Enthusiasm comes with a price yet again.
March 13, 2007 – 7:48 pm
Yesterday’s 25-minute run was not kind to my soleus muscles. In an attempt to train myself to use a less jarring and more efficient running motion, I was focusing on a ball-heel strike rather than the heel-ball strike to which I’ve become accustomed.
The ball-heel strike takes advantage of the foot’s own shock-absorbing anatomy instead of relying on the thick heel padding of the running shoe. It’s the strike that people naturally use when running barefoot — you can’t really tolerate slamming your heel into the ground repeatedly unless you’re wearing running shoes.
This kind of thing warrants baby steps. After leaving the final hill of James Madison Park behind, I was feeling so good that I decided to just keep running until I reached Ingersoll before turning around. I should have taken the new foot strike in small doses…maybe just 5 minutes here and there.
Today it’s a chore to walk. Every step is calculated, slow…I lumber along with the lazy stride of a tall man who is in no hurry whatsoever. That part isn’t half bad, actually. When I took a second to reflect, I realized that I had no reason to rush myself any faster than my complaining calves would allow. I’m just dreading finding out how much pain awaits me tomorrow.