Who Was Morton, Anyway?

I wasn't sure if I'd run today but it was so sunny, and the weekend forecast is for cold and rain and maybe even a little snow, so I got out around 5 p.m. It was just six miles, a half mile on roads and sidewalks to the park, five miles on grass and a little dirt, then a half mile back home. Everything was great. It was a great run, easy, smooth, steady, fine crisp air, chilly in the shade but some nice low-angle sun from time to time, good stuff. It was Friday evening. I was running. Life was good.

Then, somewhere along the way on the road back home, it began to feel as though my sock was bunched up on the ball of my right foot, below the second toe. I got home expecting to find some problem with the sock or maybe even foreign matter in the shoe. Nothing of the sort. Then, as I walked sockless, I realized the feeling was still there.

So I've spent much of the evening investigating Morton's neuroma. Google it. Tons of info out there.

I have a theory as to why this hit me today. See, the first few months with my new, virtually unpadded-heel shoes, I wore thin socks. The doc had said it was key that the foot not be squeezed. Well, over time the shoe stretched out from use, and I began to think thin socks were no longer the only way to go. And I have some very nice, thick, moisture-wicking socks that I happened to pay a lot of money for. I gravitated toward them and began wearing them this week.

Today the right shoe felt a little tight as I put it on. Slightly tight shoe, everything goes to hell. It's that simple.

But seriously: I have iced the area. I will ice it some more. I will take a few days off from running. I will wear thin socks when I return to running. And (fingers crossed) all will be well.

Well, I was going to talk about the 1,000-yard swim trial I did as part of my pool workout today, but that will wait until tomorrow.