Not much, but after eight months of no running, two miles felt like I had died and gone to heaven. Rehabbing from plantar fasciitis [video demo] and attacks of excessive uric acid (or gout) in my feet kept me hobbled. I have run since college days. I am not fast, nor do I try to be. The reasons I like running are legion, but primarily include: Good Cardiovascular Health and Good Mental Health. (More on this later.) So being unable to run for eight months was depressing and irritating.
I am convinced the gout heavily contributed to the plantar fasiitis problem. I was in Odessa, Ukraine last summer when the uric acid caused swelling started. I kept walking and running with pain and probably caused some excessive straining of the foot muscles in my right foot. (In case you are wondering, I was not going to a doctor who did not speak my lingo...so no medication.) Two months later, misery loves company, and my left foot joined the pain circus. (The misery article created some interesting thoughts about my feet!)