A stone in my shoe

The phrase, "Stone in my shoe" was used in the Godfather, Part III, by the Joey Zasa character. I have a stone in my shoe, Mr. Corleone. A two-bit punk who works for me. Who thinks he's related to you. A bastard. According to the Urban Dictionary, it's supposed to mean, 'something or someone who is causing severe irritation and creating problems for you.' 

You may have already guessed, but today for me it's literal. I'm alone, running on the Lester Rail Trail, and yes, I have a stone in my shoe. What's more, I have one in my sock as well. How that happened, I have no idea. Up till now, I've been sort of enjoying this long run. I'd started in the dark, and I've kept the pace fairly steady. Michelle Wolff will be joining me for my final 6 to 7 miles.

The one in my sock is killing me. I'd hoped that I could just shift it around a little to keep going. Nope. Ain't gonna happen. I stop to remove the couple of stones that I can find. Then it's time to put my shoe back on. That, dear friends, is a real problem. It may or may not surprise you to learn that I don't bend so well these days.

I manage to clumsily don my shoe once more and now I'm running once again. With Michelle's help, I manage to run 19 miles today. Yay. I'd been a little anxious about when I'd be able to get my long run in this weekend, despite all the plans and options. You might say that that decision was like a stone in my shoe.