THE CULPRIT AND UTMB

CULPRIT

I had been nursing a tender left plantar - the part or spot below the forefoot. It is something not necessarily painful or debilitating as I still could run but it was annoying to say the least. I had not experienced this before, during or even right after GNW100. Even when I paced my 2 runners during the QCIMarathon, there was none. The soreness became apparent while running Milo Finals up until Fat Ass although it did not prevent me from racking up more than 110K of weekly distance of training.

Realizing that there must be a cause for every effect, the extended rest after Fat Ass gave me a lot of time to think. One of my theories was that it could be the sudden shift from trail running (GNW100) to road (QCIM and MILO). Another hypothesis that crossed my mind was my new shoes - Saucony  Grid Type A4 - a minimalist pair of shoes. It is even minimalist than my Adidas Rockets. Really thin and light but not the same as VFF. But then again, I have had no problem with minimalism for more than 3 years now. Last theory was overuse or the lack of adequate recuperation after GNW100 aggravated by 2 consecutive marathons thereafter.

With the looming BDM160K next month, I could not afford my foot condition (my right foot was starting to be sore as well) like this and to let my training lag behind unnecessarily.

A few days ago, I laced up my Saucony without socks as usual. Due to the extended rest, the pair felt different while running. The proprioception was more apparent than they used to. It was this time I realized or discovered the "culprit". The culprit is the garter stitched inside on both sides of the forefoot. The garters craddle the feet for better fit. Unfortunately, the structure of the insoles is another issue for me. I discovered that while running, the garters sort of pull the insoles up and rub and poke my plantar. Hence the soreness or tenderness. So what I did was to tinker with my shoes again by cutting and removing all the garters and taking out  and cutting the insoles to remove the hotspots. Voila! Now, I am back at my training at 100%.

Perhaps, the next time anyone of you my fellow runners is experiencing an unsual pain or soreness, the answer may lie inside your shoes :)

NOTE: This is not to miscontrue my post. I still love Saucony Grid Type A4 and think they are one of the great minimalist shoes around to hit the market today. 

UTMB

In my inbox is a message written in red letters and in several languages only one of which I can understand - English:

"Greetings Jonnifer LACANLALE,

You have already pre-registered for the race utmb.
The draw has taken place and we have the pleasure of confirming your registration for the race utmb.
You must finalise your registration as from 21/01/2011 and before 30/01/2011."

It seems we have made it to UTMB! If you click this and type in "Philippines" in the field "country" then click "search", you will get the names of other Pinoys who made it as well.

Do you know any Filipno who has successfuly finished UTMB? Please let us know.

Cheers,

Jon (excited for BDM160k and 102K also)