Scotland and Running

I think I can tie all of these random bits together.

First off, my running has slowed. I seem to have Plantar Fasciitis, an inflamation of the tissue on the bottom of the foot. My symptoms are classic (especially pain in the instep first thing in the morning), and the checklist for those who are vulnerable to it is so accurate -- men over 40; heavier runners; those who have switched from a softer surface like a treadmill to a harder surface like asphalt; those who have been wearing less-supportive footware like flip flops -- it's almost like the person who wrote the list has been hiding in our bushes and watching me for the last three weeks. The condition flares up when the connective tissue that runs from the heel to the toes gets tight, which happens especially overnight when the foot straightens, so it hurts like heck in the mornings, which is when I usually run.

I'm doing some stretching and massaging and wearing shoes with arch support, so it's been better over the last few days, but I'm still taking a short break from running. We'll see how I feel next week. For now, I've been biking again. I need to be all better for the the Hope is Coming 5k in a month; it's a benefit race for the new Cancer Center at Yale-New Haven Hospital.

*****************

Totally different subject:

John is in soccer camp this week, and Wednesday at the camp was "Wacky Wednesday," with the kids encouraged to dress wackily -- mismatching socks, dyed hair, whatever. John decided he wanted to wear a kilt. It rained Tuesday afternoon, so Isabel got some generic tartan material (though it's kind of close to our clan's tartan), and made him a kilt. I made him a t-shirt fashioned after one sold on the Scottish National Football Team's website. He looked awesome.

The shirt says "Scotland the Brave," the name of a well-known bagpipe tune. Hard to see in the picture, but on the kilt is a claymore kilt pin, a small sword with the clan crest.

Alas, he ended up not wearing the kilt for the camp -- even John has limits with things that might embarrass him -- but he's been wearing it around the house, walking up behind us and saying in a bad Scottish accent, "Aye lad and lassie, it's not a skirt, it's a keeeelt."

But he's enjoying himself, and that's all that matters.

************
So, to tie all of that together, a story of a Scottish man running:

"A Scottish man slammed the previous world record of running 227 feet with [his] body set on fire by sprinting 259 feet. Keith Malcolm, from Aberdeen, succeeded in his second attempt to break the record after he fell 40 feet short of the record in his previous attempt in May. The amateur stuntman ... wore eight layers of protective clothing, including four layers of fireproof undergarments, a Formula One fireproof jacket and three overalls to avoid any harm."

Read the whole story here.

*********************

What, you want a lymphoma connection, too? The nutty Scot set the record in an attempt to raise money for cancer research.

There -- happy now?