This has definately been the worst week since I started training for the marathon.  With the excrutiating pain I felt in my foot, I took the rest of the week off from running.  I even skipped out of my upper body workout on Friday for no other reason than I didn’t feel like it.

 It was with a hopeful feeling that I woke up this morning for my 8 mile run.  I managed to naturally wake up at 5:50 am.  Knowing this would be a fabulous time to go out and run, I struggled to convince myself to get out of bed.  By 6:15, I had managed to roll out.  I was out of the house at 6:30.  My Garmin picked up the satellites and I was off and walking my 1 mile warmup.

My warmup walk is rather uneventful.  I can feel some soreness in my left foot still, but nothing I’d consider painful.  I hit 1 mile, reset my Garmin and start jogging.  The sun isn’t yet up, but it’s rising quickly and the temperature actually feels cool.  It’s a dramatic change from last week’s steamer.  I jog slightly downhill, keeping track of my pace.  I’m conscious of not starting too quickly as I did last week.  I comfortably pass the 1 mile mark in 10:20.

Seeing that I’m below my target pace, I allow myself to speed up a little.  I cross a bridge and I’ve reached a popular jogging area.  There are many walkers, cyclists and other runners.  I’m running toward Tampa Bay and the sun is rising over the water.  It’s a serene and tranquil scene.  I’ve reached a pretty good rhythm and I’m passing the walkers.  Never a believer in passing anyone slowly, I tend to speed up when I pass the walkers and I have to constantly remind myself to slow down.  I also tend to speed up when other runners are running toward me.  I guess subconsciously I feel more ”studly” that way.

So far, the temperature is great.  I pass the 2 mile mark and I’m cruising along comfortably.  Though it’s not as necessary today as it was last week, I have planned a stop at a drinking fountain.  I reach it at the 2.75 mile mark and stop for a quick drink.  I immediately start jogging again.  I’m on a path in a park and running right along the water’s edge.  The early morning breeze is cool and I set my sites on reaching the 5 mile mark before taking a walk break.

I pass the 3 mile mark, round a corner and I’m back on the sidewalk, heading toward the bridge.  Again, I have to constantly remind myself to slow down.  By the time I reach the bridge, I’ve already taken back all the time I lost at the drinking fountain.  I pass the 4 mile mark in 39:55.  I’m starting to feel a little tired, but I’m confident I can make the 5 mile mark.  I’m now in a neighborhood with old, large trees.  The sun is still low in the sky and the air is cool.

I reach the 5 mile mark and slow to a walk.  Within a few steps, the pain in my foot is back.  I’m starting to question to wisdom of stopping to walk when I wasn’t feeling any pain in my foot at all while running.  I gut out a quarter mile walk and then start jogging again.  I can feel pressure in my foot, but it’s not painful.  I reach the 6 mile mark in just over 61 minutes and start walking.  The pain is back.

I walk another quarter mile, clenching my fist in pain at times.  I start running again and the pain dissapates.  I’m running over cobblestones now, which isn’t helping with the foot problem.  My feet are landing at weird angles and this seems to further stress my foot.  I reach the 7 mile mark in 1 hour, 12 minutes.  I feel absolutely fantastic, other than the fact that my left foot is killing me.  After walking another quarter mile, I start running again.  My pace is pretty fast and I cross the 8 mile mark in 1:23:13.

 Planned workout

1 mile warmup

8 miles at 10:02 pace

1 mile cooldown

Actual workout

1 mile warmup

8 miles at 10:24 pace

1.1 mile cool down

The mile cooldown really sucked.  Walking with my foot feeling like that was very painful.  I did finally make it home, though.  I stretched, took and ice bath, ate some breakfast then napped for about an hour.

8 weeks down, 21 to go.