Warm Week 2

Distance 35km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6288.9km] Week22

Monday, 19-May. 10km
More sunny weather, a warm day with cool nights are ideal. Perfect running weather as the summer winds have all but stopped. It's so good to get the bare feet on the ground after my poor feet being stuffed into shoes all day as I sit behind a computer in the office. A great run today, I felt light and bouncy on my feet. I watched the sun sinking into the sea then turning into an orange glow as I ran back towards Henley Beach. The darkness seems to come soon after. As I do my walking cool down back to the car it is dark and the streetlamps are on.

Wednesday, 21-May. 10km
A warm day of 26C today, very unusual for this time of year. My body has been readying itself for winter and here I am having to cope with warm summer like temperatures. I am back to having only the first 30 minutes of my run in sunlight, then it sinks below the horizon and the dusk creeps in. I like to run this course at this time of year as I get the most sunlight, other runs would leave me in the shade much earlier. I struggled a little when a runner threw down the gauntlet by passing me, I gave chase but as I was at the end of my run I was a little tired. I think I could have caught him but he turned off, probably to get away and have a breather without me passing him. He gave me my speed session for the run, it's easy to run at a steady pace, a change to high tempo when chasing is a good test.

Saturday, 24-May. 15km

The weather has just been fantastic, unusually fantastic, much warmer than one would normally expect for this time of year. I got down to the beach at 8.20am and could feel the warmth from the sun as if it were a summers day.
I set of at a slow light pace. The beach wasn't the best running surface today, it was soft and lots of shells washed up by the tide, the tide was advancing so if I came back this way it would be pushing me up the beach camber.
I decided to turn off and run the course I did a few weeks ago that took me around the sports fields in Semaphore Park then over the footbridge onto Delfin Island, a loop of there then over the footbridge on the other side.
While running on the footpath near the golf course I was almost floored by a stray golf ball that came out of nowhere, bounced around 2m in front of me then was almost in my face but I moved to the side just in time.
That would have made an interesting news story headline.  

Unconscious Barefoot Runner Found in Street, only clue, a dent in the forehead with the words Dunlop in mirrored text.

The rest of the run was uneventful except for a bit of a race with another runner I passed on the lake path. I think he nearly had a heart attack trying to catch me at the end.
A great run.

Sunday, 25-May

No run today as I had my first go at MovNat. It is going to be a learning curve just as it was with barefoot running. I thought my balance would be good but without technique it was awful. Even the basics like crawling were very tricky when you have to get the breathing correct. I'll shall have to practice some of these things over the next few weeks.

Neil

Warm week

Distance 43.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6253.9km] Week21

Monday, 12-May. 10km

A bit of clock watching at work and as soon as it turned 4pm the computer was off and I was on my way to the car and home the out to see the sunset.
A perfect Autumn day 21C, calm and sunny and it looks like it is only going to get better as we move through the week.  

Wednesday, 14-May. 10km

After another sedentary day at work, glued to a chair, 4pm and I was free to fly like a bird out of a cage. The weather has been perfect, warm and sunny 24C, no breeze. When I think back over the summer there has been very few days like this, usually there is a strong sea breeze by the afternoon or else a northerly wind of change blowing. Now with the shorter days and cooler weather the breezes have eased. 
An excellent run today, everything felt good and in balance. I had a good fast pace, shaking off all the lethargy from a desk-bound day. I will sleep well tonight. 

Saturday, 17-May. 15.5km

The long beach run I didn't do last week went a bit better this time as I had plenty of flat sand to run on as the did was at it's low point. My calf was a bit achy this morning and I'm wondering if it is due to the ultrasound I have been using on it. It was hardly noticeable a few weeks ago then I started giving the tendon a few treatments and it seems to have caused it to be a bit sore, maybe the combination of running and the treatment is the problem. I'll stop using it and see how I feel.
When I got to the jetty at Semaphore there was a small protest on against BP drilling for oil off the coast, three mermaids in oil drums covered in oil to highlight the issue. I did get chatting to a bloke who had a model of a solar thermal power plant set up and we were asking the question, what is the problem with Australia, why are we going backwards when it comes to energy.
I then had to set off back to run the 7.5km back to Henley, I felt pretty tired by the time I got back, too much sun.

Sunday, 18-May. 8.2km

A nice sunny morning to head to the lake. Feeling a bit sleepy though and also still tired from yesterdays run. I felt a bit laboured today and stopped several times to have a bit of a catch my breath break. I didn't have the best of sleep last night, neighbourhood hoons revving engines in the early morning to keep me awake. The neighbour went out to threaten them with a bit of a thumping then they drove off, I was vaguely aware of this from a half asleep state. After the run I did some warm down moves on the grass, while doing this I got chatting to a fellow runner who said he had seen me on several occasions running without shoes and was interested. I gave him my history and it turned out that I ran with a group of runners back in the 1990's and he was part of that group but a bit later on. They are still running all these years later. I told him if he ever wanted to give barefoot running a try he should just contact me.

Neil
 

Darker evenings again

Distance 35.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6210.7km] Week20

Monday, 5-May. 10km

The back problems are easing off now after giving me a warning to watch the exercises I do at the gym. So, along with no squatting with weight, no heavy shoulder presses I have to add no ab twists with weights. Soon I shall be at the point where there is no point visiting the gym at all.
The run was good, the pavement was quite cold, not much warmth captured today. I have to stick to the roads as the tide is high and sand too soft to run on without taking an age to get anywhere

Wednesday, 7-May. 10km

The early morning rain had eased by midday and the roads and paths dried out fairly quickly. I did my usual 10km with the last 2km being a faster beach run. It was quite dark by the time I got back and the chill has started to descend over the beach as I had a cool down walk back to the car. Soon it will be too dark to run around the streets and river and I;ll have to stick to the well lit pathways. The pavement was cool but not cold. It will get colder in the next few months.

Saturday, 10-May. 15.2km

Funny how sometimes when you start a run you feel ok then get a few kilometres in then feel like giving up because it is all too hard. It is then when you need to disrupt a routine pattern that is driving you into a rut. My rut this time was a run that I would do between jetties on Saturday of around 14km.
Today I was running into a breeze, the sand was soft and torn up by vehicles, horses and people so was very uneven and hard to run on. I ran around 4km then just stopped to catch my breath, it was then I thought this is not feeling as I would have hoped, maybe I should just quit and run back. Luckily I decided to divert and run a different route, I wasn't sure where Just get off the beach the voice told me. I ran along the backs of the houses by the beach then turned into some backstreets of Semaphore Park passing the very busy sports day meetings going on. I thought of a route that took me over a footbridge and onto Delfin Island which was calm and tranquil, no wind and sand to contend with. I did a loop of the island then back along the lake and covered a distance of over 15km and enjoyed it. More variety is needed.

IBRD 2014

Distance 20km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6175.2km] Week19

Monday, 28-Apr. 10km

An opportunity to get out on what I an certain will be the last of the warm days before the winter chill envelops Adelaide for the next few months. Today we got close to 30C for a short time. By the time I gout out of work and to the beach the temperature would have dropped to around 22C but it still felt good.
The warmth in the pavement feels pleasant under my feet as I do my out and back course from Grange to West Beach. My back has been sore for most of the day but the running seems to help it. I start slowly at first so not to have too much twisting motion in my low back but once I get the gently running rhythm going I can gradually increase my speed. Cold weather is heading in later in the week

Saturday, 3-May. 6km

What a contrast to earlier in the week. Since Monday the weather changed, the rain has come in and the cold wind from the south is blowing. Rain poured down on Wednesday and Friday and it eased off on the Saturday but the winds were blowing strongly from the south.
It was cold then it began to rain so I decided to cut the run a bit shorter and head back.
My back is feeling slightly better and I have not taken any pain tablets for 2 days.

Sunday, 4-May. 4km

#IBRD2014
The International Barefoot Running Day 2014 saw our small group gather at the Grange Jetty on the Sunday morning.
Earlier in the week I had the fears the run would be a washout similar to what we experienced around 4 years ago, May can be a fickle time of year when it comes to weather.
As it happened the run was sandwiched between two days of inclement weather. At the end of the week and up to Saturday it was cold, wet and windy. Sunday was calm and sunny then the rain returned for Monday, good fortune indeed.
Our small group of myself, Cathy, David and Michael was this year joined by Zac Cook who is a certified MovNat trainer.
Our run was a short 4km out along the pavement from Grange to Henley Beach then returning along the beach.
It felt good to be running in a small pack as we passed plenty of other runners coming the other way.
As we were all experienced at barefoot running there were no issues of correct technique as we silently padded along the path.
I am looking forward to taking part in Zac's MovNat training in the future as I believe it will be a good complement to barefoot running.
After the run it was time to head to the local cafe for some coffees and breakfast.
 

IBRD 2014 - Zac, Michael, David, Cathy

IBRD 2014 - Zac, Michael, David, Neil

 


 

Back injury

Distance 19.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6155.2km] Week18

21-Apr. 4km

Easter Monday and I'm still moving around like a person beyond his years. It seems worse after a nights sleep because the discs fill with fluid and apply more pressure to the nerve causing pain. Once I'm upright and moving around it is better. 
I managed to get out for a short run along the beach, staying on the soft surface so not to put any more pressure on it. I felt ok once I started running, I could have run further but I limited my run to the 4km just to see if my back sent me a message later on telling me I'm being stupid by exercising too soon after an injury.

25-Apr. 7km

I ran out of pain tablets early in the week so have been going without them. The back is still sore, always worse in the morning but improves through the day. Friday was ANZAC day, a public holiday. The weather is beautiful and so I had to head to the beach for a run and chance it. It takes a few minutes for me to get comfortable as I start to run, I start with small steps then as I begin to relax I can start to run at a more normal pace. I ran down the beach with the wind behind me then came up onto the concrete footpath to run back. There is no jarring with barefoot running, just soft gentle landing so there were no shock waves going up and down my spine. I felt quite good after the run. 

27-Apr. 8.2km

A cold morning, only around 10C early on, slightly warmer by the time I got to the lake for my circuit. A northerly wind was blowing but there was no warmth in it like there would be in Summer. The concrete was cold. I've been taking 2 pain tablets over a 24 hour period and they are doing a great job. I can bend down, lean over without pain. The run went well. Not much warmth on the ground to warm my feet.
Next Sunday it is International Barefoot Running Day.

Neil

Back to cool running

Distance 94.4km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6136.0km] Week16

Monday, 31-Mar. 10km 

Usual out an back run this evening. Too long ago to remember any details

Wednesday, 2-Apr. 10km 

Usual out an back run this evening. Too long ago to remember any details

Saturday, 5-Apr. 6km

The barefoot runners get together, held on the Saturday this time rather than the Sunday to fit in with some of the others who have other appointments on the Sunday.
It had been a cool night but now the sun was shining and it was a beautiful morning for a run. Henley Beach was buzzing with runners, people having breakfasts and early morning coffees and walking along the jetty soaking up the sunshine.
I was chatting to an one of the trainers that used to work at the gym for a while then I spotted David and Cathy waiting by the jetty. I wandered over as we waited for Michael who appeared a few minutes later.
We set off at an easy pace along the Esplanade, weaving our way through the many walkers. It was a pace that allowed talking without being too laboured. The ground was cool but not cold. We ran 3km until we reached the Caravan Park at West Lakes the after a short stop, made our way onto the beach to run back. The tide was coming in so we ran through the breaking waves, didn't pass any shod runners along the way.
After the run it was time for coffee and breakfast at one of the many local cafes in the square. A very enjoyable run.

Sunday, 6-Apr. 8.2km

My pre-gym lake loop and another warm sunny morning. The lake activities are winding down now, the triathlons are over for the season as are the Dragon Boat races. There were plenty of rowers out practicing down near the club house. I didn't pass many other runners today. We went off daylight saving this morning which meant an extra hour of sleep and the run was an hour later than I would have run. My heart rate monitor is working again. I gave the belt a thorough wash and it seems ok again.

Monday, 7-Apr. 12.4km

A warm day of 26C which I couldn't miss the opportunity to get out and get the bare feet on the ground. Warm pavements are going to get rarer by the end of the month. I have to get off my backside and try to drum up some interest in the International Barefoot run which takes place on May 4th. I shall send a flyer off to one of the local radio stations to see if they will publicize it and also to the local road runners club.
As for tonight, as the weather was fantastic and there was a spectacular sunset brewing I ran a few extra kilometres past the my usual turn around spot at the caravan park and this time ran up to the boat ramp. The extra few kilometres tired me out a bit by the time I got to the end. It is quite a long day for me after getting up at 5.45am. The sun was just about setting as I finished my run, it was then I wished I had brought my camera.

Wednesday, 9-Apr. 10km

Rain is here for the rest of the week although today it was only light. It is meant to get heavier later in the week. That is why I ran today rather than tomorrow, I checked the forecast and saw that tomorrow the wind would be stronger and from the south which wouldn't be a good run. This run was a good steady run, keeping my heart rate around 136 bpm for most of the way then running a beach stretch at a rate of around 145bpm. The far horizon had some very black looking clouds, these must be the rain clouds that are going to bring the overnight rain. For now though it was calm and a good running day. 

Sunday, 13-Apr. 8.2km

Good relaxed run, a bit slower that usual as I stopped for a breather in a couple of spots. The weather was good, dry and sunny. The rowing club was the area of activity today on the lake, tents set up all along the side for the families of the participants. I had to dodge swinging oars and boats crossing my path before I got back to the quiet of the back roads. The model boat group were out as usual in the sheltered norther area of the lake as I padded past quietly. I must be a familiar sight now to the walkers around the lake who all say hello now, they know I am actually normal and not some baby eating weirdo. I did a gym session after the run, more deadlifts (35kg) only light for the hamstrings.
Monday, 14-Apr. 11km

Wednesday 16-Apr. 10km

A nice sunny day throughout but the temperature starts to drop by the time I get out for my run. I came out on the Wednesday as the forecast was for strong winds tomorrow so I would be better in the gym rather than out on the road. Today it was wonderfully calm. I stayed on the hard surfaces today as they tide was too high to run along the beach. There was a fantastic sunset as I completed my run. At least I won't have to negotiate the uneven brick path in the dark along the foreshore this winter now that they have opened the new wide cement path. It will be a breeze running along here in the dark.  

Friday, 18-Apr. 11km

Easter Bun Fun Run 2014
I had not run this race for a couple of years and I was unsure whether it was on this year as the details had not been posted and I wasn't going to drive 22km to the start and find I was on my own. 
As it happened, fellow BFR David sent me an email the night before which just by chance I read on my mobile before going to bed that night, it was on.My lower back has been a bit sensitive after a gym session, I think I have strained a muscle by doing weighted twists. Press on regardless.
I got up at 6.30am popped a pain killer and had some breakfast. I set off at 7.15am and it was a bit of a repeat of the first time I ran this race, I had only got 1km down the road before the rain started, by the time I was half way there the rain was coming down in buckets along with a blowing wind.
It did cross my mind to turn back but I pressed on.
It had eased off by the time I got to the school which was the start point of the run.
After parking the car and making my way into the hundreds of runners limbering up before the run, I felt distinctly under dressed with just a t-shirt and shorts. Others had equipped themselves with everything the running shops can sell. I met up with David and Cathy and we listened to the pre race information on where the run would take us.
It was a casual start, no starting pistols, just get on to the road and start to run.
I let David and Cathy run at their own pace and I got going, splashing down the wet streets until we make it to the river path. 
The course is very undulating despite being called the River Flats run and I was finding the uphills quite taxing. Too much time running on the flat. I took care not to run on the white path markings as I have found out from previous experience they are like banana skins when wet.
The run has several peel off points at 5km 7km and 8km. On the north side of the river the path is nice smooth concrete, when I crossed to the other side on the return leg it is rough bitumen with lots of seeds from the overhead trees. In the final kilometre they make you climb up from the river which is just enough to finish you off.
For most of the run I was on my own, once you have made it past the slower groups you hit that point where you are running at a similar pace to those in front so you can't catch them and the ones behind can't catch you. I did on 2 occasions get a fresh runner go past me at a pace I couldn't respond to.
The total distance is 11km as I remember and I did a time of 57m 13s.
The volunteers had toasted hot cross buns, fruit and drinks ready at the end, a big thank you to them for their hard work. I met up with David and Kathy again and we stayed until the raffle was over. A great start to the Easter weekend.

Sunday, 20-Apr. 8.2km

My back is still giving me twinges from a disc I believe, I must have irritated it while doing the ab twists in the gym. I have now run out of pain tablets too so I will let it tell me how bad it is. I am hoping it is minor. I still went out for a gentle run around the lake and it was ok. I'm sure if I still ran in shoes and in my heels striking fashion my back would not have taken too kindly to it. The gentle landing of barefoot running doesn't make it any worse, even on concrete.

Neil

 

Autumn

Distance 35.2km [total: minimalist 329.1km: Barefoot 6041.6km] Week13

Wednesday, 26-Mar. 12km

I ran the river beach loop for a change tonight mainly because I start and finish the run from home rather than drive anywhere in the car. I'm trying to save petrol as I missed the bottom of the discount cycle and the price shot up to it's high point when I didn't expect it. It will take another 2 weeks to cycle back down again.
The run takes me along the back streets before crossing the busy Grange Road the down side streets towards the linear park. I kept up a good pace on stiff calves, left over from the gym on Sunday. The river path is rough in places with cracked stony bitumen but I handled it without a problem and before I knew it I was by the beach and running up the smooth concrete.
Some black clouds were gathering in front of me but didn't offer up any rain. I did my last turn into Grange road again and headed for home. covering the distance in just over an hour.

Saturday, 29-Mar. 15km

Another slow start to the run that speeded up after a few kilometres. I feel like I have been running under a bit of a cloud since my brother passed away a few months ago. My spirits have been down and although the running lifts them by the time I have finished it is just hard starting out, I don't feel like I have a spring in my step like I had a year ago. The weather was fantastic, that calm sunny Autumnal time of year when the savage sun has been tamed by the earth tilting away as we swing into the cooler months.

Sunday, 30-Mar. 8.2km

Lots of activity around the lake today, triathlons, rowers runners. A warm 30C day today and tomorrow we are going into the 30's peaking at around 35C sometime in the week. Quite warm for April. The weather was calm today, no wind but that doesn't stop the older folks who have their model sailing boats set up ready to go out on the lake. The weather sock says that unless they have a motor they may become becalmed. I padded past silently before heading onto the triathlon course, not many runners were coming through so I looked to see if I could pick any off for the short distance that our routes converged. A good run today.

Neil