dedication, perseverance, self-discipline

I haven't been blogging for a while, but I want to get back into it again.  I haven't been running all that much for most of this year.  I will estimate that I have averaged about 20 miles/week this year so far.

So basically, I have been running enough to get some health benefits from running but not enough to stay in good shape.  This past semester at school was really hard on me as well, which didn't help things either.

I imagine that I could run a 5k in about 17 minutes right now, maybe a little faster but not a lot.  I did run 2400m on the indoor track (300m no banks) in 7:34 at the beginning of May, but I am in bad enough aerobic shape right now that I don't think I could hold that pace for a longer distance.

I am starting to try and get back into shape again.  I have decided that in order to motivate myself again I need to start racing.  Running races is fun, and it will give me something to shoot for.  I ended up running 44 miles this week.  Nothing spectacular, but it is slightly ahead of where I was last year when I was in a similar position.

I have also been experimenting with running barefoot on pavement, and walking around barefoot as often as possible.  I want to get a better idea of what it feels like to run barefoot when you have thick calluses on the bottoms of your feet, but in order to do so I need to get thick calluses on the bottoms of my feet.  

I am doing this because proprioception of the foot is known to be impeded when wearing shoes (or socks for that matter).  The question I now pose is: does proprioception decrease when thick calluses form on the foot, or do these calluses simply allow an individual to avoid injury while still allowing for complete sensation of the ground?  

Personally I feel very unnatural when running in my minimalist shoes (Altra Adam) without the inserts that they come with (with the inserts in the shoes I do not have this problem), however I always feel very smooth and fluid when running barefoot (provided that the pavement is sufficiently smooth to not cause pain).  It feels like my form changes when I run with or without the minimal shoes (without the inserts in them) and I suspect it is due to changes in proprioception.  So nothing scientific here, but it is fun to try and understand some things a little better by experimenting with myself.

I ran 49 miles this week.  We also bought a bike (my last bike was stolen in Vegas 2.5 years ago) and I spent some time riding it around.  The bike is mainly for Kimia to use for exercise and as a means to go places without needing to drive (we bought a trailer as well so that we can haul the kids around too), but I may use it on occasion as well.

Part of the reason Kimia wants to exercise on the bike is because since I last blogged Kimia got pregnant again and she felt like running was too uncomfortable.  We will be having another boy with a due date of September 27th.  We are excited to have another little one in the house, although we are not quite sure how we are going to be fitting 5 people into an apartment that is probably less than 800 square feet.

I overdid things a bit last week with biking around on top of running more mileage than I had run in a week since the beginning of the year (pathetic, I know).  As a result I decided to cut back a bit this week and take things easier and slower.

I ran a fair amount with Kimia, while she would bike pulling the kids in the trailer.  It was a lot of fun to go around town as a family.  This also helped me to keep the pace of my runs much slower than if I was running alone (approximate 8:30 pace average).  I also ran less barefoot mileage as a result as it was less convenient to take off my shoes.  I had to make sure that I kept up with Kimia on downhills, and I had to help push the trailer on uphills when Kimia struggled to pull the kids on her own.

Running less mileage barefoot was not necessarily a bad thing as my feet had been feeling fairly sore from all of the rocks I have stepped on lately and it gave them a good break.  I still walked around barefoot as much as possible, so hopefully the stimulus was still there.  It was also good for me to run more slowly this week, and to just take things easy.  I sometimes forget how to be patient when I am trying to get back in shape as I still remember what it was like to do so much more and not struggle

I ran with Kimia and the kids today.  Total of approximately 9.5 miles in about 1:22.

I ran with Kimia and the kids again.  About 8 miles in 1:06-1:07.

I ran alone today, running 8 miles in about 1:01 or 1:02.  I ran the last mile and a half barefoot.

I decided to try a little experiment today.  For the most part when I have been running barefoot I wait until the end of the run to do it so that my feet are not sore for most of the run.  Today I did the opposite, running barefoot first, followed by running with shoes on.  My reasoning for doing so was that I feel fluid when running barefoot, but awkward when running minimally shod (without inserts in my shoes).  My theory was that if I ran barefoot first and then put on my minimalist shoes I would feel more fluid while wearing shoes.

My theory seemed to hold true for most of the days run.  I forgot for a little while that I did not have the inserts in my shoes (until I started running on a gravel road... you can still feel big rocks through minimal shoes).  This makes me think that there might be a learning component involved with minimalist running that requires you to run barefoot until you learn the technique correctly.  Once the technique is learned you can put on shoes and hopefully the technique will remain unchanged.

Another thing I have noticed running barefoot is that I naturally direct force more vertically when I sprint with no shoes on.  Maybe it is to avoid generating too much friction and developing blisters?  I also feel like I have more of a forward/upward drive with my thighs during the swing phase.  I am not quite sure what to make of this as it is difficult to focus on ones form without consciously changing it.  I am going to continue monitoring things and sprinting barefoot occasionally.  At some point I may pop into the lab to test myself running over a force platform.

In the afternoon we took the kids down to Des Moines for the USATF championships.  It was the first professional track meet that I have ever attended, and the first track meet of any kind that the kids have gone to.  The kids really enjoyed themselves (although Shayon pooped his pants just before the womens 10,000 started).  Anita really liked cheering for Rapunzel (Jordan Hasay) and during the race she was cheering and she yells out "I like your hair" as Jordan ran by.  After the race Anita was in heaven when she was able to take her picture with Jordan and Tara Erdmann during their victory lap, although she did get momentarily upset later on when she realized that she didn't get a chance to touch Jordan's hair.

Here is one of the pictures that we took of Anita, Jordan, and Tara after the race

8 miles easy during the hottest part of the day.  I was soaked by the time I got home.  I also ran a few strides.

I liked how I felt yesterday when I ran barefoot at the beginning of the run rather than at the end, so I did the same thing again running a mile barefoot to the track and then running an additional barefoot mile on the track before leaving and finishing my run on the trails wearing shoes.

I ran 2.5 miles barefoot at the beginning of the run, followed by running 7.5 miles with shoes.  Total of 10 miles.  I felt tired early on in the run so I just hung out around 8:00 pace for most of the run after opening about a minute slower than 8:00 pace for the first 2.5 miles.

I decided to run the last mile fast as the beginning of the speed work I will need to do in order to accustom myself to running fast again.  I figured that if I add 1 mile hard per week to the end of my Saturday run I can slowly get used to running hard while already fatigued (ie 1 mile today, 2 miles next Saturday, etc.).  I ended up with a 5:47 for the last mile.  Total time of 1:18:55 for 10 miles.

I was not too happy with the time on the last mile considering the effort, but on thinking over things I realized that I couldn't be too hard on myself for a number of reasons.  I was running into a headwind, it was warm (between 80 and 90), the mile is slow (5 super sharp turns and hilly), and I started off more slowly easing into things.  I had been expecting a faster time in part because I finished fairly hard, forgetting that I started off more slowly.  This result did convince me that I need to hold off on increasing the mileage of my Saturday long run until I get more comfortable where I am at.  Even as I increase the distance that I run hard every Saturday I will still keep the total distance to 10 miles for a while longer.

I ran approximately 9 miles this morning in 1:10:43, starting off with 2.5 miles barefoot, and then running the remainder of the run with shoes on.  I ran 1 of the barefoot miles on the track because sharp rubber doesn't hurt as much as a sharp rock (although I did step on one on the way to the track... it hurt).  I also feel like the track provides a good amount of friction, so I feel like it still helps toughen up my feet despite not being as painful.

I ran 9 miles this morning in about 1:14:00.  The first 6.5 miles was with Kimia on the bike with the kids.  The last 2.5 miles was on my own.  The first 2 miles of the run was barefoot, while I wore shoes for the rest of it.  Shortly before I stopped to put on my shoes I took a bad step and smacked my right heel on the concrete.  It hurt for a while afterwards, but feels better now.

Anita and Shayon enjoyed finding the little frogs next to the path while we were out.  I caught one so they could get a closer look.  The frogs looked like yummy bird food because of how small they were.

I ran 9.5 miles today, running 1.5 miles to school in the morning, 1.5 miles home in the afternoon, and 6.5 miles pushing Shayon in the running stroller in the evening.  My evening run was finished in just under 52 minutes.  I broke my day up this way because I was feeling tired today, and I wanted to take things easier without sacrificing the mileage.  I also got a cut on my right foot on the big toe, so I didn't run barefoot today.  I found out later in the evening that some junk had gotten into the cut making it hurt worse.  I am going to back off on the. barefoot stuff for a few days until the cut heals.

I ran 9 miles this afternoon in 1:13:19.  I felt sluggish again so I just ran super slow and didn't bother to worry about the pace.  I suspect feeling this way has something to do with building up mileage again.  I have been waking up a lot during the night lately as well, and I also wonder if I am not getting the rest I need despite getting plenty of sleep.

I ran 9 miles this morning in 1:12:41.  I felt less tired than yesterday despite starting this run only 12 hours after finishing my run yesterday evening.  I threw in a short pick up at the end of the run just to get my legs moving.

Sasha recommended that I run a 5000 meter time trial to gauge fitness.  I was planning on doing a 2 mile tempo today at the end of 10 miles, and I decided that today was as good a day as any to run the time trial.

I warmed up by running to the indoor track (a little over 1.5 miles) after I arrived at the track I ran one lap to finish my warm-up and to find the 5000 meter start line.  The track is 300 meters, so it is pretty fast despite being indoors.  My plan was to start off more slowly and to speed up over time, finishing the last 200 meters all out.  Goal splits were broken up into 4 lap segments with the plan to run 63 seconds per lap for the first 1400 meters (4 laps plus the 200 to the finish line), followed by 62's, 61's, and 60's for the last 12 laps (The last lap would obviously not be a 60, but I still grouped it that way).  This would give me a total time of 17:06 if I did not speed up the last 200.

Splits were as follows:

0:41 - first 200 m, 1 second faster than planned.

1:06 - having a hard time judging effort, slowed down a lot.

1:03 - finally on goal pace.  Feels a lot harder than I though 5:37-38 pace should feel.

1:02 - effort about the same.

1:01 - effort still about the same.  Trying to decide if I should try and hit the pace goals anymore or if I should just stay at the effort I am already at.

1:02 - I backed off just a tiny bit to try and stay on goal pace.

1:01 - running just a tiny bit faster just feels more natural.

1:01 - relaxing into the pace more.

1:01 - hit the 2400 meter mark in 8:17.

1:00 - didn't plan on speeding up, but it happened so I didn't worry about it.

1:00 - worrying that I may struggle the last few laps.  Breathing is fairly hard.

0:59 - didn't want to go sub 5:20 pace quite yet.

1:01 - relaxed a little partly to make up for the previous lap and partly because I zoned out and lost concentration.

0:59 - feeling like I am working harder now.

1:00 - effort about the same.  Not sure if I actually slowed down or if splits were both 59.xx for the last two laps.

0:59 - feeling like I am struggling just a little.  My struggles feel mostly aerobic.

0:52 - I made it to 4800 meters in 16:15 (7:58 for the last 2400).  Last 200 meters in 0:33.

Total time:  16:48

I was happy with the last 200 as I was not running all out until the last 75 meters or so.  I imagine that I could have closed in 0:32 if I was trying harder.  The bad part of this whole deal is that I did not feel like I could run much faster than 59-60 seconds per lap, which would still only give me a 16:31 if I averaged that pace throughout.  I felt like aerobically I was lacking and it was preventing me from taking advantage of my potential.  I guess that is a good thing because it is a problem that is easily fixed by simply running more.  I could also feel my form breaking down just a little during the last couple laps.  This also felt aerobic, but could have been the result of muscle fatigue as well.

I plan on running a bit more later in the morning as I am going to run some errands (literally) with Kimia and the kids.

I ended up running about 3.5 miles more (30 minutes) as I ran with Kimia and the kids to the store to pick up some small things for Shayon's birthday, followed by running home using a slightly longer route so that I could end up with 10 miles total for the day.