Week 12 begins...

This is a photo from my final run of week 11. It was a 50 minute run not far from where I work. Week 11 dragged on a little bit, partly due to poor weather, partly due to a sore collection of chill blains on my toes, and partly because life just got in the way. So it's now Tuesday on what should be week 12, but I'm still calling that on-track.

Running for 50 minutes is quite the landmark for me. It was definitely type 2 fun - the kind where you enjoy the activity once it's over. It was tiring, though not painful. I didn't get any shin splints or calf pain, so that's a definite plus. I did get some uncomfortable tingling in my right toes though, so I'll have to investigate the cause. It's happened before on a long run. The first time I just thought my shoe was too tight. Don't think that was the cause today though. According to some quick internet research this is quite a common phenomenon. Some possible causes are:

• poorly fitting shoes - feet swell during exercise due to increased blood flow
• Morton’s Neuroma - nerve compression resulting in scar tissue formation
• Laces too tight - particularly if you have high arches
• Naturally poor circulation
• Compartment syndrome - muscles swell and nerves are compressed

Well I have naturally terrible circulation. I might investigate alternative ways to lace my shoes and see if that helps.

At the end of week 11 I ran just short of 8km. Pretty happy with that. What's even more astounding though is that it's now the final week of this training plan. I had serious doubts about whether I'd get this far. Three more runs to go. Will the 3rd be a 10k?