Since I have yet to purchase shoes, I performed a little experiment. My feet were adorned with a strip of duct tape on the sole of the foot covering the 1st and 2nd MTP joints and wrapping a little around the medial side of the first MTP joint. This was, of course, an attempt to ward off some of the friction that has developed while running.
Did it work? No, not really. After 1.5 miles, the piece on my right foot had come off and the piece on my left had nearly come off. There was a decent blister on the left foot, on the inside of the 1st MTP.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Weight: 213.8 (Tuesday morning at the Pain Center)
Results: Here was the funny thing...before the run, my right knee was a little achy and had been since Saturday (my last run). After my run, there was no achiness and even today (Tuesday) there isn't any achiness.
What I Learned: Duct tape is not all that helpful, unfortunately. I will, eventually, need shoes.
Plan: Run Wednesday night, hopefully 1.75 miles, up at West Catholic.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Monday, July 30, 2012
Day 36 - Yes, I skipped a day for no good reason
Friday was supposed to be a run day. I did not run. Sorry. Do I have a good excuse. No. My excuse was I was tired and it was Friday. That is the best I can do. You will all have to forgive me. Thanks. My run was on Saturday, through my neighborhood. I felt like a real runner for just a little bit.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: My right medial knee was sore later in the day and is just very slightly sore on Monday morning as I write this, but this is just barely. More than anything, my left foot was getting a tender spot/blister just medial to the 1st MTP joint. This caused me to run in the grass next to the sidewalk rather than on the sidewalk. This was on an area where there should really be very little ground contact. At least not enough to cause a blister.
What I Learned: The rubbing on the inside of my left foot might be due to a lack of extension of the 1st toe. I have noticed it is limited compare to the right 1st toe. I can imagine how this would cause my foot to roll just a little more inward and cause extra friction on a portion of the foot that should not really be in much contact with the ground.
When it comes to my knee, I'm still not sure. The soreness is nothing bad, so I will just have to slowly continue and see how things go.
Plan: Try to run Monday night, likely after the kids are in bed.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: My right medial knee was sore later in the day and is just very slightly sore on Monday morning as I write this, but this is just barely. More than anything, my left foot was getting a tender spot/blister just medial to the 1st MTP joint. This caused me to run in the grass next to the sidewalk rather than on the sidewalk. This was on an area where there should really be very little ground contact. At least not enough to cause a blister.
What I Learned: The rubbing on the inside of my left foot might be due to a lack of extension of the 1st toe. I have noticed it is limited compare to the right 1st toe. I can imagine how this would cause my foot to roll just a little more inward and cause extra friction on a portion of the foot that should not really be in much contact with the ground.
When it comes to my knee, I'm still not sure. The soreness is nothing bad, so I will just have to slowly continue and see how things go.
Plan: Try to run Monday night, likely after the kids are in bed.
Friday, July 27, 2012
Where are you getting your information?
This seems like a reasonable question. The advent of the internet has led to wonderful amounts of information sharing. There is also a lot of really crappy information out there. As a physical therapist, I often have to battle misinformation to help the patient get to the mental place they need to be. Just because WebMD says it does not make it true.
With that said, most of my information has come off of the internet. I use a couple of guidelines when judging the information.
My journey started when I heard about the book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It has been in the press a lot recently. I'm not going to go through a whole book review but I will say it is a fun and inspiring read. It really makes me want to get out and run (obviously). Throughout the book, the author presents a variety of information about why we were born to run. This includes anatomy, physiology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary pyschology, and basic sports science. The information comes from a wide variety of sources both current and historical.
Do I fully buy the author's premise that we humans were, in fact, born to run? For the most part, yes, I do. I saw some signs that he was cherry-picking some information and possibly making more of "the facts" than should be made. Overall, it doesn't seem unreasonable.
On a side note, if you have ever read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, you will be familiar with the last several chapters of the final book, The Last Battle. In the last chapters, many of the familar characters find themselves in Aslan's Country, which is essentially Heaven. Besides it being beautiful and peaceful, they find that they can all run faster than an eagle can fly without getting hot, tired or out of breath. Think about that. Wouldn't that be fabulous? Would any rational human turn down the ability to run super-fast without getting hot, tired or out of breath? Of course not. It makes me think we are, in fact, born to run.
So, Born to Run got me inspired, but where do you go from there? The first place I start is my own personal athletic experiences and my physical therapy background. How have I been injured? What are some of my "issues"? How do runners commonly get injured? What would I reasonably anticipate could be some issues with barefoot running?
Two websites which have been helpful, so far, are http://birthdayshoes.com/ and http://naturalrunningcenter.com/. Birthdayshoes.com has less technical information about running and more shoe reviews. Naturalrunningcenter.com has a list of contributors with significantly better credentials and a little more how-to information. I am still exploring each site and seeing where they lead me.
There is a video on naturalrunningcenter.com that is very helpful in understanding the mechanics of barefoot/natural running. Referencing my comments above, the concepts seem plausible and make logical sense. This is a video I will likely watch numerous times to glean further bits of info.
It is impossible to say what I might run into later on. As I go, I will have to do my best to judge the credibility and validity of advice and information I come across. Don't we all?
With that said, most of my information has come off of the internet. I use a couple of guidelines when judging the information.
- Is the information consistent across several unrelated sources? If yes, this gives some credibility.
- What are the credentials/education of the writer? Is this Joe Shmoe spouting his opinion/experiences or is the writer operating from a positon of knowledge.
- Does the information pass the logic test? Is the writer making big leaps and assumptions based on limited evidence or experience?
- Is this biologically plausible? Does the information mesh with basic anatomy/physiology/biology?
- What type of financial interest does the writer have? Do they own the company selling the new wonder product? Never believe what a marketing department writes. Their job is to sell you stuff. Period.
- How often do they use terms like never and always? Do they use highly emotional terms? Is the language meant to "stoke your fire"? Major decisions need to be made from a calm, informed place not from an emotional and ignorant place.
- Has any research been quoted? If research is quoted, where is the research from? Who did the research? Does the writer keep quoting the same piece of low power research? If someone is basing their conclusions off a couple of case studies, be very leary.
- Is the author quoting a lot of his own research? Not to say that the research is bad but we do tend to agree with ourselves.
My journey started when I heard about the book, Born to Run by Christopher McDougall. It has been in the press a lot recently. I'm not going to go through a whole book review but I will say it is a fun and inspiring read. It really makes me want to get out and run (obviously). Throughout the book, the author presents a variety of information about why we were born to run. This includes anatomy, physiology, evolutionary biology, evolutionary pyschology, and basic sports science. The information comes from a wide variety of sources both current and historical.
Do I fully buy the author's premise that we humans were, in fact, born to run? For the most part, yes, I do. I saw some signs that he was cherry-picking some information and possibly making more of "the facts" than should be made. Overall, it doesn't seem unreasonable.
On a side note, if you have ever read the entire Chronicles of Narnia series, you will be familiar with the last several chapters of the final book, The Last Battle. In the last chapters, many of the familar characters find themselves in Aslan's Country, which is essentially Heaven. Besides it being beautiful and peaceful, they find that they can all run faster than an eagle can fly without getting hot, tired or out of breath. Think about that. Wouldn't that be fabulous? Would any rational human turn down the ability to run super-fast without getting hot, tired or out of breath? Of course not. It makes me think we are, in fact, born to run.
So, Born to Run got me inspired, but where do you go from there? The first place I start is my own personal athletic experiences and my physical therapy background. How have I been injured? What are some of my "issues"? How do runners commonly get injured? What would I reasonably anticipate could be some issues with barefoot running?
Two websites which have been helpful, so far, are http://birthdayshoes.com/ and http://naturalrunningcenter.com/. Birthdayshoes.com has less technical information about running and more shoe reviews. Naturalrunningcenter.com has a list of contributors with significantly better credentials and a little more how-to information. I am still exploring each site and seeing where they lead me.
There is a video on naturalrunningcenter.com that is very helpful in understanding the mechanics of barefoot/natural running. Referencing my comments above, the concepts seem plausible and make logical sense. This is a video I will likely watch numerous times to glean further bits of info.
It is impossible to say what I might run into later on. As I go, I will have to do my best to judge the credibility and validity of advice and information I come across. Don't we all?
Thursday, July 26, 2012
Day 33 - tryin' a few sprints
Once again, I got out of work and Michelle and the kids weren't home, so I went up to West Catholic's track and did 6 laps followed by four 100 yard sprints with 2 minutes rest between sprints. Felt pretty good overall.
Distance: 1.5 miles (6 laps) plus four 100 yard sprints on their main football field.
Weight: 211.6 (Thursday on the Pain Center scale)
Results: less right knee soreness. It seemed like it wanted to be sore the whole time but never was. I did develop some soreness of my left 1st toe (the big toe). That toe is one of the little issues I have had for a while now. About a year and a half ago, I forcibly extended the toe while trying to run up the steps carrying my son. It never really seems to have gotten back to normal (a little stiff and occasionally sore).
What I Learned: First, I probably need to do some stretching and mobilization of my 1st toe into extension. Second, I should stick with 1.5 miles for a few days to make sure my knee does not continue to ache.
Plan: run on Friday, probably after work. I think I will try this within my own neighborhood (no sprints involved).
Distance: 1.5 miles (6 laps) plus four 100 yard sprints on their main football field.
Weight: 211.6 (Thursday on the Pain Center scale)
Results: less right knee soreness. It seemed like it wanted to be sore the whole time but never was. I did develop some soreness of my left 1st toe (the big toe). That toe is one of the little issues I have had for a while now. About a year and a half ago, I forcibly extended the toe while trying to run up the steps carrying my son. It never really seems to have gotten back to normal (a little stiff and occasionally sore).
What I Learned: First, I probably need to do some stretching and mobilization of my 1st toe into extension. Second, I should stick with 1.5 miles for a few days to make sure my knee does not continue to ache.
Plan: run on Friday, probably after work. I think I will try this within my own neighborhood (no sprints involved).
Tuesday, July 24, 2012
Day 31 - back on track
Now I feel back on track. As I was getting out of work, there was a message from Michelle indicating she and the kids would not be home when I got home. Even though I was planning on running in the evening, I took the opportunity to hop on Sam the Singlespeed and head up to West Catholic. It was hot, but not too bad.
Distance: 1.5 miles (6 laps) plus two 100 yard sprints on their practice field.
Weight: 215 (Tuesday on the Pain Center scale)
Results: There was some soreness of my medial left knee by the 5th lap (otherwise I might have tried for 1.75 miles). I liked the sprints; they felt oddly good (I never would have said that in high school).
What I Learned: I have two thoughts on the medial knee pain: first, as the run progresses, I am getting some muscle fatigue transferring stress from each foot fall from the muscles to the joint. I like this option because I can slowly train through it. The second possibility is that my knee is showing me what life will continue to be like if I keep running (i.e., the more I run, the worse the knee will feel). Which one is it? I don't know. We will have to find out.
Distance: 1.5 miles (6 laps) plus two 100 yard sprints on their practice field.
Weight: 215 (Tuesday on the Pain Center scale)
Results: There was some soreness of my medial left knee by the 5th lap (otherwise I might have tried for 1.75 miles). I liked the sprints; they felt oddly good (I never would have said that in high school).
What I Learned: I have two thoughts on the medial knee pain: first, as the run progresses, I am getting some muscle fatigue transferring stress from each foot fall from the muscles to the joint. I like this option because I can slowly train through it. The second possibility is that my knee is showing me what life will continue to be like if I keep running (i.e., the more I run, the worse the knee will feel). Which one is it? I don't know. We will have to find out.
Monday, July 23, 2012
Day 28 & Day 30
Ok, ok, I skipped a day but I do have some pretty reasonable excuses. First, we had to get packed up to leave for camping on Thursday morning. Second (and this is the good one), I actually developed an ear infection and had to go to the doctor on Wednesday evening (it kind of felt like my ear was going to explode). With all that, driving up north and setting up camp, I didn't get to run until Friday morning, where I ran through the Interlochen State Park campground. On Sunday, after we got home, I went for a bike ride and then stopped at West Catholic to jog around their track. That run didn't go so well (see below).
Day 28
Distance: 1.45 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: a little rawness of the feet (I was running on asphalt) but otherwise OK.
Day 30
Distance: maybe 0.5 miles around West Catholic's track. It was a really hot day and I had already done 15 hard miles on the bike. I just couldn't keep good form and I felt exhausted.
Weight: once again, didn't check (216.4 on Monday morning on the Pain Center scale)
Results: I was already sore from the weekend of camping and biking, so my lower legs were just tired and achy the rest of the day. My medial right knee was also a little sore.
What I Learned: trying to run after a hard bike ride on a hot day is just plain not a good idea, at least yet.
Plan: Run on Monday, in the evening, up at the West Catholic track or possibly through my neighborhood (I really need to get some shoes).
Day 28
Distance: 1.45 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: a little rawness of the feet (I was running on asphalt) but otherwise OK.
Day 30
Distance: maybe 0.5 miles around West Catholic's track. It was a really hot day and I had already done 15 hard miles on the bike. I just couldn't keep good form and I felt exhausted.
Weight: once again, didn't check (216.4 on Monday morning on the Pain Center scale)
Results: I was already sore from the weekend of camping and biking, so my lower legs were just tired and achy the rest of the day. My medial right knee was also a little sore.
What I Learned: trying to run after a hard bike ride on a hot day is just plain not a good idea, at least yet.
Plan: Run on Monday, in the evening, up at the West Catholic track or possibly through my neighborhood (I really need to get some shoes).
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Day 26 - Making Progress
I managed to get a run in, but not until about 8:30 at night. Rode Sam the Singlespeed up to West Catholic's track and did 6 laps. My time was 14:48 for the 1.5 miles. That seems pretty reasonable. About 75% of the lap was actually on the grass just at the edge of the track and the other 25% was on the track itself. This was just to protect my feet. Even 2 days later, they are still kind of sensitive from the heat on Sunday.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Weight: 214.8 (Pain Center scale)
Results: did pretty well, overall. No real knee pain. Not much lower leg or calf fatigue. It actually felt pretty good.
What I Learned: running in the evening is just plain a good idea on a really hot day.
Plan: Run on Wednesday, probably back up at West Catholic's track. I think I will stick to 1.5 miles for several sessions to allow adaptation.
Distance: 1.5 miles
Weight: 214.8 (Pain Center scale)
Results: did pretty well, overall. No real knee pain. Not much lower leg or calf fatigue. It actually felt pretty good.
What I Learned: running in the evening is just plain a good idea on a really hot day.
Plan: Run on Wednesday, probably back up at West Catholic's track. I think I will stick to 1.5 miles for several sessions to allow adaptation.
Monday, July 16, 2012
Day 24 - HOT and hurting feet
Not hurting like the joints or muscles hurt, but hurting like the pavement is burning the bottom of my feet and the straw-like grass is slashing them to bits.
It was another hot day and I didn't really feel well yet, but I knew I needed a good bike ride and I knew I needed to get a run in.
Basically, I rode to Milleniuim park and back and stopped at cemetery along the way to do my run. The pavement was so hot and the grass so poky that I abandoned the run after 0.73 miles and rode a little farther to West Catholic and ran on the grass of their well-watered football practice field (much nicer by the way).
When I got home, I soaked my feet in cold water (this felt wonderful, by the way). My garmin recorded the average temperature at something like 96 degrees for the whole ride/run. Yuck.
Distance: 1.31 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: scorched feet from the pavement. Not really sore or tired, though. Even my calves did not seem to be too fatigued. This is a good sign. No knee pain, either.
What I Learned: on a hot day, some type of shoes almost seems like a necessity.
Plan: Run on Monday, likely back up at West Catholic's track/infield so I can avoid the burned, raw feet I have experienced recently.
It was another hot day and I didn't really feel well yet, but I knew I needed a good bike ride and I knew I needed to get a run in.
Basically, I rode to Milleniuim park and back and stopped at cemetery along the way to do my run. The pavement was so hot and the grass so poky that I abandoned the run after 0.73 miles and rode a little farther to West Catholic and ran on the grass of their well-watered football practice field (much nicer by the way).
When I got home, I soaked my feet in cold water (this felt wonderful, by the way). My garmin recorded the average temperature at something like 96 degrees for the whole ride/run. Yuck.
Distance: 1.31 miles
Weight: didn't check
Results: scorched feet from the pavement. Not really sore or tired, though. Even my calves did not seem to be too fatigued. This is a good sign. No knee pain, either.
What I Learned: on a hot day, some type of shoes almost seems like a necessity.
Plan: Run on Monday, likely back up at West Catholic's track/infield so I can avoid the burned, raw feet I have experienced recently.
Friday, July 13, 2012
Day 22 - only one day off
I've been sick all week. There has been a variety of symptoms, including a sore throat, runny nose, excessive fatigue, achy joints, sinus congestion and a sneeze that hurts my throat really bad.
With that said, I missed running on Wednesday. Sorry, I just couldn't do it. Does that make me a bad person? Hopefully not.
On Thursday night, I waited until the kiddos were in bed and then I headed out. There was a lot of waffling back and forth as to whether I should even go. I didn't exactly feel the best but I went out anyway. I picked a route around the neighborhood that I figured would come out to one mile. It ended up being 0.81 miles. If I had been feeling well, I would have done more, but not today. Yuck.
Distance: 0.81 miles - all on blacktop, which did cause some mildly raw patches on the medial side of the forefoot at the 1st ray on each foot.
Weight: 214.6 (doctor's office scale)
Results: as above, there was some sandpaper effect from the blacktop. From what I have read, I'm not really sure whether continuing to run without any type of shoes is good or bad. Will more callus build up? Will enough build up to allow me to run on concrete or asphalt on a regular basis? If it does, how long will it take? I'm not really sure. Getting shoes seems to be the best idea (Am I really going to run in the snow with bare feet?).
There was some aching for a few minutes in the medial side of my right knee. As with my last run, is this because I'm not feeling well or does it have something to do with my form? Questions that will need to be answered.
What I Learned: Had I not been sick, I could have gone farther. It seems like an accomplishment that a run even happened, to be honest.
Plan: Run Saturday. The distance will depend on how I feel. Hopefully 1.2 miles, maybe up at West Catholic's track.
With that said, I missed running on Wednesday. Sorry, I just couldn't do it. Does that make me a bad person? Hopefully not.
On Thursday night, I waited until the kiddos were in bed and then I headed out. There was a lot of waffling back and forth as to whether I should even go. I didn't exactly feel the best but I went out anyway. I picked a route around the neighborhood that I figured would come out to one mile. It ended up being 0.81 miles. If I had been feeling well, I would have done more, but not today. Yuck.
Distance: 0.81 miles - all on blacktop, which did cause some mildly raw patches on the medial side of the forefoot at the 1st ray on each foot.
Weight: 214.6 (doctor's office scale)
Results: as above, there was some sandpaper effect from the blacktop. From what I have read, I'm not really sure whether continuing to run without any type of shoes is good or bad. Will more callus build up? Will enough build up to allow me to run on concrete or asphalt on a regular basis? If it does, how long will it take? I'm not really sure. Getting shoes seems to be the best idea (Am I really going to run in the snow with bare feet?).
There was some aching for a few minutes in the medial side of my right knee. As with my last run, is this because I'm not feeling well or does it have something to do with my form? Questions that will need to be answered.
What I Learned: Had I not been sick, I could have gone farther. It seems like an accomplishment that a run even happened, to be honest.
Plan: Run Saturday. The distance will depend on how I feel. Hopefully 1.2 miles, maybe up at West Catholic's track.
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Day 19 - I should have stayed home
The day started with me calling in sick to work (sore throat and pretty fatigued). My mom took the kids and Michelle was at work. Around 3:00, I was feeling better so I thought I would take a little jog, to make sure I stay on schedule. I did a one mile loop up the ridge trail, through the neighborhood valley and then back up Glen Aire and Glen Valley, ending at my driveway. Considering how I feel today (horrible, in case you didn't guess) I probably should have skipped it.
Distance: 1 mile
What I learned: I tried running in my old Teva sandals, just to see how they feel. Not the best, really. It seemed like I am able to adjust my stride when I'm barefoot but not with the sandals on.
Plan: Run on Wednesday (maybe). That will depend on whether I am still sick. It likely won't be until the evening anyway, after the kids are in bed.
Weight: 215 (at the doctors office)
Results: other than feeling like crud today, no big deal. I did have some knee pain while running, but most of my body was sore at that point so I'm not going to get overly concerned.
Results: other than feeling like crud today, no big deal. I did have some knee pain while running, but most of my body was sore at that point so I'm not going to get overly concerned.
What I learned: I tried running in my old Teva sandals, just to see how they feel. Not the best, really. It seemed like I am able to adjust my stride when I'm barefoot but not with the sandals on.
Plan: Run on Wednesday (maybe). That will depend on whether I am still sick. It likely won't be until the evening anyway, after the kids are in bed.
Sunday, July 8, 2012
Day 13, Day 15 and Day 17 - off the grid in McBain
The Terrell family has spent most of the last week up in McBain at Uncle Gord's Lodge. Thankfully, I did have time to continue with my "training" or whatever you want to call it. All 3 of the runs below were done at the local high school track (McBain Rural Agricultural School, home of the Ramblers - "FEEL THE WHEEL!).
Day 13 - ran one mile at the track. I just barely squeezed this one in. It didn't happen until 9:00 at night. By the 4th lap, I could tell my right calf was getting fatigued. By the last lap, I decided to pick up the pace a little and that is when I started to notice a little right medial knee pain (Schnikes Scooby!). I realized I had lengthened out my stride some and when I shortened it up, the knee pain stopped. Basically, my foot strike was starting to happen in front of me instead of underneath me. Oh, and as a side note, the rubberized surface of a track can tear your foot up, or at least it can tear up mine. Just the left foot though. Curious.
Day 15 - Hot. That is the best description I can muster. This run actually started as a bike ride on a mid 90's day. After about 19 miles of mostly riding into the wind, I ran for 8 minutes on the infield of the track. I just couldn't go in further (I had planned on doing 11 minutes). It was too hot and I was too tired. But I did get it done, and that is what matters.
Day 17 - This was a good run. I really felt things start to click. I kept my cadence relatively high and I ran the mile in 9:38. I didn't even check my watch until I was finished; I just ran at what felt like a good pace.
There were a few encouraging things from these runs. First, at an aerobic level, I certainly could have done more. There was not a great deal of fatigue on Day 13 or Day 17. The only reason I stopped was because of the need to pace myself from a musculoskeletal perspective. Second, running on the track gave me a chance to play with my stride and try to get into a rythmn, which I think I accomplished. Third, it just felt good to run. One mile is only one mile but it seems like a mini-milestone to me. Like I have crossed a threshold. People often say, "I don't think I could even run a mile". Granted, these people probably could but they are the type that would never try.
What's next? I will probably stick to a mile for the rest of the week to allow for adaptation. My hope is that I will be able to make it to the mile mark without the right calf fatigue.
Day 13 - ran one mile at the track. I just barely squeezed this one in. It didn't happen until 9:00 at night. By the 4th lap, I could tell my right calf was getting fatigued. By the last lap, I decided to pick up the pace a little and that is when I started to notice a little right medial knee pain (Schnikes Scooby!). I realized I had lengthened out my stride some and when I shortened it up, the knee pain stopped. Basically, my foot strike was starting to happen in front of me instead of underneath me. Oh, and as a side note, the rubberized surface of a track can tear your foot up, or at least it can tear up mine. Just the left foot though. Curious.
Day 15 - Hot. That is the best description I can muster. This run actually started as a bike ride on a mid 90's day. After about 19 miles of mostly riding into the wind, I ran for 8 minutes on the infield of the track. I just couldn't go in further (I had planned on doing 11 minutes). It was too hot and I was too tired. But I did get it done, and that is what matters.
Day 17 - This was a good run. I really felt things start to click. I kept my cadence relatively high and I ran the mile in 9:38. I didn't even check my watch until I was finished; I just ran at what felt like a good pace.
There were a few encouraging things from these runs. First, at an aerobic level, I certainly could have done more. There was not a great deal of fatigue on Day 13 or Day 17. The only reason I stopped was because of the need to pace myself from a musculoskeletal perspective. Second, running on the track gave me a chance to play with my stride and try to get into a rythmn, which I think I accomplished. Third, it just felt good to run. One mile is only one mile but it seems like a mini-milestone to me. Like I have crossed a threshold. People often say, "I don't think I could even run a mile". Granted, these people probably could but they are the type that would never try.
What's next? I will probably stick to a mile for the rest of the week to allow for adaptation. My hope is that I will be able to make it to the mile mark without the right calf fatigue.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Day 11 - Yes, running on rocks does hurt
Just in case you were wondering. You probably weren't. It's pretty obvious.
Sunday was a busy day, so I did not get to run until after the kiddos were in bed (about 8:30). I walked over to the neighborhood trail, hid my sandals in a bush, and took off. The ridge portion of the trail has many small rocks and twigs to step on and, yes, I stepped on many of them. Afterwards, my forefeet felt bruised, but not too badly. Even today, I can feel it some. My next run should be interesting.
Distance: 0.93 miles (almost one mile!)
Weight: 219 on the bathroom scale (I don't trust that thing)
Results: bruised forefeet and just the tiniest hint of something possibly, in a different world, that might be knee pain. But I might be just imagining things.
What I learned: Yes, a pair of minimalist running shoes seems like a good idea, just for the protection. Oddly enough, a "minimalist" shoe is no less expensive than a regular running shoe. Curious. Also, I can see where those little rocks do lead to a different running style. Not much choice but to change how you run when a pebble is trying to embed itself into your forefoot.
Plan: do a road run around around my block on Tuesday morning, shooting for just under a mile, like today.
Sunday was a busy day, so I did not get to run until after the kiddos were in bed (about 8:30). I walked over to the neighborhood trail, hid my sandals in a bush, and took off. The ridge portion of the trail has many small rocks and twigs to step on and, yes, I stepped on many of them. Afterwards, my forefeet felt bruised, but not too badly. Even today, I can feel it some. My next run should be interesting.
Distance: 0.93 miles (almost one mile!)
Weight: 219 on the bathroom scale (I don't trust that thing)
Results: bruised forefeet and just the tiniest hint of something possibly, in a different world, that might be knee pain. But I might be just imagining things.
What I learned: Yes, a pair of minimalist running shoes seems like a good idea, just for the protection. Oddly enough, a "minimalist" shoe is no less expensive than a regular running shoe. Curious. Also, I can see where those little rocks do lead to a different running style. Not much choice but to change how you run when a pebble is trying to embed itself into your forefoot.
Plan: do a road run around around my block on Tuesday morning, shooting for just under a mile, like today.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)