10th July 2013
Mile 1026 to mile 1051 : Nowhere Special to Sherrold Lake
Mileage : 25
In an effort to start doing some higher mile days we set off at a reasonable 9am, and enjoyed the fact that the day's hiking dint include any significant climbs. That being said it wasn't an easy day, although there weren't any major climbs, there were a number of small little ups and downs which cumulatively add up to a large number. The rocks alternated all day between sharp volcanic outcrops sharp enough to hurt my feet even with my shoes on, and granite sections with big rounded boulders strewn about the trail. I can tell that my current pair of trail runners are reaching the end of their lives as I can feel each rock as I step on it. Either that are my feet are bruised and are more sensitive than they have been. Probably the two are conspiring angaint me in tandem, but for the moment there is not a great deal I can do it. A lot of people take iboprufren towards the end of the day to dull the pain of hurting feet, but so far I have resisted doing this as I think the pain helps keep my aware f when I'm ready for the day to be over. Whispers, who appears to hike with us for a day or two before dropping of the radar, will do a 50 miler every once in a while for no obvious reason. My body could probably do the distance without too much trouble, but my feet would not be happy about doing this sort of distance, and I would have to medicate in a big way in order to get through it. 25 miles is the point at which my feet start to complain, and so it was after this distance that we decided to call it a day.
Prob a good idea not to rely on pain relief, there is only so long that you can mask pain/symptoms before your body starts to retaliate!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a good idea to keep your feet happy. Did I ever tell you the first real 'paddy' you ever had was in a shoe shop in Stockport, trying on your first pair of shoes. You had been bare foot up to that point and your feet were not happy about the change of plan.
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