Rebellion

I woke up this morning to disgruntled toes. They seemed more crooked than usual, perhaps in response to my latest efforts to massage and stretch the tightened tendons that are causing several of them to curl up like little piano hammers, aka hammertoes. Popular stretches never include pointing your toes or curling them toward the sole. Instead, most of us are concerned with tight hamstrings and Achilles' tendons.

A fear (of Charley horses) has us pointing our heels and flexing our foot towards our shin, just the opposite of what's needed for hammertoes. When I bend my toes backward I feel extreme tightness at the top of my foot. Massaging the metatarsals causes an odd sensation along the inside of my foot, exactly where the medial plantar nerve runs. The foot also feels a little bruised today, especially at the top of the ankle. It's an odd place to feel anything. The toe itself is healing nicely although it's looking as if it were in a fight. And lost.

Today I'm wearing my size 6.5 W New Balance sneakers. Unlike other 6.5 W sized footwear, these fit my feet perfectly fine with a scant 1/2 inch of forward room. I had been worried that suddenly these wouldn't fit anymore! But, as with all my other trainers, my right foot becomes more sensitive as I pedal the elliptical until the ball of my foot is tender and the pinky toe just shy of numb. After the cardio warmup, I do some pullups, stretch and then abdominal exercises. It's a fairly routine Pull Day workout. I see a lot of regulars including B. I don't wait around to see if she's going to stretch at the end of her workout.

Another woman, who has been making great progress, brings a friend today. I hope having a gym buddy will encourage her further. Gym buddies are great when you're a nervous newbie and need that boost of confidence because you don't know what you're doing. Otherwise, unless you're sharing a routine, they can be a hindrance or a reason to chat long enough to cool down. I overheard a woman in the locker room remark to one of her friends that she sees a lot of people at the gym but they don't look any different than when they first started. "Well, I guess they come for the company," she mutters to herself.

As I'm leaving, I see two sisters who I'm friendly with. The older one remarks, "Are you leaving already? Are you done? I didn't see you in the gym at all today!" Her younger sister chides her and says, "That's because she works out and doesn't spend all her time talking like you do. That's what you're supposed to do at the gym: work out." She's not lying.

Wednesday Pull

30 elliptical + 5cd
Program 2
Miles 2.93
Calories 329
HR 162-205 (89, 95)

Cage Stretch
HGPU 23

Elbow Plank 60s
Horizontal Scissors 60
Bicycles 60
Crunches 60/60
Side Planks 2 x 60s
Bird Dogs 2 x 60s

Smith RDL
Bar (30) x 15
80 x 12
100 x 12
120 x 12

Smith RG BB Rows
80 x 25 x 3

Seated Cable Rows
70 x 12
85 x 12
92.5 x 12
100 x 12

RG BB Curls
40 lbs x 25 reps x 3 sets

20 Step Mill
Level 4
Calories 132
Total steps 869
Floors 54
HR 142

HGPU 20

Mat Stretch