Bon Appetitis

Funny how quickly I'd forgotten all side effects of training for a race (funny in a sadistic sort of way). Soreness, yes, that's always a given. I've combated that this time around through high protein intake and Epsom salt baths (more of a reward than a consequence). It's that other stuff that happens after many miles of running that I forgot about, but had initially remembered when I said I would NEVER run the TIR again. Is this what happens to new mothers, where after they have the baby, the pain of it all is fresh on their minds--Never again!--But after the baby leaves babyhood, they decide they want another one, forgetting the agonizing agony of it all? Is there a name for this kind of fun, because I think I have it.

Callouses. You know, I thought I had determined that the root cause of this was cotton socks in loose shoes. Apparently, when you attempt long runs in new shoes, the same applies, cotton or no cotton. I've been reading this book about a woman who goes on a walkabout for months. By the end of it, her bare feet were encased with a thick layer of dead, calloused skin, as if to suggest her body had made shoes for her feet as she adapted to the desert. I guess the wear and tear of breaking in new shoes, which started this week, will end up creating an "encasement" of my big toes.

Tendinitis. GINGIVITIS. Anything with an -itis at the end has got to be bad. I THINK this is what's going on with my knees. Like with past years, my knees will ache after a certain mileage is met. After about 10 minutes of a self-diagnosis exercise on Webmd.com, I've determined that I most likely have it. I've never been good to my knees, so I expect that they will die long before I do.

Appetite. Bon appetit. I am hungry, all the time. I knew I would have more of an appetite but good grief. I've been on a modified diet to try and steer away from harmful foods (hydrogenated oils, fried anything, high fructose blah blah, meat that had been mistreated in any way--dead or alive). I bought a scale for the first time ever, eager to watch my weight drop some, only to then be frightened of it because I weigh the same now as I have the past four years. **Disclaimer** I don't think I'm fat, but when you run five days a week, you tend to expect a shift in weight. My HEARTY appetite takes care of that. Nature's way of saying I will always be of average weight.

I could go on and on with the complaints, but those are the big ones. Could be worse, I guess.