Back and Running on Beaches

Hello, two whole readers. I’m sure you’re waiting by to see what happened with my toe impairment. Well, it seems to be fine and dandy as I’ve run a few times since the screaming pain shooting through my big toe and nothing has happened, aside from the usual aches and pains–my constant running buddies. Yippee!

First run since reviving my running shoes was in West Seattle. Thanks to the moon and tides and such, I had the enormous pleasure of running on sand, mud and rock that is ordinarily underwater.

If running on beaches is your deal, West Seattle was a nice stretch of smooth sand near the bath house. (Running surface–size and composition–varies according to tide, of course.) I got a nice dash in before coming to volleyball alley with its seemingly endless sea of nets. It’s here that I popped back up to the trail.

Then I ran Alki to the lighthouse. The lighthouse beach required walking, not running, to leap over tide pools and daintily dodge sea anemones (squishy) and sea stars (pretty). The lighthouse park is quite nice and includes a stone wall with illustrations and names of all the creatures found on the beach. On that particular day there were also naturalists out and about who could answer your sea critter questions.

Since I’ve been running a bit in West Seattle, I’d like to give a shout out to the moms-with-strollers group. These women not only push their tykes around, but do calisthenics up some very steep hills. Way to go, women!

West Seattle Beach Wun (mostly running with some walking): 9 out of 10 purple sea stars!

Yesterday’s run also included a beach. I ran along the tide line at Golden Gardens and then back to the pedestrian tunnel that goes beneath the train tracks. Then I faced the hill. Duh, duh, daaaa! Fine and dandy, I ran up the first set of steps. Stop and walk to the second set. Run up the second set and then crash on the bench in a winded heap of uselessness. Puff on inhaler. (I’ve got exercise induced asthma.) Then run along the ridge of 32nd, back to Shilshole Marina. Whew! It was a great run with just a little suffering.

Golden Garden Loop: overall, a solid 8 golden soy nuggets out of 10!

Speaking of soy nuggets, I gotta get crackin’! So, run on my little gazelles! To eliminate the feeling of me speaking in a megaphone to two listeners, please feel free to drop me a line. It doesn’t have to be about running. Just a hi would be nice.

Sesame Seed Itis, Huh?

Like hands, feet are complicated things choke full of bones, tendons and other bits and pieces. Quite frankly, they are an inefficient design for running, ballet, and a myriad of other things humans just LOVE to do.

That said, I went running this morning despite having some pain in my big toe. I’m not one to let a little pain stop me.

I felt a twinge or two of toe pain, but nothing bad enough to stop me. First sign things might be going wrong was when I completely rolled my left ankle over on the sidewalk. Luckily I recovered before pitching over onto my side. Walking for a bit, nothing seemed broken or sprained, so began running again. Gee, I thought, my toe doesn’t hurt anymore. I thought I’d mysteriously cured it.

I ran smoothly for a few miles before wham, a stab of pain flared through my left big toe. Then, again. And again, and again.

After wogging (jogging-walking) back home, I iced my angry toe and torqued knee. Then, I hit Google to diagnose myself, naturally. I do believe I have something called sesamoiditis. The sesamoids are tiny bones that are in the tendons stretching to the big toe. Sesamoiditis is a catch-all term for all ailments of these bones. Apparently you can even fracture them. So, as far as I can tell, it’s a situation that calls for ice, ibuprofin and incubating my running shoes until my ses-a-me bones are healed! Maybe I’ll pump up my bike tires tomorrow and give it a spin.

Running with Butterflies

At the beginning of many races, the nauseous rush of butterflies fluttered through my stomach. It’s normal, right? But, running with an actual butterfly sounds like something from a children’s tale. Yet, it happened to me.

I can’t make this stuff up. Honestly, I’ve tried. I was out for a run in West Seattle’s Alki/Admiral area. With temps pushing the 80s, my face soon flushed and took on the appearance of a bruised beet. Then I met my challenge: the Admiral Ave hill! Who says it wasn’t a great day for a walk?

Catching a second wind, I started running again once I turned onto California Ave. (Did I mention this is downhill?)
As I plodded along, I glimpsed something yellow darting by. Looking up, I spotted a Monarch butterfly flying beside me! We checked one another out. Seriously. (I know how this sound–crazy!)

Instead of fluttering away, this butterfly darted in front of me. Then it flew back behind me and to my other side again. It chased me in a playful tag-your-it manner for several yards before loosing interest.

This interesting interaction with nature reminded me of living in the Marshall Island. There, I encountered something similar. Only, instead of butterflies I had ferry terns who would playfully fly next to me while I ran or rode my bike. My husband experienced the same playful behavior from these extraordinary birds.

I’m just glad I have butterflies and birds, but not cougars, for running mates!