Well, it's just been one of those weeks. Noting outside the ordinary happened. Still gossip and drama in the library, small portions of good food in the chow hall, and tough communication in my cell. I guess I felt like I had to do something to spice thins up today.
We had a light rain yesterday that left the track spongy. After a lap of walking, I thought it would be a great time to run barefoot today. I removed my shoes and socks, then jogged up to meet Doc, my bleach-white feet acting like beacons. the ground felt wonderful, like cookie dough between my toes. It was just dry enough that I could leave footprints but not be slowed by mud stuck to my feet.
Doc took a break after eight laps, but I was enjoying the massage on-the-go too much to stop. I got a few weird looks and funny salutations. They just don't understand. It felt better than running with shoes.
I always finish my runs with a faster-paced lap and a full-speed finish, so after my eleventh lap, I lengthened my stride and got going. My footfalls were deeper and stickier than usual, but it was like I gained a sense of the power of my stride.
Because it was so comfortable, I didn't think I would have any blisters. Boy, was I wrong. When I came in from rec, I had two huge blisters on my bog toes and a couple on my other toes. I drained and put triple antibiotic on them all, but my feet feel like they have been through a bad acupuncture session and acid bath. I know I'll heal up quickly. I should have known I would pay for the pleasure of running barefoot.
For a couple months I've been taking off every morning from work to go to rec for an hour and a half. I figured out with Ereman that our mornings are really slow, so it's not hard for him to maintain things while I'm gone. The library is pretty easy anyway. Take names, number, and book info and pass it on to the boss to be entered into the computer.
Anyway, I've been working out and running with Doc again. He pushes me on the weights and I push him on the track. It's a great arrangement.
This morning, however, we had a third join us for the run. He's a guy out of my dorm who had heard about my runs (they really aren't that special but anyone who runs more than a mile is strange here) and wanted to join us.
With three in the pack, we didn't want to hog the track running side-by-side, so we settled into an Indian run. For those who don't know what an Indian run is, it is where the runners travel in a vertical line and the runner in the rear overtakes the pack on each lap or interval. Unfortunately, we did it backwards - the front man dropping to the back.
Believe it or not, it is easier to speed up over a short distance than slow down. This logic kept our front man from dropping back, which meant that the other two guys had to speed up to overtake him. Over a few laps we went from a decent jog to a medium-paced run and we only got faster. I'm not accustomed to so many speed changes and was worn out after only eight laps - about two miles. Doc and the new guy wondered what was wrong with me, but, for some reason, I couldn't keep pace with them.
Usually my workout partner, Doc, and I will go outside to run for a bit after we finish hitting the weights, but lately it's been too wet for us to go outside. Instead, we've been doing a full workout - body and mind - on the chessboard.
I haven't played chess in about two years. I played a bit in the county jail but there was an unbeatable player who ruined it for me. Most everyone else I've seen since has had attitudes while playing. Doc has been playing for a while, so he figured I needed a handicap. He grabbed a medicine ball and said that for every piece a person takes, he must do twenty pushups on the medicine ball.
We started playing pushups chess a week or so ago and do different exercises with the ball each time - sit-ups, throws, one-armed pushups. I'm still not a very good chess player or strong guy, but at least now I'm doing both at once.
* Isaac Asimov
