Running errands

I've been a running fool this week. After doing a double on Sunday, I did another double on Monday. I chose to take Tuesday off to rest, but when I was in the middle of assembling a pot roast in the crock pot last night, I discovered I wanted onions and a couple other ingredients.  Doing the math, I couldn't imagine my whole shopping list would have been very heavy. See, I wanted to run.  I was itching to go run.  I haven't felt that way in a while.  So I stuffed my Vibrams and my wallet into a backpack and ran barefoot to the grocery. I hadn't literally run an errand in a long time, so this was a fun, spontaneous way to get a couple miles in.  Since my ankles are tender today, I believe my body is telling me to ease up.  Hump Day is Rest Day for me for sure. Honest.

Sure, transforming an errand into an opportunity to run is cool, and saving a pint or two of gasoline is smart. But what I found most remarkable about that run was how well my feet handled it.  A couple weeks ago, a half-mile run around a freshly-paved, smooth track made my feet extremely tender.  Yesterday, I ran two miles over asphalt of varying quality, adjusting my technique to accomodate pebbly or smooth road. Several times during the brief run, I stopped thinking about my feet altogether and just ran. I got into a flow like I hadn't before, especially while barefooting.  Now I am thinking about what would happen if I went a little further.  Three miles?