Tired.

Today was eventful. It started like many of our hiking/workout/running days do, sitting lazily on the couch. OK, so we decided to check out the other end of the last trail we hit and found "our new favorite spot". While there I managed to snake in some running, albeit unintentionally, some rock climbing, and some hiking. We didn't go far and I decided not to track it, I didn't want to have a repeat of last time. We started out with a 1/4 mile handicap accessible trail, packed stone dust, and ended at a cove/beach and just did some random exploring from there, and then came back out. Once again, the hiking went well, my only complaint is small rocks/sticks/roots/etc that I step on dig into my feet. Scrambling across rocks becomes an easier task, though it hurts. The extra flexibility and the sticks rubber of the Vibrams makes for an excellent grip on whatever your stepping on. The only exception to that rule is when the surface is slick, like with ice or slick rock moss. This is difficult to grip on because of the lack of tread on the KSO's. Simply wet surface are no problem, but if they have a slick surface otherwise, be careful. A good remedy is to take it slow, lower your center of gravity, and widen and/or augment your base (spread your feet, add hands/butt/etc. to the equation). Anyways, here are some pics of our adventures:

I'll have more later.

After our hike, we headed home to do our regular workout with Bob. As usual, this was grueling. I set out for a 3 miler right afterwards. For the record, it whipped my ass. I was pretty tired from the hike and workout anyways, 3 miles just about killed me.



The first mile plus was uphill, which I did not perform well at. It came in at a painfully slow 10:24, which should also be attributed to the remaining snow and the ever persistent mud on the trail. My second and third mile came in at 9:49 and 9:51 respectively. I had some problems today that concern me a little. Mainly my right leg from the mid calf down is sore and hurt on the impact of my right foot. I feel like that is a twofold problem. One, all the stabilizer muscles were sore from the hike and I may have pushed too hard when I set off on a trail run, sticking to flat, steady pavement may have been better. Two, the last half of that route is pretty slanted and my right foot is falling on the high side of a sloped road. Also, I am beginning to see that my footfall is getting flatter and my heel is impacting harder and harder. This seems to be from fatigue for the most part, so hopefully tomorrow, after some rest, I will see that go away.

I think tomorrow I am going to try working on speed. I have gotten some good ideas from some articles I have read, mostly from Runners World. I'm thinking about picking a 1/4 mile plus section of the trail, jogging lightly downhill and then pushing out a fast uphill. Uphill seems to be a problem for me and I hope this builds my strength, endurance and overall speed. We'll see.