Know-It-Alls

Never believe a know-it-all.

I’ve been a barefoot runner for years. I also run in Luna Sandals which are great. This week I’ve shucked the sandals and gone bare. I’m faster and more fluid. Being a heavy guy, fluid is a relative term, but I feel great barefoot.

On today’s run, I passed a woman watching the brook. She had a Spanish accent and was tanned like leather. Oh my, she said. You must be kidding. I smiled and waved. No, I said. Feels great! I kept running across the street and down the parkway. I felt something in my left foot.

No problem. I get stuff in my feet. I leaned against a sign for a look. I felt around. Something stung. I used a key to dig at it. Ah, better. I went on, did two and a half more miles, and felt great. No problem.

Home, I showered, wrote about running gear, ate lunch, had a friend over, then went out with him for a drink. Back home I unstrapped my sandals and walked to the den. Ouch.

It was my right foot. Just below the pinky. I took a look, but you try looking at that part of your foot. I’m not nimble and had to squirm around to see it. Something was in there or I had cut it open. It’s tough to tell.

I dug at it with clippers but didn’t make much progress. I would have wished my family was in town, but they disappear when I ask them to dig for slivers. I was on my own. I dug some more, but doubt I got it. I applied drawing salve and a bandaged. The damn thing hurts.

Two problems.

I’m limping and probably have a shard of glass or metal in there. I once had a glass splinter in my foot for two months before squeezing it out in Zion National Park. It got a free trip from Syracuse to Utah. I’m hoping this comes out sooner

Until it does, running will be tough and I really want to run tomorrow.

I’ll see how it feels in sandals. They might give enough cushion. Maybe I’ll feel better tomorrow. Or I’ll probably go at it tonight with a needle.

No matter what, don’t take advice from know-it-alls telling you to run barefoot.

The piece I wrote this afternoon included this: “I don’t recommend barefoot running to anyone but myself.” True. If I recommend it, you’ll get a splinter and blame me. Bad enough that my foot hurts. I can deal with that. Having you blame me, that’s more than I’m in for. So don’t listen to know-it-alls like me.

Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to sterilize a needle and go prospecting.

I know everything about removing splinters. Want to hear about it? Of course not.