Back in the saddle, right back out

I tried a run yesterday, I just couldn't resist. SuperAthlete J had an 8-miler on her schedule and asked if I wanted to join her for all or part of it. My foot was feeling so much better and I've been missing her so much -- so I agreed with the caveat that I had no idea how far I'd be able to go since I'd have to stop if my foot was hurting.

We agreed on a course and set out -- and my goodness, it felt good to be on my feet like that again. My heel felt a little sore but not painful, so I thought it was safe to trot along. At the crest of our first hill, I did notice a sharp twinge, like everything in my heel had tightened up all at once, but it dissipated after a couple strides and I let it go.

The remainder of the run was uneventful -- as far as my heel was concerned. My breath and endurance were another matter. Funny what a difference just a couple weeks can make. And please bear in mind that I've continued my cardio workouts: I've been on a machine at the gym for at least an hour, six days per week, ever since my last attempt at a run. Still, I definitely noticed a reduction in my conditioning. I had to take some walk breaks on our first major hill. And, by mile 4, I was suffering from what SAJ and I call "the jelly legs."

SAJ and I agreed that she'd continue to the turnaround while I took a break. I'd pick up again when I was ready and rendezvous with her at our favorite bathroom stop, about half a mile away. After a minute of walking, I felt much better and starting running again -- a bit more slowly to try to conserve energy. I made it to the rendezvous point with no trouble and headed inside for a pee break and some water. But truly catching my breath also gave me a chance to realize that I'd developed a nice chafing rash between my legs, not to mention an assortment of blisters. Boo.

I could only assume that the chafing was coming from the weight I worry I've gained since I stopped running. Sweet SAJ assures me that it's because I was running in shorts for the first time this year. Jury's out on that one. We were both in agreement on the blisters, though: it was my first run using the Superfeet inserts -- on a hot day, with thicker socks than usual. My feet just didn't have enough room to move around, and were rubbing inside the shoe in new and unusual ways: thus the blisters. To add insult to injury, my heel started to twinge a bit.

With that third strike against me, I elected to continue on for just another half mile, then split off from SAJ and walk a shortcut route home. Although I felt like a wiener, I think it was the right thing to do. I ended up with a total distance of 7 miles, and I'm guessing I walked slightly less than one of those. Not bad for someone who hasn't taken a run in more than two weeks -- and who last ran 6 miles about a month ago.

My feelings of quasi-victory were short-lived, however: my heel started hurting almost immediately after I got home. I iced it up the wazoo and wore the sock to bed last night ... but had a very gimpy situation on my hands when I got up this morning. It's gotten better over the course of the day but I do think this is telling me that I tried running again a bit too quickly -- or perhaps I went for a longer distance than was advisable. It's back to the elliptical and stairclimber for me for another little bit ... hopefully I'll be able to giving running another shot soon (or at least before it becomes impossible for me to run three miles at a stretch).