Runners Feet without the running

To the untrained eye the picture above may look like a fairly normal pair of feet.

It has however, just occurred to me as I was painting my nails (what do you think of the shade..) that for the first time in months I have a fully grown big toenail on both feet. Hooray!

Now this is both a happy and sad occasion. Happy because I am now not totally embarrassed by my trotters, I was forced to avoid the peeptoe trend of summer footwear, but sad because having fully grown nails, signifies one thing.

I am not running enough.

Nail loss seems to be a guarantee for me when I am completing long distance runs, it doesn't seem to matter what type of trainers I wear.

My first nail was lost during training for my first half marathon in 2006 and it is always the same nail that falls off. Big toe, left foot, if you really want to know.

Of course a toe without a nail isn’t aesthetically pleasing, my friends frequently remind me how gross my feet are when I am without said nail.

I have to agree with them, but then I have to admit that there is a certain sense of achievement that comes with losing a nail. It is like my own personal pedometer letting me know that I have been clocking up the miles.

And yes, I know I have ridiculously small little toes. I can't help it.

New Year; New Pain in the ITB

New Year new me and all that jazz, but most importantly back to training and to training hard.

After a rather overindulgent festive period, which my body paid the price for, I am going to try having a dry January and getting back to peak physical condition. But as we all know that is easier said than done.

Training before Christmas was problematic, cold and icy weather meant training outside was less than desirable, but the main problem I was experiencing was with my right knee.

From having the same injury before I suspected that the pain was caused by my ITB, which is the Iliotibial Band a ligament, which runs from the pelvis to below the knee. Long distance running can cause inflammation of the ITB, which then rubs on the femur (thigh bone) causing pain on the outer side of the knee.

The problem with ITB syndrome, as it is commonly known, is that if not properly treated it will reoccur almost 1-2 km into a run. So it is essential that it is treated prior to recommencing training. The easiest home method is to perform an ITB stretch on a foam roller, so I have been stretching out the ligament almost daily.

With Christmas and New Year providing the perfect opportunity to rest up I enjoyed myself without worrying about slipping behind in my training. I went to see my doctor and was given an ibuprofen gel, which I have been applying daily, so far so good.

Part self pampering and part medicinal I decided a fully body massage, with special attention to my legs, would be a good idea to try and really give me knee TLC prior to training again.

The high levels of snow that we have seen in Manchester which has brought the region to a halt, has given me another reason to shirk training but today I put on my wellies and managed to negotiate the snow successfully to get to the gym.

Long distance running on a treadmill is quite possibly the most boring activity, particularly when the gym is almost empty and people watching opportunities non-existent.
Luckily, not wanting to overdo it I managed 5 miles in 44 minutes comfortably and without pain from my knee. Hooray.

A small step for me getting back into training, but a great moral boost for the coming months.

Its only early days but I plan to increase my distance back up again slowly and I will be foam rollering and stretching excessively to try and keep the ITB syndrome at bay.