Midnight Jog in MUTEKI

Dec. 17, 2021

I went to the Furumoto Orthpedic Clinic earlier in the late afternoon. I got my 5th hyaluronic acid injection in my recovering left knee. I had a brief conversation with my doctor friend. He says it's OK to run, but talked me out of running on the concrete road in bare feet. I promised not to. Not on training days at least. 

I hit a nearby park later at night. I ran with the split-toe minimalist shoes on. They are called MUTEKI. When written in Chinese characters, it looks like this: 無敵. It means "invincible". 

The mid-December night was very cold, especially when there were strong northern winds. I listened to Brian Johnson's philosopher's note lecture while running. 

There was a slight discomfort at first. But it soon went away as I warmed up. After running 4 K, I felt a minor discomfort in my right knee. I could have continued. But I decided not to. Getting the other knee injured was the last thing I wanted to do. 

I slowly jogged back home from the park. Brian's lecture was about making a good habit by making a mini victory. I decided to settle for a modest distance for tonight. Maybe next time I will run a little longer. I'll be careful not to make a huge step forward all at once. Intensity discipline is key to success, as sports scientist Stephen Seiler says in his TED talk, who specializes in endurance sports.