Toes

Yesterday I received some zinc oxide tape I had ordered to try for my toes (to stop the blisters I get after 8 miles). I tried it and before I had even got upstairs it was taken off as I couldn't bear the feeling of it. It made my toes feel even more uncomfortable... so it was back to the drawing board.
I had once read about applying white spirit to your skin to harden it up, and a friend of mine reminded me of this at the weekend. I thought about how people from across the road would see my callused skin and scream with disgust, I thought about the lovely sandals I would no longer be able to wear because my feet would have to be hidden from the human eye, and I thought about mile 18 of a marathon... that distance where there's still a long way to go but anything that's hurting seems unbearable and you can't imagine running another 8 miles in that state. I also thought about last year at FLM and how I could barely walk for days after the marathon and then lost a toenail on each foot.
So, no contest really... out came the white spirit. God it stinks, but it has now been applied 3 times now. I'm hoping by Saturday to have the hardest most hideous skin on my feet in the North East.

I got a nice pressie from the postman today too. It's the Comrades Yearbook.
I opened the first page to read "The Comrades Marathon is not about a race - rather it is a tale of human endeavour, frequently against almost impossible odds. Scenes that remain embedded in our minds are those dramatic incidences of total strangers who, sometimes to their own disadvantage, come to the assistance of a fellow athlete who has exceeded the limits of his own endurance"

Compelling stuff! And after the shambles of a 7 mile run I did today, doing 56 miles really does seem completely out of reach. But, onwards and upwards... you can't expect fantastic runs everyday now can you?