Annual End of Year Stats

Miles ran in 2010: 608 (but there are several "shoveling snow" entries when I normally would have run)

Total miles run: 3,773

Races run: 24 (no half marathons this year; longest run was a 10K, 6.2 miles)

Causes supported: a community rec center, autism research, domestic violence prevention, education, scholarships for local students, a fire department, breast cancer research, the 116th Regiment (Stonewall Brigade) in Staunton, and a retirement home.

Winter Challenge

Unseasonably cold weather has hammered the Shenandoah Valley since the first full week of December. Then last Thursday, three inches of snow fell. Running has become a challenge already.

For the cold, drinking a full glass of water 30 minutes before a run helps regulate body temperature, as does dressing in layers. For me, temperatures or wind chills in the teens require tights and wind pants, three long sleeved tee shirts and a shirt sleeved tee, my ski mask, gloves, two pairs of socks--and my inhaler. With practice, a runner can figure out the appropriate amount and type of clothing. Information is available on the web and in running magazines also.

More challenging, however, is coping with the snow. When the snow isn't too deep, some run with specially designed traction devices added to their shoes, such as YakTracs. A friend of mine screws a few screws into his shoes for traction. Here in Broadway, however, finding a place to run after a snow is difficult. If one is willing to drive to Eastern Mennonite University, the college allows community members to run on the indoor track for free--when the college is open.

For me, driving 15 minutes for a 30 minute run doesn't make a lot of sense. Running the trail in the park is not an option until the snow melts, nor is running the outdoor tracks.

Running on the road, even if it's plowed, isn't safe because the shoulder is deep with removed snow. Additionally, if the wind is gusting, we face a tortuous 1.5 miles of wind at a time.

What we've done is run on the parking lot of John C. Myers Elementary school. The parking lot has a high section and a low, which provides a steep (albeit short) hill for rudimentary hill work. We run around the perimeter using the clock as an estimate of the number of miles traveled, and we estimate on the high side, adding a minute to the normal number of minutes it takes to run a mile. This option gets pretty tedious, but it works.

Another option we've used is to run in the subdivision near the school. Taking every cul de sac available provides a run of about 1.5 miles (again we run by time). This route is pretty hilly, too, and the houses block the wind.

Sometimes we just give up and cut the runs short--choosing a one or two mile as fast as we can tolerate and calling it speedwork. That was the option I chose for this afternoon's run with my seven-year-old grandaughter. With the wind and the cold, one mile on the hills of the suburb was enough. And the hot chocolate reward at the end was precious.

Lessons From My Podiatrist

For a couple years I have managed to keep the callous over my right bunion in check. But over time it has gotten the best of me. After a recent race, a painful blood-filled blister formed beneath the callous and I wasn't brave enough to shave the callous down to the blister, nor even sure that I should try.

And so I made an appointment with a podiatrist--Dr. Shilling of the Foot Care Center in Harrisonburg, Virginia. Scalpel in hand, he whacked away at that problematic callous, and also one on my right big toe, and another on the left foot. Sweet relief! That feeling that my skin was way too tight was gone. But while he worked he also passed on some foot care tips.

As a paralegal professor, I stand most of my working time. This obviously is not good for my feet and what is bad for my feet is also bad for running. He suggested Crocs band footwear. I checked out their website. I found some cute looking shoes appropriate for a professional working environment. When they arrive and I actually try them on for the first time, I will update you on my opinion of the shoes. He said the shoes have done wonders for his diabetic patients. They provide cushioning and support, and should keep pressure off my bunion.

He also talked about running surfaces. Treadmills, he said, are not good. Because the surface is flat and unyielding, a runner on a treadmill repeatedly exercises the same muscles again and again. Trails, he said, are best; the uneven surface forces your feet into varying positions which prevent pounding the same muscles in the same way repeatedly. Roads aren't as good as trails, but not as bad as a treadmill. Though a road surface is more stable and flat than a trail, there is still some surface variety for the muscles.

The third thing he warned me about is the importance of regular shoe fittings. Feet, he said, never stop growing. The rate of growth slows down tremendously as we age, but feet still grow wider and longer. Hence it is important to check a shoe's fit--whether new or ones that have been in the closet a while.

And the callous? I should be able to keep it shaved or pumiced to a minimum for a while, at which point it will get ahead of me and need the podiatrist's care once again. There are several tools available at the drug store. My preference has been a shaver made by Solinger (also available at a drug store). But the doctor also said a pumice stone or an egg-shaped pumice would do the job.

Right now the newly exposed skin on my right foot is a bit tender, but much better than it was before the scalpel did its healing work. As far as the foot care tips? I aim to do all I can to keep my feet happy, and to keep my runs as pain free as possible.