Do you have metatarsalagia?

Sounds to me a bit like “nostalgia” right? Well, not quite. If nostalgia resides most often, when diagnosed, inside one’s head, “metatarsolagia” reside at the opposite end of the body, namely right next to the toes… At the end of last winter, I began to feel that “pebble-in-the-shoe” sensation or rather a lingering forefoot or toe pain, couldn’t spot any inflammation in the area and has been suffering almost every day since, until it was time for my annual check up early this week. 

Besides measuring now 1.5” less now than during my “peak period”, I explained my foot pain to our doctor. He said that it could on only be metatarsalgia, a condition that causes pain and inflammation in the ball of one’s foot, specifically around the metatarsal bones—the long bones just behind your toes.

This isn’t a disease, but just a symptom from excess pressure on the forefoot. It usually is quite common in runners, people who wear tight or unsupportive shoes, or those with foot deformities like hammertoes or high arches. 

It’s also, as my doctor knows, a recurrent problem with skiers that cram their feet in ski boots too narrow and which in turn promote that condition. In my case I suspect 2 pairs of Nike excessively narrow in the toe box area that I wore for one year or 2,000 miles. I tested that assumption on a new pair of running shoes with a much wider toe-box, and it seems to be right. 

Again, as we saw earlier the symptoms are a sharp, aching, or burning pain in the second and third toe and not so much in the ball of the foot. That pain worsened with walking, running, or standing, especially barefoot on hard surfaces (I use a stand-up desk) creating tingling, pain or numbness in the toes, sometimes feeling as if we had stepped on a pebble. 

Now, I finally understand...

From running to walking...

For decades we’ve been dedicated runners and it’s only a few years ago that we slowed down and switched from running into walking.

I had a tough time climbing up a steep hill on our regular course and my wife was concerned about her knees.

Today, our running isn’t just leisurely ambling around, but walking fairly fast. Researchers tell us that a 160-pound person, walking at a brisk, 3.5-mph pace for 30 minutes will burn about 156 calories. On the other hand, running at a 6-mph pace for that same 30 minutes will burn more than double the calories (about 356).

Another way to look at it, is that it will take a bit more than twice the time to accomplish the same amount of exercise and burn as many calories.

The main difference is that running is less efficient and more strenuous than simply walking, so it burns more calories per minute.

The good news is that we now have much more time available to us and can comfortably afford to walk our 6 miles a day (10 km) instead of running!

Meet Relive...

My son recently introduced to Relive, a Dutch startup that uses data to turn outdoor activities into 3D animated videos. It takes data garnered from Strava, another activity app, and creates 3D animated videos.

The app has already been used by professional cyclists and, as of May, the startup is said to have seen half a million users sign up, that are apparently creating 100,000 videos daily.

What I like about it is that it goes beyond statistics, health and performance-based metrics by focusing on the fun aspect of the outdoor experience.

While it's only available for cycling and running at the moment, I can't wait until I can use it for skiing too!
 

Morning tracks...

Another morning and another thin layer of snow. Just half and inch thick, but the right depth to encourage all kinds of creatures to get out in the wee hours of the morning.

From rabbits, to raccoons and deer, everyone was out, plus me of course, running on a thin, shock-absorbing, white carpet. Pretty cool scene. I feel so lucky to be able to still do it...

Choppy run in the big city

In recent months, I've become both a much lighter and somewhat weaker runner and I now realize that running in the streets of Washington, DC, isn't pure pleasure, as I must stop at traffic lights, wait for my turn, and get a very choppy run for my money.

The older I get, I like things that run smoothly, so stop and go traffic isn't for me anymore. I certainly enjoy running around the White House or the Mall, but it takes lots of traffic lights and much patience to get there.

This said, I can handle it. These days, urban running is just but a few weeks each year!

Saving on running shoes?

We see something new every day. Today, as I was wrapping up my morning run, I ran into a young man, running barefoot. I had never seen this before.

He was on the asphalt road as I was, and while I had seen people running with finger-shoes, that are already close to wearing nothing, this athletic looking runner was in direct skin-to-road contact.

I know that barefoot running is part of a wide movement called "natural running" inspired by the Tarahuma folks in Mexico, and that it became fashionable in the last decades, but it's not quite for me. I still like to first have the “rubber meet the road”!

Reducing the dose...

Running is good for a lot of things, but probably not on the joints. So far, I've been lucky with my ankles, knees and hips, but I can't tell how long my body will be able to take that much pounding. As a result, I've decided to err on the side of prudence, save my aging body by reducing the dosage.

How much? Just a tiny bit, twenty percent or so. Will my running life be extended in the same proportion? Perhaps, but since I don't know my own longevity as a runner, what do I care? My running time will just be a tiny bit shorter, at least for the moment!

Back into sound running

This morning marked my return to good serious running in my hometown where I went on to climb the steep road that leads to Avoriaz the lower tram station.

At first, I thought I'd just cover the easiest 3 plus miles round trip and avoid ascending the last leg of the course, but somehow, I kept on running and just did it. It was fun, almost effortless and super-gratifying!

When running problems become riding pleasures

This summer hasn't been kind to my running: Shin-splint, muscle tears and now tendinitis on my left Achilles! This unpleasant situation has forced me to literally “shift gears” and ride my mountain-bike instead of running.

This is no punishment at all as I fully appreciate my early morning ride, when the sun is rising and nature is at its best. I'm so lucky to love mountain-biking as much as I love running!

Compression sleeve vs. KT tapes

A few days ago, I was making a pretty strong statement about how good KT tapes were to wounded muscles and tendons.

Since that time, I've spoken to my son who, as a runner, is suffering – just like me - from chronic calf muscle tears. He recommended that I use compression sleeves instead of tapes and I followed his advice.

Very, very hard to put on, but just great, and none of the trickery involved with applying the tape in mysterious ways around the ailing flesh. The sleeve seems foolproof and a dummy like me can use it without getting it all wrong.

 

So far works as well as the magical tapes and it shows that despite my age, I too can stay flexible and change my mind!

Back running?

Miracle! I'm back running after a 28 day hiatus, and trying to substitute it with mountain-biking instead, but there's nothing like running and nothing can really replace that basic sport. I was quite apprehensive at first, but now feel okay after my second day.

I used these magical – or so I think – KT tapes and am surprised that they could hold me so well. Is that science, magic or just wishful thinking? I don't know, but its use, ordered by my good family doctor, coincided with my return running, so I take that!

Sweet healing?

Running comes from its supply of pesky injuries. For a while, I suffered from repeated torn calf-muscles and that was a major impediment, requiring a long time without running. Since July 1, I've got a shin-splints, also known as medial tibial stress syndrome (MTSS), a common injury that affects runners.

It manifests itself as a pain in the lower part of the leg between the knee and the ankle. It is apparently caused by repeated trauma to the connective muscle tissue surrounding the tibia and can only be treated by rest until it gets better. What I have discover however is that I can ride my mountain bike instead of running, which makes my healing and my recovery super fun.

Will it work? We'll see!

Adventure in Running

Every time we visit a new place or stop on the road, I always make a point to run there. It never fails to be an adventure, to surprise us and provide an opportunity to discover what tourists and occasional visitors will never imagine.

I always check Google maps before we go, search for a nice itinerary and even if we must drive 10 miles to get there, we run in the spot we've picked. The settings are never quite what I would have imagined and each new venue never fails to leave a permanent mark in our memories.

A wonderful habit to nurture!

How we stay in shape for skiing...

Since skiing is so central to my life, the last thing I need is be out of shape when the ski season arrives. . For a while and very early on, I was a ski instructor and this wonderful sport was everything for me, so I guess that because of my occupation and my youth, I didn't need to worry about staying in shape.

Then, I joined the corporate world and between long office hours and endless travel all around the world, I quickly began to feel out of shape, not just when I got a chance to ski, but most of the rest of the time. This is how, more than 35 years ago, I decided to take on running and I've been doing it ever since. At least 5 days a week, all year long, rain, snow or shine!

As of today, I've almost ran 30,000 miles and continue to be an avid runner; in fact, I must confess that now, road-running has grown to becoming my number-one sport because it is the pillar of my year-long, daily routine. Beside running and when there's no skiing, I also have taken mountain biking which has become my other major summer and fall activity.

 I seriously began riding 8 years ago and this past season, I logged almost 70 days on the Park City trails! I love this sport too, and because it has so much in common with skiing, it has become my favorite counter-seasonal activity!

We used to hike more into the mountains before our mountain bikes came on the scene, but now, this other outdoor activity has taken a back-seat to bike riding. That remains true today, but we may return to doing more hiking when mountain biking becomes less friendly to our aging bodies, so things may evolve in that field and pretty soon, we may return to hiking...

Then there's just plain walking; that's right, walking around the block in our Park Meadows neighborhood. Sometimes, we even walk to Old Town Park City and depending on our mood walk the whole round-trip back home or return with the bus. My wife and I love it too and in a year, we walk about half the distance we cover running.

Should I mention that when possible, we always avoid elevators and chose the stairs instead, and we are still performing all of our household chores ourselves including cleaning around the house, clearing the snow and tending our grounds. Finally, we eat good and healthy foods, drink with moderation, don't smoke and get a full-night sleep.

So, all in all, there is never a dull moment in our active life and this harmoniously balanced lifestyle is probably what keeps us in to shape when the new ski season begins!

Virginia, here we come!

We began our day quite early, well before our longest drive of the entire trip, and ran around the block where we stayed the night before to discover all the live Nashville entertainment we just missed that evening. An reason excellent to return to that town, I guess.

The drive that followed, between Tennessee and Virginia was nonetheless a pleasant experience.

Not quite a surprise though; I was expecting to see the rolling scenery that followed us from Nashville all the way to Roanoke. Smoky and Blue Ridge Mountains, singing to our ears “take me home country roads” or something of the sort. We've almost reached our destination!

Reflecting on the elections...

Last night, we watched the final throws of the 2012 election and remained glued to our TV screen through Romney's concession and Obama's acceptance speeches, and were gratified to see that the least worst candidate won.

Frankly, I was glad that Romney didn't accomplished what he was convinced he would. First, I thought he wasn't as good as Obama and second, I couldn't believe that Utah had put 75% of its vote behind the Mormon candidate, which makes me think that the Mormon Church must have mandated that all of its flock to vote for their now famous member, and also suggests that it must also have funneled millions of dollars through the new, anonymous, 501c election financing rule, to make sure that their obscure and absurd belief would go “national.” 

This said, today began with a run through the streets of that small town of 5,600, crossing the fable Route 66, and after another skimpy breakfast we were off on a quick and easy six hour drive between Tucumcari, New Mexico and Oklahoma City, with a quick coffee stop in Amarillo, Texas.

Nothing really scenic except for maybe a thousand or so windmill in that flat expense of terrain and ninety-percent of vehicles on I-40 being trucks. Not many animals in sight except for some cattle and a large, stinking and dusty feed lot just before Amarillo in Texas.

What's that smell?

Last night when we got to Pagosa Springs, in Southwestern Colorado, we were welcome by a pungent smell that we first couldn't identify.

Very soon, we remembered that this town is in fact centered around some mineral hot springs that have made it famous and when we ran in the morning we couldn't miss the many fumaroles that came up all along the San Juan river; that morning was so cold at some 22 degrees (6) that the plumes were spectacular in the cold morning air.

The day drive that followed was most picturesque and never boring until perhaps we got north of Santa Fe, New Mexico. We stopped in that so old and so beautiful city, went up to the Plaza and marveled at the wonderful architecture. Our daily drive came to a close, in bizarre Tucumcari, New Mexico, where we watched anxiously the 2012 election returns...

Activities, time and money

Okay, running is our favorite activity and also the one that takes us the least amount of time for returning – in our opinion – the greatest amount of good. Not just that, but consider that almost no special gear is needed and it's possible to run everywhere.

Skiing, my second preferred activity, is also a major time consumer (I haven't said “time waster” yet!) and the gear it requires is both substantial and costly if one includes passes and the like.

Mountain-biking, our new-found love, is time-efficient and if a good bike may cost a bundle, once you have it, the cost of practicing the sport isn't too high.

Hiking is great too, costs little but can devour quite some time, depending on the trek.

To close that discussion, I would say that walking, is a close cousin to running and is almost as time and cost-effective!

Golf has not been covered in that blog, because I personally hate that little white ball!

Thirty five year running!

Today, I completed my 35th year of running 5 days a week; this already represents some 29,097 miles (46,788 km)! It all began in New York, in July 1977.

While I remember that I began out of concern that I was going to get fat without exercising, I also remember having discussed the merits of running with Tom Leroy, during a sales meeting in Aspen, earlier that year.

He had then suggested I pick a copy of “Aerobics” by Kenneth Cooper, which I purchased and subsequently read. My first running course was about 3 mile long and meandered between Scarsdale and White Plains where we rented a small apartment.

This morning, as I completed another daily run in the company of my wife, I can certify that all my joints and muscles were in perfect order and still looking forward to running for many, many more miles!

Time for a break...

Like anything else, all things are good in moderation... This season, in addition to running much faster than ever before and still five days a week, we've also been walking more often after dinner under the pretense of digestion and to top it all we've never mountain biked so much.

So, it was no surprise to us when, a few days ago, we suddenly realized that we were exhausted. That's right, we're not in our twenty anymore and we need to save whatever energy is still capable to powering us. We promised ourselves that from now on, we'd be more careful with our batteries and take some time off.

Our problem however is that in trying to do so, we've discovered that we've become exercise junkies!