Thursday, October 29, 2009

Foot burn

Distance 5km [total: minimalist 11km: Barefoot 24km]

One of those hot spring days hit Adelaide today and by the sound of it we have more of the same for the next few days.
It hit 33C (91.5F) today.

I usually go for a walk at lunch time around the south Parklands which are just around the corner from where I work.
To make it a bit more interesting I thought, shall I try it barefoot. I had a pair of light shoes on to get me across the road then took them off as I hit the bitumen pathways. They felt pretty hot under the afternoon sun.

I managed to walk about 1km before the heat and burning in my feet got too much, I found some nice cool grass that helped but by now I think my feet had been pushed a little too far.
I put the shoes back on and made my way back to work with burned soles.
By the end of the afternoon it felt a bit better, just a couple of small blisters.
I think maybe the lesson learned is not to run barefoot in hot weather and on dark surfaces.
As an aside. Yesterday, while at the gym, in an exercise in avoiding the gym police when it comes to footwear or my VFF's which they won't allow, I put my runners on loosely, checked around and when the coast was clear took them off and ran on the running machine in just socks.
Umm not a good idea I found. The foot must slip around in the sock while the sock doesn't move much against the rubber belt, this all rubbed up blisters again ouch!
Ok forget the running machine from now on.

After work headed down to the beach, it was still 32C at 5.30pm, lots of people down here as well, all escaping the heat.
I ran about 5km, got a bit of muscle tightness in left leg, probably due to running style adjustment to cope with blisters. It cleared up by the end by just adding a bit more bending to the knees.

These are some of the best runs I have had in ages, no serious pains at all.
I can't believe how many years I have put up with this with the wrong shoes and orthotics that weaken the feet.

Four weeks ago I tried an exercise where I place a golf ball on the floor and try to pick it up with the toes on both the right and left feet.
I could just about manage it with the right but not with the left.
Four weeks later and it is no problem with either foot, the right still stronger than the left though.
It is a great massage tool for the underside of the feet as well.

Tomorrow I attempt the 14km run/walk home from work in the VFF's, it's going to be another hot 33C.

Neil

2 comments:

  1. When the going gets tough - the tough get going.
    Keep up the self torture...

    ReplyDelete
  2. Don't worry there I always take the hard way, no pain, no gain

    ReplyDelete