The bloody toe

Here are some pics from the Bidwell Classic. Enjoy.

Bidwell Classic pics  

Hello, Alan and James,

I’m the guy that was in your store on Friday night, looking for some shoes for the Bidwell Classic.  My sister, Lindsay, who works at the at the Fleet Feet in Roseville was in with me.  I put you guys through all kinds of work, because I was so nervous about being able to run in a pair of shoes that wouldn’t damage my left shin any further.

But you guys worked with me for over an hour, it seems (and after business hours, for that matter).  I finally walked out with a pair of New Balance 858′s.  I ran the race without incident (which, if you’ve ever read about the travails on my website, is pretty amazing).  I had some minor IT Band issues, but nothing in the category of the shin pain I’ve been dealing with for over a month.  It was the shoes that I’d been wearing.  A Utah running store had sold them to me, even after learning that I am training for the Nashville Country Music Marathon.  So it was bad advice that ultimately injured that shin (I should tell you that most Utah local running stores are, however, of higher caliber, such as Fleet Feet).

So thanks to Alan and James of Fleet Feet in Chico, I’m back in training, once again.  It’s local running stores like this that really offer something to the running community.  Thank you, guys.

Nathan Nelson
Provo, Utah (Chico native, however)
www.bloodytoe.com

8 days ago, I had a pretty tricky run.  It was a mile-long jog…on a dirt road…that was more muddy, than dirty.  In fact, it was so muddy, that my shoes got heavier and heavier with each step (they were weighed down by the accumulating mud).  After a little while, my shin hurt.

6 days ago, I ran in Liberty Park.  You know, that is a great course.  It’s 1 and a half miles around the park, on a wood chip track.  Unfortunately, for me, within a few minutes, my shin hurt.

*sigh*

So I called my sister and spoke to her (she’s sort of an expert in these things).  Her fiance also is an expert and told me that I should just not run until the Bidwell Classic 1/2 marathon.

So there’s the situation.  It feels like I’m playing chicken with the Bidwell Classic.  Who’s going to flinch first?  Am I going to go for a little test run and injure myself, when trying to figure out where I stand, physically?  Or am I going to just trust my shin and stand on the starting line without a clue?

Maybe some of you remember this commercial jingle.  Maybe some of you can’t get the song out of your head:

“We treat your feet

We treat your feet

It’s the only thing we do at the Golden State Foot Clinic

We treat your feet”

You’re welcome.

Well, this will be my last coherent post for a while.  We’re going to be battling it out in the snow.  I have chains, new windshield wipers and fog remover to help me out.  So from now on, you’ll be getting more photos than full sentences (until we arrive in Cali).