Icing my foot right now and enjoying the free internet at Motel 6 downtown Portland. Not a bad hotel, actually --- fancier than the average Motel 6, and pretty cheap for downtown.
Drove here from Boise and then drove around the Portland marathon course since I will be back here Oct 4th for that race. It's a fairly flat course, with 1 medium hill (long and not too steep) at the start and then one big hill about mile 16. A lot of the course is pretty ugly industrial area, but there are some really nice parts of the course, too. Part of the Portland Marathon course dovetails with my first leg of Portland to Coast tomorrow, so that's kind of fun.
Met three of my five teammates tonight at the Old Spaghetti Factory downtown (the restaurant was hard to find... even with a map AND directions. Portland is confusing!). We enjoyed a mediocre meal but good company (the meal was at least predictable which is perfect for the night before a race). Then we decorated our 15-passenger van windows with slogans "Toenails are for Sissies", "Does this van make our butts look fast?", "Put on your big girl panties", etc. :).
The other 2 teammates will meet us in the morning a few hours before the race. I know Dee, Mary, and Katie from other races but had not met Holly before, and will meet Lisa tomorrow morning. Mary is very talented - holds the Master's world record for age 50-54 I think in the 10k track RW; she has beaten me at 5K in 2007 but last summer I edged her out by a little in 5K and 10K. Dee is also very speedy having beaten me in a 5K race in 2007 with a time of I think 28:45 or so. Katie beat me last summer in Spokane at 5K (by 1 second) and 10K (by 7 seconds). We are a fast team :).
Hopefully my foot will hold up...Ollie gave me a good suggestion to tape it. Unfortunately I don't have any tape here and my physical therapist is in Utah :( and can't do it for me (no time before I left - the injury came on too fast). I am just going to ice lots and take my anti-inflammatories and keep my fingers crossed.
I will be unable to get online until next Wednesday, most likely, because we will be camping on the coast w/the kids after the race (unless I cave and hit an internet cafe...). So, if you want to see how we did, check the race results at http://www.hoodtocoast.com/index_ptc.php?i=ptc
Watch out, PTC, here come the Six Pistols! :)
3 comments:
Thinking of you and wishing you and your team a speedy race. I am sure you will have a blast...adrenalin is a natural pain killer. Is it the balls of your foot that hurts or in the arch? mine sometimes feel like they are bruised at the balls of the feet?? not sure what brings it on either.
Good Luck and look forward to reading your race report.
Keep smiling
Nyle - the pain is in a couple places - in the arch just behind the big toe (maybe 2-3 cm max behind the joint), where it feels crampy/achy even when I'm not walking. It's also through the big toe joint and hurts during maximum flexion. It also hurts when I just raise my big toe up off the ground.
Thanks for reminding me that the adrenalin will help with the pain :). The other day, the pain was not too terrible while racewalking (though it did hurt) but was more severe while regular walking.
Tammy - I went to the Shoe Clinic here (the owner is a physiotherapist) and he looked at my feet as the pain is so bad when I walk normally now. He said I have strained the little tendons in the joints of my toes (prob from pushing off more and stretching them) they call it Metatarsalgia. It is also caused from poor fit shoes. I have 3 pairs of walk shoes but one pair is a little tight and heavy.....I wore those a month ago (funny how the pain started about then too) so with tight shoes and stretching joints that are a little stiff, I have inflamed my tendons. Ice and rest is the best and anti flams. All of which you are doing.
So his advise to me...check my shoes as they wear out quick and a worn shoe will cause damage.
Hope that helps a little....
I too can race walk but not "normal" walk...it is worse for me first thing in the morning too. Good luck for your race.....I know you will do really well. :0)
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