Ouch!

Who knew one little toe (the big toe actually… well, technically the nail of the big toe) could hurt so much?? I know it’s a very yucky topic but I can’t really think of much else right now so unfortunately, you’re stuck with the story!  I had a feeling that it might be an uncomfortable run today since my toe was bothering me enough to wake me up a few times last night and I knew for sure that it would be when just putting on my sock irritated it.  I opted to bandage it up in the hopes that it would offer some protection against the friction and impact of hitting against my shoe which, in theory, was a great idea but unfortunately, didn’t seem to help all that much.   

As you can see in today’s photo, I opted to go immediately back to the car and fling my shoe and sock off vs. my usual routine of cooling down, stretching and looking for a lovely photo op (I promise to make up for it with a much more visually appealing shot next time!).  I will spare you the super icky details but the long and short of it is that it’s feeling a bit better now that some of the pressure under the nail has been relieved (thank you Dr. Google!) and I’m hopeful that I’ll be in good enough shape to tackle my 12 mile run this Friday.  

On a brighter (and way less disgusting) note, I had a fabulous wine phone date with my BFF last night (the bendy member of the Dynamic Duo) during which she gave me a much needed and incredibly appreciated boost of confidence about my running… actually, it was more of an all-encompassing boost which was needed just as much, if not more, than one for my running. She’s  just as much of a sucker for a good inspirational quote/image/monologue/etc. as I am so you can imagine that some of our conversations have the potential to sound like something out of Jerry Maguire, the Dr. Phil show or something written on a Lululemon bag. Nonetheless, there just simply isn't anything better than a conversation with someone who knows you better than you do and who can help you see things more clearly regardless of the situation.

So with my spirits bolstered and excitement for my journey and goal renewed, I fought through today’s discomfort and made it through all 9 miles.  Despite some of the physical issues I’m encountering, I’m actually looking forward to the challenges of the last 6.5 weeks of training.  I’m feeling encouraged by the progress I’ve made thus far, super loved and supported by my friends and family and totally elated that the part of me that says “I can’t” appears to be fighting a losing battle with the part that says “I can”.

9 miles, 1hr 31min 29sec, avg 10.09

Cheers,

SF runner in training