Runfession Conundrums
Well, it’s the last Friday of the month, and that means it’s time to join Marcia for Runfessions! This month I have several running conundrums to share, so let’s get right into it. The first puzzler I’m grappling with is The Shoe Problem. I recently replaced my old New Balance 880s with a new pair of the same shoe: I’ve been wearing these since last April, and as a matter of fact these are the shoes I wore for my 50k. The problem is… I don’t really love them. But I don’t know what shoe I would like more. When I went to the running store last spring and gave them my requirements- neutral shoe, wide toe box, not zero drop- this was the best we could come up with. I really want to try the Altra Lone Peaks- but they’re zero drop, and the reason I don’t want a zero drop shoe is that I think it would aggravate my plantar fasciitis, which apparently is a permanent fixture in my life. GAAAH! I’m a little stuck here. Next up: running in the dark. Okay, I was a fool. These hot Florida runs have been killing me, and I finally started running early in the morning before the sun is up. WOW. It’s literally the difference between, well, night and day. Seriously, it’s 100 times easier. But the first problem with this is, races are not run at 5:30 am (did you know that?) Year ago I used to do all my running pre-dawn, and then I would go to a 5k that started at 7:30 and really suffer in the heat. I’m afraid if I run in the dark too much I’ll lose some of my heat acclimation. The second problem with running in the dark is, my big race this year is a trail race, and I’m obviously not training on the trails in the dark. My race isn’t until February, and it might be cool then and it might not. Any way you look at it, I’ll be doing some long runs in the heat. Trails=daylight=heat=misery. Sigh! I know- these aren’t the worst problems I could be dealing with. I’m not sick, I’m not injured, I have the time to train. Overall things are good! But these are the conundrums that are nagging at me right now. What are you grappling with these days? Are you happy with your shoes? Pleas let me know if you have any ideas for me!