Thursday, May 15, 2014

Humitic Acclimation?

I hope this week has just been the "acclimate to humidity" week or something.  I have felt hot, humid, thirsty and just generally sluggish for almost all of it.  The runs have been around the 65F range, but humidity feels like we've jumped to summer levels.

I'll say the week started last Saturday as such:
Saturday: Local 5K.  First time not PR, but close to my peak. First time at a race where it wasn't cold at the starting line and the sweat started pouring off in the first mile.  Also got a new, bigger blister than ever before.  Really, this run wasn't too bad, just felt hotter, sweatier and was contemplating taking a drink at mile 1.

Monday: Supposed to be a 14 mile long run from Sunday. Focused on form instead(since I think my slack in it is what caused my blister) and trying not to kill the blister, did 5 miles barefoot on pavement before I started to feel it rubbing on the bottom of my right big toe.  Did another couple miles in my fivefingers after that, but as I suspected, the blister didn't make it.  Never hurt though.   Positive that previously 3 miles was the longest I had gone.

Tuesday: Ugh, made it for the 7 miles, but with a bit more walking.  Tried the New Balance Minimus Zero trail shoes.  Definitely different feeling than the Fivefingers with my toes just kinda hanging out in front instead of feeling things.  But they seem fine.  Mainly just humid, sluggish.  Though the first couple miles I could feel the foot muscles from using them more and keeping them flexed as they should be the day before.

Wednesday: UGGH...  Worse than Tuesday with sluggish/humid feeling.  Made it the 6 miles, but with a bit more walking.  Definitely a couple times stopping as I had forgotten nipple protection and ended up on the nice wet dirt road, taking off my fivefingers and socks and pulling the bandaids off I had put on for possible blister protection and moving them up to the nips and then trying to get the socks and fivefingers back on without pulling too much dirt back in.

Thursday/today: Lowest yet.  Supposed to be 10 miles with some speed work, but blah.  I barely made it 4 and a LOT of it was walking, it was at over an hour out there.  Remembered the nipple band aids today, but something was still rubbing too much on one side.  Tried some huaraches from Xero shoes.  Definitely a lot better than flip-flops, but I still had the same flip-flop problems with picking up rocks and rubbing the skin off between my first two toes where the strap goes.  Did it one better by even getting some dirt in one of the blisters there.  Cleaned out once home.

So yeah, part of the issues are new things, but a lot of this is also due to heat/humidity I believe.  I never had as much rubbing in my Fivefingers or this soon on the nips before.  The barefoot running is the best cause it only rubs if I screw up my form, but I need to work up to my double digit numbers.  I like the huaraches, but I don't think I'll be wearing them for running.

So.  I think my plan of attack is:
Friday: rest/walk day.

Saturday: hopefully get the OK to get out early in the morning, glide/bandaid the nips, back to the best known dirt road/rock config of Fivefingers and socks and adding glide and likely some tape/band aids as well.  Hopefully that will cover the aches and pains and then I just have to get this body acclimated to this humidity(or it will just drop on it's own anyway)!  Cause this week has felt like the weeks after I gave blood, just like there's not enough energy in the body to keep things moving!

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