Bum Toe and a Hard Shoulder

Well, today was a very frustrating run. I had planned on about 7 miles, but just had to shut it down after about 3.1 miles due to the toe on my right foot acting up. I was running really well, despite fighting off a case of the vurps for the first two miles. Too much beer last night, and too much coffee today. I had just gotten them out of my system, when I flexed my toe downward on a stride. Not sure why I did it, but it was a conscious action. Next thing I know, my toe has a really sharp pain in it. The middle toe on my right foot, has been tender on the top, with some swelling right where the toe meets the foot. Not sure exactly what is going wrong with it... broken, sprained, strained, torn... but it all goes back to last Saturday with those damn Newton shoes... I am sure of it. So, I have a week before the Caesar Rodney half, and I am pulling lame after 5k with a hurt toe. Not looking good.

Summary:
Calories burned: 404
Calories consumed: No idea... there was eggs benedict involved at breakfast.
Injuries: toe is worrisome at best.

As an aside, I saw a very interesting movie at the DC Indie Film Fest on Friday night. It was Hard Shoulder, a British "genre-bender" from director Nicholas Lean (his first film, actually). I have to say that about half way through it, I was thinking what is the point of all the sexual deviance, physical violence, and threats of much more to come. It was really starting to taste like a Saw or Hostel type of flick, which is not my thing. It wasn't making any sense to me. Then, with one abrupt scene, it all made sense. There were hints of what was really going on throughout the film, but that jolt made everything apparent. All of the "pointless" violence and sexual assault suddenly had a purpose, and I was thankful for that.

At the end of the movie, Lean held a question and answer session, and you could tell from his answers that he really did set out to make something that was much more than a shock-horror film. According to him, "some parts were autobiographical..." And, I have to say that some of the emotions experienced by the protagonist, and some of the threats and intentions of the antagonists were somewhat familiar to me. I remembered thinking during parts of the film that I had often felt the same denigrations that the protagonist was undergoing. So, some of the emotions, while portrayed in a shocking, overtly violent manner, really resonated in me. I could relate to the character and his desperation to act like the person that he wanted to be.

Very interesting.

PS - As a further aside, shown with Hard Shoulder was a short entitled Head's Up. As I was watching the short, I was trying to figure out where I knew one of the actors from... turns out it was Poet from Oz, Craig muMs Grant. Pretty funny, very well shot film. If you want to see it, I think you can contact the film maker through the website to find a link for it.