tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85557434319530525232024-03-14T18:44:46.204+10:30Minimalist runningTrialling of running using minimal cushioned shoes or barefoot to see if it leads to less injuries than in the past with expensive running shoes.Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.comBlogger292125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-24676090423935451142016-05-15T20:40:00.004+09:302016-05-15T20:40:59.176+09:30Return from breakMy poor neglected blog, how are you, it's good to see that you are still around.<br />
Wow what a long break.<br />
So, what happened to cause the break and why is it time to get back into maintaining the diary.<br />
<br />
Well back in August of last year I had squeezed the discs in my lower back once more and this lead to a bout of sciatica that has lasted for 6 months.<br />
Even now it is not fully right but it is much better than last year.<br />
From August through to the end of last year I was probably only running around 20 to 25km per week, a 50% reduction on a year or so earlier.<br />
<br />
I think I must face the fact that lifting heavy weights or doing deadlifts is not going to do my back any favours and I have to make a choice about which exercise I enjoy doing the most.<br />
Running was my first love because of the sense of freedom it gives, to be able to move long distances under your own power is a bigger buzz than doing bench presses in a noisy gym.<br />
<br />
So, now, I still have my gym membership but I only do core work and light upper body work but I don't mind doing chins and hangs from a bar as that stretches my back out.<br />
<br />
The sciatica created a burning feeling around the lower calf/back of the ankle that I at first misdiagnosed as a calf injury. I wasted precious time by rubbing gels on my calf and using a roller and ultrasound to try to fix something that wasn't actually broken.<br />
<br />
Once I knew what the real issue was I started to do a series of exercises that would begin the slow path to fixing it. It is frustratingly slow but it is getting better. I still have a slight amount of weakness around the right ankle but the burning sensation has gone.<br />
<br />
The weekly kilometres have gone to around 30km.<br />
The only races I did this year was the Christmas Fanatics Fun Run on Christmas day morning. Of the three distances 8km, 13km and 21km I did the shorter one. The reason I chose the shorter on was because it was a hot and humid morning with a hot northerly wind blowing. Even at 6am in the morning with the sun just coming up the humidity sapped my energy.<br />
At the split point where you can divide off to do the 13km or head to the finish, I threw in the towel and headed for the finish line. I didn't record any times or bother writing down any position placements.<br />
Now we are a few weeks off the Winter season and I'm trying to adjust to the colder weather with limited daylight after I finish work.<br />
I shall try to totalise the distance I have covered during the break from postings over the last 2/3 year.<br />
<br />
Neil <br />
<br />Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-47941985973789151572015-08-18T18:10:00.002+09:302015-08-18T18:10:23.867+09:30Almost End of Winter<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 143.5km [total: minimalist 400.3km: Barefoot 7595.4km] Week22 (13th July - 17th Aug)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 18th July <b>13km</b>.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As it was a cold morning with temperatures below 10C I decided to run in my Vibrams today.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It makes a real difference to my running speed as I don't have to worry about the small bits of broken shell and small stones on the beach. It also stops the cold numbing my feet like it would if my soles were in contact with the sand.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 19th July <b>8.2km</b> West Lakes loop in mild sunny conditions. A cold clear night makes the early morning run cold but if I can wait until after my gym session to run then it is a little warmer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday 20th July <b>10km</b>. This was the only run I managed this week, every other evening was wet and cold. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 25th July. <b>5km</b>. Legs very stiff today from lunges and squats at the gym on Thursday. A cold windy day with a very weak sun trying to break through the clouds. I set off along the beach running into the wind, my feet felt frozen after just a couple of kilometres. The sand was damp and cold and i just couldn't warm up so I decided to pull the pin on the run. I headed off the beach and onto the road to make my way back out of the wind. I ran past the millionaires row of houses by the beach, some of them big enough to be hotels. I don't know what kind of jobs these people have but they must be earning extraordinary amounts of money. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 26th July. My <b>8.2km</b> loop around the lake. The wind has changed direction today moving from a northerly to a south wind. So the first half of the run I had the wind at my back and towards the end blowing straight at me. The hardy model sailing boat enthusiasts were in their usual position at the bottom of the lake testing their skills in the stiff breeze.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday, 27th July. <b>10km</b>. A decent day that started out cold but warmed up to around 14C from the sun. I got out of work by 4pm and got to the beach by 4.45pm. It would be my standard 10km tonight, Grange to West Beach and back to see how far I could get before sunset. The actual sundown time is around 5.30pm so I managed to get close to Henley Square on the return journey before it dipped below the horizon. In another few weeks I should be able to get around with the sun still up.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friday, 31st July. A day off work so I could sort out some financial issues and also a chance to get a run in before the rain heads in tomorrow. It was a cool sunny day with a northerly breeze as I set off from Grange. I ran south along the beach path and Esplanade towards the caravan park and then onto the boat launch ramp another kilometre further on. A bit of calf/ankle tightness on the right leg today, probably lack of stretching recently, I should do it very day but sometimes forget. I did hear someone running up behind me at one stage so I increased my pace and they fell off. On the way back I was heading into the wind and it felt cold. The beach sand was also cold and as it molds to the shape of your foot when you land it chills the feet much quicker than running on the concrete. After 5km my feet were pretty numb underneath. I just kept my head down and concentrated on keeping up a good form and pace. I covered around <b>12km </b>today </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 2nd Aug. The rain has stopped and there is some sunshine. The cool westerly is blowing but as we are running around the lake, 3/4 of the war is sheltered. I'm running today with David and Michael. We missed out on the July run as I was away on holiday, running in warmer climes. The sun had warmed the ground a very slight amount so my feet were not as numb as the Friday run. We ran <b>8.2km</b> then headed off to the Dulwich Bakery for a coffee.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday 3rd Aug. <b>10km</b> run from Grange to West Beach and back. No more runs through the week due to cold and wet weather.</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 8th Aug <b>16km</b>. A long run that started as my usual beach run to Semaphore that got changed as the north wind was cold and strong so coming off the beach was the best option. I left the beach around a kilometre past Escourt House then ran towards Delfin Island via the pedestrian footbridge. It was busy along Bartley Terrace as it is the hub of Saturdays sports, Soccer, Football and bowls. It was good to get over the footbridge and into the calm of the island. A lap of the island then back along the lake in the same direction as my Sunday run. The car was parked at Henley so I had to add another couple of km on to get back. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 9th Aug. I took it nice and easy today after my long run yesterday, the legs felt ok no stiffness. The ground was still cold despite the sun shining. the wind was blowing from the south and was pretty chilly. Lake loop <b>8.2km</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday 10th Aug. A cool south west breeze was blowing on my Monday <b>9.5km</b>. The sky had plenty of blue sky but in the far west rain could be seen falling over the the Yorke Peninsular. The ground soon loses the small amount of heat it picks up from the sun during the day. I have been trying to beat the sunset on most of the evening runs, this time though the clouds obscured the sunset. With around 3km to run I could see the clouds moving in but I thought I could make it back without getting wet. I was wrong, with only 400m to go the rain poured down, bouncing off the pavement. There was little point in running to the end of the course at the jetty as I was soaked, I just wanted to get into the shelter of the car. The rain continued for another hour before easing off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 15th Aug. The weather was wet during the week so not much chance to get a mid week run in so the weekend would have to be the time. But I was pushed for time today as I had a late morning appointment so I could only fit in a short <b>7km</b> run today. Out along the beach to the river then back up onto the Esplanade to run back along the concrete.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 16th Aug. A could start to the day and also wet ground made me opt to run in the Vibram Five Fingers for a change. No worry about numb feet and small stones, I could also run faster than barefoot. My lungs had to catch up with my legs today on the 8.2km run. I did some Fartlek sprints followed by a short recovery walk then a moderate jog </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday 17th Aug. A very nice evening, I could feel a bit of spring in the air today and my feet retained some feeling over the entire run. I had taken a pain killer earlier in the day for a bit of back ache and I think it was acting as a bit of a performance enhancing drug. I felt very relaxed as I was running and I was going at a great pace without feeling anything. I covered 10km. Even came across another barefoot runner who I have seen a few times before. As I finished my run I stopped to have a chat with him for a few minutes. His name was Mike. I did ask if he was interested in going for a monthly run with our small group but I think he decides on a spontaneous basis if he is going to run or not. <b>10km</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-79436176125106546082015-07-12T21:04:00.001+09:302015-07-12T21:07:14.822+09:30English Holiday<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 50km+25.2km [total: minimalist 392.1km: Barefoot 7460.1km] Week22 (1st June - 12th July)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The month of June was spent in England visiting family and friends and getting a bit of running in as well. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">As Australia was heading into winter, England was heading into Summer, or that is how they describe it at least.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather did improve during the duration of my stay but the days of warmth were infrequent. That is not to say it rained all the time, I only experience around 5 days of rain but it was damp enough to ensure that I would not be running barefoot over here.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had brought along my Vibram Five Fingers and they are getting the fullest amount of use since my last visit almost exactly 2 years earlier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My first run took me down to the River Tame, following it along to until it hits Stockport Road where I have a little rest then turn back. The VFF's remove the need to keep a look out for stones or other small obstacles I might step on and they also give a good grip in the muddy conditions.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Other runs were done with the company of old mate Graham Hill. He knows all the ways of avoiding running along main roads and staying on quiet lanes or trails. The terrain is quite different from Adelaide in that it is much more undulating and there are plenty of hills to climb.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Now that I'm not a heel striker anymore I can tackle the steep Werneth Low Road in one go, it still hurts the legs but because I'm using gravity in my favour rather than working against it, I have the energy to climb the hill.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The route is show below, the distance is 10km.</span><br />
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<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPdWeXWTFSc/VaJIz3VerxI/AAAAAAAAAOc/t1OLUu0yNfY/s1600/Werneth%2BRun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="395" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-GPdWeXWTFSc/VaJIz3VerxI/AAAAAAAAAOc/t1OLUu0yNfY/s640/Werneth%2BRun.jpg" width="640" /> </a></div>
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I ran this route about three times during my stay. The views from the top make it well worth the slight pain in the legs. The plains of Manchester over one side and the Pennine hills on the other.</div>
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A view of Werneth Low is in the photo below.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUSKs6a8-es/VaJMjQHQafI/AAAAAAAAAOo/FDeDvroVVvY/s1600/Werneth_Low.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="424" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-oUSKs6a8-es/VaJMjQHQafI/AAAAAAAAAOo/FDeDvroVVvY/s640/Werneth_Low.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Werneth Low, looking back to the War Memorial and Manchester beyond</b></td></tr>
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As you can see a great running spot. The trail is a bit stony so can be a little hard going on the thin soled vibrams.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfBrnpLT_Mk/VaJNNTiVivI/AAAAAAAAAOw/7Z_kRZFxwGA/s1600/DSCF1833S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="426" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-QfBrnpLT_Mk/VaJNNTiVivI/AAAAAAAAAOw/7Z_kRZFxwGA/s640/DSCF1833S.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<b>A Bit Sweaty After Getting Down From the Hill Run</b></h4>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I arrived back in a wintery Australia on the 2nd of July and what a winter it is proving to be.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
have had just 3 runs since getting back. The first was on Sunday (5th
July) after a gym session that included some deadlifts that gave my legs
a whole lot of pain for the next 5 days. The run straight after the gym
session was fine and I covered my 8.2km lake run.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Wednesday
was the best day of the week from a weather point of view, a mild sunny
day and I raced out of work to get down to the beach to run a 10km. It
was dark by the time I finished at 5:45pm. I felt really fast and strong
and put this down to the holiday and the relaxed running I was doing
over there.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">I
was a little over ambitions with my pronunciations about my new found
barefoot speed. Two days later and I'm hobbling around with calves that
feel like they have been pummeled with a hammer. Running barefoot need
much more calf strength than running in shoes and I overdid it in only
my second run since getting back.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">The
weekend weather say a cold southerly weather system passing over the
state, the temperatures plummeted to around 7C. I talked myself into
doing a short 7km run along the beach and road. I kept it short as it
was cold, wet and windy. My feet were a bit numb underneath by the end
but still a good run.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: small;">Neil</span></div>
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Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-3039618509578064312015-05-31T20:49:00.001+09:302015-05-31T20:49:59.247+09:30Autumn to Winter<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 55.4km [total: minimalist 342.1km: Barefoot 7434.9km] Week22 (18th Apr - 31th May)</span></h2>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 23rd. <b>13km</b>. The week was mainly a running free week due to cold wet weather. I did two gym sessions on Wednesday and Thursday. Today was the first run of the week. It was cold, it had been a cold night of 5C outside so I knew the ground would make the feet numb so today I decided to run in the Vibrams for a change. It is rare that I wear them as I prefer barefoot. They seem to give a bit more traction on the beach and I also don't have to watch for all the shells and stones to the same extent. This meant a faster than normal run, they kept my feet a bit warmer but they also rubbed a bit as well, nothing that left any mark but I was aware of a hot spot </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 24th <b>8.2km</b>. Why so I seem so late today! I did a gym session first that consisted of some lunges, shoulders, stomach and back, followed by a good half hour of stretching and flexibility. By the time I got back in the car to drive to the lake to run it was 11am. The concrete was cold, the pale sun had little energy to impart into the surface. I'm a bit paranoid when I do the lake run, at the places where the anglers frequent I pay close attention to the ground to watch for left behind fishing gear. A chilly southerly and some rain towards the end of the run cooled me down.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tuesday 26th. <b>10km</b>. A warm almost spring like day, at lunchtime I walked to the the gardens on South Terrace and lay down on the grass in the full sun just absorbing it's energy, closed my eyes and dozed off for 15 minutes before having to wake and go back to the office and the concentration. As soon as the clock hit 4pm I was off out of the door and heading home to get changed and then down to the beach. The sea was calm, hardly any waves, the sun poised off the western horizon just about to drop below some clouds. I ran along the shoreline then came up at the river estuary to run the rest of the way along the beach cycle/walkway. The sun had set by the time I got to the halfway point and darkness was slowly creeping in. As I ran past the redevelopments at Henley it was dark and then I run by feel, I can't see stones or other things I might step on so I have to use my reactions to protect my feet. Two other runners passed me today, I couldn't catch them but as I was on a low calorie day I didn't want to be doing any lactic acid inducing faster running. I did manage to keep a steady distance between myself and my last competition.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of the week was cold and wet. I had planned a thursday run but just as I changed into my running gear the rain poured down and it was pointless to go out and begin a run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 30th May: Great run today, <b>16km</b> on a low calorie day. I really do feel different from when I would feel weak and wobbly without enough carbohydrates to burn. Now my body knows how to burn fat I can just run and run. I ran from Grange to Semaphore then back to Henley Beach and then to Grange. There was a northerly breeze that was quite chilly and so I was glad to get on the run back so I had it behind me. It felt like I was flying along and there was no fatigue as I approached the jetty at Grange so I decided to run on to Henley, a further 2km along the beach. There I got off and ran back along the road and into that chill wind once more. That was 16km on no food, something I wouldn't have thought I could have done only a year ago.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 31st May. My usual <b>8.2</b>km lake loop. It had been raining overnight and the ground was still wet in patches. The sun poked it's way out from around the clouds occasionally and brought some welcome warmth but the feet stayed on the cool side. I passed a few other runners along the way and said good morning to all. I started off slow but got up to a good pace after a couple of kilometres. After the run it was off to they gym for a quick session which included some deadlifts, bench, triceps and abs.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The next few runs will be over the other side of the world in England, I have my Vibrams packed.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-68387346515547527782015-05-17T21:05:00.001+09:302015-05-17T21:05:51.061+09:30Cold nights return<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 26.7km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7392.5km] Week20 (11th Apr - 17th May)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The week started out windy and wet, that is what I was running in on Monday evening. Darkness came quickly. The rain was not torrential but the sort that is carried a long distance from the clouds it falls from so when you look above you it seems clear but way off to one side it is black.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rain came down it small spits on the outbound run, on the way back it gave me a bit of a soaking on the stretch from the river to Henley Square then it stopped once more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The run was good, I felt strong and fast. I was trying to out run the weather but that was a bit of a failure. Distance covered <b>10km</b>. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The rest of the week I didn't run due to rain at times I was going to head out. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday was a tiring day, it was also my low calorie day so considering that I crammed in quite a bit of activity. It started off by a trip down to my small block of land to check the weed situation. I had sprayed weedkiller around but it seems to have had little effect on the metre high weeds.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I spend an hour pulling deeply rooted weeds from the ground, this made my back ache. I got it done eventually.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After than I went for a run on a course that was local to where I would be living in the future. The measured distance worked out to be <b>8.5km</b>. The tide was at it's low point so I ran from the Seacliff sailing club along the beach passing under Brighton jetty then on to Somerton Surf club before coming off the beach and onto the road. I then ran a detour around the outside of the large facility set up for the mentally disabled before turning back towards the beach and running along the Esplanade through busy Brighton with all its cafes and coffee shops, then on towards Seacliff once more.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday saw me oversleeping and getting out of bed at one of the latest times all year at just before 10am. It had been a cold night of just 5C outside. I did actually wake at 7.30am, had some early breakfast then promptly fell asleep again. I thought it was before 9am but it was much later.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was a bright sunny day outside but the ground was still cold when I ran. My feel felt numb and a bit sore running on the cold concrete. I looked around all the time to run on the darker surfaces with the hope that they had absorbed some energy and would warm my feet up a little. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I ran the loop of the lake in the bright sun which felt nice on the skin but it was too weak to warm the ground. Distance <b>8.2km</b></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-70802220947563784932015-05-10T17:40:00.004+09:302015-05-10T17:40:54.066+09:30Windy week<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 32.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7365.8km] Week19 (4th Apr - 10th May)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The winter weather is certainly with us now from the point of view of rain and wind but it has not yet got to the very cold that can be expected after June.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the runs I have been on recently my feel have been cold but not numbly so.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday (4th) a short easy <b>4km</b> run with a friend of mine from the river estuary to the holiday park. Cool, light wind. The coast path is mostly smooth concrete so easy to run on. There was some broken glass a couple of weeks ago that I keep an eye open for in case there are still fragments that have not been dulled off by the wind blowing the sharp points off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather got worse towards the end of the week. A front came in from the west bringing rain and wind. I should have run on the Wednesday but I left it until Thursday and as I drove to the beach I could see masses of black cloud coming across. But as long as it's not raining heavily when I start I'll still give it a go. I parked the car and a few spots of rain were coming down. The tide was in so I ran on the concrete path that follows the beach. As I reached Henley the wind picked up to around 40km/h, I just put my head down and carried on. I decided to turn around if the rain arrived by the time I made it to the river. It did, there would be better running days. I didn't fancy running another 2km into the wind and rain before the return leg. As always, once the decision is made and I start running back the rain stops and the sun produces a beautiful projection through the clouds creating three beams of light. I put in a good fast run on the way back. Distance <b>7km</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday (9th) I could hear the rain in the early morning and the wind was still blowing. I had a late start, it took me a while to get enthused to run. The rain stopped but the north west wind continued at 30-40km/h. The good thing about a north wind is that it is warmer than the south wind. This was a pre breakfast run so I started off at a steady trot to get the fat burning started. I had to keep the stride short so not to tire from the gusty wind blowing at me. I reached Semaphore then came off the beach and ran back along the foreshore before coming back to the beach at half way point. Now the wind was behind me and blowing me forward so I flew along the beach that I hardly noticed it. <b>13km</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday (10th) Once again it was the rain I could hear in the morning, maybe a day to miss the run. I could run on the treadmill at the gym but I don't like the repetition of treadmills, I get bored not being able to look around and I most certainly would not be able to run barefoot. Toughen up! in my earlier running years I would run through blizzards and -15C cold with wind chill, a bit or rain and wind is nothing in comparison.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I get to the empty lake car park, no people fishing today. The path was quite dry due to the wind evaporating the surface water. The model boat enthusiasts were also absent today, the wind too strong. I got caught in a shower around 1km from home but I was feeling strong and splashing through the water on the pavement felt good, it warmed my feet a little. An enjoyable wet run. <b>8.2km</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-40669413506013747032015-05-05T18:08:00.001+09:302015-05-05T18:08:04.694+09:30IBRD 2015<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 38.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7333.6km] Week18 (27th Apr - 3rd May)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tuesday 28th Apr. A short run after work with a friend of mine covering a relaxed <b>4km</b>. A nice late afternoon with some sun that is setting in the west. No chill winds blowing from the south but the air can be felt to cool as the sun sinks lower.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wednesday 29th Apr. I got to the beach earlier today, the day had been warm and sunny and I wanted to do a beach run to Semaphore before the sun set. I got to the beach at 4.45pm and ran north along the beach with the breeze behind me. I was racing against the sunset, I kept glancing to the west to see how far above the sea the sun was. I got to the half way point and the sun was still whole, casting long shadows over the beach.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sand had become quite cold and my feet were going numb. I came off the beach and onto the bitumen pathway that ran alone the foreshore. My feet sucked what little heat there was left out of the surface, it wasn't long before I was onto the colder concrete then onto the grassy surface behind the houses by the beach. The sun set just leaving a glow like a fire on the horizon, the cold started to creep in as I came back onto the back on to the beach with another 4km to run. The cold wind had started to pick up and was chilling me and slowing me down. I kept up a steady pace on the cold sand, the light had faded and I was running along a almost dark beach, keeping to the shore line to avoid any holes and uneven surfaces. I could see the lights on Grange jetty getting slowly closer, no silhouettes of people fishing tonight, too chilly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I reached the jetty at around 6.15pm after covering around <b>13km</b>. It felt good to haul myself back onto the path, wash the sand from my feet in the cold tap water then slowly float back to my car, knowing in a few minutes I would have warm air from the heater blowing over my feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday 2nd May. A low calorie day for me, sticking to under 600 calories. The weather was holding up, sunny and around 18C. No breakfast as I headed to the beach at 9.30am. The tide was out so I had a nice flat beach to run on. South to Glenelg today, I wasn't sure how far I could run on an empty stomach. I can feel the hunger as I drive to the beach and when I start to run. I know the trick is not to try running fast, not to force it, just let your body decide on what pace to run at.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I start slow, a girl running with her dogs passes me easily and I just run at a slow steady pace. The body seems to know when to switch on the fat burning system, it seems to happen after about 4-5km and I feel better, the hunger evaporates and the running gets stronger. The distance to Glenelg is around 8km. I mentally told myself I could turn back at any point if I felt too tired but I was fine. I reached the marina then made my way off the beach and onto the pavement. After a 5 minutes walk I began the run home. I was running into the breeze on the way back. About 4km into the run, another runner passes me and wonders aloud how I can run without shoes. I don't have the energy to match his pace and it would probably make my body try to burn carbs which are in short supply this morning. I began to feel a bit floaty and disattached towards the end of the run, still light on my feet but looking forward to finishing. I finished at the Grange cafe after a run of <b>16km.</b></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I rewarded myself once I got home with a small bowl of oats and a cup of tea.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday 3rd May. International Barefoot Running Day. I was worried earlier in the week that it was going to be a wet wintery day but as the week progressed the forecasts improved until in the end we had a sunny afternoon of 20C, perfect for a run. I met up with David and new runner Luke who has been running barefoot for a while now. That was the sum total of the turnout, Michael somehow picked the wrong time and place and the two girls were no shows. We ran at a good pace around the river/zoo loop a distance of <b>5.2km.</b> I felt a little tired as I'd done some lunges and other weighted leg exercises at the gym earlier. Our nearby deli has shut its doors so we had to drive a little further to The St Peters Bakehouse for a coffee, quite a popular place judging by the lineup inside.</span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eNE_sHG8ssU/VUiA2N_XQdI/AAAAAAAAAOE/ID1tvUSTxVc/s1600/DSCF1614S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="280" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-eNE_sHG8ssU/VUiA2N_XQdI/AAAAAAAAAOE/ID1tvUSTxVc/s400/DSCF1614S.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Neil and Luke after 5km Park Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8L4UIp4yMk/VUiA6pOpkmI/AAAAAAAAAOM/y60Dukf_DcI/s1600/DSCF1613S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-K8L4UIp4yMk/VUiA6pOpkmI/AAAAAAAAAOM/y60Dukf_DcI/s400/DSCF1613S.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">David and Luke after 5km Park Run</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-26044755735027043932015-04-26T21:28:00.002+09:302015-05-02T19:06:32.228+09:30Return of the cold feet<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 67.6km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7295.4km] Week17 (13th - 26th Apr)</span></h2>
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday (14th) A short <b>5km</b> run around the lower half of the lake. Now the darker evenings are here the chill comes in much quicker. A chilly breeze blew across the lake so it was good to get way from the open stretches and onto the side roads that were more sheltered.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friday (17th) I did my run today as it was going to warmer today than the weekend. It saw me running <b>10km </b>from Grange to West beach. I put in a good effort </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday (18th) I intended to run today but it was one of those days when you internal voice tells you to take it easy. The ankles were a bit stiff from Fridays run so I started off slowly, there was a gusty wind blowing in my face. I ran about 500m the the voice came and said 'this is too hard today and you should rest up'. I felt frustrated but I listened. I decided to walk to Henley beach instead. I turned around and let the wind push me down the beach. When I go there a bit of a crowd had gathered to watch a photo shoot of the Mayor along with others dressed in period uniforms from different countries standing in the water with the backdrop of a stormy looking sky. On the way back I did feel like I should have a short sprint so I ran for <b>1km</b> at a fast pace. I felt so much better after that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday (19th) My usual lake circuit on a nice morning. <b>8.2km</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday (20th) A short gentle <b>4km</b> run on a chilly breezy day. Parking by the river and doing the short run to West Beach holiday park. There were a couple of places where I noticed glass on the path and it looked fairly fresh. A smashed bottle probably from the weekend. I took care but managed to pick up a small sharp piece in the foot. I was able to grab it and pull it out which was lucky</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wednesday (22nd) A <b>10km</b> run on the foreshore path from Grange to West Beach and back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It looks like the hopes of having an Indian summer have faded with all the forecasts showing temperatures of below 20C. It seems like we have gone from summer to winter in just a couple of weeks, no gentle calm autumnal days. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday (23rd) As I had run yesterday as well I didn't want to run on the same route so I did a <b>8.2km</b> loop of the lake. It was a good run in the fading light. I keep my eyes peeled looking out for discarded fishing hooks in the areas when I know people set up for fishing. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today is ANZAC (25th) day so many people are up before dawn waiting for the sunrise so they can commemorate the Gallipoli landing on it's 100th year anniversary. I worry a bit that it is being manipulated by the very people who are responsible for starting the wars in the first place. It is better to reflect in your own space and running is a good space to reflect in.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today was a low calorie day so I began my run on an empty stomach. It is always hard at the beginning before the body has to realise that it has no carbs to burn so it must use fat instead.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I started off slow and had the wind behind me as I ran north along the beach which helped, by half way I felt better and the return journey back into the wind wasn't too bad. I took my t-shirt off to brave the cold wind. Distance today <b>13km</b>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Bright sunshine greeted my short run around the lake today (26th), that's not to say it wasn't cold, it was. The southerly breeze was behind me on the way out but as I reached the halfway point and began to gradually turn around the wind was blowing at me and it was cold. The ground was cold and my feel started to feel a bit numb. They always feel more sensitive when they are cold than when the ground is warmer. I still sweat even in the cold weather. The distance was <b>8.2km</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Neil </b></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-66858080247451028842015-04-12T21:09:00.001+09:302015-04-12T21:09:32.731+09:30Evening closes in again<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 38.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7227.8km] Week4 (6th - 12th Apr)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The running is feeling good again. The back rehab is going well, it's not perfect but it is getting there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday was a day off for Easter break. Far from being a day of warm autumn weather, the rain came down and strong winds whipped the trees back and forth, snapping the shrub outside my flat so now there is one remaining piece that can be salvaged.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The weather improved by mid week and on Wednesday I did a good <b>12km</b> run from Grange to Barcoo. I am now back to finishing the run in dusk, a small amount of light remaining.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had a bit of a run against a guy who I saw at the boat ramp. I thought I could catch him easily but he did put up a fight and I couldn't gain ground on him. I think if he had carried on for another few kilometres then I would have worn him down.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thursday saw me on a short easy <b>5km</b> run around the lower part of the lake and it's little artificial canals. I kept a more careful look out for discarded fish hooks this time around. They would be quite difficult to spot though.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday was my low calorie day so I got up and missed out on breakfast and went for my run instead. The weather was just perfect, part sunny and about 20C. The tide was out and lots of sand to run on. It takes some adjustment to run with no carbohydrate fuel. You have to start slowly and keep to a pace that is going to use fat as the fuel which means a pace midway in the aerobic band. Even so it takes around 6km before I lose the hungry, weak feeling and start to liven up. I ran <b>13km</b> from Grange to Semaphore. For lunch I had a small serving of oats, milk and half an apple. Then at the end of the day scrambled egg and tomato.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sunday, back to eating as a normal day. I woke up and had some breakfast then shortly after there was a power outage that lasted a good part of the day. The power company was replacing insulators on the power poles and it didn't look like a quick job. Lucky I'd just finished my tea and toast.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We had some early morning rain but by the time I got to the lake it had mostly dried. A good run today, I felt like I had plenty of energy. The low cal days seem to give the body a bit of a kick the following day. I did the <b>8.2km</b> run putting in some good sustained bursts. My t-shirt was soaked by the time I got back. I have to bring a spare for my gym visit or I'd probably get banned.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the gym I did some chins, bench press, light deadlifts, sit ups followed by lots of stretching.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A good morning of exercise. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-21634443128298245792015-04-06T16:28:00.004+09:302015-04-06T16:28:54.307+09:30A Long Gap<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 97km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7189.6km] Week4 (1st - 5th Apr)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A long gap in between my postings on my running log. The gap was caused by a reduction in my running volumes due to a persistent wrongly diagnosed injury.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For over a year now I have been running with a sore ankle which I have traced to a nerve impingement in my back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My back has been weak ever since I first injured it over 24 years ago so it needs to be carefully managed. Certain weight training exercises cause issues and it seems like an ever growing list. Squats, Calf raises with weight on the shoulders, shoulder press, weighted rows. I think the problem occurs when I place the back into a vulnerable position, putting too much of a curve into the low back rather than maintaining it in a more straight neutral position.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For the last month I have been doing a series of short exercises to combat sciatica and taking glucosamine tablets and it seems to be doing the trick.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The distances are going up and the weakness around the ankles is fading away which is great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">1st to 22nd Mar. This period I spend with minimal running as I worked on getting my back fixed up. I began the course of glucosamine tablets to strengthen the cartilage in case it has been weakened by the sciatica. I was averaging around 10km per week so, in total around 30km in this period.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mon (23rd Mar) <b>4km</b>. A
short run around the lake on my own as my running buddy called it off
due to the chance of rain. It will be fine I said, the rain has missed
us. That was a little optimistic I must admit, it was windy and the
clouds were racing rapidly across the sky. About half way around I could
feel the rain blowing from clouds in the distance. Then the wind really
picked up and the rain lashed down. I find running with the wild
weather invigorating, after all I was warm from the running and it was
only a short run so I wasn't going to run out of energy as I fought
against the wind.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wed (25th Mar) <b>10km</b>. Run from Grange to West Beach and back</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sat (28th Mar) <b>13km</b>. A
run from Grange to Semaphore. only the second time I have done this so
far this year and what was once an easy run for me is much harder
without the distance in my legs. I came back along the road and grassy
back areas behind the houses by the beach before going back onto the
beach again. I felt quite exhausted as I had been on food fasting day on
the Friday and only had a light breakfast today so my energy levels
were low.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sun (29th Mar) <b>8.2km</b> A
good run around the lake on a calm morning with the only incident being
the fish hook. At about the halfway point I picked up what I assumed was
a thorn or a 3 cornered jack seed, usually a brief kick of the heel to
the ground can dislodge it. This time it clung on so I would have to
stop and brush it off, I stopped to take a look and saw some metal
sticking out of my heel. I had stood on a discarded fish hook and it was
longed in my heel. I had to sit on the ground and waggle it around for a
while to get it to the position it had come in at so I could get the
barb out without it snapping off. I pulled it out and threw it in the
water, only a little amount of blood so I carried on running. Very
annoying that lazy people can't dispose of fishing items properly rather
than leave them lying around.</span> </span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mon 30th Mar <b>10km</b> A windy
run today as the strong breeze switched around to a blustery south
westerly. Unwisely i went on the run without my sunglasses as it wasn't
bright but they are equally useful for keeping sand out of the eyes. At
west beach the sand blows over the road on these windy days so as I ran
along this stretch the sand was in my mouth, eyes, ears and hair. Even
the next day I still had sand in my ears.</span> </span></span><br />
<br />
<br /><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Thurs 2nd Apr saw a <b>11km</b>
from Grange to Barcoo boat ramp, outbound on the beach and back along
the road. A perfect autumn day, a bit breezy on the beach but on the way
back with the wind behind me it was perfect.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sat (4th Apr) I ran a short <b>7km</b>, relaxed on the run down the beach then faster on the way back along the Esplanade as I chased other runners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sun (5th Apr) Easter Sunday and we also came off Summer Time, gaining an extra hour.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I met up with David, Cathy and their friend Sarah at Henley Beach. David and I ran a quite quick barefoot <b>7km</b> while the girls ran a shorter 3km wearing their Pace Gloves. There was a light southerly breeze which became a tailwind on the way back. We ran at a brisk pace but still at a talking speed. The ground actually felt warmer than the air temperature probably due to the sun. The run back along the beach on the soft dry sand was great on the feet, almost like running on cotton wool. After the run we sat at one of the Henley cafe's, I had a coffee while the others, who hadn't had eaten yet ordered the big breakfasts.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-19756152308665524372015-03-29T21:27:00.003+10:302015-03-29T21:27:25.311+10:30New Year<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 72.4km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7072.6km] Week4 (1st - 31st Jan)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Interesting, I think I have lost a posting over the month so I'm going to have to try to do a recall of some of the runs I have been on over the month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I will have to work backwards from today.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sun (1st Feb)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Barefoot runners meet which had myself, David and Michael getting together at Henley Beach for a 6km run along the foreshore then back along the beach. The weather on this first day of February was uncharacteristically cold </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, today was perfect running weather, around 20C with a moderate southerly blowing when I got to the beach. I did have the idea of running from Grange to Glenelg but shortened it to Barcoo boat ramp as I was hungry and stiff. Today (Sat 31st) I ran 12km. I missed out on my breakfast and ran on an empty stomach as I wanted to get out before the sun got too strong. My legs, glutes and hamstrings were still recovering from a gym session on Thursday so my running power was compromised. I ran 6km then felt a bit wobbly due to lack of food so I turned around and ran back. The outbound run was part along the beach then I went onto the path. Many many runners out today, big groups as well, all good to see.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wednesday (28th) Another 12km run from Grange to Barcoo, half on the beach and half on the road. It was a late run to let the ground cool off, I went out at 7:30pm and the sun had set by the time I had got back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">One mistake I made was to have a drink of electrolyte formula before I went, I then had to run with a full feeling in my stomach. I think next time I shall have the drink after I finish the run.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Monday (26th) Australia Day.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The national public holiday brought many people onto the beach to play beach cricket and walk.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Today's run was a shorter 7km.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Sun (17th) My regular route around West Lakes that takes me around the lake in a clockwise direction. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Wed (14th) A 12km run from Grange to the boat ramp at Barcoo Road. Even though the day was of moderate mid 20's temperature the bitumen was still warmer than I would like on the stretch of path from the holiday park to the boat ramp.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Mon (12th) 7km We had some rain from a weather front that had pushed down from the tropical north. I like running in the summer rain and although I managed to get through most of the run without a downpour it started light but gradually got heavier as I was getting towards the end of the run. Around 10 minutes after getting into my car the rain really came down and I just lay back in my car seat and relaxed, listening the the pounding rain and wind blowing outside.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br />Sun (11th). A 8.2km lake run with a thrown in Triathlon 3/4 of the way around. I could give a good burst of speed over a short distance to give the impression I could keep this up for an extended time. As soon as I get of the course, I can relax and slow down again.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-36952582840568479662015-01-01T13:24:00.002+10:302015-01-01T13:36:38.664+10:30End of Year Review<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 19km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 7000.2km] Week52 (29th Dec - 31st Dec)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In the last few days of the old year I ran a 7km on a windy Monday. A weather change was working its way through and the wind was blowing from the south west whipping the waves up along the beach. I ran along the small strip of smooth beach edge, the tide seemed to be incoming but it may have been close to the turn. I ran to the river mouth then came off the beach and onto the Esplanade path and ran with the wind behind me so had an easy run back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On New Years even I went for a run after a doctors appointment, it was, at 11am, later than I like to run but the weather was sunny and calm and a pleasant 24C.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My main concern is the sun at this time of day, it burns my skin very quickly, even with sunscreen on there are always areas I've missed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I ran along the beach, crossing the river which was only flowing like a stream. I continued running to the Barcoo boat launch ramp. I did consider going further but then the sun exposure factor was the main concern and the heating of the path. I ran back along the bitumen pathway and it was starting to get uncomfortable on my soles, I had to move quickly and not hang around. The concrete was better but the heat had made my feet sensitive and that began to hurt after a while. I went back onto the beach for the last 2km to cool my feet off.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At this time last year I had run 5632.5km without shoes and now I have pushed that up to 7000.2km an addition of <b>1367.7km</b>. This is not as many as I was hoping but the reduction was caused by injury and injury that was wrongly diagnosed.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For over 6 months I was convinced that it was an ankle tendon problem. It was only in the last months of the year that I found it was actually the sciatic nerve that was throwing me a false signal. As the nerve was being irritated it weakened the calf muscle and caused pains in the lower leg. The sciatic problem was caused by my lifting workouts at the gym. The discs get squeezed while lifting any weight above my shoulders or heavy rowing exercises.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I shall have to cut these out.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Lets hope this year is a better running year. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-44889729448121000172014-12-28T20:44:00.000+10:302014-12-28T20:44:04.032+10:30Christmas Run<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 28.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6981.2km] Week51 (22nd Dec - 28th Dec)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> Well I managed to miss the Christmas Fanatics Run on Christmas morning due to oversleeping. I used the Android calendar to mark the date and send out an alert but the alert was an email rather than an alarm to wake me.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I should have used the clock function which I must have used on a previous occasion as I found an alarm set to wake me at 5:15am. As it turned out I only woke at 5:50am, 10 minutes was not enough time to get ready and down to the race so I went back to sleep for another couple of hours.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Guilt must have got to me so I went for a run at 8:00am, a bit more civilised. I ran from Grange to the Barcoo boat ramp. It was a cool morning and would have been much cooler at 6am so 8am was quite pleasant. There was a westerly wind blowing and I ran through a very brief shower on the way back. It lasted all of 2 minutes. I ran a distance of 12km.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the Monday I ran 10km from Grange to West Beach. This was a wet run. It was lightly raining on the way down to west beach but increased on the way back. I made a point of keeping off the slippery surfaces but even the concrete was slippery when the rain increased.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I reached Grange and the rain was quite heavy but it wasn't cold so I took my t-shirt off and enjoyed the rain and walking barefoot through puddles while cooling down.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Boxing Day saw me rushed to the emergency department of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital with severe pains around the kidneys. The emergency was quiet so I was rushed in and onto a bed and given a intravenous opium dose which eased the pain in around 10minutes. I was discharged a few hours later. It was a suspected kidney stone but that would need confirmation.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It may have been because I was dehydrated due to running in the morning on Christmas Day then drinking alcohol later on, maybe that was too much for the kidneys to handle.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to miss out on my usual Saturday run just in case I caused the pains to return. I ran a shorter 8.2km on Sunday before a gym session.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have resurrected my back traction device to see if it can rid me of the sciatic problems I have been experiencing over the past few months.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am hoping to cross the 7000km barrier before the end of the year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-87837147582893667222014-12-21T11:47:00.001+10:302014-12-21T11:47:42.408+10:30Hit and Miss Runs<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 59.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6953.0km] Week50 (8th Dec - 21th Dec)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">First run of the week was Wednesday, it was a cool, cloudy and wet afternoon and that was fantastic for running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I had some back pain during the day caused by, and I'm convinced of this, my trousers. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Ok I'll explain. It seems today that it is getting harder to find clothes that fit correctly mainly because the 'average' human is now a blimp with spindle like legs and bulbous body. This means someone like me with running legs and slim waist has to have the belt pulled tight to stop the pants falling down. The leg fit is ok but the waist is too wide. This tight belt makes my back ache.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I took one of my super pain killers, these are like nothing I have taken before, they are called Zaldiar and almost put you into a state of floating serenity with a little head spinning dizziness thrown in. I take them very sparingly.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, I set off on my run at 5pm and I feel like I'm in the zone, I'm not sure if I was or just in a drug stupor. I ran 12km on wet roads that felt great underfoot. I know which surfaces to be careful on due to slipperiness. I ran from Grange to the boat ramp at Barcoo, I could have run further to Glenelg but I thought I better be sensible. I did the nose breathing all the way and felt very relaxed the entire run. If I can just fix up my back, get rid of the sciatic irritation I will be very happy.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I put in another 12km run on Saturday (13th) getting out for the run at 7.30am as it was going to be a warm 37C day. The run was a repeat of the Wednesday route but this time harder work because of the heat. The outbound part was good but I was starting to tire on the way back as the sun beat down on me. I would not be able to run on these paths in another hour without my feet overheating. It was good to finish the run at just after 9am.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">To finish the week I ran the lake loop of 8.2km on a warm morning. I felt tired on this run, not much spring in the legs. I had gone to the gym on Thursday and the squats had left me with some residual soreness.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Tuesday (16th) Some precise timing required today as Tuesday is the day a small group of us got to see a movie during the evening. I had to calculate a time line to get me there by 7pm after leaving work at 4pm. It kind of went like this:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Leave Work 4:00pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Reach home 4:30pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Change & drive to beach 4:45pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Run 10km 5:45pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Home 6:00pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Shower/dinner 6.25pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Drive to cinema 7:00pm</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It all worked out pretty well but a bit rushed at the end as I spent a bit of time warming down after my run. I did find it hard keeping my eyes open at the cafe after the movie.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Friday (19th) a 10km run along the foreshore, a slight south west sea breeze today. The run was ok, I'm still getting the burning sensation around the calf caused by the trapped nerve in my back.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Saturday I ran only a short 7km today along the beach which has nice and flat as the tide was at it's low point for the day. My legs felt heavy. It was not a good run and I ended up walking the last 2km back.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-89359639590821362382014-12-07T17:23:00.001+10:302014-12-07T17:23:28.573+10:30Injured back<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 160km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6893.8km] Week42-49 (13th Oct - 7th Dec)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well after a long break from writing in my blog I'm back with an entry and a discovery.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">My long running saga of tendon soreness around my right ankle has been found not to be an ankle tendon problem at all but actually a referred pain from the Sciatic Nerve.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I mix my running with weight training at the gym to balance the aerobic with the strength. My one weak spot is my low back which I initially injured at the gym 23 years ago. The injury was caused by squats with 70kg+ weight and no warm up, stupid I know but now irreversible. The outcome was squeezed discs at L4/L5, these pressed on the sciatic nerve and I couldn't walk for close to a year.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Eventually is did heal but not back to the state before the injury, it has been an Achilles heel so to speak over the last 23 years. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Each time I do any heavy spine compressive exercise the sciatica will return. Over the years I gradually cut out various exercises after each one exacerbated the problem, Squats, Calf raises, Shoulder presses, and finally Seated rows.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The discovery that it was a sciatic nerve problem and not an ankle problem came when I began to use the 'Primal' workout idea of doing low reps but the heaviest weight I could lift. I started lifting almost the entire stack while doing seated rows, only 3 x 6 reps though. My workouts went quickly and it felt good until by back started aching. Then to compound the situation, rather than rest it, I decided more would be better, it would strengthen then back......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Well, no it didn't. The disc squeezed the nerve and I took a week off work to recover. The pain though was not in the upper part of the leg but in the back of the lower calf, a burning sensation and weakness in the muscles that control how the foot lands on the floor.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">So, the silver lining in the cloud was that the massaging and ankle/calf strength training I was doing was unnecessary, there was nothing wrong with my ankle at all. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I now knew what I had to work on, free up that sciatic nerve, core strength training and no heavy exercise that could squeeze the discs. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Throughout the period I have still been running and averaging around 20km per week, sometimes more sometimes less. This last week I have run around 32km in total.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We are in full summer, the heat is here, the hot pavements have returned. I found that out around a week ago when I had a lazy sunday morning in then decided I should go for a run at around 11:30am. The sky was clear and sunny and it was around 28C. The ground temperatures ranged from tolerable on the concrete (40C) up to 50C+ on the blacktop (which I had to sprint over like walking on hot coals).</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">For my after work runs, when the weather is 25C+ (even at low air temp the ground temp can be hotter than anticipated due to the energy input from the sun) I will run later in the evening closer to sunset. On the weekends I will run in the mornings before 9am.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">At the moment I still have the sciatic problem but I have stopped the weight training and am only doing tension exercises, chin ups, planks, crunches. No heavy lifting until it has cleared up. I am still getting the burning in the calf but now I know where the problem lies.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-7485859888678429782014-10-12T20:19:00.001+10:302014-10-12T20:19:23.175+10:30Sporadic Running<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 56km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6733.8km] Week38-41 (15th Sep - 12th Oct)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The running has been sporadic throughout the period as I continue with calf exercises to stabilize my ankle while running.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In week 40 I ran a total of 20km with 6km of that being with my fellow barefoot runners as our regular run on the first Sunday of each month.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The springtime weather has been pretty good and even a touch on the warm side. We have had a couple of days over 30C and that seems to be very early in the season for such warm weather..</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The country fire services have moved the fire danger season so that it starts much earlier in the year now.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Week 41 I managed 28km, one run during the week of 7km, then on Saturday a 13km run to Glenelg and back and on the Sunday a run around the lake of 8km. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On that last run I had a bit of knee pain but I think that was cause by the 3 sets of weighted lunges I did at the gym earlier.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the Saturday run the ground was getting a bit hot for running on as I made my return journey. Even though there was a cool breeze and the temperature was 20C the intensity of the sun on the bitumen in the sheltered areas was getting up to 30C </span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">In weeks 38 and 39 I only ran distances of 4km each week along the beach </span><br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tF5xklmhpag/VDpNnpyxZfI/AAAAAAAAANg/Etsg-2BAbLE/s1600/DSCF1017S.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tF5xklmhpag/VDpNnpyxZfI/AAAAAAAAANg/Etsg-2BAbLE/s1600/DSCF1017S.jpg" height="180" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><b>Sporting my Barepadz by the River</b></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> My first attempt at wearing the Barepadz out for a walk I didn't pull them over the foot far enough. I didn't realise that the big toe had to go all the way through the hole at the top. It was a very tight fit. As a consequence they would keep working their way off my foot as I walked along the river.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I worked it out later how to put them on correctly by finding photos on the net, all I have to rty now is running in them.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-70329641189433935172014-09-14T20:29:00.001+09:302014-09-14T20:29:09.941+09:30Light running<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 13.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6677.8km] Week37 (8th - 14th Sep)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Wednesday Sunday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 9km 2km</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">After more resting, no Monday run, I gave it a go on Wednesday and found it no better. I ran lightly along the beach road but after a few kilometres I could feel the tightness return. By the time I began my return journey it was a bit depressing that I had to run at a slow pace so not to aggravate the problem any more. I soaked the ankles and calves in the sea for 10 minutes after the run to see if the cold therapy would work.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did a gym session from 8.30am until around 9.30am then decided to try some running on irregular surfaces of the sand dune trails at Tennyson. This was exhausting, I didn't feel that fit at all. Running in soft sand drains the energy out of the legs. I did around 3 circuits which consists of climbs on rocky paths, then onto soft sand then onto stony path, then beach, a great mix up run. I got pretty hot and sweaty after that. The ankles seemed ok as well.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-30050508697036312852014-09-14T20:20:00.001+09:302014-09-14T20:20:20.759+09:30Reduced distance<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 13.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6666.8km] Week36 (1st - 7th Sep)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Saturday Sunday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 5km 8.2km</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Nearly a week off running is hard, it makes me feel fat and unhealthy even though I probably no different at all. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did have a commitment this week and that was to meet David for a monthly barefoot runners meeting which basically just consisted of the two of us.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">We ran the city centre River Torrens run and this was the first run where I could feel the warmth returning to the ground. The weather was beautiful, clear blue sky, no wind. I took it nice and easy on the run, just chatting along the way, the more serious running crowd passing us every now and again. After the run we called up to the local deli and had a coffee.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I decided to have a Sunday run as the ankle wasn't too bad on Saturday. I did an early gym session then went up to the lake to run my loop run. It was quite windy today, blowing from the north. The ankle played up a bit, I could run but not fast, it just feels tight. It seems to be different tendons that ache at different times, sometimes the outer ones sometimes the inner ones.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">These small runs I am hoping will not hinder the healing process but just act as progress tests.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-72824007380876876122014-08-30T17:28:00.002+09:302014-08-30T18:36:49.287+09:30Rest<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 6km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6653.6km] Week35 (25th - 31th Aug)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Thursday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 6km</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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 </span></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-55168100123896314822014-08-30T13:37:00.002+09:302014-08-30T17:29:19.824+09:30Aches and Pains<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 19km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6619.6km] Week34 (18th - 24th Aug)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Monday Wednesday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 10km 9km </span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I have tried strengthening the calves first using reverse calf raises, that only seems to give me sore calves with no other benefits.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil</span></span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-16365756329724556742014-08-16T22:00:00.001+09:302014-08-30T18:37:10.763+09:30Low km Week<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 18.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6647.6km] Week33 (11th -17th Aug)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Saturday Sunday</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 10km 8.2km </span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I am going to work on strengthening the hip flexor to see if that will help shift the ankle problem.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span></span><br />
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></span></h4>
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></h2>
Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-11024419116506597002014-08-16T20:27:00.001+09:302014-08-30T18:37:33.733+09:30Ankle soreness<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 16km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6628.6km] Week32 (4th -10th Aug)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Monday Wednesday, Saturday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 10km 6km </span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I skipped the Sunday run this week to give the legs a rest. </span></span><br />
<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"> </span></h2>
Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-53428763072474972632014-08-16T19:51:00.000+09:302014-08-30T18:37:51.433+09:30Monthly Barefoot run<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 28km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6600.2km] Week31 (28th Jul -3rd Aug)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Wednesday, Saturday. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 10km 13km 5km</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span></span><br />
<br />Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-69596429740315875502014-08-01T21:02:00.001+09:302014-08-16T20:24:27.734+09:30Cold, Wet Week 2<h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 25.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6566.4km] Week30 (21st - 27th Jul)</span></h2>
<h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Monday, Saturday, Sunday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 10km 10km, 8.2km.</span></span></h4>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Another week of cold and rain that stopped me getting out. Moday was the only day I managed to run without rain.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The wet weather headed in on the Wednesday and lasted until the weekend when we got some cold bright days. </span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">The sand is colder on my feet than running on the footpath so I prefer to run on the concrete during the winter.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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.</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">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. </span> </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8555743431953052523.post-2781015787574650152014-07-21T21:43:00.002+09:302014-08-16T20:23:52.867+09:30Wet Week <h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Distance 11km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6538.2km] Week39 (14th - 20th Jul)</span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Running days</b>: Saturday, Sunday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;"><b>Distances</b>: 7km, 4.5km.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">A week of rainy cold winter weather saw me doing little running this week. On two occasions I had the intent to go for a run and just as I was on my way home the rain started. This happened on both Monday and Thursday. Most of the week was the kind of weather that makes you just want to curl up in bed and go to sleep.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">I did eventually get out for a run on the Saturday, it wasn't raining but it was cold, around 9C as I hit the beach. The sand was cold and soon my feet were numb. I ran to the river outlet then came back along the Esplanade with the feet not feeling much warmer. I put a bit of a sprint in over a 200m stretch.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">On the Sunday it was cold once again at about 9C again. I decided to try running in the Vibrams but I ended up getting so frustrated with not being able to get the toes into the pockets that I gave up on them. I decided to do a shorter run from jetty to jetty, a slow warm up on the way out then some faster stretches on the return journey on the concrete path.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">It was an enjoyable run, good because I wasn't worried about distance. Even a short run can be satisfying when done right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;">Neil </span>Neil Scotthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13926115088460674946noreply@blogger.com0