25 K LSD

Sept. 3, 2020

13 K : 1:22:07

Food rest: 15:22.13

12.2 K: 1:16:11

Total 25.2 K: 2:53:41

I ran between home and the Morita Architectural Office in Sakura. It's 12.2 K one way, and nearly 25 K round trip.

I hadn't run longer than 20 K since Aug. 9. It's mainly because of this pain in the right foot. At first I suspected there might be some structural problem resulting from running barefooted. I had been doing interval training rather intensively, and it seemed possible that it took a toll on the foot. Whatever the reason, though, it reached a point where pain was too acute to allow me to run, so I maintained my fitness with high intensity cardio. But over this course of time I hadn't ruled out the possibility that my foot pain is caused by TMS, or tension myoneural syndrome, or tension myositis syndrome. What it is is that pain is caused by repression of an emotion that I do not want to admit. Each muscle is governed by a nervous system. 

There is a nervous system that governs the muscle or muscles where I feel pain. When an emotion that I do not want to face is repressed, our brain affects our neural system, and as a result, a supply of oxygen is reduced in a certain area. Now where it occurs varies from person to person. But it often occurs where parts of body that are typically overused and fatigued. However, the pain is not caused by overuse of the body. In fact, it is your mind-body's defense mechanism to shift your attention away from a psychological tension to a problem that is purely physical. Sometimes physical problems are far easier to deal with. Physical problems are generally socially excusable. On the other hand, psychological problems are often associated with social stigma. I'm usually good at managing stress. But I'm not a perfect human being. I have emotional conflicts that are hard to deal with. Sometimes I want to get out and cry over life's merciless reality. Crazy workload. Impossible deadlines. Tasks that do not seem to get results. The list goes on... But my position doesn't allow me to get out and cry like a baby. Therefore, TMS. My mind-body is kind enough to create physical pain to force me to stop doing what I love doing, namely running, so that I can focus only on my top priorities, namely work. 

In fact, I have a reason to believe my pain was caused by TMS, because today I got one project done. Believe it or not, I suddenly felt so light, and the pain in the foot seemed to subside. It was no longer unbearable. That's the reason I went out for a long run after a long time. 

It's almost an hour and a half since I got home. But the foot seems OK. It's not entirely pain-free, but the pain is manageable. Let's hope it won't have swollen when I wake up tomorrow morning.