Swinging High

I feel like I either have nothing to say here, or too much. When it rains... it pours. 

First I want to tell you what I'm doing during the week to keep building my fitness level. Right now I work at a garden center. This means that I squat, bend and lift trays of plants while walking/standing on concrete for at least 8 hours. If it's cold I catch the bus to/from work. Catching the bus entails a 10 min walk each way. When it's nice out I bike to work - about 3 times per week. It takes about 20 minutes of continuous peddling on my mountain bike (not made for urban commuting) to cover the 3.5 miles each way. 

In addition to this cross-training I also run twice per week for 30/45 minutes. My friend Sara is training to run the Chicago Triathlon, so we've been trying to run together at least once a week. I never thought I'd consider running as a way to catch up with friends, but it's nice. In fact, I've never enjoyed running with anyone before. But I'm a talker, and having someone there to talk to keeps me from embarrassing myself by singing cadences.

Secondly, let's talk foot/heel pain. I've been icing my heels and taking Alieve for the past couple of nights after work. After a little bit of online research, I think I've narrowed the condition down to Retrocalcaneal Bursitis. (Really, between the pharmacist and the internet, who needs a doctor?) Basically, the bursa where the achilles tendon attaches to the heel bone is inflamed.

Although it's painful when I'm standing, walking and even resting, the pain wasn't evident at all when I was running. Thank goodness! Based on this evaluation I decided it was time to replace my old Merrells that took me across Europe in 2004. I am now wearing a comfy pair of Keens. If my toes were longer I'd cross them hoping that this works, because rest... is not an option.

Lastly, this morning I got up early to run. It was cold, windy and rainy. I tried to walk for 5 minutes as a warm-up, but after 2 minutes decided I was cooling down instead, so began my 3:1 run:walk. The first part of the run I mostly thought about the cold, the wind, the rain and how long I was running, and where/when I should turn around. Then I turned around and began running with the wind at my back. All of a sudden I noticed the sailboats rocking back and forth in the harbor and thought about owning one of my own someday. Next I saw the crabapple trees in bloom and wondered about the invasiveness of the species. A little further along the path I jogged past the boat park (I'll post a picture someday) and wondered... would swinging be a beneficial cross-training exercise? 

When all was said and done, I covered about 2.5 miles in 32 minutes. You can see most of my route on USATF America's Running Routes (of course the beginning and end have been omitted for privacy.) Training for this on the lakefront in Chicago is truly amazing!