Running About

My blisters have blisters that have blisters:

That usually happens with new running shoes. These running shoes are decidedly not new:

No tread of any use, and some of no real use also gone. You don't want to know how flat the soles are, and even the gel arch supports that I added have significantly less spring than they once did. I shudder to think what an X-ray of my feet might reveal.

Now, I have new shoes -- with tread!:

These are actually closer to hiking shoes, I suspect; but the T.K. Maxx (yes, T.K., not J) had a wide selection of different types of athletic shoes, and these were the only pair in my size. Seriously. I have a very average sized foot, so my size is always out, everywhere.

My feet feel much better after running now, and running itself is less of an effort. It is still and effort -- more so than when I run on a treadmill, but there seem to be physiological reasons for that. After I measured my two-hour route on the map, sure that it must be 10 miles long since I can run at least that many on a treadmill in that period of time, I discovered that the route was only 8 miles plus a few feet. Sure, I go slower, contend with hills, and have to jog in place for interminable amounts of time at traffic lights -- and don't get me started on the obstinant pedestrian obstacle course! Still, shouldn't I have gone further? This was a very demoralizing bit of information.

Last year, I lost about 20 pounds and gained some great fitness. I wanted to keep at least a bit of that here! In fact, in a testament to my own improved mental health, I am more concerned about losing fitness than gaining weight. I feel very butch and powerful, not to mention more than a little bit self-satisfied, knowing that I can run over 10 miles. I want to go more!

Finding that I ran only 8 in two hours -- a pace that is closer to my walking? Well, something must be off or something that I don't know about must be at play. So, I looked up "road running vs treadmill" on the Great and All-Knowing Google. Turns out that I may not be going as far as fast on the road as I am on a treadmill, but I am not getting weaker, I'm getting a tougher workout. A treadmill helps you more than you know, if you don't know. On the street, your hamstrings and butt have to do more work. So, I'm actually gaining strength there, and that is a place where I would like more muscle. That is the opposite of de-moralizing!