Good Day Sasquatches,
I've finally been able to start logging some more miles again. I needed to rest for a couple of weeks after Grandma's Marathon and having done 2 marathons in a month it was going to be a longer recovery time. I did some ultrasounds and therapy sessions on my right ankle. Apparently my right leg is shorter than my left leg and my right ankle had felt a heavy impact on trying to keep up with the left leg during the past 18 weeks of training. I know this sounds very funny, but this is more common in people than one thinks. I had gone to a Chiropractor Clinic in Minneapolis, MN, LynLake Chiropractic, and saw Dr. Jill, Dr. Abe and Dr. Kevin. Dr. Jill took a look at my ankle as I was lying on the adjustment table; she knew right away that my right leg was shorter than the left. This is the first time that someone has shared the fantastic news with me!
Let me explain when I say injury, this is not something that’s put me on the couch and I cannot run. I was able to run both Fargo and Grandma’s with the soreness in my right ankle. It was very important for me to run on the top part of the feet otherwise the injury/soreness was not going to go away. They wrapped my ankle in some tape and the tape helped support the ankle and keep it up right. The tape actually lasted through the runs. I’ve now graduated off from the tape and therapy sessions and should be able to start logging some miles back in. I will need to still take it easy and probably can’t start doing the 50 mile weeks which I’d like to. Now back to running on the top part of my feet; if I don’t run on the ball of my foot and or run flat footed or heel strike this injury will stay with me and/or get worse. Hence, this also comes back to the idea of running nearly barefoot in the VFF’s and they force you to run on the ball of your foot and push your natural stride forward. "By taking off your shoes, you give your body a chance to reuse some amazingly useful, built-in systems that help you move in a way that need not be jarring nor pounding regardless of the hardness of the terrain, a way of movement that more effectively captures and re-releases stored energy through elasticity in our bodies: the splaying of our forefoot, the arch in our foot, tendons in the lower legs, calves and quads, and form, all positioned ideally to absorb and recoil the energy of movement, smoothly and efficiently, operating in real-time, on the move, a kind of primordial physical intelligence, a birthright of Homo sapiens. This built in recoil system puts to shame the claims of the marshmallow soft, spring loaded shoes that capture the imagination of so many. " Barefoot Ted
I’m hopeful for a nice week of running and then back on the training schedule for a mid September marathon.
If you live in the Minneapolis, MN, area and are either injured or are in need of a chiropractor, I strongly encourage you to go in and see the folks at LynLake Chiropractic. Dr. Kevin and Dr. Jill are both runners and will be able to determine your injuries and what you’ll need for recovery quickly. http://www.lynlakechiropractic.com/
