Calloused

I was running along at a quick pace on the treadmill when I first felt it. I knew right away what the painful feeling was. I was in the middle a series of 1/2-mile repeats. I told myself that I was “okay” and quietly whispered to myself, “keep it up.” As I reached the end of my quicker paced interval, I slowed the pace for a 3:50 recovery. The pain continued in my foot.

It wasn’t a big deal. It wasn’t tendonitis, or my bone contusion coming back; it was only a blister. So, I kept on with my workout, trying to focus on keeping my running form – even if it meant that my blister would be worse for the increased wear. If I couldn’t keep the form, then I would stop the workout. I wanted to be certain that I didn’t run on the outer edge of my foot to avoid the pain from the blister. I told myself that I would “take tomorrow off” from running.

I did a little bit of strength work on my back and abdomen after I finished my run. After that, I pulled off my shoe to inspect to my foot. My blister was nothing more that a small area of red, loose skin. I looked at my delicate foot, and thought about how calloused it used to be just months ago. The truth is that I used to look on at women with those strappy, high-heeled shoes and their perfectly manicured feet. I used to be a little envious of them. Now, looking at my feet, I miss my old, ugly, calloused feet.

Callouses may not be pretty but they have a purpose. This evening, BoBo pulled off his batting gloves and inspected his new blister on his hand. It’s been a while since he’s spent time in the batting cages. Baseball season is coming quick and, like the return of long runs and ugly feet, I am looking forward to it.

Bring it on.