Okay - so I went for a run today.

Me and my better half (MBH) decided to follow one of those pre-printed training plans to train to be able to run a half marathon in about 16 weeks. Since we have been running on and off for a few months, me in part due to triathlon training (more on that later) we did what most red blooded couples would do and started at Week 5!

So it was "Easy 45 mins". Now we live on the edge of a small town and close enough to that edge that a lot of our runs are off-raod, so there followed the discussion - how do we know how long it will take to run one of "our" routes. We have a "Top 5k" (it is mainly uphill form us), the "Bottom 5k" (downhill unsurprisingly) etc etc. But does one know (without a GPS) without doing an out-and-back, 22.5 minutes aayand then turn back and head home? MBH hates those sorts of runs so we headed off to "explore".

I ran in my Vibram FiveFingers Sprints last week for about 3k and had the expected calf ache for a couple of days so decided to do this unknown route in my Nike Free 5.0s - nor exactly barefoot, but better than some. I tried to put the barefoot-style action I am learning in my VFFs into play inthe Frees and think I got a good result - will be interesting to see if calf ache is the same. MBH said I was "ballerina-quiet" last week when I had the VFFs on - ikid you not. So maybe ballerina-quiet is something to aspire to!!?

So today - 30 minutes in, my Left Ilio-tibial Band (ITB) is screaming at me - more on THAT later, when .....BANG......or more precisely..........STING!!!!! Left ankle, lateral malleolus OH MY GOD, what is THAT!!!! Looked down - a wasp on my lef tsock, or more correctly most of him was on the outside, his stinger was definitely INSIDE ME! Bastard! (Apologies) now someone cleverer than me once wrote that "The wasp is the ned of the insect world" and never a word has been truer spoken. I have spent years staying cool in the face of a wasp attack, with calming platitudes like "They wont hurt you if you leave them alone", "Stay calm" etc etc. Well nnot any more, any wasp comes near me and they getting a size 8 turbo charge up their ass! Enough said.

So how do you make ITB pain go away? Get stung by a wasp apparently. The on-fire agony of my left ankle far surpasses the chronic ache from the ITB.

As for the run. 44:20 covering 5.04 km (now known as the "Woods 5k", but may turn into the "Wasp 5k"!). No calf pain - one of the reasons I got interested in barefoot style running in the first place - an inability to run for more than about 20 minutes without getting electric shock style pains in either of my calves.

Off now for analgesia, antihistamines and a cup of tea ,and to source some chia seeds....

So issues to discuss further include: those calves of mine, vibram fivefingers, the "new" not-as-odd-looking barefoot shoes coming soon from Finland, chia seeds, the ITB (and my part in its downfall!)

Laters