Team In Training!

Well, the Team In Training season is officially underway. I've been running now again for almost 2 weeks. Like I said in my last post, the arches of my feet hurt, but I feel as though that's progressively getting better. I've been doing a 2 minutes run/walk routine that seems to be working well for now.

Yesterday, we had our first group training session (GTS) with the team. I did 4 miles of my 2 minute routine. At one point I was going downhill, so I decided to run for 4 minutes. This was at about the 3 mile mark. My right foot started going numb.

I can't tell you how disheartening it was to feel that sensation in my foot again. After everything I've been through, that's the last thing I wanted to feel. I could deal with calf pain, foot pain... but numbness. UGH!!!

So, soon after I started to feel that, I got to a water stop. I stretched out, and went on my merry way. Before surgery, after stopping the numbness went away, but shortly after starting to run again it would come back. Yesterday, after leaving the water stop, it didn't come back again. So that was good.

After talking it over, I'm thinking it could be that way for several reasons. One, I haven't bought new sneakers since just before the Mountain Goat run in May. Since then I've done 2 half marathons, the Mountain Goat, the Boilermaker, a couple 5k's and the training for all of them. They're probably not good sneakers anymore. Two, I haven't been back in the running game very long. Endurance is lost very easily when you're not running. Three, it was very cold out and hard to get the legs warmed up. Perhaps I should buy leg warmers!

If it turns out my surgery didn't work, then I'll have to deal with the numbness. I was told before surgery that I could still run with it. It'll slow me down a bit, but I don't think I'll ever win a race anyways. I'm not in this to be fast. I'm in this because I enjoy it. I was actually able to deal with the numbness pretty well. It was the calf crap at mile 10 of the Lake Placid half, and feeling like it was going to cramp at the ARC half that I couldn't deal with. This surgery may help with that, too.

So, I'm not down for the count, yet. In fact, I don't see me going down for the count EVER! I've still got a lot of running ahead of me. I love being a part of Team In Training and there's still not a cure for cancer.