Turning Up the Heat

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I can't believe I'm saying this, but as I type we have the heat cranked in our house. It's May and it's San Diego. What the heck is happening?

I thought it was just me. Yesterday morning I shivered through yoga, where I overheard others complaining that the indoor climate matched the sudden plummet in outdoor temps. Then this morning I ran through Santaluz under very low cloud cover and unusually stiff winds. I came home, got back into bed with a hot cup of chai but couldn't shake the chills (no pun intended).

Moving On
So near the end of today's run I saw a barefoot runner heading down a steep hill as I was chugging up it. I actually was moving faster than he was, despite his gravitational advantage. Then I noticed he was carrying sandals similar to the ones of the Tarahumara in Born to Run. It reminded me of a conversation I had with another nascent barefoot runner. He found it very difficult to actually run downhill because of the stress placed on his forefeet. Anyone else experience this and have suggestions?

By the way, I'm now three weeks away from fulfilling my first running goal of the year. I'm going to return to my club's Tuesday evening track practices when they move to Balboa Park June 8. This is a big deal for me because it was almost three years ago that I pulled out of a workout due to severe pain in my achilles and never returned. I vowed to be healthy by the time I did rejoin the group, and I am. I also wanted to weigh less by then, and I do. I would like to pick up where I left off pacewise, but if this morning's run is any indication, I won't.

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