I have a lot of catching up to do. There have been quite a few changes to my life over the past couple of weeks. First and foremost, the Mrs. is pregnant. I am so excited and I can't wait for my baby (boy) to come.
Due to the expansion of my wife as a result of preggo-ness, there's no more Bob Harper workouts (thank you, baby). I have been running 2 miles in the mornings and then doing some pull ups, push ups, and ab work when I get back. It's been going pretty good (other than having to get up early) and I am definitely seeing results. It only takes about a half hour, so I manage to get a good workout in before work (I'm now working day shift). Then I knock out my actual workouts on my days off.
I am now training for a half marathon. Yes, a half marathon. Yes, I am scared. No, I am not backing down. October is the timeframe, and I am excited. The workout schedule I'm following now needed to be reevaluated to ensure it is meeting that goal of a half marathon. As it turns out, it's just fine. I went back to Runners World, punched in my new info and it punched out, more or less, the plan I have now. All I ended up doing was keeping my long runs going up in mileage. Both the old and new plan stagnated at 13 miles. So I am looking at running 13 miles by July, and 16 miles by August. I haven't calculated what I'll be at in September and October, but as long as the plan goes well, I should be fine for a half marathon in October.
I ran a race! We went home to NY for a week to visit family and I figured while I was back in civilization, I would try and find a 5k. I ended up finding one, courtesy of The Adirondack Runners. It was a fun trail run at the YMCA in Glens Falls, NY. This isn't the exact run I did, this is me heading out and trying out the trails before the race:
Like I said, total fun run. I ended up coming in at 26:38. I am very happy with it. and I enjoyed every second of it. I cant wait to do another race.
So, with all the revelations of these past couple of weeks, I have upped my mileage, increased my experience, and found a lot to love. here are the past 2 weeks of workouts:
Haha. This one sucked. The weather was horrible. Rain, wind, the whole works. Miserable.
I wanted to see how fast I could run a 5k. Not bad, but I couldn't keep a good pace, note the ups and downs on the speed graph.
Just a little jaunt around my hometown. Good run. Just a quick note, I wouldn't suggest running on railroad tracks in Vibrams, especially the ones with gravel in between the ties. Beat up feet. Enough said. Other than that, Cambridge is an awesome town to go for a run in. Scenic and beautiful.
This was a failed attempt at speedwork on the track at school. Not successful. The little one came with me and she was supposed to have some company from her grandmother, but the Schmeebe had a meeting so I had to cut the workout short and entertain the kid. I enjoyed hanging out with her anyways, and it's good to take a break and enjoy life.
This is the first of my morning runs. I'm going to continue to track them but I think it would be a waste of time and space to try and put them all on here. Good run, very steady. I am very happy about that.
BAM! The 8 miler. Awesome run. There were some rough hills, but I never got winded or worn out. It was great!
And this was todays slow run. I love seeing that steady pace. I dont mind the little deviations like the one at the 15 min mark, as long as it doesn't look like the first 5 minutes.
It was a good couple of weeks for me. Busy, but good. I'll be back in a week to give the stats on this weeks runs. I have a 9 miler coming up on Sunday, I am really excited to keep increasing the mileage. I am impatient all week waiting for it. Anyways, till next time, keep running.
May 24, 2011
May 9, 2011
Stepping it up...
As I have previously stated... running barefoot is awesome. I decided that I'm comfortable enough with running with the Vibram's to try out running without anything on. Since I have the two easy runs every week, I figure that is the perfect time to do it. So, I did. It was awesome. I have blisters. Haha. They aren't bad, just obnoxious, and they went away quickly, within a day or so. Here are my runs from this week:
This was my first barefoot run. I am happy with it. The pace was a little slow, but I have supple baby feet, and they needed some babying. I turned out fine, but when I stopped running, the road suddenly got painful, and every pebble scooted around to ensure it was right underneath my blisters. The road may be evil, but the Post Office parking lot is Satan's mentor. I suppose it's all about toughening up though. I'll get there in due time.
This is a 'Tempo Run'. I was apparently supposed to go out and run my first and last miles at an 11:20 pace and clock the middle three miles at a 9:30 pace. Instead I ran the first four miles at an avg of 9:37. I am thoroughly surprised and happy about how well this run went. The first mile was downhill for the most part and I think that's why the mile went so smooth. The second mile plus was the amazing part. I stuck to a steady 9:49 pace and climbed 143ft. I was panting pretty hard when I crested the hill, but I was much better off than I could imagine. I pretty much stayed steady for the remainder of the run with the exception of a couple of steep downhill lengths and the last mile. I took my Vibram's off and finished up barefoot, cruising in with a 10:40 on my last mile. I'll go over the downhill problem in a little.
Another barefoot easy run. The locals are beginning to stare. The Mailman commented on possible rock hazards. Oh well. The run went fine.
And the big momma. Ouch. That pretty much wraps it up. This run was rough, I have a million excuses and complaints. It's a little discouraging to go out for a run like this and have it go poorly. I attempted to keep my pace slow, as opposed to the tempo run, and speed up as I warmed up. It didn't happen until the final mile, when I decided the least I could do is finish strong. I struggle with the road being sloped, keeping a steady pace, downhills, and my left hip. (and the excuses start) I had just gotten off my shift at work (12hr night) and I was clocking at about 19 hours awake on 5 hours sleep, so I was exhausted.
Now, the downhills. I don't know how to do them. It seems like there are two options. One, take it slow. This works, but it's taxing to do a long downhill stretch (or a steep one) and try to control the decent, plus I feel like it puts tension on my joints that doesn't feel good. Two, I could try and let gravity do its work. This works but it pounds the crap out of my feet and I feel like I'm not in control. That makes me feel like an accident waiting to happen. I'll have to continue to work on that.
It started out as a good week and got rough at the end. Its all about pushing through (and learning from) the difficult days and make it to the good ones. When you get to those good days, enjoy them. Enjoy as much as you can. Keep running. See ya.
This was my first barefoot run. I am happy with it. The pace was a little slow, but I have supple baby feet, and they needed some babying. I turned out fine, but when I stopped running, the road suddenly got painful, and every pebble scooted around to ensure it was right underneath my blisters. The road may be evil, but the Post Office parking lot is Satan's mentor. I suppose it's all about toughening up though. I'll get there in due time.
This is a 'Tempo Run'. I was apparently supposed to go out and run my first and last miles at an 11:20 pace and clock the middle three miles at a 9:30 pace. Instead I ran the first four miles at an avg of 9:37. I am thoroughly surprised and happy about how well this run went. The first mile was downhill for the most part and I think that's why the mile went so smooth. The second mile plus was the amazing part. I stuck to a steady 9:49 pace and climbed 143ft. I was panting pretty hard when I crested the hill, but I was much better off than I could imagine. I pretty much stayed steady for the remainder of the run with the exception of a couple of steep downhill lengths and the last mile. I took my Vibram's off and finished up barefoot, cruising in with a 10:40 on my last mile. I'll go over the downhill problem in a little.
Another barefoot easy run. The locals are beginning to stare. The Mailman commented on possible rock hazards. Oh well. The run went fine.
And the big momma. Ouch. That pretty much wraps it up. This run was rough, I have a million excuses and complaints. It's a little discouraging to go out for a run like this and have it go poorly. I attempted to keep my pace slow, as opposed to the tempo run, and speed up as I warmed up. It didn't happen until the final mile, when I decided the least I could do is finish strong. I struggle with the road being sloped, keeping a steady pace, downhills, and my left hip. (and the excuses start) I had just gotten off my shift at work (12hr night) and I was clocking at about 19 hours awake on 5 hours sleep, so I was exhausted.
Now, the downhills. I don't know how to do them. It seems like there are two options. One, take it slow. This works, but it's taxing to do a long downhill stretch (or a steep one) and try to control the decent, plus I feel like it puts tension on my joints that doesn't feel good. Two, I could try and let gravity do its work. This works but it pounds the crap out of my feet and I feel like I'm not in control. That makes me feel like an accident waiting to happen. I'll have to continue to work on that.
It started out as a good week and got rough at the end. Its all about pushing through (and learning from) the difficult days and make it to the good ones. When you get to those good days, enjoy them. Enjoy as much as you can. Keep running. See ya.
May 3, 2011
I love Bare Feet!!
Ok, this isn't the whole scoop, but I couldn't resist. I went for my 2 mile easy run today, and after about a 1/4 mile, I took the Vibram's off and rocked it hippie style. It was great! If Vibram's make you a good runner (Jackie), barefoot will make you an awesome runner. Take it slow, there is collateral damage to deal with. My feet have some new blisters, but I dont give a damn. Anyways, heres the after action report:
I'll be back next week, keep running.
I'll be back next week, keep running.
May 2, 2011
Gnarly
I actually stuck to the plan this week, and it made for a good one. Here's the rundown:
The slow runs have been awesome. They recharge me and give me the opportunity to work on my form and footfall. Although it might seem counter productive to go out for a slow, low mile run, it's totally worth it. Try it, and enjoy it.
"Speedwork", also known as torture. I set out to run this one as planned, 1mi slow, repeats (800m fast, 400m slow x3) 1mi slow. It ended up that on the second repeat, I died. you can see the peaks and valleys here in the graph. The high points are me starting to speed up, note that they quickly trail off. Speed isn't a strong suit, but it will be a subject of focus once a week.
Another slow run. As you can see, I had no idea where I was going. I just went out one morning for a jog and went wherever. It was fun. I am settled in pretty well on my easy runs to a 10:30-10:50 pace. Much better than the 11:30 suggested by Runners World. I'm happy.
OK, here's the big one. To start out, I had some worries about my feet on a six mile run. The farthest I have gone so far is 4 miles, and that wasn't a consistent run. My feet have been swollen and sore. So I decided I would run in my Nike running shoes. I began to regret that immediately. First of all, that sharp drop in the beginning of the run is me retying my shoe. Stupid. Before I even hit the mile mark, my back and knees were hurting. I couldn't find a good form. I tried really hard to run exactly like I do with the Vibrams on, but they just aren't built for it, but I did avoid going to a heel strike. A little after I hit the 3 mile mark, I stopped the time and loosened my shoes up as far as they could go. That helped a lot. The tight shoe and the all of its motion control factors were negated when I loosened it up, and I ended up just having to deal with the giant sole on them. It doesn't seem like much, but when you've been running in Vibrams, it's really noticeable. I got through it, but I am never running in those things again.
As for the run. It went great. The first 3 miles were into a 15+ mph headwind. That was miserable. But, I maintained a steady pace the whole time. The second half of my run took me off the trail and back on to the pavement. My 4th mile felt like it ended really fast, I must have been distracted, it was my slowest lap time. The run didn't get worse after the first half, it stayed about the same. I think with a good pace, I'll be alright with increasing the mileage over the months.
It was a good week, we got in some hiking too, I'll have some pictures up. Anybody who might find themselves int he Downeast area of Maine should head straight to Acadia National Park. It is awesome. Anyways, I am excited to get back to the grind this week. I'll be back in a week to post my findings. Keep running. Out.
The slow runs have been awesome. They recharge me and give me the opportunity to work on my form and footfall. Although it might seem counter productive to go out for a slow, low mile run, it's totally worth it. Try it, and enjoy it.
"Speedwork", also known as torture. I set out to run this one as planned, 1mi slow, repeats (800m fast, 400m slow x3) 1mi slow. It ended up that on the second repeat, I died. you can see the peaks and valleys here in the graph. The high points are me starting to speed up, note that they quickly trail off. Speed isn't a strong suit, but it will be a subject of focus once a week.
Another slow run. As you can see, I had no idea where I was going. I just went out one morning for a jog and went wherever. It was fun. I am settled in pretty well on my easy runs to a 10:30-10:50 pace. Much better than the 11:30 suggested by Runners World. I'm happy.
OK, here's the big one. To start out, I had some worries about my feet on a six mile run. The farthest I have gone so far is 4 miles, and that wasn't a consistent run. My feet have been swollen and sore. So I decided I would run in my Nike running shoes. I began to regret that immediately. First of all, that sharp drop in the beginning of the run is me retying my shoe. Stupid. Before I even hit the mile mark, my back and knees were hurting. I couldn't find a good form. I tried really hard to run exactly like I do with the Vibrams on, but they just aren't built for it, but I did avoid going to a heel strike. A little after I hit the 3 mile mark, I stopped the time and loosened my shoes up as far as they could go. That helped a lot. The tight shoe and the all of its motion control factors were negated when I loosened it up, and I ended up just having to deal with the giant sole on them. It doesn't seem like much, but when you've been running in Vibrams, it's really noticeable. I got through it, but I am never running in those things again.
As for the run. It went great. The first 3 miles were into a 15+ mph headwind. That was miserable. But, I maintained a steady pace the whole time. The second half of my run took me off the trail and back on to the pavement. My 4th mile felt like it ended really fast, I must have been distracted, it was my slowest lap time. The run didn't get worse after the first half, it stayed about the same. I think with a good pace, I'll be alright with increasing the mileage over the months.
It was a good week, we got in some hiking too, I'll have some pictures up. Anybody who might find themselves int he Downeast area of Maine should head straight to Acadia National Park. It is awesome. Anyways, I am excited to get back to the grind this week. I'll be back in a week to post my findings. Keep running. Out.
Apr 25, 2011
A return from the blogging hiatus...
I struggled this week with my runs. The tops of my feet are really sore. I can't seem to figure out a definitive reason. My only guess is that its from stretching my toes up. Right before my foot strikes the ground my toes curl back, splay out, and point up. I think that lifting is working the muscles on the tops of my feet and which are now sore. I really hope it goes away quickly. Other than that, I have some sore bones as well. Once again, I don't know if that pain is caused by sore muscles, joints, or (please no) a fracture. Time will tell.
I have found that when I get up in the morning, my legs are very sore. My ankle, feet, and knees are all stiff and refuse to cooperate. That might be normal, I have no idea, but it sucks. I still manage to get out and run, I got in 5 total last week, but I am struggling to get out with a combined winy-ness and laziness.
So, in an effort to drum up some motivation, I went to find a realistic goal, and a plan to get there. I found a few 5k's I am interested in doing and I'm setting the time frame for August. Then I happened across a training plan generator at RunnersWorld.com.
Side note: I recently subscribed to Runners World and I have spent hours reading their articles online. Outstanding publication. Worth a gander. Its not necessarily focused on barefoot running, although they have a decently stocked section on their website. However, it keeps me informed and motivated. I suggest it.
The plan is good, it does have rest days which I am trying to fill with the death workout my wife whips my butt in. Apparently I've always done it the wrong way. They have a four week cycle. Weeks 1-3 have 4 runs each: easy run, speedwork/pacework, easy run, and long run. The long run is 6 miles. Damn. I'm going for it on Sunday, but I'm a little nervous. Week 4 is an easy week, four easy runs, three and four miles at an 11:00 pace. I am tweaking their suggestions a little bit (an 11:00 is painfully slow), because they don't allow you to fully personalize it without paying something like $70/year or $20/month (not happening).
What I did is planted this training schedule (with my tweaks) into Google Calendar and they will now be posted at the bottom of my blog page. Please feel free to steal mine, but I definitely suggest that you just head to Runnersworld.com, sign up for a free account, and try it out.
I am going to make a few other tweaks to my Blog, I just don't know what right now. Stand by for it anyways. Here are my workouts for the week. I'll give my next update at the end of the week. Sees yahs.
Sun, 18Apr11
Mon, 19Apr11
I ran hill repeats on a hill in town once I got to the end of this one, and then ran back. Cut the judgement, I haven't reduced myself to half mile workouts (yet, haha)
Wed, 21Apr11
Thu, 22Apr11
Sat, 24Apr11
Fin. Keep running.
I have found that when I get up in the morning, my legs are very sore. My ankle, feet, and knees are all stiff and refuse to cooperate. That might be normal, I have no idea, but it sucks. I still manage to get out and run, I got in 5 total last week, but I am struggling to get out with a combined winy-ness and laziness.
So, in an effort to drum up some motivation, I went to find a realistic goal, and a plan to get there. I found a few 5k's I am interested in doing and I'm setting the time frame for August. Then I happened across a training plan generator at RunnersWorld.com.
Side note: I recently subscribed to Runners World and I have spent hours reading their articles online. Outstanding publication. Worth a gander. Its not necessarily focused on barefoot running, although they have a decently stocked section on their website. However, it keeps me informed and motivated. I suggest it.
The plan is good, it does have rest days which I am trying to fill with the death workout my wife whips my butt in. Apparently I've always done it the wrong way. They have a four week cycle. Weeks 1-3 have 4 runs each: easy run, speedwork/pacework, easy run, and long run. The long run is 6 miles. Damn. I'm going for it on Sunday, but I'm a little nervous. Week 4 is an easy week, four easy runs, three and four miles at an 11:00 pace. I am tweaking their suggestions a little bit (an 11:00 is painfully slow), because they don't allow you to fully personalize it without paying something like $70/year or $20/month (not happening).
What I did is planted this training schedule (with my tweaks) into Google Calendar and they will now be posted at the bottom of my blog page. Please feel free to steal mine, but I definitely suggest that you just head to Runnersworld.com, sign up for a free account, and try it out.
I am going to make a few other tweaks to my Blog, I just don't know what right now. Stand by for it anyways. Here are my workouts for the week. I'll give my next update at the end of the week. Sees yahs.
Sun, 18Apr11
Mon, 19Apr11
I ran hill repeats on a hill in town once I got to the end of this one, and then ran back. Cut the judgement, I haven't reduced myself to half mile workouts (yet, haha)
Wed, 21Apr11
Thu, 22Apr11
Sat, 24Apr11
Fin. Keep running.
Apr 18, 2011
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.
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.
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