So compression wear really works. Today I ran with a set of CW-X tights and while at times it felt as if the circulation to my calves had screeched to a grinding halt, they really delayed muscle fatigue.
They also kept my knee pain at bay. Now, I know this isn't a permanent solution but it was a very welcomed one. My left knee felt a little tight, but after about an hour of rest, it's right back to normal.
I'll update you with the run info tomorrow...
Tuesday, May 3, 2011
Saturday, April 30, 2011
If You Like Pina Coladas
I got caught in the rain. It was probably the high point of my run. Let me explain.
As you all know, I haven't been doing too badly increasing my speed and distance with the way I've been running barefoot. Most of the method I've utilized has come from Michael Sandler's book. My goal through all of this has been to run painless (apart from the occasional lactic acid build up) and injury free (apart from the occasional bruise or scrape to the foot). Well I'm not quite there.
About a week ago when I ran my second 5k barefoot, I experienced some knee and shin discomfort. Ever the perfectionist, I've been supplementing my technique with that of Barefoot Ken Bob's.
Well I'm 3/4ths of the way through his book (past the part where you learn his technique and about half-way through some drills) and I decided to put it all to use.
His emphasis on knee-bending is a great take-away and something I hadn't concentrated on before. I'm feeling the pain from the different muscles used for that. Also the 1-2-3 landing (ball of foot, then toes or heel) has been difficult to master. According to Ken Bob, you should feel little if any calf soreness/pain from running his way. I guess I don't have it down.
There's also a bit about slightly rotating your hips naturally, and a gentle lean of your hips and lower body (not, as is common in Pose and Chi running, with your torso).
I started off my run with a really intense warm-up. I used the foam roller for a good 30 minutes getting at my glutes, quads and calves. There were some serious trigger points I'm going to have to keep working at.
Whether it was the rolling or the new form, I could only go about 1.39 miles. And I took a 15 second break a couple of times. Then it started pouring. I slipped on my VFFs and ran back home (of course my pace was a lot quicker). Needless to say, I'm a little disheartened. I feel like I'm at square one again. But I suppose, if, in the long run, I don't get a good form down, I'll continue down the same path I'd been on before.
The good news is that its only my muscles that are sore. And my ego.
The upshot is, its hard to gauge what's right when the proof is not in the pudding. In other words, doing something correctly, doesn't mean that you'll be faster or run farther -- at least not initially. And that's the hardest part.
As you all know, I haven't been doing too badly increasing my speed and distance with the way I've been running barefoot. Most of the method I've utilized has come from Michael Sandler's book. My goal through all of this has been to run painless (apart from the occasional lactic acid build up) and injury free (apart from the occasional bruise or scrape to the foot). Well I'm not quite there.
About a week ago when I ran my second 5k barefoot, I experienced some knee and shin discomfort. Ever the perfectionist, I've been supplementing my technique with that of Barefoot Ken Bob's.
Well I'm 3/4ths of the way through his book (past the part where you learn his technique and about half-way through some drills) and I decided to put it all to use.
His emphasis on knee-bending is a great take-away and something I hadn't concentrated on before. I'm feeling the pain from the different muscles used for that. Also the 1-2-3 landing (ball of foot, then toes or heel) has been difficult to master. According to Ken Bob, you should feel little if any calf soreness/pain from running his way. I guess I don't have it down.
There's also a bit about slightly rotating your hips naturally, and a gentle lean of your hips and lower body (not, as is common in Pose and Chi running, with your torso).
I started off my run with a really intense warm-up. I used the foam roller for a good 30 minutes getting at my glutes, quads and calves. There were some serious trigger points I'm going to have to keep working at.
Whether it was the rolling or the new form, I could only go about 1.39 miles. And I took a 15 second break a couple of times. Then it started pouring. I slipped on my VFFs and ran back home (of course my pace was a lot quicker). Needless to say, I'm a little disheartened. I feel like I'm at square one again. But I suppose, if, in the long run, I don't get a good form down, I'll continue down the same path I'd been on before.
The good news is that its only my muscles that are sore. And my ego.
The upshot is, its hard to gauge what's right when the proof is not in the pudding. In other words, doing something correctly, doesn't mean that you'll be faster or run farther -- at least not initially. And that's the hardest part.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Not All Advice on Barefoot Running is Sound
Livestrong.com is a great resource for lots of things -- nutrition, workout plans, motivation, etc. But as a beginning barefoot runner, I always take advice from one-off authors or contributors with a grain of salt.
Case in point. The article has generally good advice, but errs when it suggests minimalist shoes can be used to transition to barefoot running. This is almost certainly dangerous. Read Ken Bob Saxton's book. Or Michael Sandler's. Or even Jason Robillard's. These are folks who have been running barefoot for a good long time. Barefoot running requires running barefoot. Memorize this palindrome. It may be slow. It may be painful. But there is no way around it -- minimalist shoes aren't an panacea. They have their place as useful tools, but only after you have learned good form.
Also, forgive the grammatical error in my comment -- "to" should be "too" among other things. I rushed to write a comment before more people viewed the article and thought VFFs could get you into barefoot running easier than barefoot running.
Update: Another example of a person who did not get the memo about running barefoot. This writer obviously should have done at least some research before strapping VFFs on and taking off.
Case in point. The article has generally good advice, but errs when it suggests minimalist shoes can be used to transition to barefoot running. This is almost certainly dangerous. Read Ken Bob Saxton's book. Or Michael Sandler's. Or even Jason Robillard's. These are folks who have been running barefoot for a good long time. Barefoot running requires running barefoot. Memorize this palindrome. It may be slow. It may be painful. But there is no way around it -- minimalist shoes aren't an panacea. They have their place as useful tools, but only after you have learned good form.
Also, forgive the grammatical error in my comment -- "to" should be "too" among other things. I rushed to write a comment before more people viewed the article and thought VFFs could get you into barefoot running easier than barefoot running.
Update: Another example of a person who did not get the memo about running barefoot. This writer obviously should have done at least some research before strapping VFFs on and taking off.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Run to Victory Park -- 3.1 mi in 26:55
It's been said before, but its worth saying again (mostly for my own benefit) -- you are only as good as your form. When that suffers and falls apart, you aren't far behind. And neither is injury.
I started off very fast tonight -- somewhere in the 7:20 range, and I must say my form was very good. I was lifting my feet with my knees (not toeing off) and taking short quick steps. My back was straight and tall and my arms swung parallel to each other. At or about the end of my second mile, things started to turn sour.
For some reason my calves got really sore -- maybe I wasn't relaxing enough -- and so I started slipping. Instead of landing on my ball I started to inch back little by little. Midfoot. Middle Midfoot. Lower Midfoot. I stopped there fortunately, but I could already feel the ill effects. My left knee started feeling a little funny (underneath that boney protrusion on the side, which I believe is called the the lateral collateral ligament) and out of sorts. No pain, but I knew it was on its way. Then my left shin started getting a lactic acid build up.
If I didn't know better I might have said the soreness (hopefully that's what it was) was the beginnings of shin splits. But only on my left leg. Apparently I have a running asymmetry. I know, it's weird.
Lesson learned. Form, form, form. And more form. Time and speed are nothing if you are injured. Distance is nothing if you can't get out there and run the next day.
My rookie speed is around 8 minutes a mile, and will be for the next couple of weeks. I need to be ok with that. No comas ansias.
4/27/2011 Update: The good news is that I definitely don't have shin splints, but I will need to foam roll and stretch my knees/lateral collateral ligament/IT band a little more frequently and intensely than I am doing now. Thankfully I'm only feeling just a little residual discomfort in my left knee this morning. Right foot pads are nice and tender though.
I started off very fast tonight -- somewhere in the 7:20 range, and I must say my form was very good. I was lifting my feet with my knees (not toeing off) and taking short quick steps. My back was straight and tall and my arms swung parallel to each other. At or about the end of my second mile, things started to turn sour.
For some reason my calves got really sore -- maybe I wasn't relaxing enough -- and so I started slipping. Instead of landing on my ball I started to inch back little by little. Midfoot. Middle Midfoot. Lower Midfoot. I stopped there fortunately, but I could already feel the ill effects. My left knee started feeling a little funny (underneath that boney protrusion on the side, which I believe is called the the lateral collateral ligament) and out of sorts. No pain, but I knew it was on its way. Then my left shin started getting a lactic acid build up.
If I didn't know better I might have said the soreness (hopefully that's what it was) was the beginnings of shin splits. But only on my left leg. Apparently I have a running asymmetry. I know, it's weird.
Lesson learned. Form, form, form. And more form. Time and speed are nothing if you are injured. Distance is nothing if you can't get out there and run the next day.
My rookie speed is around 8 minutes a mile, and will be for the next couple of weeks. I need to be ok with that. No comas ansias.
4/27/2011 Update: The good news is that I definitely don't have shin splints, but I will need to foam roll and stretch my knees/lateral collateral ligament/IT band a little more frequently and intensely than I am doing now. Thankfully I'm only feeling just a little residual discomfort in my left knee this morning. Right foot pads are nice and tender though.
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Iron Bunny 5k in El Paso
This morning, I ran the Iron Bunny 5k with proceeds benefiting ALS research. I was a little nervous going in because my legs weren't feeling too fresh after a Friday hike up Mt. Cristo Rey in El Paso. I got to the race about 45 minutes early, which gave me enough time to loosen up and be ready to go. Since I'm still not ready for a full 5k completely unshod, I wore my Vibram Five Fingers. That still kept my stride honest and reminded me to strike mid-foot.
As is always the case, pacing was key. Most of the runners sprinted out of the start. While a few were able to maintain that pace (the winner was somewhere in the 18 minute range), most had to settle in to a much slower jog with a mile or so. This sets up a fun game Shoeless Matt taught me. I focused on a runner ahead of me and targeted them as prey. It's a powerful exercise that really helps to push the pace. Just make sure you pick someone you can catch.
Since I had my Garmin Forerunner 305, I was able to keep my pace constant all the way through. I decided that if I kept it at or below 9 minutes per mile, I would be good to go for a late push. This was important in the early going, since my ego wanted me to chase the sprinters out of the gate.
My official time was 27:29. Not exactly blistering speed, but it was an improvement over my last race and was definitely a confidence builder. I'm looking at running another 5k in two weeks through Downtown El Paso.
As is always the case, pacing was key. Most of the runners sprinted out of the start. While a few were able to maintain that pace (the winner was somewhere in the 18 minute range), most had to settle in to a much slower jog with a mile or so. This sets up a fun game Shoeless Matt taught me. I focused on a runner ahead of me and targeted them as prey. It's a powerful exercise that really helps to push the pace. Just make sure you pick someone you can catch.
Since I had my Garmin Forerunner 305, I was able to keep my pace constant all the way through. I decided that if I kept it at or below 9 minutes per mile, I would be good to go for a late push. This was important in the early going, since my ego wanted me to chase the sprinters out of the gate.
My official time was 27:29. Not exactly blistering speed, but it was an improvement over my last race and was definitely a confidence builder. I'm looking at running another 5k in two weeks through Downtown El Paso.
Katy Trail (Tandem) -- 3.1 miles in 26:42
I did it. I ran a 5k barefoot. My friend Edwin and I just got back from our Katy Trail run and I am proud to report I broke the 3 mi barrier. We did stop for a 1 minute rest at 1.5 miles, but even adding that time in, its better than my previous 5k in VFFs.
I felt a lot more confident this time, as far as my form was concerned. The same parts of my pads are tender, so I think I'll give it about 2 days rest until my next run.
My warm up consisted of foam rolling my glutes, calves, IT band, quads and hamstrings for about 2-3 minutes each. My prerun fuel was a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch in organic non-fat milk. My recovery was a bowl of mixed fruit.
All in all, not a bad start to the Easter weekend...
I felt a lot more confident this time, as far as my form was concerned. The same parts of my pads are tender, so I think I'll give it about 2 days rest until my next run.
My warm up consisted of foam rolling my glutes, calves, IT band, quads and hamstrings for about 2-3 minutes each. My prerun fuel was a bowl of Kashi Go Lean Crunch in organic non-fat milk. My recovery was a bowl of mixed fruit.
All in all, not a bad start to the Easter weekend...
Friday, April 22, 2011
Earth Day 2011
Happy Earth Day! What better way to celebrate our amazing planet than than with a nice grass run? Or maybe take that dirt trail and see just how far it goes.
Afterwards you can head down to the Dallas Arts District and visit the great food vendors and other booths at the Earth Day Dallas festival. Top it all off with a midday yoga break complete with complimentary mats and a great instructor!
Happy trails!
Afterwards you can head down to the Dallas Arts District and visit the great food vendors and other booths at the Earth Day Dallas festival. Top it all off with a midday yoga break complete with complimentary mats and a great instructor!
Happy trails!
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