fall into the same category...

Ten little spots for ten little toes,,,

   What I can un-reservedly recommend, however, are Injinji socks! My wife, Doralyn, picked me up a couple of pairs right after I started running, mainly because of their funky look. I initially had some reservations but was quite willing to give them a try and I loved them! They have a very cushioning feel to them, each toe safely tucked away in its own little envelope, and the overall feel is amazing! A little hard to find in London but eventually did find some at the local MEC store.
   Hopefully, next week I'll be able to tack on another kilometer as I attempt to work my way a little closer to maybe something like a half marathon distance (in case I need a goal or something...) barring having done any real damage to my right foot. Time will tell and, in the meantime, happy and healthy running to you all!

Holy Hanna-Barbera, what happened to my run glove?!