Distance 39.5km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 1023.4km] Week 8
Monday, 21-Feb. 8km
An 8km road and beach run on a cool breezy evening. I did a bit of higher speed running on the way back, just the 2km between jetties, I struggled on the broken sand though and only managed around 10:20m.
It looks like these are the conditions I can expect on March 4 for the Beach Bash, there will actually be a beach to run on this year due to the council building up the beach with extra sand. Maybe the shoe wearing runners will keep themselves dry this year.
Wednesday, 23-Feb. 8km
Today I ran the 8km along the river as an alternative to the beach. A runner passed me about 1km into my run and I tried to use her to pace myself, she was going slightly faster and by the time I got to the river mouth she was around 150m in front. My running felt good, feet felt good.
On the way back they started to get tender, the bitumen was hot as the sun was shining directly onto it, I could feel my feet on fire. I ran down the white dividing line as it was smoother and slightly cooler. I was a full 5 minutes slower on the return journey 50:21 total.
My feet were tender by the time I got back to the car. The path on the south side of the river has much more debris over it, small stones and tree seeds.
After giving the feet a good clean I used some Isocol alcohol rub to clean up any abrasions. After a nights sleep the feet will be ready to go again.
Friday, 25-Feb. 7km
It's getting close now!
I could have put 1000km in this posting but to be honest, on my Saturday 14.5km run I walked the last 4.5km, I ran out of energy.
It may have been that on the Friday I went on a 7km run in the heat, then rushed out to go into the city to watch some comedians who were part of the Adelaide Fringe Festival, so, I had a few drinks and eventually got home at around 11.30pm.
Saturday, 27-Feb. 14.5km
So I blame the late night, drinks and dehydration for my lacklustre performance on the Saturday. Mind you it was warm, even at 8am, 25C and an hour later it was 30C, it seems to knock me out more in the morning than when I run in the heat during the evening.
Even on the run up to Semaphore jetty I had to stop a couple of times. ON the way back I just ran out of steam, I felt hungry and thirsty.
So now, I'm sitting just below the 1000km barrier, my run tomorrow should break through that.
Sunday, 27-Feb. 2km
I think I can now say I've got 1000 barefoot kilometres under my feet.
On a warm Sunday with the temperatures getting up to 31C I pulled out of my usual early Sunday morning run, I decided to listen to my body and it said 'have a lie in for once, relax' so that is what I did, no early run and no gym later.
The urge to run came later in the day so I waited for the temperature to drop and headed across the road to the sports field to run some laps.
I didn't bother taking my watch for timing, I don't need that pressure.
I did a couple of nice easy warm up laps the ran 5 x 350m at a pace fast enough that it would take me a minute or two to recover at the end.
After those I did some Pose drills with 80m sprints in between, I did around 10 x 80m in total. I just love that feeling of speed.
The longer distances are harder as your breathing has to catch up with your legs.
I'm hoping that practising these sprints might just help in my race on Friday.
The temperature is forecast to be 27C on Friday so that sounds ideal.
Neil
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Sunday, February 20, 2011
Wind assisted
Distance 30.5km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 983.9km] Week 8
Monday, 14-Feb. 4km
Back at the beach at 5pm, the south wind is still here and it is quite strong around 24km/hr (from BOM). The headwind slowed me down considerably on the outbound part of the run and I recorded 11:43m, wow very slow. On the way back I did it in 10:02m a big improvement but still not under the 10m mark.
Thursday, 17-Feb. 8km
It was a pleasant warm day while I was at work.
During the lunch break I head out to the south parklands and lie under the shade of a big old gum tree for 30 minutes of relaxation, a semi snooze before the afternoon session in front of the computer screen.
By the time I'd finished work it was beginning to cloud over and the wind picked up. By the time I got to the beach at around 5.15pm there was a 30km/hr wind whipping up from the south.
I ran along the road to the river then onto the beach. The para-sailors were out in full force by the estuary, the strong winds were giving them good rides and roughing up the sea.
My hamstrings were a bit tired from the deadlift workout yesterday at the gym, but no where near the extent of stiffness that experienced the first time I did them around 3 weeks ago.
I entered the Beach Bash race, paid my $7 for the privilege of thrashing myself for 20 minutes in a couple of weeks. I think this time there will be plenty of sand to run on as the high tides don't seem to be reaching the seawall this time, probably due to the sand replenishment program.
Saturday, 19-Feb. 14.5km
Well, the rain was so heavy yesterday they cancelled the opening parade at the Adelaide Fringe. I usually go down to that each year as there is a great atmosphere, thousands of people, the weird and the wonderful come out to play for the next 3 weeks.
The Garden of Unearthly Delights would have been very damp where on most occasions in the past it has been turned into a dust bowl by the hot summer sun.
The bulk of the rain had stopped by morning. I woke up later than usual and rushed some breakfast down but I knew by the time I got out for a run it would only be 30 minutes from eating. Not a good combination.
I put on the Skins compression gear today for my run just in case the sand was cold, the theory being, keep the legs warm and the feet will follow.
As it turned out the sand was warm enough. It was raining by the time I got to the beach, not heavy but drizzle.
I can't say it was my best run ever, I felt kind of slow, maybe it was the breakfast, maybe it was the compression gear. One thing I was aware of was that the tightness of the compression gear around my ankles was making my tendon sore because it was kind of bunched up.
When I reached the halfway point I stopped and pulled them higher so they were more around the calf rather than the ankle, that felt much better.
I would say though that although they look cool I would prefer to run in just shorts. I don't know if I believe in all this Stops muscle vibration that is supposed to make you sore. Maybe you only get muscle vibration if you pound your heels into the ground, maybe barefoot runners don't get this. I'll enquire on the BRS forum.
Sunday, 20-Feb. 4km
Today was my attempt at a bit of a faster run.
The problem I always find is that it takes me around a km to get the breathing steady and not feel like your about to have a heart attack.
Once again I was running into the wind on the way south (24km/h) and managed a time of 10:48 on fresh sand.
One the way back I knocked almost exactly a minute off and did 9:49 so I guess if you averaged that it would mean a time of around 10:25, slower that I was hoping for.
a few photos from around the beach area that I like to run at.
The first are the old heritage houses on the beach, the only ones like it in South Australia as far as I am aware.
Heritage houses viewed from Grange Jetty
The jetty at Grange looking out to sea on the blustery Sunday morning just after I did the 4km run
Grange Jetty
Foamy seawater frothed up by the wind and blown onshore
Neil
Monday, 14-Feb. 4km
Back at the beach at 5pm, the south wind is still here and it is quite strong around 24km/hr (from BOM). The headwind slowed me down considerably on the outbound part of the run and I recorded 11:43m, wow very slow. On the way back I did it in 10:02m a big improvement but still not under the 10m mark.
Thursday, 17-Feb. 8km
It was a pleasant warm day while I was at work.
During the lunch break I head out to the south parklands and lie under the shade of a big old gum tree for 30 minutes of relaxation, a semi snooze before the afternoon session in front of the computer screen.
By the time I'd finished work it was beginning to cloud over and the wind picked up. By the time I got to the beach at around 5.15pm there was a 30km/hr wind whipping up from the south.
I ran along the road to the river then onto the beach. The para-sailors were out in full force by the estuary, the strong winds were giving them good rides and roughing up the sea.
My hamstrings were a bit tired from the deadlift workout yesterday at the gym, but no where near the extent of stiffness that experienced the first time I did them around 3 weeks ago.
I entered the Beach Bash race, paid my $7 for the privilege of thrashing myself for 20 minutes in a couple of weeks. I think this time there will be plenty of sand to run on as the high tides don't seem to be reaching the seawall this time, probably due to the sand replenishment program.
Saturday, 19-Feb. 14.5km
Well, the rain was so heavy yesterday they cancelled the opening parade at the Adelaide Fringe. I usually go down to that each year as there is a great atmosphere, thousands of people, the weird and the wonderful come out to play for the next 3 weeks.
The Garden of Unearthly Delights would have been very damp where on most occasions in the past it has been turned into a dust bowl by the hot summer sun.
The bulk of the rain had stopped by morning. I woke up later than usual and rushed some breakfast down but I knew by the time I got out for a run it would only be 30 minutes from eating. Not a good combination.
I put on the Skins compression gear today for my run just in case the sand was cold, the theory being, keep the legs warm and the feet will follow.
As it turned out the sand was warm enough. It was raining by the time I got to the beach, not heavy but drizzle.
I can't say it was my best run ever, I felt kind of slow, maybe it was the breakfast, maybe it was the compression gear. One thing I was aware of was that the tightness of the compression gear around my ankles was making my tendon sore because it was kind of bunched up.
When I reached the halfway point I stopped and pulled them higher so they were more around the calf rather than the ankle, that felt much better.
I would say though that although they look cool I would prefer to run in just shorts. I don't know if I believe in all this Stops muscle vibration that is supposed to make you sore. Maybe you only get muscle vibration if you pound your heels into the ground, maybe barefoot runners don't get this. I'll enquire on the BRS forum.
Sunday, 20-Feb. 4km
Today was my attempt at a bit of a faster run.
The problem I always find is that it takes me around a km to get the breathing steady and not feel like your about to have a heart attack.
Once again I was running into the wind on the way south (24km/h) and managed a time of 10:48 on fresh sand.
One the way back I knocked almost exactly a minute off and did 9:49 so I guess if you averaged that it would mean a time of around 10:25, slower that I was hoping for.
a few photos from around the beach area that I like to run at.
The first are the old heritage houses on the beach, the only ones like it in South Australia as far as I am aware.
Heritage houses viewed from Grange JettyThe jetty at Grange looking out to sea on the blustery Sunday morning just after I did the 4km run
Grange JettyFoamy seawater frothed up by the wind and blown onshore
Neil
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Easy 23
Distance 23km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 953.4km] Week 7
Thursday, 10-Feb. 7km
A hot day of 35C so I left it until the evening before I ventured out for a run.
I drove to the beach at 7.30pm when it was around 32C.
The good thing about leaving it until later is that it gives the pavements time to cool off. I would guess that the pavements were around 35C, they were warm underfoot but not uncomfortable.
I started by running along the road from the Grange cafe to the river outlet 3.5km.
It was thirsty work. The form felt good but I was aware of a little less fluidity due to the gym workout yesterday where I did some hamstring deadlifts once again. This time my body has adapted to the exercise and the soreness is minimal.
Once I got to the turn-off to the beach I could see what the sand quality was going to be like on the way back.
The tide was on its way in, probably an hour from the high point. The sand was soft and churned up by hundreds of feet and a few vehicles, this was going to be tough.
It was slow work and sweat dripped off me freely, I just concentrated on the short distance directly in front of me. You really have to pick your feet up and have good balance when running on such an unpredictable surface.
I came off the beach after 2km feeling exhausted and finished the run off on the road. It took a while adapting to the firmness of the road after the soft sand, it was much faster though.
While going through some old paperwork I came across an instruction sheet supplied by my podiatrist when he fitted me with the orthotics that were supposed to sort all my problems out.
It makes interesting reading in that you can see how the dependency on them develops. They will feel unnatural and you have to adapt your feet to the orthotic. This just strikes me as completely the wrong approach, no thought of strengthening the feet, in fact, just the opposite.
Thankfully it has been 16 months since I kissed goodbye to them and my feet have never been better.
Saturday, 12-Feb. 12km
Saturday morning run and my tendons were still slightly sore from the soft sand training on Thursday, I think I worked them pretty hard.
A cloudy morning which would shield me from the sun so no yucky sunscreen to worry about.
There was a nice stretch of wet sand but this had been ripped up by the horses that undergo training along the beach in the early morning. It must be part of the trotting group that pull a kind of chariot behind them.
The horses leave deep prints in the beach and you have to stay alert to not twist an ankle by plunging your foot into hoof print.
It would be nice to run on a pristine beach but unfortunately unless you go well out of the city you are not going to find one. Of course the beaches are better in winter as less people go there so they stay in better condition.
I took it nice and easy and covered the 12km in 1:13:12.
After the run I have a soak my lower legs in the sea until my heart rate slows to under 80bpm. Next come the dynamic stretches to slowly clear the lactic out of the muscles.
By the end of the run the feet and tendons felt good again. Lets see if I can get a bit of speed work in tomorrow.
Sunday, 13-Feb. 4km
I got out on the Sunday to practice a bit of speed to get my tempo up higher than on my longer runs.
It was a cool morning, must have been around 15C.
My first thoughts as I stepped out onto the sand was 'Gee, it feels like autumn is on it's way' , the sand was cold, or rather colder than it has been for the last 4 months. There was also a sharp southerly breeze blowing
This all slowed me down, I just couldn't get the leg muscles moving quickly enough. Southbound I managed 10:47m while northbound I recorded 10:03.
The sand was hard but had plenty of footprints breaking up the surface.
Neil
Thursday, 10-Feb. 7km
A hot day of 35C so I left it until the evening before I ventured out for a run.
I drove to the beach at 7.30pm when it was around 32C.
The good thing about leaving it until later is that it gives the pavements time to cool off. I would guess that the pavements were around 35C, they were warm underfoot but not uncomfortable.
I started by running along the road from the Grange cafe to the river outlet 3.5km.
It was thirsty work. The form felt good but I was aware of a little less fluidity due to the gym workout yesterday where I did some hamstring deadlifts once again. This time my body has adapted to the exercise and the soreness is minimal.
Once I got to the turn-off to the beach I could see what the sand quality was going to be like on the way back.
The tide was on its way in, probably an hour from the high point. The sand was soft and churned up by hundreds of feet and a few vehicles, this was going to be tough.
It was slow work and sweat dripped off me freely, I just concentrated on the short distance directly in front of me. You really have to pick your feet up and have good balance when running on such an unpredictable surface.
I came off the beach after 2km feeling exhausted and finished the run off on the road. It took a while adapting to the firmness of the road after the soft sand, it was much faster though.
While going through some old paperwork I came across an instruction sheet supplied by my podiatrist when he fitted me with the orthotics that were supposed to sort all my problems out.
It makes interesting reading in that you can see how the dependency on them develops. They will feel unnatural and you have to adapt your feet to the orthotic. This just strikes me as completely the wrong approach, no thought of strengthening the feet, in fact, just the opposite.
Thankfully it has been 16 months since I kissed goodbye to them and my feet have never been better.
Saturday, 12-Feb. 12km
Saturday morning run and my tendons were still slightly sore from the soft sand training on Thursday, I think I worked them pretty hard.
A cloudy morning which would shield me from the sun so no yucky sunscreen to worry about.
There was a nice stretch of wet sand but this had been ripped up by the horses that undergo training along the beach in the early morning. It must be part of the trotting group that pull a kind of chariot behind them.
The horses leave deep prints in the beach and you have to stay alert to not twist an ankle by plunging your foot into hoof print.
It would be nice to run on a pristine beach but unfortunately unless you go well out of the city you are not going to find one. Of course the beaches are better in winter as less people go there so they stay in better condition.
I took it nice and easy and covered the 12km in 1:13:12.
After the run I have a soak my lower legs in the sea until my heart rate slows to under 80bpm. Next come the dynamic stretches to slowly clear the lactic out of the muscles.
By the end of the run the feet and tendons felt good again. Lets see if I can get a bit of speed work in tomorrow.
Sunday, 13-Feb. 4km
I got out on the Sunday to practice a bit of speed to get my tempo up higher than on my longer runs.
It was a cool morning, must have been around 15C.
My first thoughts as I stepped out onto the sand was 'Gee, it feels like autumn is on it's way' , the sand was cold, or rather colder than it has been for the last 4 months. There was also a sharp southerly breeze blowing
This all slowed me down, I just couldn't get the leg muscles moving quickly enough. Southbound I managed 10:47m while northbound I recorded 10:03.
The sand was hard but had plenty of footprints breaking up the surface.
Neil
Sunday, February 6, 2011
Under 10min
Distance 17km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 930.4km] Week 6
Monday, 31-Jan
The start of the week was notable for the hot temperatures.
Monday was 43C, far too hot to run, at least if you want to stay safe so I opted for a workout at the gym, postponing the run until the middle of the week when the temperature is a more reasonable 34C.
I tried an exercise at the gym I have done only rarely namely hamstring deadlifts, I've done plenty of hamstring curls so I thought these would be a breeze.
I was only using 25kg and they were fairly easy, I was making sure I had the correct form so I didn't injure myself as I have had back problems in the past.
Wow, next day my hamstrings were sooooore, I only did 3 sets of 10 with a light weight. I'm expecting them to be sore tomorrow as well.
Wednesday, 2-Feb. 7km
Not as cool as was forecast, it hit 36C today but luckily a cool change came through when the wind changed direction to blow from the south dropping the temperature down to 30C.
The hamstring were still sore and I was a bit worried it might mess my running form up and my timing.
The run was good, just tiring as I had no power in the hamstrings as it was a bit painful to really run at a fast pace. They felt better at the end of the run and I think tomorrow I'll be back to normal.
Obviously hamstring dead lifts are a powerful exercise and something that I'll have to incorporate into my strength training as the hamstrings are one of the key muscles used in Pose running.
Thursday, 3-Feb. 4km
I was hoping to do a fast run this evening to get my speed sharpened up but my hamstrings are still aching, I guess I am fortunate I didn't lift a heavy weight at the gym or else I wouldn't be able to walk for the week.
I did my short jetty to jetty run but found it hard going today, the heat and it felt humid as there was some cloud cover.
Running south was fine as there was a slight breeze, coming back the other way and the breeze could not be felt then the sun pops out from the clouds and and I can feel my head overheating.
I took my singlet off and tied it around my head, that helped keep the sweat out of my eyes and shielded me from the sun.
I had to stop a few times on the way back as I was just too hot. Interestingly my time on the way back was 12:20m while on the way down it was10:46m.
The slower time was around the same time I ran the Beach Bash last year but my time this time included a couple of rest breaks.
Hopefully the March temperature will not be as hot as the Jan-Feb temperatures.
Sunday, 6-Feb. 6km
(2km x 2) lap 1 10:08.8m, lap 2 9:52.8
The cool change is here, the temperature was just 15C at 8am. The sand felt cold underfoot just like in winter.
There was a nice strip of around 4 metres of wet sand left after the retreat of the tide, some a bit too soft and spongy but higher up more firm.
I did some warm-up Pose drills first to get a bit of blood moving before setting off. Faster paced running is so hard mentally, always the voice in you head telling you to rest, your lungs bursting and pulse racing.
It takes around a kilometre for my heart to steady and to get a regular breathing pattern, the running feels better then but still hard.
I completed the run in 10m 8.8s which was one of my better runs but still not below 10m.
After a rest for a few minutes at Henley I set off back, this time I felt more relaxed, in my mind I felt I was running slower but wasn't concerned about time, just keep a steady pace. I pushed it a bit harder towards the end.
What a surprise when I checked the stopwatch to find I'd run this in 9m 52.8s, 16s better than my first time and now I can run below 10m for that distance.
Compared to what I could run in my early 20's though it is slow, I should be able to cover the distance in 7m 15s, wow I think that would kill me now.
It felt good to get under 10 minutes though, I need to do that on a regular basis now.
I found some good You Tube clips of Zola Budd running in the 1980's what a fantastic barefoot runner she was.
Zola Budd 1984
Just completed a second bit of training for the day. I did 400m x 5 laps around the local oval, no one need get worried about any world record times being broken here, I was averaging around 1:45m per lap, only a one whole minute slower than the top runners, oh well you have to start somewhere.
Neil
Monday, 31-Jan
The start of the week was notable for the hot temperatures.
Monday was 43C, far too hot to run, at least if you want to stay safe so I opted for a workout at the gym, postponing the run until the middle of the week when the temperature is a more reasonable 34C.
I tried an exercise at the gym I have done only rarely namely hamstring deadlifts, I've done plenty of hamstring curls so I thought these would be a breeze.
I was only using 25kg and they were fairly easy, I was making sure I had the correct form so I didn't injure myself as I have had back problems in the past.
Wow, next day my hamstrings were sooooore, I only did 3 sets of 10 with a light weight. I'm expecting them to be sore tomorrow as well.
Wednesday, 2-Feb. 7km
Not as cool as was forecast, it hit 36C today but luckily a cool change came through when the wind changed direction to blow from the south dropping the temperature down to 30C.
The hamstring were still sore and I was a bit worried it might mess my running form up and my timing.
The run was good, just tiring as I had no power in the hamstrings as it was a bit painful to really run at a fast pace. They felt better at the end of the run and I think tomorrow I'll be back to normal.
Obviously hamstring dead lifts are a powerful exercise and something that I'll have to incorporate into my strength training as the hamstrings are one of the key muscles used in Pose running.
Thursday, 3-Feb. 4km
I was hoping to do a fast run this evening to get my speed sharpened up but my hamstrings are still aching, I guess I am fortunate I didn't lift a heavy weight at the gym or else I wouldn't be able to walk for the week.
I did my short jetty to jetty run but found it hard going today, the heat and it felt humid as there was some cloud cover.
Running south was fine as there was a slight breeze, coming back the other way and the breeze could not be felt then the sun pops out from the clouds and and I can feel my head overheating.
I took my singlet off and tied it around my head, that helped keep the sweat out of my eyes and shielded me from the sun.
I had to stop a few times on the way back as I was just too hot. Interestingly my time on the way back was 12:20m while on the way down it was10:46m.
The slower time was around the same time I ran the Beach Bash last year but my time this time included a couple of rest breaks.
Hopefully the March temperature will not be as hot as the Jan-Feb temperatures.
Sunday, 6-Feb. 6km
(2km x 2) lap 1 10:08.8m, lap 2 9:52.8
The cool change is here, the temperature was just 15C at 8am. The sand felt cold underfoot just like in winter.
There was a nice strip of around 4 metres of wet sand left after the retreat of the tide, some a bit too soft and spongy but higher up more firm.
I did some warm-up Pose drills first to get a bit of blood moving before setting off. Faster paced running is so hard mentally, always the voice in you head telling you to rest, your lungs bursting and pulse racing.
It takes around a kilometre for my heart to steady and to get a regular breathing pattern, the running feels better then but still hard.
I completed the run in 10m 8.8s which was one of my better runs but still not below 10m.
After a rest for a few minutes at Henley I set off back, this time I felt more relaxed, in my mind I felt I was running slower but wasn't concerned about time, just keep a steady pace. I pushed it a bit harder towards the end.
What a surprise when I checked the stopwatch to find I'd run this in 9m 52.8s, 16s better than my first time and now I can run below 10m for that distance.
Compared to what I could run in my early 20's though it is slow, I should be able to cover the distance in 7m 15s, wow I think that would kill me now.
It felt good to get under 10 minutes though, I need to do that on a regular basis now.
I found some good You Tube clips of Zola Budd running in the 1980's what a fantastic barefoot runner she was.
Zola Budd 1984
Just completed a second bit of training for the day. I did 400m x 5 laps around the local oval, no one need get worried about any world record times being broken here, I was averaging around 1:45m per lap, only a one whole minute slower than the top runners, oh well you have to start somewhere.
Neil
Sunday, January 30, 2011
Hot Morning!
Distance 28km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 913.4km] Week 5
Monday, 24-Jan. Drills
I did some Pose drills and sprints on the local field. Last time I did some drills it felt awful but I think that may have been because my back was sore after the first day back at work and sitting down all day.
This time it was great, the sprinting felt excellent, I have much more springiness in my calves now and I don't get any (very little) soreness in my tendons when I put in the fast bursts.
Very pleased with the progress.
I'm thinking of doing a race on Australia day, again, its a free one. It will be longer than anything I have done in the last 10 years, it is a 16km run from Brighton to Hallet Cove and back. A course that will be on road, stony and sandy trails.
I will be a bit nervous again but hey, the main goal is to complete it.
Wednesday, 26-Jan. 16km
This was a bit of a spur of the moment decision to have a go at running the Brighton to Hallet Cove trail. I have not run 16km in quite a long time, probably over 10 years in fact.
This was a casual run organised for Australia Day, no fees, numbers or times.
The meeting place was Brighton Jetty where the organiser gave some facts about the run such as climbs of 400m and 900 steps to negotiate.
One of the Many Sets of Steps To Climb
What was more relevant to me was, what were the quality of the off road paths.
At 7am around 40-50 runners had assembled at the jetty and were busily limbering up. I heard increasing evidence that says static stretching isn't that good for you so I didn't bother, just did some small jumps.
I set off near the back as I didn't want to slow anyone down.
The section from Brighton to Kingston caravan park was on the road, a distance of around 2.4km, that was fine, after that there was a small section of gravel for 300m then back onto a road for the first bit of climbing for 450m then you hit the gravel trails and the point where I have to slow down.
If the trails were natural earth it would be ok but these are all irregular stone chips and you have to keep your eyes and brain engaged to ensure you don't hit you heel on any.
Here I am negotiating some of the many stepsThe rest of the trail to Hallet Cove consists of nice wooden boardwalks, lots of steps and gravel trails in between.
The boardwalks were great, the steps that were set in the gravel were hard as they were some 1m apart and about 30cm high so you couldn't bound from step to step you had to negotiate the gravel in between. Going up was easier than going down.
I got to the halfway point at 8km feeling good then had to do the whole thing in reverse. Going back was harder as I was more tired, the feet were more tender so I had to slow down to walk on the downhill stretches.
It was a joy to hit the bitumen roads again after 5km, I managed to perk up a bit on those last few km to the end.
It took me a little over 2 hours which doesn't sound very impressive, I was just glad to finish, it was a tough run.
My feet were good, no cuts or new blisters, the old skin had come off some of a blister on each foot that I'd acquired a few weeks earlier.
I shall have to pamper my feet for a few days now.
Scrap Iron Dog Looking out to Sea, Brighton 6.45am
Thursday, 27-Jan 0km
Wow, I forgot about the payback when you run longer or harder!
All that running up and down steps over 16km, my calves are shouting 'hey buddy what the hell were you doing?'
I think they like flat ground.
They will be ok in a couple of days but for now I've got the compression gear on to keep them quiet. The feet are quite happy about the run, no complaints there.
Saturday, 29-Jan. 8km
We have some of the hot ones lined up for the next few days as the Aussie summer hits full steam ahead.
Today it is due to get up to 39C, tomorrow 42C and then a 41C day, those kind of temperatures seem to suck every bit of moisture from your lungs. Unless you are drinking litres of water a day it is so easy to get dehydrated and running is the biggest user of water as you try to cool off.
I need a special ice hat!
I managed to get to the beach today at 8.30am and it was a nice temperature around 25C.
My aching calf had settled down so I felt confident to do my shorter run along the road then back along the beach.
Barefoot road running is so easy now, I feel so springy now that I have learned Ken Bob's important mantra about the calves, relax, relax relax it all makes sense now, it took long enough to learn it. I think now I am attaining the stage of unconscious competence.
Over the next month I want to work on speed so I can get my soft sand running time down below 5m/km, if I can do that it will give me confidence that I can better my time in the Beach Bash by 4 minutes, that would be great.
So, tomorrow, if I can get out early enough I'll do a short 4km run with some good bursts of speed, then, later, in the evening I'll try some drills, if it isn't too ragingly hot.
Sunday, 30-Jan. 4km
During the summer to keep my place cool I usually just open the windows at night once the outside temperature has dropped below that inside.
A bad omen is usually when it's time for bed and the temperature is still well above the inside temp.
Last night looked good, the temperature pulled back to 29C outside so I opened the doors and windows, I would expect the temperature to drop through the night.
This time I woke at just before 6am, the blinds were being blown by the wind, it felt warm, I checked the outside temp. and it was already 30C. I rushed around to shut everything to keep the hot air out.
What a contrast at the beach today, instead of a nice 25C I've got a hotter 31C at 8am. I was only going to do a short run anyway but I did intend to go as fast as I could, the heat drained my energy.
I went from jetty to jetty and back in exactly the same time of 11min for the 2km, it was thirsty work.
The temperature by afternoon will be 42C far too hot to do anything.
After the run I got on the bike and cycled to the gym for a bit of strength work. Worked on the hamstrings, that will help when I run.
Neil
Monday, 24-Jan. Drills
I did some Pose drills and sprints on the local field. Last time I did some drills it felt awful but I think that may have been because my back was sore after the first day back at work and sitting down all day.
This time it was great, the sprinting felt excellent, I have much more springiness in my calves now and I don't get any (very little) soreness in my tendons when I put in the fast bursts.
Very pleased with the progress.
I'm thinking of doing a race on Australia day, again, its a free one. It will be longer than anything I have done in the last 10 years, it is a 16km run from Brighton to Hallet Cove and back. A course that will be on road, stony and sandy trails.
I will be a bit nervous again but hey, the main goal is to complete it.
Wednesday, 26-Jan. 16km
This was a bit of a spur of the moment decision to have a go at running the Brighton to Hallet Cove trail. I have not run 16km in quite a long time, probably over 10 years in fact.
This was a casual run organised for Australia Day, no fees, numbers or times.
The meeting place was Brighton Jetty where the organiser gave some facts about the run such as climbs of 400m and 900 steps to negotiate.
One of the Many Sets of Steps To ClimbWhat was more relevant to me was, what were the quality of the off road paths.
At 7am around 40-50 runners had assembled at the jetty and were busily limbering up. I heard increasing evidence that says static stretching isn't that good for you so I didn't bother, just did some small jumps.
I set off near the back as I didn't want to slow anyone down.
The section from Brighton to Kingston caravan park was on the road, a distance of around 2.4km, that was fine, after that there was a small section of gravel for 300m then back onto a road for the first bit of climbing for 450m then you hit the gravel trails and the point where I have to slow down.
If the trails were natural earth it would be ok but these are all irregular stone chips and you have to keep your eyes and brain engaged to ensure you don't hit you heel on any.
Here I am negotiating some of the many stepsThe boardwalks were great, the steps that were set in the gravel were hard as they were some 1m apart and about 30cm high so you couldn't bound from step to step you had to negotiate the gravel in between. Going up was easier than going down.
I got to the halfway point at 8km feeling good then had to do the whole thing in reverse. Going back was harder as I was more tired, the feet were more tender so I had to slow down to walk on the downhill stretches.
It was a joy to hit the bitumen roads again after 5km, I managed to perk up a bit on those last few km to the end.
It took me a little over 2 hours which doesn't sound very impressive, I was just glad to finish, it was a tough run.
My feet were good, no cuts or new blisters, the old skin had come off some of a blister on each foot that I'd acquired a few weeks earlier.
I shall have to pamper my feet for a few days now.
Scrap Iron Dog Looking out to Sea, Brighton 6.45amThursday, 27-Jan 0km
Wow, I forgot about the payback when you run longer or harder!
All that running up and down steps over 16km, my calves are shouting 'hey buddy what the hell were you doing?'
I think they like flat ground.
They will be ok in a couple of days but for now I've got the compression gear on to keep them quiet. The feet are quite happy about the run, no complaints there.
Saturday, 29-Jan. 8km
We have some of the hot ones lined up for the next few days as the Aussie summer hits full steam ahead.
Today it is due to get up to 39C, tomorrow 42C and then a 41C day, those kind of temperatures seem to suck every bit of moisture from your lungs. Unless you are drinking litres of water a day it is so easy to get dehydrated and running is the biggest user of water as you try to cool off.
I need a special ice hat!
I managed to get to the beach today at 8.30am and it was a nice temperature around 25C.
My aching calf had settled down so I felt confident to do my shorter run along the road then back along the beach.
Barefoot road running is so easy now, I feel so springy now that I have learned Ken Bob's important mantra about the calves, relax, relax relax it all makes sense now, it took long enough to learn it. I think now I am attaining the stage of unconscious competence.
Over the next month I want to work on speed so I can get my soft sand running time down below 5m/km, if I can do that it will give me confidence that I can better my time in the Beach Bash by 4 minutes, that would be great.
So, tomorrow, if I can get out early enough I'll do a short 4km run with some good bursts of speed, then, later, in the evening I'll try some drills, if it isn't too ragingly hot.
Sunday, 30-Jan. 4km
During the summer to keep my place cool I usually just open the windows at night once the outside temperature has dropped below that inside.
A bad omen is usually when it's time for bed and the temperature is still well above the inside temp.
Last night looked good, the temperature pulled back to 29C outside so I opened the doors and windows, I would expect the temperature to drop through the night.
This time I woke at just before 6am, the blinds were being blown by the wind, it felt warm, I checked the outside temp. and it was already 30C. I rushed around to shut everything to keep the hot air out.
What a contrast at the beach today, instead of a nice 25C I've got a hotter 31C at 8am. I was only going to do a short run anyway but I did intend to go as fast as I could, the heat drained my energy.
I went from jetty to jetty and back in exactly the same time of 11min for the 2km, it was thirsty work.
The temperature by afternoon will be 42C far too hot to do anything.
After the run I got on the bike and cycled to the gym for a bit of strength work. Worked on the hamstrings, that will help when I run.
Neil
Saturday, January 22, 2011
Into the zone
Distance 23.5km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 885.4km] Week 4
Wednesday, 19-Jan. 7.5km
After giving the feet a rest for 4 days I was itching to get out for a run again.
To be gentle on my feet I made it purely a beach run today.
Temperature a nice 28C, the tide was on it's way in but there was still enough dry sand that had an unbroken crust on to make running good without being to difficult.
I tried to keep up a good pace over a few stretches of the run. I need to get some more speed training under my belt ready for the Henley Beach Bash in March.
I checked the tidal heights from the Adelaide weather website and it looks like the March run date has a very similar set-up to last year in that the tide will be be high and just turned, that could mean lots of soggy running shoes again hee hee hee.
Todays run didn't cause any damage to the blisters which are now drying out and will in a few weeks peel off. Lets see if I can keep the feet intact after that
Saturday, 22-Jan. 12km
My hair was turning into an unruly mess on top of my head, an indication that a visit to the barber was needed.
It felt much better to have half of it removed and as we are in the hottest part of the year it keeps the head so much cooler.
As I was still letting the feet repair from the walk from a few weeks ago on the hot pavement where I got the blisters I made the run an all beach affair today.
Parking the car on the Esplanade at the the top end of Grange Road the beach looked very inviting, low tide, blue sky, very gentle southerly breeze.
I set off running about 0.5km before the Grange Jetty with the intention of running up to the Esplanade at Semaphore. I didn't want to be out too long as I would be in the maximum UV time of day.
The run was just perfect today, felt fast and effortless almost like a dream watching the scenery go by. I must have been in the zone, the feet and legs were working in supreme cooperation as I padded along the soft sand, no aches or pains just running as humans were meant to run.
I could have extended the run to the Semaphore jetty but was a bit concerned the extra time out in the sun might burn me.
After filling up on water at a tap just off the beach I headed back and this time increased my speed. The feet were fine, no flare ups of the old blisters just a nice sanding down.
Making this transition to a new style of running has paid off, with the use of the forums on the internet to hook up with like minded people it made the whole think much more possible than if you had to tackle it alone.
Its great to see so many others starting out on this same adventure, discovering the same pitfalls and pains then coming out the other side healthier and fitter and with an expanded knowledge of how their body works before being lead astray by commercial interests.
Sunday, 23-Jan. 4km
Time to do a short distance run but get the tempo a bit faster if I can.
I drove to Henley Square at 7.45am to see if any of the small running group I hooked up with a year ago are still running at that time.
I waited around until after 8am and no familiar faces turned up so I guess they have had a break for now.
The tide was just on the turn when I got onto the beach. The high tide mark had been left and now there was around 2-3 metres of wet sand to run on.
I ran one direction in the soft sand to give the ankles a workout, it was tough but worthwhile.
After a rest at the other end I ran back on the flat wet sand trying to avoid the many people walking dogs, it was like an obstacle course.
The run felt really good, I had a great spring in my step, it just felt like this was how running was meant to be.
I managed the 2km distance in about 10:14, I may have cracked the 10m if there were less obstructions.
Neil
Wednesday, 19-Jan. 7.5km
After giving the feet a rest for 4 days I was itching to get out for a run again.
To be gentle on my feet I made it purely a beach run today.
Temperature a nice 28C, the tide was on it's way in but there was still enough dry sand that had an unbroken crust on to make running good without being to difficult.
I tried to keep up a good pace over a few stretches of the run. I need to get some more speed training under my belt ready for the Henley Beach Bash in March.
I checked the tidal heights from the Adelaide weather website and it looks like the March run date has a very similar set-up to last year in that the tide will be be high and just turned, that could mean lots of soggy running shoes again hee hee hee.
Todays run didn't cause any damage to the blisters which are now drying out and will in a few weeks peel off. Lets see if I can keep the feet intact after that
Saturday, 22-Jan. 12km
My hair was turning into an unruly mess on top of my head, an indication that a visit to the barber was needed.
It felt much better to have half of it removed and as we are in the hottest part of the year it keeps the head so much cooler.
As I was still letting the feet repair from the walk from a few weeks ago on the hot pavement where I got the blisters I made the run an all beach affair today.
Parking the car on the Esplanade at the the top end of Grange Road the beach looked very inviting, low tide, blue sky, very gentle southerly breeze.
I set off running about 0.5km before the Grange Jetty with the intention of running up to the Esplanade at Semaphore. I didn't want to be out too long as I would be in the maximum UV time of day.
The run was just perfect today, felt fast and effortless almost like a dream watching the scenery go by. I must have been in the zone, the feet and legs were working in supreme cooperation as I padded along the soft sand, no aches or pains just running as humans were meant to run.
I could have extended the run to the Semaphore jetty but was a bit concerned the extra time out in the sun might burn me.
After filling up on water at a tap just off the beach I headed back and this time increased my speed. The feet were fine, no flare ups of the old blisters just a nice sanding down.
Making this transition to a new style of running has paid off, with the use of the forums on the internet to hook up with like minded people it made the whole think much more possible than if you had to tackle it alone.
Its great to see so many others starting out on this same adventure, discovering the same pitfalls and pains then coming out the other side healthier and fitter and with an expanded knowledge of how their body works before being lead astray by commercial interests.
Sunday, 23-Jan. 4km
Time to do a short distance run but get the tempo a bit faster if I can.
I drove to Henley Square at 7.45am to see if any of the small running group I hooked up with a year ago are still running at that time.
I waited around until after 8am and no familiar faces turned up so I guess they have had a break for now.
The tide was just on the turn when I got onto the beach. The high tide mark had been left and now there was around 2-3 metres of wet sand to run on.
I ran one direction in the soft sand to give the ankles a workout, it was tough but worthwhile.
After a rest at the other end I ran back on the flat wet sand trying to avoid the many people walking dogs, it was like an obstacle course.
The run felt really good, I had a great spring in my step, it just felt like this was how running was meant to be.
I managed the 2km distance in about 10:14, I may have cracked the 10m if there were less obstructions.
Neil
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Tired feet
Distance 28.5km [total: minimalist 132km: Barefoot 861.9km] Week 3
Monday, 10-Jan
Well in a few days I go from great form, good distances to feeling tired and having sore feet, what went wrong?
Well the only difference between this week and last week is now I'm back at work.
It started on Monday, the first day.
I drive to work, get out of the car, twisting as I get out with my bag and I manage to jar my knee.
It doesn't help that my car, an old Honda Civic is pretty low to the ground, unlike modern cars which have a much elevated driving position.
I limp into work and fire up my computer and within 2 hours I've developed back ache from sitting in the same position for too long.
I took some pain killers for the back but still decided not to run or go to the gym during the evening.
I decided to walk to the shops (barefoot) as I needed a few groceries. It had been a warm day of over 30C but it was cooling down slightly now. The footpath was warm but not raging hot like during the middle of the day.
I did a brisk walk 1.5km to the shops the 1.5km back, my feet feel a bit sore at the end and on examination I find I have managed to rub up a blister on each foot, damn! So walking is not as safe as running.
Tuesday, 11-Jan
Not much time to run tonight so I did some Pose drills on the field. I felt rusty and it just didn't feel right during the runs in between the drills.
I felt slow, I felt my timing was out and that I may even have been landing incorrectly. Not happy.
Wednesday, 12-Jan. 7km
A beach run today, or rather, a half road/beach run. So here I am at the beach and I don't like running on top of new blisters but I persevere, landing as gently as I can.
I didn't make them any worse. I ran back along the beach but I felt sluggish, lacking in energy.
The only conclusion I can draw is that I need more sleep. While on holiday I would have been getting around 8.5 hours sleep, now, back at work that drops to 7 hours. Could it be that the extra 1.5 hours makes a difference?
Friday, 14-Jan. 7km
At last a good running day, felt good today, got the groove back, the timing is good.
At last a good running day, felt good today, got the groove back, the timing is good.
I did the road section first as I have been doing recently to make sure I get equal time on soft and hard surfaces.
When running barefoot on pavements it is always good to be at your most conservative and cautious when starting the run, my first km is always a slow easy warm up.
At the end of 1km my legs know how much they should be bent and my feet are familiar with the surface.
What they were telling me this evening was the the surface was bloody hot. I ran alongside any shade giving walls I could find, I was constantly aware if there was any change in the temperature and if it was becoming dangerously damaging to my feet.
I reached the Henley Hotel where the pavement changes sides of the road. On the side I was on I had a nice 'cool' concrete, the other side had much hotter paving stones.
I crossed the road and that was hotter still, I had to sprint at high speed as it felt like around 50C.
The paved section was hot also but I found by running on the outer set of of stones they were just slightly cooler as they were neighbours to the grass verge.
I was looking forward to the cool of the sandy beach.
The beach run was good, my feet felt a little cooked by now and a bit tender. I had a nice soak in the water when I arrived back at Grange Jetty.
Saturday, 15-Jan. 14.5km
Got to the beach by 8.30am, nice and cool, 22C. Once again it took me a while to wake my legs and feet up, there were a few aches but they soon disappeared after 2km and I settled into a steady running groove, trying to stay focused on the present so I didn't lose track of my form.
I made it to Semaphore jetty is a slightly faster time than I did last time , only by around 30s which is not really significant.
After a brief rest at the jetty I came off the beach to run along a bitumen walkway alongside the beach to see if some of my relatives were there on their early morning training session.
I didn't see them, maybe the class hasn't resumed yet due to people being on holiday.
I then moved back onto the beach for the 6km section back to Grange jetty.
I did another 4km and I could feel my energy levels diminishing like a rechargeable battery just before it pack up.
My feet were also hurting now, the blisters were puffing up. I ran in the water to cool my feet off but this probably softened the skin and made them more sensitive.
I walked the last 2km back feeling exhausted, I should eat more before setting out on a longer run.
The hardest part was then getting off the beach. My feet were very tender now and the soft sand that was well trodden on the path off the beach was too much. I hobbled off the beach very slowly using the side of my foot.
I thought maybe the blisters had torn open, I washed the sand off my feet and found that the blistered area was still intact but the blisters were more extensive now and I had on on my right big toe.
I think this is telling me to rest my feet for a few days. Learn the lessons. Walking barefoot is harder than running (on hot hard surfaces.
Left foot blistering
Right Foot Blistering - much more extensiveNeil
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