More and More Running

Well, I set a new standard for myself today, and I'm hoping I can improve on it in the 4 weeks I have until the Half Marathon.  But before we get to that, let me re-cap the week.

Biked to work and back on Sunday.  Rested by taking the bus on Monday.

I had the day off on Tuesday so I got some running in.  12.5km total, 5km of which I ran barefoot, mostly on the monkey trails in Assiniboine Park near the river. It was an incredibly windy day, so I got in some involuntary resistance training every time I ran south!  I did learn that my moving average was way too slow.  7.3km/h sets me up for a 5 hour half marathon!!! Yikes!  Granted, there was a good deal of time walking, and stopping to water the dog in there... Regardless, I needed to improve.

Well, I biked to work and back on Wednesday, which felt good.  And then it was on to today's run...

Ok, so it was a landmark run for me.  22.6km total, which is about the distance of the half marathon itself.  I ran through the trails and along Wellington Crescent all the way to the Maryland Bridge before meeting up with a friend of mine, Keith, who was traveling by bike.  He then paced me all the way back along the same route, until we detoured through the Park and onto a swampy trail through Assiniboine Forrest.  The entire run up until this point (about 15km) has been barefoot!  My moving average over that period increased to just over 10km/h, which is a great improvement.

Over all, my moving average only improved a bit, to 8.5km/h, but that includes some walking... Granted, most of that walking, was done knee deep in swamp water through Assiniboine Forest!  (What was I thinking!!)

So once we'd navigated the swamp (still barefoot) we jogged down Grant and over to my Parent's place for a pit stop and some more water.  From there, we jogged to Quiznos, to pick up a hearty lunch, and then I walked/ran/walked back to my place from there.  The last bit from my parent's place onwards was done in my VFFs, as I'd discovered some rather large blood blisters, and didn't want to risk opening them up in the parking lots on the way home.

The total trip took a dismal 3:51, but with a total moving time of 2:35.  That's about 45-50 minutes slower than I want to be come race day, but when you consider the trails I was running, and walking through a swamp, I think I did OK!  I'm going to have to start bringing a camera along and taking some pictures for the blog!

Until next time, happy barefootting!

Another Update

Well, yesterday felt good and productive.  30km on the bicycle in the morning through Assiniboine Park, Assiniboine Forest, Fort Whyte Alive, and the Trans Canada Trail.  Then, after it cooled down a bit, just shy of 15km of running with the dog through the Park and Forest.  Just about half of that was done barefoot, and the rest in my VFFs!

Good times had by all!

A Quick Update

For anyone following this string of posts, I mentioned earlier that I'd probably done too much too soon the other day when I started out barefoot for the first time and completed 3.8km.  Sure there were a few blisters.  Sure there was plenty of good reason to rest my feet a bit...

Well, today I ran/walked for what my GPS tells me is 17.7km, (approximately 11 miles, and only two shy of my 13mile goal!) and was barefoot for around 14 of those km! (the remaining were done wearing Vibram FiveFinger KSOs).  Are my feet a bit sore... yes.  Do they hurt... not really.  I thinBk they're tired, and the deserve to be.  I am more or less forcing them into performing tasks that, thought they were designed to do, they have been left deprived of.  There are muscles in my foot that were living the easy life until today!  Today, they pull their weight!

The weather was brilliant, although a tad hot nearing the end of our run. (Flash accompanied me dutifully!)  There's something really exhilarating about running barefoot through the trees with a dog.   Fun times!

Now I believe I definitely deserve my nap in the Hammock!  I've got to get that distance up over 20km sooner than later!

A Blister-Poppin' Good Time!

So, how about that bare-foot running, eh?

Well, here's the deal.  I probably over did it a bit on that first day, running about 3.8km barefoot.  There are two reasons for this.  Firstly, I probably ran further than my bare feet were ready for, resulting in some blistering on the bottoms of each of my feet.  Secondly, my form isn't terribly good at all, resulting in some blistering on the bottoms of each of my feet!

What have you learned from all this, Rob?  That barefootting is dangerous and silly?  NO!  I just need to think a bit more before I get out on the road.  (I think we would all do well to think a bit more about everything from time to time!)  So Saturday night I drained my blisters, and Sunday morning I drained them again.  Sure enough, by noon, the blisters were essentially invisible, and the pain had stopped almost entirely.

Knowing that getting back out there for another barefoot run might be a bad idea, I strapped on my Vibram FiveFinger KSOs, and jogged out the door the roughly 2.5km to my parent's place with my dog, Flash!  Once home again, and after a few trips to Canadian Tire to get parts to repair our bikes, and after a very nice nap in the hammock in my front yard, I decided to get out for another BAREFOOT WALK!

It was just a quiet stroll of 2km.  I made sure to walk, concentrating on my form. (Flairing my toes, keeping my knees bent and my torso vertical, etc).  The sun was really beating down on the asphalt by this point, so it was hot going.  But GOOD NEWS! My blisters are practically non-existent, and I might feel safe enough to add a short run to my planned walk today!

All in all the day was a fantastic one. A good run, a good walk, a short bike ride or two, some time lounging in a hammock, a free BBQ (for Free Day! Found it on my first walk!), a home cooked dinner, and a fire in the old fire-pit my parents gave us now that they've "upgraded" their own.  Good times had by all!

Today I plan to bring along my VFFs and put them back on after about 2km, just to make sure I'm not over-doing it on my feet again.  The real advantage to the VFFs is that I continue to strengthen my foot muscles as I go!

In any case, I should probably be off.  I want to get a move on before it gets nice and hot out there!

A new post!

It sure has been a long time since I made a post, so I figured I'd make a quick one now.

I'm interested in creating a bit of a "Running" diary over the next little while. Back in September I got myself a pair of Vibram FiveFingers KSOs. (I got the all black ones)  These are minimalist running shoes designed to replicate the feel and response of barefoot running, while providing a measure of safety for the soles of your feet.  I ran with them when I could, mostly in a gym during the winter, and I've taken them out a bunch of times this spring.  These shoes are EXCELLENT!

But there's only one thing better than simulating barefoot running... and that's actually running barefoot!

There's lots of great literature out there, along with websites, Wikipedia, and other blogs, that advocate the benefits of barefoot running, so I'll leave it to  you to look those things up yourselves.  Suffice it to say, the only real difficulty I'm coming across is that the soles of my feet need a little "breaking in".  They've been babied all their lives, in nice cozy shoes, where they could be perfectly protected, atrophy, and remain nice and un-calloused... Well, all that has got to change!

I ran outside on the streets of Winnipeg (and along a few bike paths) barefoot today.  I feel great! The running was easy... my feet are a little bit blistered.  I've got a few good callouses I'm going to need to develop, but I'm well on my way.  I ran about 3.8km today barefoot before I needed get inside and soak my feet in the tub... but it's a good start!

I'll keep you all posted! (Whether you're interested or not!)

Cheers,