Distance 11km [total: minimalist 124km: Barefoot 463km]
Well, after being out of action for around two weeks due to a sore calf I hit the beach again for a short run to see if it can hold itself together.
My last test run was a week previous and I was a little too enthusiastic in trying a 7km run
I managed only 4km before the calf pain returned.
So after another week passed where I did calf strengthening and stretching exercises along with applying heat cream most days I decided to try it out again.
The weather was awful, rain and strong winds blowing. The beach was empty and sand was blowing like a mist about 30cm from the surface.
The outbound run was easy as the wind pushed me all the way down, coming back was tougher but I still managed it without stopping.
I could still feel some tightness towards the end but not to the extent of last week, but there again I didn't run as far.
I think another week may be needed.
Neil
Saturday, August 14, 2010
Sunday, August 1, 2010
Calf tightness
Distance 21km [total: minimalist 124km: Barefoot 452km]
A bit of a break since I last did an update to my progress.
Just reviewing what I did last week.
On the Sunday of last week I did some training drills on the nearby field, it was a bright sunny day, cool but not breezy.
I trained for half an hour doing jumping, hopping, balancing with 50 metre runs in between.
Rain was forecast for later in the week with Monday being the day with the best weather. I headed out to the beach and had a great run, down towards the river on the sand and back along the road on the way back.
The beach portion was tough as the sand was very soft and well trampled but by taking small steps with a fast cadence, you can almost get that floating above the sand feeling.
It takes longer covering the distance on the soft sand and by the time I got to the river it was getting dark so I decided that running back along the road would be better. It always takes a couple of minutes to adapt to the harder surface and then it becomes automatic.
I intended to book in for a leg massage on the Thursday but found that the therapy place that I go to were shut up until the end of August.
So, as Thursday was now free I decided to go on a longer run, this might have been a mistake but my mind had been made up as the weekend was due to be cold and wet and now the sun was out and it was a mild evening.
I ran on my circular river/beach route setting off from home at 5pm, it would be a 12km route.
When I used to run with shoes I would normally have to stop after 1km to rub my shins and stretch, I would then be fighting off shin soreness at regular 2km intervals, I could maybe shake the pain off after about 8km.
Now, wearing my VFF's (didn't want to be barefoot in the dark) I just ran all the way to the beach without a pause, no shin soreness or tiredness.
But then, calf tightness strikes. I was aware of it as I neared the beach, I stopped to stretch but it was too late, I would not be running back.
I was at the farthest part of the run. I had a 6km walk back.
The soreness was not bad enough to stop me walking so I would grade it as a No.1 strain on a scale of 3.
I walked using the pose method of letting gravity pull me forward. It took me an hour getting back.
It felt good to get out of the cold and dark, I'd cooled off during the walk and only had a t-shirt on when I left the house.
I rested over the weekend, just doing gym work. The calf feels good again now but I'll keep off it for another week, maybe just doing some light drills on the field.
Two steps forward one step back.
Neil
A bit of a break since I last did an update to my progress.
Just reviewing what I did last week.
On the Sunday of last week I did some training drills on the nearby field, it was a bright sunny day, cool but not breezy.
I trained for half an hour doing jumping, hopping, balancing with 50 metre runs in between.
Rain was forecast for later in the week with Monday being the day with the best weather. I headed out to the beach and had a great run, down towards the river on the sand and back along the road on the way back.
The beach portion was tough as the sand was very soft and well trampled but by taking small steps with a fast cadence, you can almost get that floating above the sand feeling.
It takes longer covering the distance on the soft sand and by the time I got to the river it was getting dark so I decided that running back along the road would be better. It always takes a couple of minutes to adapt to the harder surface and then it becomes automatic.
I intended to book in for a leg massage on the Thursday but found that the therapy place that I go to were shut up until the end of August.
So, as Thursday was now free I decided to go on a longer run, this might have been a mistake but my mind had been made up as the weekend was due to be cold and wet and now the sun was out and it was a mild evening.
I ran on my circular river/beach route setting off from home at 5pm, it would be a 12km route.
When I used to run with shoes I would normally have to stop after 1km to rub my shins and stretch, I would then be fighting off shin soreness at regular 2km intervals, I could maybe shake the pain off after about 8km.
Now, wearing my VFF's (didn't want to be barefoot in the dark) I just ran all the way to the beach without a pause, no shin soreness or tiredness.
But then, calf tightness strikes. I was aware of it as I neared the beach, I stopped to stretch but it was too late, I would not be running back.
I was at the farthest part of the run. I had a 6km walk back.
The soreness was not bad enough to stop me walking so I would grade it as a No.1 strain on a scale of 3.
I walked using the pose method of letting gravity pull me forward. It took me an hour getting back.
It felt good to get out of the cold and dark, I'd cooled off during the walk and only had a t-shirt on when I left the house.
I rested over the weekend, just doing gym work. The calf feels good again now but I'll keep off it for another week, maybe just doing some light drills on the field.
Two steps forward one step back.
Neil
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Sunsets
Distance 7km [total: minimalist 112km: Barefoot 443km]
Monday evening and according to the weather people this is the last of the fine days before we get some cold wet weather heading in from the west.
I got to the beach at 5pm, the sun has about 20 minutes left before sunset. It's turning around now, the days are getting slightly lighter, minute by minute.
The tide was at its high water mark and there was not much beach at the lower end of the run.
The recent wild weather has pushed the sand dunes further back, erosion eating into them, a little bit more each year.
It was around there where I had to run in the water, only about 30cm deep.
No problems to report, the running is flowing much easier now, none of the aches and pains that marked the transition out of cushioned shoes.
I still find I have to heed the advice of Ken Bob when it comes to concentrating too much on my foot placement, relax, relax, relax, was the advice.
The more you think about how you are running the less well you seem to run.
One trick I have found when I find myself tensing too much is to let the arms go loose and floppy and then let that flow down to the legs.
I finished the 7km run off with a paddle in the water, which at this time of the year is pretty cold, I'd guess 10C. I paddled until my feet were too cold to work properly.
Then, back home in the car with the floor heaters on full as the reward.
There was a spectacular sunset on the Monday evening, its at times like that you wish you had a camera to capture it. The sky was clear except for a set of clouds on the horizon that were reflecting the sun that had just set, they turned flame red.
I'll see if I can squeeze another run in on the Thursday, or maybe just some training drills.
Neil
Monday evening and according to the weather people this is the last of the fine days before we get some cold wet weather heading in from the west.
I got to the beach at 5pm, the sun has about 20 minutes left before sunset. It's turning around now, the days are getting slightly lighter, minute by minute.
The tide was at its high water mark and there was not much beach at the lower end of the run.
The recent wild weather has pushed the sand dunes further back, erosion eating into them, a little bit more each year.
It was around there where I had to run in the water, only about 30cm deep.
No problems to report, the running is flowing much easier now, none of the aches and pains that marked the transition out of cushioned shoes.
I still find I have to heed the advice of Ken Bob when it comes to concentrating too much on my foot placement, relax, relax, relax, was the advice.
The more you think about how you are running the less well you seem to run.
One trick I have found when I find myself tensing too much is to let the arms go loose and floppy and then let that flow down to the legs.
I finished the 7km run off with a paddle in the water, which at this time of the year is pretty cold, I'd guess 10C. I paddled until my feet were too cold to work properly.
Then, back home in the car with the floor heaters on full as the reward.
There was a spectacular sunset on the Monday evening, its at times like that you wish you had a camera to capture it. The sky was clear except for a set of clouds on the horizon that were reflecting the sun that had just set, they turned flame red.
I'll see if I can squeeze another run in on the Thursday, or maybe just some training drills.
Neil
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Two good runs
Distance 15km [total: minimalist 112km: Barefoot 436km]
Weekend here again.
I didn't get to do my usual run on the Friday as I had to get a tooth fixed during the afternoon.
I'm not sure if a run after that would have helped wear the anaesthetic off quicker or not.
Saturday morning took me a bit of a while to get going, I'm not good on these cold mornings.
The temperature had been down to 3C overnight. As I usually run in the mornings on the Saturday the sand would have been very cold today so I put the Vibrams on for the run today.
The tide was out and the sun was shining but not offering much warmth to the ground, it would take a full day of sun to warm the sand enough to run on.
I ran 8km today, some stats from my heart rate watch, average rate was 139 bpm through the run with a max of 161, that is getting up to the high end. Total calories burned 705kcal.
Sunday: I've not been turning up for the early morning beach run as at 8am it is really cold, probably about 8C.
A slow start, I only spring out of bed in the summer.
I did a session at the gym which included some balancing.
At 3.45pm I went out for a run, no shoes this time as the sand would have had chance to warm up.
This time I covered 7km, again average heart rate of 139 bpm topping out at 151 bpm.
Had slight stiffness in left calf but it came to nothing. 552 kcal burned.
Keeping the knees well bent ensures that you can't stretch your stride out too much.
I got into the zone where I had a good leg turnover or over 180 per minute. I want to practice getting that speed up higher over longer distances.
I feel I am getting a good compact running form now and just have to work on the stamina.
I'll rest now for a couple of days before getting out on the road again.
Neil
Weekend here again.
I didn't get to do my usual run on the Friday as I had to get a tooth fixed during the afternoon.
I'm not sure if a run after that would have helped wear the anaesthetic off quicker or not.
Saturday morning took me a bit of a while to get going, I'm not good on these cold mornings.
The temperature had been down to 3C overnight. As I usually run in the mornings on the Saturday the sand would have been very cold today so I put the Vibrams on for the run today.
The tide was out and the sun was shining but not offering much warmth to the ground, it would take a full day of sun to warm the sand enough to run on.
I ran 8km today, some stats from my heart rate watch, average rate was 139 bpm through the run with a max of 161, that is getting up to the high end. Total calories burned 705kcal.
Sunday: I've not been turning up for the early morning beach run as at 8am it is really cold, probably about 8C.
A slow start, I only spring out of bed in the summer.
I did a session at the gym which included some balancing.
At 3.45pm I went out for a run, no shoes this time as the sand would have had chance to warm up.
This time I covered 7km, again average heart rate of 139 bpm topping out at 151 bpm.
Had slight stiffness in left calf but it came to nothing. 552 kcal burned.
Keeping the knees well bent ensures that you can't stretch your stride out too much.
I got into the zone where I had a good leg turnover or over 180 per minute. I want to practice getting that speed up higher over longer distances.
I feel I am getting a good compact running form now and just have to work on the stamina.
I'll rest now for a couple of days before getting out on the road again.
Neil
Saturday, June 26, 2010
Cold feet
Distance 16km [total: minimalist 104km: Barefoot 429km]
A good week for getting out there and getting a few kilometres in.
On the Wednesday I did some drills on the field close to home.
There is not much light by the time I get home from work and by the time I have finished a 30 to 40 minute session it is dark.
I started with 3 warm up laps around the edge of the field and each time I would go around I would be harassed by two dogs being exercised by the owner who had no control of them. As soon as you turn on then and shout they run, dumb things.
I completed two sets of the Hops, pony and Change of Support with a short run in between each drill.
The grass felt freezing, at a guess I would say it would be about 8C but it felt colder and my feet were numb on the underside by the time I finished.
The reward is always after when you get back into the warm ans the life flows back into them.
On Thursday it was down to the beach before the few days of fine weather comes to an end later this evening.
I ran 7km, up to Grange jetty then back to the Torrens outlet then onto the road for the way back.
It was too dark to stay on the beach for the return journey as I can't see any obstacles in the low light.
I have no problem running on the hard surfaces now, in fact I quite enjoy the change of sensation of moving from the sand to the concrete.
I can hardly hear my footsteps on the ground as I move but I always hear the runners who 'pound the pavement' going my way or coming towards me.
The rain came later that night and it continued through the night and was still raining as I made my way to work.
I had to wear my old running shoes as I didn't want to get my Vivo Barefoot shoes wet as they are suede and not very waterproof.
Wow, the runners felt awful, heavy and with the high heel I felt clumsy and found walking in them awkward. How did I ever run in them I wondered.
I know now I can never go back to wearing shoes like that, maybe I can go for racing flats but I think I'll stick to the Vibrams on the wet days.
Saturday
Another beach run on a showery day.
I headed to to the beach via the hairdressers, it was dry and sunny when I went in but wet and cold when I came out.
Still I headed to the beach, the sun re-emerged. The tide was far out and there was plenty of flat sand to run on.
The sand was pretty cold though. After some quick warm ups I set off. By the time I'd covered about 3.5km my feet were numb on the underside and I always worry about them when I get no feedback. I found it easier running on the softer sand on the upper part of the beach than on the hard packed sand, there was less friction on my feet.
It began to rain, but once you are warm the rain is really not much of an inconvenience, it does stop you running on the hard surfaces though due to the wet feet being too soft.
You need harder dry feet to run barefoot.
It was a good satisfying run.
Neil
A good week for getting out there and getting a few kilometres in.
On the Wednesday I did some drills on the field close to home.
There is not much light by the time I get home from work and by the time I have finished a 30 to 40 minute session it is dark.
I started with 3 warm up laps around the edge of the field and each time I would go around I would be harassed by two dogs being exercised by the owner who had no control of them. As soon as you turn on then and shout they run, dumb things.
I completed two sets of the Hops, pony and Change of Support with a short run in between each drill.
The grass felt freezing, at a guess I would say it would be about 8C but it felt colder and my feet were numb on the underside by the time I finished.
The reward is always after when you get back into the warm ans the life flows back into them.
On Thursday it was down to the beach before the few days of fine weather comes to an end later this evening.
I ran 7km, up to Grange jetty then back to the Torrens outlet then onto the road for the way back.
It was too dark to stay on the beach for the return journey as I can't see any obstacles in the low light.
I have no problem running on the hard surfaces now, in fact I quite enjoy the change of sensation of moving from the sand to the concrete.
I can hardly hear my footsteps on the ground as I move but I always hear the runners who 'pound the pavement' going my way or coming towards me.
The rain came later that night and it continued through the night and was still raining as I made my way to work.
I had to wear my old running shoes as I didn't want to get my Vivo Barefoot shoes wet as they are suede and not very waterproof.
Wow, the runners felt awful, heavy and with the high heel I felt clumsy and found walking in them awkward. How did I ever run in them I wondered.
I know now I can never go back to wearing shoes like that, maybe I can go for racing flats but I think I'll stick to the Vibrams on the wet days.
Saturday
Another beach run on a showery day.
I headed to to the beach via the hairdressers, it was dry and sunny when I went in but wet and cold when I came out.
Still I headed to the beach, the sun re-emerged. The tide was far out and there was plenty of flat sand to run on.
The sand was pretty cold though. After some quick warm ups I set off. By the time I'd covered about 3.5km my feet were numb on the underside and I always worry about them when I get no feedback. I found it easier running on the softer sand on the upper part of the beach than on the hard packed sand, there was less friction on my feet.
It began to rain, but once you are warm the rain is really not much of an inconvenience, it does stop you running on the hard surfaces though due to the wet feet being too soft.
You need harder dry feet to run barefoot.
It was a good satisfying run.
Neil
Thursday, June 17, 2010
8km loop
Distance 8km [total: minimalist 104km: Barefoot 413km]
A blustery Thursday afternoon was the setting for my run for the day.
I went on a loop course that took me 55 minutes in total with about 45 minutes being running time and 10 minutes of walking and waiting for traffic.
I followed the route in the map. Google maps is very good for working out distances as well and this route works out to exactly 8km
I ran wearing my VFF's concentrating on keeping the knees bent and stride short. I feel my form had deteriorated some what by the end. I felt a bit sore in the right Achilles but it was only temporary. I didn't get any problem from the calf at all.
I find it harder to run in the dark as it's not as easy to judge stride length.
Only one more week until the shortest day and then slowly the days will begin to lengthen, I'll be happier at that point.
Neil
A blustery Thursday afternoon was the setting for my run for the day.
I went on a loop course that took me 55 minutes in total with about 45 minutes being running time and 10 minutes of walking and waiting for traffic.
I followed the route in the map. Google maps is very good for working out distances as well and this route works out to exactly 8km
I ran wearing my VFF's concentrating on keeping the knees bent and stride short. I feel my form had deteriorated some what by the end. I felt a bit sore in the right Achilles but it was only temporary. I didn't get any problem from the calf at all.
I find it harder to run in the dark as it's not as easy to judge stride length.
Only one more week until the shortest day and then slowly the days will begin to lengthen, I'll be happier at that point.
Neil
Monday, June 14, 2010
Brrrrr
Distance 9km [total: minimalist 96km: Barefoot 413km]
Well, its the Queens Birthday long weekend and the weather is beautiful.
Clear blue sky and sun warming the air and ground from the chilly night.
The temperature dropped to 2C last night as it is going to again tonight.
I was in no hurry to get the the beach first thing for a run this morning, the longer I wait the more time the sun has a chance to warm the sand up.
I went for my run at 11.30am and the sun had worked its magic on the sand, it wasn't just above freezing and so I retained some feeling in my feet.
I ran a short 5km, just a bit longer than my 4km on Saturday just in case my calf strain reappeared.
It seemed fine now, kept my stride quick and choppy and it felt good.
I'm in the process of reading "Pose Method of Running" for the second time to see if I can pick up on some of the things I missed the first time around.
It would be great to find someone else who is at the same stage of learning the technique so we can correct each others errors.
Neil
Well, its the Queens Birthday long weekend and the weather is beautiful.
Clear blue sky and sun warming the air and ground from the chilly night.
The temperature dropped to 2C last night as it is going to again tonight.
I was in no hurry to get the the beach first thing for a run this morning, the longer I wait the more time the sun has a chance to warm the sand up.
I went for my run at 11.30am and the sun had worked its magic on the sand, it wasn't just above freezing and so I retained some feeling in my feet.
I ran a short 5km, just a bit longer than my 4km on Saturday just in case my calf strain reappeared.
It seemed fine now, kept my stride quick and choppy and it felt good.
I'm in the process of reading "Pose Method of Running" for the second time to see if I can pick up on some of the things I missed the first time around.
It would be great to find someone else who is at the same stage of learning the technique so we can correct each others errors.
Neil
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