Day 92 (1/31): 3 miles / 27:48

Well, I suppose not every day can be perfect...

Let's get the first part out of the way - I am in no way disappointed with my time.  In fact, considering everything else I had to deal with, my time is the one thing I'm super excited about.  I set out for an easy run and felt like I didn't push myself too hard at all.  To feel that good after 3 miles at a 9:16 pace says a lot about how far I've come.

Now for the bad news... About 24 hours after finishing my long run on Sunday, I felt a strange pain on the outside of my left foot.  It seemed to only be noticeable when I stood or walked on my heel... if I lifted my heel and didn't put any pressure on it, I was able to move my foot in all directions and feel no pain at all.  While certainly nervous about it, I wasn't rushing to the nearest ER for an x-ray.  At the same time, I appear to have done a number on my right shin... clearly not enough stretching after my long run.  It seems to me this discomfort may stick around for a day or so... that'll teach me.  Thank goodness it was a rest day. 

Unfortunately, today was not a rest day.  Tuesday is a short run day for me and I really didn't want to skip it... partly because I really want to stay on track with my training and partly because it was yet another unseasonably warm January day in Cleveland and I was hell bent on getting some fresh air.  Sadly, from my first few steps it was clear that this foot pain was not going away.  I had 2 options - call it a day, turn around and head home or stick it out and see if I could somehow make it work.  I'm not necessarily a fan of making drastic changes when it comes to running style, but if ever there was a time to give it a try, today was that day.  As soon as I knew the pain was sticking around for the long haul, I decided to give this whole 'running on your toes' thing a try.  There's some crazy research out there that suggests landing heel first when you run can lead to injury and, while it's never been a problem for me in the past, I couldn't deny the fact that every time my heel hit the ground, there was a sharp pain shooting through my foot... and there was no part of me that enjoyed it.  I decided to give 'running on my toes' a try for 1 mile to see how I felt and, if I didn't think I could do it, I'd call it a day and figure out where to go from there. 

Surprisingly, my first mile felt okay.  There was no question that, if my heel didn't strike the ground, I didn't feel any pain.  The change in my running style was definitely a strange feeling and I can't say I'd enjoy running like that every day, but I was glad that I was still able to get in my full 3 miles and not feel I was causing myself more problems by doing so.  I definitely felt like I worked out completely different muscles than I normally do, which may be a good thing in general, but still, my hope is that this is a temporary fix until I figure out what kind of injury I'm dealing with here.

Now, for the really strange part.  On Monday I'd worn flats to work, which I was glad for once the foot pain made its appearance.  But, with the need to keep the pressure off my heel, I realized I needed a game plan for work on Wednesday.  Oddly enough, in trying on heels, I find that my feet are totally comfortable and pain free.  I find this odd because, even in high heels, there is weight on my heel... maybe not as much, but definitely some.  To me, this suggests that weight on my heel is not necessarily the problem... any insight on this issue would be greatly appreciated as I do not believe that running the marathon in heels will be an option...