My first chip&seal walk and other things

"Week 6," or for me, Week 8, was a wrap on Thursday. I can't say that my last two runs of the week were my most wonderful or transcendent, but they were still delightful. My body still dislikes running after the sun comes up, but I keep making it.

I do wonder when my heart rate will finally stop rocketing to the 180's, but at least it doesn't go over 200 much anymore. At this point I just say I have a hummingbird heart. My breathing is calm and controlled, I no longer wheeze for air, and I don't have a chest burster sensation anymore either. So something is okay.

I went for a lovely walk last night, left my sandals at home which was a bit of a mistake, but oh well. It was my first walk for any major distance on both well driven and old worn chip&seal, and it was a learning experience. I walked to my usual track on concrete sidewalks, walked the dirt track for a short while, then cut across the grass and the road to the worn stretch. I walked that stretch with care and deliberation, and made it off well enough. I even lightly tested the tire track that kicked my butt so hard on my first test run. It was nowhere as bad as it used to be, though I still don't like it as well as other surfaces.

My intention was to walk much further than I did, but I listened to my feet and made the unsatisfying decision to go home. It was getting quite dark, I didn't have any reflective gear on, my sandals were at home, and my gut was grumbling. It was the right choice.

I found that, after walking the very rough section, the frequently driven chip&seal felt quite smooth and pleasant. For some reason, this surprised me quite a bit. I will say, though, that it was definitely enough to finally wear through my big healed blister skin under my left 4th MT head. That hide has held out very well, and I'm only a little sad to see it go.

By analyzing the wear on my feet, I know they interact with the ground differently. I have some significant wear on my left big toe and along the mediodistal aspect of my left anterior sole. While there was that big blister under my left 4th MT head, it healed and held better and the skin took less wear than it's corresponding location on the right, where the blisters had long since broke open and worn smooth.

I also note that the big toe spots that are so worn on the left are not nearly as worn on the right, and instead I seem to distribute the load better throughout the foot pad. Still working out the biomechanics for myself on the why's and wherefores.

One thing I do know is that my hip extensors on the left are tighter, and I have noticed that my ankle on the left "flips" my foot around laterally a bit more than on the right. I also used to catch that toe in shoes, and once in a while drag the tip of my left sandal. Or flip flop. Maybe releasing the extensors on the left will ease the imbalance.

Another possibility could be a subluxation somewhere in the kinetic chain, or even in my spine, that's causing the imbalance. It seems like things like that, bodily dysfunctions that I usually ignore (and shouldn't) are brought to light by my humble little feet.
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