In Tall Buildings

It's been a tiresome week, with a pre-holiday push at work and some late nights that I've had to plan around.  Been playing a ton of music, mostly banjo, with the regular band and also with some other folks around town.  Everyone seems to be holing up for the winter, and left inside with access to instruments I guess the melodies start to flow. 

Running has been regular and I'm just kind of heading out with no specific intentions for each run.  I picked up the intensity a little bit yesterday on a shorter treadmill run, hitting some strides and fast 2:00 pickups.  Felt a little bit awkward.  I've discovered through the recent barefoot running and exercises that my right arch, foot, and supporting musculature are just generally weaker and less stable than the left.  This has led to some discomfort as I work to improve the deficiency there, mostly in the form of tenderness along the outside of the right ankle.  The peroneous tendons run beneath the lateral malleolus and pass through some retinaculi (kind of like pulleys, directing the force through the tendons - see image).  The peroneous longus tendon especially plays a role in supporting the lateral longitudinal arch, and I've learned how to engage that muscle group to raise the arch.  I guess I'm doing this more subconsciously during runs now, and there's just a bit of strain there as the tendons adapt to the increased loads.  All of this is speculation, of course, since everything I've learned about anatomy has been through experimentation and reading.  But one thing for sure is that when I consciously flex the peroneus muscles, I feel less strain on the plantar fascia. I don't have the same plantar issues on the left, and the left arch seems much more supple than the right.  Again, just a theory.  We'll see how it pans out.

Getting back to music, I'll be making a larger effort to up the intensity of my playing and rehearsing through the new year.  We're playing a show on NYE, and it's somewhat of a farewell show, so I'd really like to be well prepared.  I've challenged myself to pickup the banjo every day, even if it's only for a few minutes.  But for now, gotta get back to work.

Someday my baby
When I am a man
And others have taught me
The best that they can

They'll sell me a suit
And cut off my hair
And send me to work in tall buildings
-John Hartford

Deferred

This has tended to be a busy time of year for me, with both holiday and work travel coinciding with an already pretty tight schedule.  Had some great runs out west following Thanksgiving, including one very memorable trek up Squaw Pass Rd to an elevation of about 9200'.  Will be helpful to remember in the future that running uphill requires an eventual run back downhill.  Surprisingly, didn't really beat me up too much.

Since, been grabbing runs between 3 and 10 miles where I can find time.  Feet are feeling stronger but still stiff in the mornings.  Been getting weeks in the 40 mile range and looking to continue that going into the new year.  Diet experiment has been enlightening in many ways and still learning about foods my body does well with (and the opposite extreme, wheat be damned).

Brainstorming ways I can recharge this blog.  More on that next time.