learning the hard way, times 2.

after several years of running, i should definitely know that shoes need to be retired after x# of miles (300-500). knowing my favorite trail shoes (montrail hardrocks!) were nearing the end, i bought another pair last fall, using the old ones as a back up pair. well, this pair made it into my suitcase for my orlando trip this past weekend, as the main ones were still muddy from my last race. friday i woke up to a fabulous cool spring morning, the kind where you can easily get warmed up to run in just a singlet & shorts and not overheat. i felt surprisingly good, not having run on road for any extended time since the half marathon in thanksgiving day. 8 miles flew by, my legs not even near tired yet.

all is good.... right? wrong. that night i started to get the familiar shooting pain around my right ankle, one that dr. julien described as my peroneal tendon being pushed over my ankle bone and getting pinched... due most likely to improper shoe fit... like, from shoes that should be retired. (my previous bout with this was when i had 2 different pairs of trail shoes that i alternated between, with one providing much less support & stability than my gait required.)

i left these shoes down in florida and will be washing the mud from the newer pair this week.

PS. another lesson learned this weekend: the florida sun is killer and will bake your body quicker than you think. even after i applied sunscreen (albeit a bit late), i came back with an unnatural pink glow.