Summer season

Distance 85.9km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5491.4km] Week50

Monday, 25-Nov. 10.5km

A warm afternoon where we got up to 29C. Would it be too warm to run on the bitumen, proabably yes if I had to run on the blacktop over the entire course but I have plenty of choice.
The tide was out so I started my run along the shoreline. Quite a few people on the beach today. An afternoon sea breeze was blowing from the south so I would be ok running on the concrete and brick. I did 2km on the sand then came up onto the concrete which as cool. There is a length of 0.5km which is a light bitumen that feels warmer under foot then it is back to the cool concrete. The last 100m is black bitumen which is the hottest surface, luckily the wind had cooled it off.
On the way back I had the breeze behind me, gently pushing me forward. I went back onto the sand for the last 2km and passed a large crowd of young people doing a beach training run. I passed the lead runner, running towards me around 100m from Henley jetty. The race was on, would he beat me to Grange jetty. Well the answer is yes. He passed me around 250m from the jetty, I gave chase but he was wirey and had about 30 years of advantage. He did look over his shoulder a few time so at least he was nervous, that's a small amount of satisfaction I had.

Thursday, 28-Nov. 10.5km 

I had a bit of a stiff neck from a gym workout yesterday so decided to take the day off. Working at a computer all day would not be good for it whereas a run might loosen it up.
We had some warm weather earlier in the week, up to last night. They day temperature had got up to 38C, overnight a cool change came in. I went for a run at 9.30am, rain was forecast for later so I wanted to beat it.
There was a strong south-westerly wind that accompanied the cool change so I ran into it. It was a good running temperature of around 20C. Finally they have opened the upgraded pathway between Grange and Henley and I must admit it is a great improvement. Much wider so I don't have to dodge around people and more smooth concrete rather than the uneven brick that it replaced, a big thumbs up. After the run into the wind I had it pushing me homeward bound. I did the last 2km on the sand again to get my speed up. The rain started as I got to the end but it felt nice as it cooled me off.

Saturday, 30-Nov. 15km

Out for my run early today and with no breakfast to sustain me. It was going to be a warm day or 30C so you can imagine my surprise to find it quite chilly at 8am. It was sunny but the sand on the beach was cold and my feet soon went numb and there was a cool breeze blowing from the north. I started running gentlyto try to warm up but I don't think I did until I was on my way back. I could just start to feel some warmth as the sun had been shining on the sand.

Sunday, 1-Dec. 8.2km

 My usual sunday lake loop. A wind blowing from the north that I had to battle for a few kilometers before doing the gradual turn and having it behind me. The first day of Summer and not long now before Christmas holidays and my next run on Christmas day at 6am. I may run in the 13.5km run this year. I don't think I'm up for the 21km yet. I'll decide closer to the time.

Monday, 2-Dec. 10.5km

A hot one today so I tried switching my run to a later time. I had a dinner of pasta around 5pm with the idea if I run at 7.30pm it should be digested by them, well, not exactly. I think maybe because the metabolism slows down in th evening it was still sitting heavily in my stomach when i started out running along the new stretch of path along the foreshore. It was very uncomfortable and spoilt what would have been a nice run at that time of the evening. There were crowds of people out walking in the cooler evening air. I felt better on the way back. THe sun had set by the time I got back to the car. As I drove back home I came across several houses that were decorated to the extreme with Christmas lights, it was actually quite heartwarming.

Friday, 6-Dec. 10.5km

Even though it was a relatively cool day the ground was quite warm in places. The hot weather at the start of the week had broken by wednesday with rain and thunder. Quite a good run especially on the return, I put in a good effort. A bit of beach running for the last 2km, the sand was a bit soft to get up a decent speed.

Saturday, 7-Dec. 12.5km

That damn north easterly breeze, warm and draining as I got to the beach after a early morning haircut. It felt better to get rid of some hair now that the summer heat is here. I found the run quite draining today so I cut it a bit shorter, turning around at the start of the Esplanade rather than carrying on to the jetty. I had quite a few things I needed to do today as it was the first of my Christmas parties so I had to make up a dish to take along. Hopefully the run would inspire me.
I was glad to get to the halfway mark and have the breeze out of my face and on my back. The legs were a bit stiff from the gym session on the thursday, why do I keep doing heavy legs at the gym when all they do is stuff up my running? 

Sunday 8-Dec. 8.2km

It was still warm this morning, 26C at 8am when I got to the lake. I was a bit creaky to start off but gradually increased my speed as the distance increased. The warm breeze dried my mouth out as I ran. Luckily the sun was obscured by clouds so I didn't have to wear my sunglasses and have the sweat dripping off them and into my eyes. Not any spectacular time, I've not got past my best times of a year or so ago when I could manage around 42minutes for the course. 

Neil

Stiff week

Distance 19.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5405.5km] Week48

Thursday, 21-Nov. 11km

I must have run a bit harder than I thought in Sunday's race as my calves were stiff during the week. It was probably the second half of the race where I was reeling people in bit by bit. The first half was relatively relaxed as I warmed up.
So I rested for the earlier part of the week, no point going out there with fragile legs. WhenI get down to the beach on Thursday the familiar wind is blowing from the south. The temperatures are down at around 20C due to the southerly. The beach was maily empty except for the parasailors riding the waves with their wings pulling them high above the waves at times.
Felt a little tired today after being seated all day at work. I prefer calm windless days where I can regulate my running speed without having it push me back. Again I did the last 2km on the beach, running fast with the tailwind. I soaked my calves for a while under the jetty before the strong winds forced me off the beach. I almost got cramp in my calf or so it seemed after giving them a cooling dip, I managed to ward it off but it did feel a bit scary, like something was about to go "ping".

Sunday,  24-Nov. 8.2km

No running on Saurday as I went to the wedding of David and Cathy, two of the runners from the barefoot running group, and no, they didn't get married barefoot.
I had a couple of glasses of wine and it really knocks me out these days. I think maybe going alcohol free might be good after all.
My lake run was shared with the triathletes today. I parked my car well out of the way as there were lots of traffic restrictions around the place. I didn't time myself or keep a watch on the heart rate. The tendon on my right leg is still irritating me. I'm not sure what strategy to try and ease it off.
I must have run fairly hard as my T-shirt was soaked in sweat by the time I got around. I didn't manage to overtake any of the triathletes in our shourt coming together along the lakefront.

Neil

Henley Classic 10km

Distance 103.7km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5386.3km] Week47

Monday, 28-Oct. 11km

Very windy today. Even when I looked out of the window while at work the trees could be seen thrashing around, by the beach the wind would be much stronger.
I got to the beach at around 5pm and the wind was gusting at 50km/h as I ran along the sand. There was no point racing so I just kept up a steady pace, head down to stop the sand blowing into my eyes. I came off the beach after 2km and ranalong the concrete path, I could get more traction that way. I don't find running against the wind as exhausting as when I wore shoes.
On the way back the wind pushed me forwards and I have to stop myself landing too hard and wearing my feet down. I diverted back to the beach for the last couple of km and was running at full wind assisted speed by the time I got to the jetty.

Thursday, 31-Oct. 10.5km

Although the wind was nowhere near as strong as Monday it was still blowing at 30km/h and I felt much more breathless today at the beginning, probably because I'd spent all day in fromt of a computer at work with a very low heart rateand hardly moving. When I suddenly start doing some physical exhertion the body doesn't want to cooperate. Evenutually I got back to normal, breathing more regular and heartrate at a steady 135. The run back was smooth and felt good.

Friday, 1-Nov. 10.5km 

End of the working week run always feels good as I'm free from being tied to the desk for 8 hours. A good run, nothing out of the ordinary to report.

Saturday, 2-Nov. 6km

Well, the barefoot runners meet today consisted of just David and myself, all the others have disappeared one by one. It seems that the patience required to learn a new skill is lacking in todays society. People are quite happy clomping around in their oversized running shoes and I don't think any amount of information that says some chronic running injuries can be explained by the bulky shoes will change peoples minds.

Monday, 4-Nov. 10.5km

This always feels like the longest day after the weekend. I'm up and getting ready for work at 5.30am so by the time I finish work and my run just over 12 hours later I usually feel tired and only stay up for another 3 hours.

Thursday, 7-Nov. 11km 

The feet were a bit sore at the end of the run today as I ran a bit harder than usual as the afternoon weather was back into the windy format again with a strong south blow that pushes me too fast on the way back.To save my feet I went down onto the beach for the last 2km. Even there the beach was covered in small shells washed up by the strong tides and now covered in a thin layer of sand blown by the wind. I had to keep a good watch to make sure I didn't land on a sharp shell edge.

Sunday, 10-Nov. 8.2km

My lake run came before the gym today. It's getting lighter in mornings and the warmer days are creeping up so I can now get a run around the lake done at 8am then head off to the gym at 9.00am. I got caught up in the local triathlon on my route, only for a small section on the east side. I break into their race and see if I can take on some of the tired participants who have already endured the swim and cycle leg

Monday 11-Nov. 11km

This turned out to be my only run during the week as I had a few after work things I had to sort out and I lost the enthusiasm once I did arrive home. Today was a good run. No pacers this time so I had to keep my own tempo up. I need to start getting some shorter, faster runs into the mix.

Saturday, 16-Nov. 15km

A nice flat wet sandy beach, perfect for a saturday run. I've not been on a longer distance for a while so today seemed perfect. I really should have conserved my energy for tomorrows race. My tendon in the right leg was a bit tender by the end, I think caused by some calf tightness and running on the sand. Even my feet felt a bit sensitive too. There was a light cool breeze blowing from the south, a little too cool to take my top off and grab a bit of sun. I really need to upgrade my running t-shirts as the ones I currently have are starting to look a bit raggedy. The t-shirt I had on today has a large hole just under the arm and the material is all hanging down. The neck is all stretched and wavy, it's about time it got turned into a duster. 

Sunday, 17-Nov. 10km

A perfect morning for a run, clear sunny sky and not a breeze. I had a few drinks last night and I could feel the tight feeling in my head. I skipped breakfast in favour of a carbo drink.
Today was the day of the Henley Classic 10km. I had no idea how many people would be running today so I set off early to get a decent car park spot. The race was due to kick off at 7.45am so I got there at around 7.10am. There were already quite a few people there and a good size queue to collect race numbers. As I got in line the queue expanded considerably to about 3 times what it was earlier.
It was interesting to do some people watching before the race to see the routines before the race. There was much stretching, lots of running up and down at fast paces, some strange marching movements. I chose just to stay calm and breath, no stretching or warm ups. I warm up by starting near the back then gradually moving through the groups of runners. I was a bit worried about a bit of tendon soreness but this wasn't an issue today.
The race started slightly late due to processing the people collecting numbers.
The numbers had a RF loop inside and your time triggers when you cross under the electric field. I started my stopwatch just before this point.
I knew the course well so knew all the spots that I had to take more care on. I felt light and bouncy as I started off and I gradually started to pick people off as I warmed up. The early part of the race is on smooth flat concrete then bitumen then the rough part which is weathered brick paving with lots of sharp projections.
The course was an out and back so I was interested to see where the front runners were going to meet me as they were on the return journey.
The front runner passed me just over 1km from the turnaround point meaning that they were at least 2km in front as I was at 4km.
I didn't stop for any drinks as it was cool enough not to need water and I didn't want to disrupt my rhythm. I wanted to try and run the last half faster than the first. I probabaly did this but I didn't hit the lap button on my watch. My heart rate was ticking along at 145bpm as opposed to around 135 bpm on the first half.
I didn't really push too hard in this run but my time was around 53m (unofficial). I'll post the results when they come through.
Each runner got a healthy gift bag at the end consisting of a banana, orange, breakfast drink, muesli bar. I really enjoyed the race and will look at doing it again next year.

Henley Square before the race

Crossing the finish line

 From the results I placed 282 out of 650 with a time of 52:40

Neil

 

Slack week

Distance 36.5km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5282.6km] Week43

Monday, 21-Oct. 10.5km

A good fast run, felt good. Running into the wind in the southerly direction and had it behind me on the way back. The council workers still haven't finished the last bit of paving at Henley beach, it's like they completed 95% then just forgot. I have to keep dodging onto the road rather than run along the gravel on this short section. Hopefully it will be finished in the next few weeks.

Friday, 25-Oct. 11km

After my gym session yesterday and my sets of lunges my legs have residual stiffness and despite a good speed, I was a bit slower on the return section and the feet felt a bit sensitve on the brick pavement. No people to pace me on todays run and I think I may have struggled anyway. 

Saturday, 26-Oct. 15km

A perfect Saturday morning, blue sky and a very light breeze that was hardly noticeable. There were plenty of people out on the beach and lots of exciteable dogs looking for something to chase and I made a tempting target.
I ran mainly on the beach today with around 2.5km on the bitumen. I'm missing out on the grassy section now as it has dried out and is just a bed of spikey seeds that embed in my feet. They are more of an irritation than painful as they don't fall out when I lift my foot so eventually I get a buildup of the things and they make it hard to run. I ran back along the beach but felt a little tired towards the end. I enjoyed soaking the legs in the cool sea water after finishing.
I didn't run on sunday, a little internal voice told me to have a rest day. I have entered the Henley 10km run scheduled for November 17th 

 

Summer weather kicking in

Distance 33.5km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5246.1km] Week42

Monday, 14-Oct-13. 10.5km

Good run, feeling much easier now, I think the faster running is helping out now. 

 

Thursday, 17-Oct-13.  10.5km

A good quick run today, helped by the girl who acted as a bit of a pacer. This time I was the one behind and playing catch up and it was a tough effort. I first passed her when she was running the opposite way to me, I had just started my return run towards Grange and she was heading to West Beach. I can say where her turn around point was but it must have been close to where I turn around as she had overtaken me after less than a kilometre. I kept a fairly steady distance of around 20m and couldn't close the gap. At the point where the road leaves the beach where they are relaying the footpath, I ran along the road and she headed to the beach. I assumed I would never catch up now. But surprisingly when the road rejoined the beach I found she was only around 10m in front. I could then accelerate and catch up. We ran the last 100m pretty evenly. I had a brief chat at the end and thanked her for helping lift my pace.

 

Friday, 18-Oct-13. 12.5km

Ah, a day of holiday and the freedom to run when I would normally be working away and shortening my llife by sitting for long periods of time.
My legs or rather calves were stiff today after some of my faster runs during the week so it was going to be an easy run today. It was a sunny day with blue sky from end to end. I had an appointment later in the afternnon so I didn't want to run too far, and tire myself out. I ran towards Glenelg and made the decision to turn back when I got to the small boat launch breakwater. The was a good decision as the northerly wind really picked up and I was running into blowing sand. I just kept my head down and kept up a stedy pace. It eased off as I returned to my start point.
No weekend running as I had guests and decided I could afford to had a bit of an easy weekend.

4 Seasons in one week

Distance 51.9km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5212.6km] Week41

Monday, 7-Oct. 16.4km

Now this is more like it, the Labour Day holiday and the sun is out and throngs of people are walking along the beach and enjoying the mild spring day.
For a change, I ran to Glenelg today, a distance of 8.2km. The northerly breeze pushed me from behind as I sped along the beach. I had to exit the beach at one point as the tide was still lapping at the rocks despite the tide being low. There was quite a bit of erosion of the dunes close to the West Beach surf club, steep sand cliffs rose up from the flat beach. It wouldn't take much to undermine that stretch and see the path above collapse unless they take some action and add a rocky breakwater at the bottom. I got back onto the beach and ran the rest of the way to Glenelg. I ran part the way back along the road before finishing off the last 2km back on the beach to sooth my slightly sore feet.

Wednesday, 9-Oct. 4km

A short fast beach run to see what my time was like on the 2km stretch between the jetties. Not too bad considering the sand was soft and there were lots of broken shells in big patches along the run. I covered the distance in 9:40m.

Thursday, 10-Oct. 10.5km

I had a pacer tonight on my run. As I was just setting off ater having a 60s rest at the far end of my run I noticed a girl running around 30m behind in the same direction. It was only around another kilometer and she was a couple of metres behind and that was with me doing a faster than normal pace, my pulse was up at 143. The only times I causght a glimpse of my tail was if I was going around a sharp corner. She didn't have the power to overtake and leave me behind until she made her move as the path moved away from the beach. I was actually quite surprised as thought she was gone back the all of a sudden she appeared alongside then moved in front. I wasn't going to let her get away that easily so I started to tag along just a few metres behind. Finally when we got back to the concrete where I had my car parked I sped up and thanked her for pacing me and making me up the running effort. She said she was amazed how I could run that speed without shoes. That always makes me feel good.

Saturday, 12-Oct. 15km

The tide was just on it's way out from hit's high point for the day so the sand was very soft, well trodden and uneven and pretty hard work. I found a thin strip of wet sand to run along, this made it much easier. After around 4km I saw another runner up ahead and I wondered if I was catching up or not, after another km I was getting closer and by 6km I'd caught and passed him as I carried on to Semaphore jetty.
On the way back I met up with the same guy, he passed me initially as I was taking my t-shirt off for the run back on the beach. There was now much more flat wet sand to run on. I' thought I'd catch him easily and pass him fairly soon but he put up a very good fight and we ran neck and neck for the next 5km. My pulse was up near 150 so I was putting in a much higher than aerobic effort. As we neared Grange jetty I knew it was going to be case of who was going to make a break for it first and would they be able to keep the effort up. At around 150m I just put the effort in and pushed my heart rate up to 160. I was running at full out sprint, my lungs were bursting and I knwe I couldn't keep it up for long. I outran him at the end and when he arrived at the jetty I shook hands with him and thanked him for a great run. He had was I guessed to be a scandanavian accent, could have been German. We had a chat for a few minutes then headed off on our separate ways.

Sunday, 13-Oct. 6km

Met up with David and Cathy today for a barefoot run at a different venue, further up the River Torrens Linear Park. I was woken at 7am by the heavy rain outside. At one point I rand David with the thought of calling it off. I got Cathy's answering service so I decided I better go. The meet was over the other side of the city. It was only David and myself that went on the run, Michael called it off because of the rain. As it turned out the was a good run. The rain had stopped and some sun came out and warmed the ground, it was much warmer than running in rain during mid winter. The Torrens Park was a beautiful spot to run, it has been upgraded with lots of trees and a large lake area for water conservation. After the run we headed for a coffee at a cafe at the bottom of Gorge Road where we chatted for around an hour before heading off.

Neil

Light week

Distance 23.5km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 5160.7km] Week40

Thursday, 3-Oct 11km

Some pent up energy was released on todays run. The weather had been pretty awful during the week, Monday wasn't too bad, it was warm but the rain started in the late afternoon. It stayed wet and windy for the next few days.
I gave myself a rest to allow my feet to recover from running last week and I did feel better for it. I had also been a bit stressed today as I was thinking about spending a large sum of money to buy a small (everything is Australia is very expensive, land especially) block of land and that must have been releasing stress hormones into my system causing me to get a headache so by finishing time at work I felt awful. As soon as my feet touched the ground on the run, normality started to return and I felt calmer. I ran a good time of 61m for the distance which included a bit of a walk from the beach. I felt I was running strongly today. I still got passed by some young guy flying past. I didn't bother chasing down.

Saturday, 5-Oct 12.5km

As I set off towards the beach it looked like a perfect running day, cool with a light breeze but bright and sunny. When I parked up at the beach the wind was much stronger, blowing from the north. I set off and within one kilometre I was running into strong winds, 30km/h with gusting 48km/h along the beach. It sapped my energy and I decided I would cut the run short and not run to the next jetty at Semaphore but turn back when I hit the Esplanade at Semaphore. The wind strength started to ebb as I reached the half way point. I came off the beach and onto the bitumen/concrete path, following the miniature railway. It felt much better not having the wind blowing at me. I ran on the drying out grass behind the houses by the beach. They are losing their winter softness as they dry out, soon the hard seeds will be sticking in my feet again and I will have to abandon the route. Halfway back I move once more onto the beach and a beautiful expanse of flat wet sand. The wind has now moderated to a light breeze behind me as I flew along at a fast pace. The weather front that passed through has gone and left fantastic spring weather behind.
We move into Australian Summer time at midnight tonight, losing an hour in return for lighter evenings. It's like a mini jet lag. I abandoned my sunday run as I couldn't get out of bed.

Neil