6 Mile "Test Run"

After two weeks without any running today I went back out on the W&OD Trail to see how my foot would hold up to a few miles.  Following advice I'd read in some runner's forums, I loosened up my laces considerably to avoid putting too much pressure on the tendons on top of my foot.  Surprisingly my shoes did not slide around and rub against my foot the way I feared they would.  In fact I really enjoyed the way the loose-fitting shoes felt as I ran and wondered how I ever had run with them laced tightly!

The run itself was good, although I could feel the effects of having taken two weeks off.  Even though I was doing cross-training (mostly recumbent stationary bicycle) my legs felt weak at the start.  I ran slowly to start since I really wanted to listen to my body for any complaints.  After a few miles I couldn't feel any twinges or pains so I picked up the pace a little more each mile and set my sites on a 6 mile run.  By the last mile (thankfully mostly downhill) I was feeling pretty good.  Knock on wood... I feel like I'm back. :)

I iced my foot afterward as a precaution.

On another note, today was my first run with my new, replacement Garmin Forerunner 310xt.  I'd returned my Forerunner 405cx over a week ago after considerable negotiations with Garmin's support group.  Ultimately I found that they dealt fairly with me (after I applied some pressure) and I'm happy with the result.  The 310xt has a slightly larger body which is not as comfortable as the 405cx, but (1) the display is much easier to read, (2) it has vibrate alerts which I love, and (3) the controls are old-fashioned buttons which work no matter how sweaty the device gets!!!

So in summary, success on two fronts today.  I'm back to my training and I have a new tool that I'm happy with.  It's a good day.