Freethinker ~ Freerunner

I ran today for the first time since Christmas morning.  I also ran for the first time in my new Super Feet Orange Insoles.  I replaced the green insoles with the orange ones because it seems that I need extra padding under the ball of my left foot. 

To recap, I have struggled for about two months or more with "ball of foot" pain there.  I almost never feel the pain when I am running.  Usually I feel the pain walking around barefoot the day of the run or the next day.  I also feel the stiffness or soreness when I get out of bed in the morning.  As a result I have taken it really easy for the past two weeks.  I only ran once each week.  Last week I ran ten miles, and I felt a little pain in the ball of my left foot after the run.  I also felt my right calf muscles tinge up somewhere around mile 8 last week.  I iced both areas for the rest of the day and waited until today to run again.  

So today I am pleased to report that I ran in the new insoles (Superfeet Orange) with forefoot padding.  I kept my pace nice and easy (8:12 miles) as not to over do it.  I want my right calf muscle to heal up from whatever injury it has, and I want to see if I am capable of running a moderate distance without feeling the "ball of foot" pain in my left foot in the hours and days after the run while walking.  So far I am pleased that neither injury seems to have shown itself.  As I type it has been two hours since I finished my run today and I have not felt a thing after the run.  I did feel something in the ball of my foot and something in my right calf on the run itself, but it was very faint.  I may be overly analyzing my body at this point, but for a good reason.  I want to be cautious during this part of the year.  I probably still have a few weeks before I need to get back on a training schedule for the Oklahoma City Marathon.