Saturday, August 30, 2014

Rest

Distance 6km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6653.6km] Week35 (25th - 31th Aug)

Running days: Thursday
Distances: 6km

The spring weather is making it's presence felt. Most days this week were in the high teens and low 20's with plenty of sun. Unfortunately for me the running rewards that I should have built up through winter are not going to be here for me. This seems like a repeat of what I went through 2 years ago where I put in good distances through the winter then had to cease running through spring due to injury.
So, my barefoot running is not a cure for running injuries by far but the injuries I do get are not of the kind that damage the knees, it is all located around the ankles.
I ran a slow 6km on Thursday feeling slow and sluggish. Halfway around I stopped to chat with an acquaintance from the gym, no point running if it's not doing you any benefits

Aches and Pains

Distance 19km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6619.6km] Week34 (18th - 24th Aug)

Running days: Monday Wednesday
Distances: 10km 9km 

Well, my running just stinks at the moment, I can't seem to shake off the stiffness in the tendons around the ankle. I am going onto a reduced running regime to see if it makes any difference.
I have tried strengthening the calves first using reverse calf raises, that only seems to give me sore calves with no other benefits.
I'll do a mixture of reverse raises plus standard raises and take a break from running for a while to see if I can calm the tendon problems down.
I think the problem was that I never rested it fully enough and rehabilitated enough from well over a year ago after the calf muscle pull. It has been a problem ever since.
I ran 10km on Monday, a nice sunny day and evening. I was aware of the tendon being tight but it didn't stop me putting in a decent run. Wednesdays run was not as good, I ended up walking back through the soft sand on the beach with a feeling of frustration at my decreasing ability to run.
I didn't run at all on the weekend. I did do some sprint drills and form training on the field near my home. I managed to give myself a headache doing that so I quit that after 35 minutes.

Neil

Saturday, August 16, 2014

Low km Week

Distance 18.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6647.6km] Week33 (11th -17th Aug)

Running days: Saturday Sunday
Distances: 10km 8.2km 

Not much running done this week. I was less than inspired by the weather, it was cold and blowy. The best day of the week was Friday but I had an appointment to go out for a couple of beers with work colleagues. I stuck to light beers so there was no chance of a hangover. Saturday was a cold day of around 12C as I went for my run. I headed into the chilly wind on the way out and had it behind me on the way back. I continue to be plagued by tendon soreness on my right leg. I have also noticed that when I finish the run and am getting in the car I have some soreness in my hip flexor and I think there is a connection.
I am going to work on strengthening the hip flexor to see if that will help shift the ankle problem.
On the Sunday I did a gym session focusing on some of the exercises mentioned in The Primal Blueprint book such as Chin ups, press ups, plank ect. After that I did a loop of the lake and put in some sprints on the way around. They are hard work and it takes me ages to get my breathing back to normal.

Neil

 

 

Ankle soreness

Distance 16km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6628.6km] Week32 (4th -10th Aug)

Running days: Monday Wednesday, Saturday.
Distances: 10km 6km

Monday saw me doing my regular 10km run from Grange to West Beach. There was a bit of warmth in the ground from a sunny day. I got in a bit of a race towards the end of the run when a wiry triathlete guy passed me so I hooked up behind him to see if I had the energy to catch him. I almost did just short of my finish point, he kept on going and I was pretty shot by that time.

Saturday was a cold day so I didn't fancy running very far, I set off running south along the beach on the cold sand, by the time I covered 3km I was getting a pain in my left ankle on the inside. I didn't want to risk an injury so I used that as a sign I should turn back. I came off the beach and ran back along the pavement, taking care to keep my running light so not to aggravate the ankle. I have been frustrated recently my some soreness in my right tendon and ankle area and now I have something in the other ankle, I need to get to the bottom of this.
I skipped the Sunday run this week to give the legs a rest.

 

Monthly Barefoot run

Distance 28km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6600.2km] Week31 (28th Jul -3rd Aug)

Running days: Wednesday, Saturday.
Distances: 10km 13km 5km

An earlier in the week cinema night on Monday meant I didn't run so Tuesday was on the cards except it poured with rain.
The best day of the week was Wednesday when the temperature hit a huge 16C. There was sunshine and a cloud free late afternoon that allowed the sun to bathe the coast in an orange glow. The sun disappeared below the horizon as I was on my way back and had just crossed the river. Another few weeks and I should be able to have the sun up for most of my run.

Saturday was a longer 13km run along the beach from Grange to Semaphore. The tide was out so I had some firm sand to run on. As it had been a while since I done this run I didn't extend it out to 15km as I thought it would be better to add any extra distance on to the end of the run rather than end up exhausted on the way back. It was a good idea as I ran out of enthusiasm as I reached the start point. I also managed to get some chafing which was a bit of surprise.

Sunday saw me meeting up with David for a run from Henley Beach to West Beach as part of our regular monthly barefoot run. Michael was missing as he is still recovering from a foot sprain.
After the run we headed to the cafe for a coffee and a catch up before I had to get off to meet up with friends a bit later.

Neil

Friday, August 1, 2014

Cold, Wet Week 2

Distance 25.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6566.4km] Week30 (21st - 27th Jul)

Running days: Monday, Saturday, Sunday.
Distances: 10km 10km, 8.2km.

Another week of cold and rain that stopped me getting out. Moday was the only day I managed to run without rain.
The wet weather headed in on the Wednesday and lasted until the weekend when we got some cold bright days. 
So Monday was  my all road running day, Saturday was part way along the beach, I would have crossed the river but with the rain during the week it was too deep and the currents too strong.
The stormy winter weather is causing more erosion of the beaches to the point that even at low tide there is very little beach left in places.
The sand is colder on my feet than running on the footpath so I prefer to run on the concrete during the winter.
Sunday was quite windy, a cold wind blowing from the north that was in my face while running up the western edge of the lake. It was much better once I turned east and ran over Delfin island, the shelter provided by the houses made the warmth from the weak winter sun just enough to add a small amount of heat to the ground.
I didn't hang around when I finished my run as the wind was still blowing down the length of the lake and I would have soon been shivering by standing around.