A Perfect Fit

Today is a rest day. Time for my muscles to rest a recover from the run workouts I've done this week. I rolled my ankle the other morning, and I've got some swelling on the outside of my ankle. It's gone down considerably with Espsom soaks and ibuprofen, and it doesn't really hurt. I'll take it easy on cross training tomorrow to make sure it's rested enough for my long run on Sunday. I've been examining my footfalls when I run, and I have suspected for awhile that my pronation was getting worse. It really seems like my foot hits the pavement almost on the side of my foot instead of the bottom of my foot. I think it's the reason I rolled my ankle. I really am interested in getting some Vibram 5 fingers to help correct the problem. These are supposed to be close to running barefoot, and help strenghten the foot muscles to correct the pronation. I'm going to wait to give these a try in the off season when I'm just doing recovery running and not trying to build up base miles for a marathon. The Captain has expressed an interest in them for himself for Triathlon training, so maybe he'll be the brave one of the family to give them a shot first. Although, as I have learned, just because something works in training for one person, doesn't mean it will necessarily work for another. I wouldn't expect everyone who runs to like wearing a headlamp, Garmin, Ipod shuffle, a hat, double layer Wright socks, dry fit shirt, Saucony shoes, blousy shorts and a fuel belt. That's my gear, and what I find useful for me. So even if the Captain likes his Vibrams I may not. He is a big proponent of low heartrate training, so I tried it. And hated every minute of it. And over time I have learned little tips here and there from him, some I loved and some I didn't. What it's helped me remember is to always be an indivdual, my own athlete and true to myself. I don't need to copycat someone else to enjoy my sport. I just need to find what works for me.