Friday, August 26, 2011

Tennis and Logan's Run

At the end of July, I got out on the court for a hit with my post-doctoral colleague aus Deutschland and two talented undergraduate chemists. My racquet didn't get any use since then as I injured my foot running barefoot (and only recently have started running again). On the sweltering day that the four of us played, Jimmy and I were victors.

From Tennis at Notre Dame

In early August, having been subject to the training program I administered, Emily ran a personal best time in the 5 km race, the Logan's Run, on the Notre Dame campus. Go Emily!

From Aug 25, 2011

I expect that Emily is ready now for the multi-day hiking expedition that we have planned in the Rockies early next month. And now that I have (another) replacement camera, I will be able to show you how it goes!

2 comments:

Scarykrill said...

Why were you running barefoot? Despite what many so called specialists say, barefoot running is horrible for the body.

Alcifer said...

I'll go in to a bit of detail, Phill, because I figure that a fellow long-distance runner may be interested.

I had bad blisters on my heels from running. (I get relief by using zinc oxide tape but it hadn't arrived at that point.) To alleviate the blisters, and in accord with the recommendations that so many websites make, I started running 2 or 3 miles at a time in bare feet. It was tough initially on the soles of my feet. They were starting to harden up. I was also working my calves a lot more because of the way fore-foot striking changes one's gait. However, after a few mornings running barefoot I sustained a catastrophic injury: heaps of pain in the top of my left foot. I could bear no weight on that foot. It's clear now that I sustained stress fractures in my second metatarsal. I was unable to run for six weeks. Now, I am just easing back in to it but very wary of aggravating that injury. (It still gets a bit sore and the callus is still large.)