Update

It has now been 30 days since I last experienced the joy of running...although there wasn't much joy happening during that last 12 miler some 30 days ago. During the last mile, I felt all kinds of things pulling and possibly tearing all through the inside of my right foot. Since I've covered that in depth on this blog, I won't rehash it now.

What I will rehash is the cross-training I've been doing lately.

[*crickets*]

Alright...so I haven't done as much as I had planned. Early last week, I aggravated my foot while walking across a sloped field (while getting photos and info for my article), which caused a lot of pain the remainder of last week – especially around and in front of my ankle. I decided to err on the side of caution and refrain from any cardio work that would involve flexing my feet.

I did manage to continue my once-a-week circuit workout, and managed to set a new PR of 266 total reps (surpassing last week's PR of 251), so my strength is returning even if my aerobic fitness is suffering. However, I squeezed in a one hour stint on my bike last evening on the indoor trainer. Not a big fan of the trainer, but with the recent weather (and as much of a bike wimp as I am), it was a good compromise.

I've committed to volunteering at the Baker Lake 50k (which I was planning on running) on 10/2. Hopefully it won't involve too much walking. I imagine it'll be difficult to watch everyone (including several friends) running it. But it'll also be fun to help out and cheer them on.

So at the halfway point of my self-imposed running exile, I'd have to guess that I may have an even longer layoff than anticipated, based on how the foot currently feels. I hate to think this way, but honestly I'll be thrilled if I run again this year. If I do, it'll be short and slow.