Although I did manage to clean up my RunLog spreadsheet this afternoon a bit and make things a little clearer. I still had a couple of DNR in the books this week, but they weren’t red days in the log, so that is a good thing. I have stopped worrying about training and have just been running lately, which seems to be the direction I need to go for a while. However, I have to get rid of the Garmin workouts because once they end, the watch stops and if I don’t catch it to resume the workout, I miss whatever I did after. 

I am considering getting the Stryd footpod back out, just for giggles, but I want to get the hamstring back to where it needs to be first.

Although, the COVID-19 numbers are going back up a bit, which will stop me from doing the racing scene for a little longer. This is something that I expected to happen, as people start to go back to living more like before the pandemic began and congregate in larger groups. That is simply the way things work, decrease the preventative measures, increase the number of people exposed to COVID-19 and the numbers will spike until herd immunity is achieved. Either through vaccination, actually getting COVID-19, or there not be as many people around – that being dead from COVID-19 complications herd immunity kind of thing. Not being an arsehole, just what I foresaw and seems to be happening. 

Unless we get another variant, I expect things to level out about May and will get back to living a bit more normally after this surge calms down. Even then, I expect there to be multiple waves of COVID-19 variants over the next several years that will claim too many lives, much like the flu has over the decades since 1918. COVID-19 and its variants are here to stay, now we have to learn to live with them.

Enough gloom and doom.

My right hamstring is still grumpier than I want, but it doesn’t seem to bother too much during a run, as long as I don’t attempt speed work. The left Achilles will always be grumpy, I have a feeling, and it’s more about how much I want to tolerate more than if it is going to bother. I have a feeling that both would do better if I was more consistent with my prehab and rehab work. Currently, I am wildly consistently inconsistent.

This morning (even though this is actually next week’s timeline), I got rid of seven pairs of running shoes. 

• Hoka Clifton 8 – Forefoot just didn’t work for me, like so many other Hokas

• Brooks Glycerin 19 – Both heels were on the verge of blistering in too many runs 

• Karhu Ikoni 2020 – Just didn’t thrill me enough to keep them

• Reebok Energy 2 – Never really liked them, but I have to admit I ran well in them

• Skechers Forza 4 – Heel lock-down sucked bad and forefoot didn’t feel great

• Karhu Fusion 2021 – Too heavy, and midsole developed a crack in it in the forefoot flex area

• Hoka Carbon X1 – Toe box was a bit too narrow, and I had worn through the heel counter on the right foot

I was ruthless this time and if they didn’t fit right, I didn’t care for running in them, or whatever the reason, they were included in this round of thinning the herd. There is no sense in making my feet hurt while running when I have enough shoes that I can run comfortably in or can find other shoes that won’t bother my feet. 

Saucony Endorphin Speed 2 – They are simply a great shoe and one that works well for me in numerous kinds of runs. Winter is over, it is time to get them out and about again.

Hoka Rocket X – The Rocket X is a great training shoe that I can run faster in. I don’t really consider it a racer, though as I get older the racing flat part is not as relevant anymore. I am more focused on comfort and getting to the finish line in one piece. Instead of feeling totally beat up at the end of most races like I used to feel in racing flats. I guess most of the marathon racing shoes are in that category for me. The Rocket X are mostly comfortable and while my right foot isn’t completely happy in them, they feel good enough to have survived the purge. 

Hyperion Tempo size 9.0 – Do what they are supposed to do comfortably.

ASICS GlideRide v1 – I got them out on Saturday and remembered why I liked them so much and today took them on a 7.0 miler where my feet bothered me less than other shoes do on those longer runs. 

Although they are a bit too tapered in the toe box, they don’t bother as much as some other shoes do. I did order a pair of size 9.0 GlideRides that had a great price and looked to have very little wear on the outsole from eBay for under $35.00 plus shipping, to see if that makes any difference.

The biggest problem I have with my running shoes now is that I am a running shoe geek and I love to try out different shoes. I haven’t been in a store to look at or try on running shoes since before the pandemic started. So not trying the shoes on before purchasing them, is a huge issue, since I don’t know how they will fit my finicky right foot. Until this wave of COVID-19 calms down, I am starting to stay with shoes that I have and work well for me, or ones that I can try for cheap off eBay.

Overall, it was a good week of running, and considering all the stuff going on, running well was necessary.