Well, THAT was the most pathetic run I've had in months. That's what I get for not running for two weeks.
J and I have been focusing on body weight strength training lately. It's been going well. But having exhausted legs from lunges and squats combined with the brutal heat we've had lately has made me very disinclined to run. It isn't even so much the running outside that is the problem... the problem was coming home to an oven. We now have an air conditioner so I am going to try to run on my off days from strength training. I'm also going to start doing the later weeks of the C25K program because I really want to be able to run 5k by my birthday in a month. Consider the fact that the last time I ran, I almost ran 2 miles without stopping, I still think it is doable.
I also have been feeling very discouraged by my lack of progress with my foot. The running doesn't seem to have made my foot worse... but it doesn't seem to be helping. I feel like I haven't left square one, and I don't know if my foot is going to be okay for the rest of my life. If my foot bothers me this much when I am walking around with a ten pound backpack on my back, how will it be able to support me when I'm carrying a baby? Perhaps after a year of wearing Vibrams, rather than a few months, things will feel different but I'm just not sure.
So, let's see. I ran two thirds of a mile tonight at a little under 6 minutes. Blech. Need to eat more, and run more.
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Fitness works!
My latest body improvement is that I can touch my toes with my legs straight! I seriously don't remember the last time I was able to do this. My guess would be sometime during my childhood when I was taking ballet. I have always had impossibly tight hamstrings; I could never do the sit-and-reach at school and a lot of the ballet moves were just not happening for me. Fortunately my teacher wasn't terribly strict. I also developed a nasty habit of constantly sitting with my legs folded. Constantly. Whether I'm sitting in a desk with my knees folded up to my chest, or lying on a couch in the fetal position, or lying in bed with my knees half bent, my legs are never straight and I suspect that this has contributed to my hamstrings actually shortening even more. But, with all of this running and stretching after every workout, I seem to be reversing the damage! Granted, this is the bent-at-the-waist-while-standing sort of touching my toes, but small victories.
The run yesterday didn't go as well as I had hoped. We only logged in about a mile and a third before we both had to stop for different reasons. My legs hurt and J's lungs were toast. I also was aware of my foot for the first time while running. My foot was bothering me on Thursday night because I spent too much time standing when we had people over, so it's no surprise that it wasn't fully recovered yesterday when I went to run. It didn't hurt, and the sensation did work itself out, but I wasn't pleased to have any semblance of pain in my foot while I was running. We weren't too stressed, though, about not running as far as we had been. The new course that I had mapped out is all on pavement and largely in the sun, which makes it a lot less enjoyable than running through the trails in the park. I'm going to try to map out another route in the park that will take us the distance that we should be running. We will see how that goes.
The body weight circuit workout has also been going well. I did inverted dumbbell rows with twenty five pounds the last time I did it! It was certainly a struggle, and the rows are in the middle of the routine, but I did all three sets with 25 lbs. Huge, huge, huge improvement. The pull up how to guide says that when you can do the rows with 25 lbs, you are ready to move on to step 2, which is inverted body weight rows. Mwahahaha. I love improvements.
Last improvement to speak of? My arch! I have an arch in my foot now. I wish I had been taking pictures over the last two months, but I was stupid, and didn't. However, the arch is distinctly there, even when I'm standing up. Before, it just looked like there was nothing there. Hooray!
The run yesterday didn't go as well as I had hoped. We only logged in about a mile and a third before we both had to stop for different reasons. My legs hurt and J's lungs were toast. I also was aware of my foot for the first time while running. My foot was bothering me on Thursday night because I spent too much time standing when we had people over, so it's no surprise that it wasn't fully recovered yesterday when I went to run. It didn't hurt, and the sensation did work itself out, but I wasn't pleased to have any semblance of pain in my foot while I was running. We weren't too stressed, though, about not running as far as we had been. The new course that I had mapped out is all on pavement and largely in the sun, which makes it a lot less enjoyable than running through the trails in the park. I'm going to try to map out another route in the park that will take us the distance that we should be running. We will see how that goes.
The body weight circuit workout has also been going well. I did inverted dumbbell rows with twenty five pounds the last time I did it! It was certainly a struggle, and the rows are in the middle of the routine, but I did all three sets with 25 lbs. Huge, huge, huge improvement. The pull up how to guide says that when you can do the rows with 25 lbs, you are ready to move on to step 2, which is inverted body weight rows. Mwahahaha. I love improvements.
Last improvement to speak of? My arch! I have an arch in my foot now. I wish I had been taking pictures over the last two months, but I was stupid, and didn't. However, the arch is distinctly there, even when I'm standing up. Before, it just looked like there was nothing there. Hooray!
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
Scorcher.
Holy wowzers, it's hot outside. The temp is somewhere up near 90º and we just got back from our run. I've gotta say, it was pretty brutal. My side cramps returned early on in the run, so I pretty much ran the entire time with an ache in both of my sides. J was really struggling today; he had worked the past five nights and is working again tonight, so he was pretty wrecked physically already. We split up about .75 miles into the run; he stopped to walk and I kept on running.
I really missed having him on the run with me. Although we normally don't talk much during our run, it is reassuring to have him by my side. I wasn't sure that I was going to make it even to the same landmark that we ran to last time, but every time I really wanted to give up, I willed myself to keep going and just put one foot in front of the other. It got progressively harder and harder to breathe, though, and by the time I saw the intersection where we had stopped the last time up ahead I was gasping for breath and knew that I wouldn't make it any farther. I kept checking over my shoulder to look for J, but I figured that he had returned home rather than continue on the 3 mile loop. I walked by myself for quite a while, desperately switching sides of the street to find the shade. I surprised myself by running for two more intervals after the one long one.
It's interesting to me how my perception of distance has changed. I ran the first interval and it felt like I barely ran ten feet before I was exhausted, and I figured in my head that it probably would be around a tenth of a mile. I walked for a while longer, and when I started up again, I soon rounded a curve that put Main Street back in my view; I figured I would run to Main Street and then walk the rest of the way home, which was not far at all. Again, while I was running, I figured that the distance was slightly longer than the second interval, but not by much.
The only part that I was right about was the very last bit; the third interval was in fact slightly longer than the second interval. The distances were 0.21 miles and 0.29 miles respectively. I was rather surprised when I saw those distances on the map, only because it seemed like it was so short when I was running it. I really am improving! The other huge improvement this run was that I ran the 1.79 miles in 17:48, whereas last time I ran it in 19:16. That takes me from a 5.5 mph pace all the way up to a 6 mph pace! I was pretty excited when I saw that on my watch.
I walked proudly back to my house, but I could tell long before I got there that the door was closed and locked. My heart sank; I had assumed that J had returned to the house and would be waiting there for me to come home. He had the house key. I circled the house, even though I knew that both doors and all the windows were locked. I was ready to expire. I wanted a tall glass of ice water, a place to stretch, an ice cold shower, and a ton of protein. I wanted to tear my rotisserie chicken out of the kitchen and sit on the floor gnawing on it like a dog, I was so hungry and thirsty and hot all at the same time. Minutes ticked by. I thought about walking back and retracing the route, looking for J, but I knew I didn't have it in me. Fortunately, my land lord pulled in to the driveway and I begged him for the key. Just as he went upstairs to find the keys, I saw J walking down the street. Perfect timing.
The only thing on the aforementioned list that I didn't actually do upon entering my house was the gnawing on the chicken like a dog. I did however do an excellent stretch routine, drank a huge glass of ice water, and nearly gave myself a heart attack with a freezing cold shower. I could barely breathe, again, because the water was so cold. It felt really nice on my legs though.
I'm still not sure what is causing me to have side cramps. I thought it was the yogurt that I was eating before the runs, but a peach isn't yogurt. I'm thinking now that it's perhaps an air quality/hydration/heat issue. The last time I got side cramps was when I ran with my brother and that was a really hot day. Today was pretty hot also. We will see, I will have to investigate.
Moral of the day? Improvements are great, running in near 90º heat with ridiculous humidity is not so great.
I really missed having him on the run with me. Although we normally don't talk much during our run, it is reassuring to have him by my side. I wasn't sure that I was going to make it even to the same landmark that we ran to last time, but every time I really wanted to give up, I willed myself to keep going and just put one foot in front of the other. It got progressively harder and harder to breathe, though, and by the time I saw the intersection where we had stopped the last time up ahead I was gasping for breath and knew that I wouldn't make it any farther. I kept checking over my shoulder to look for J, but I figured that he had returned home rather than continue on the 3 mile loop. I walked by myself for quite a while, desperately switching sides of the street to find the shade. I surprised myself by running for two more intervals after the one long one.
It's interesting to me how my perception of distance has changed. I ran the first interval and it felt like I barely ran ten feet before I was exhausted, and I figured in my head that it probably would be around a tenth of a mile. I walked for a while longer, and when I started up again, I soon rounded a curve that put Main Street back in my view; I figured I would run to Main Street and then walk the rest of the way home, which was not far at all. Again, while I was running, I figured that the distance was slightly longer than the second interval, but not by much.
The only part that I was right about was the very last bit; the third interval was in fact slightly longer than the second interval. The distances were 0.21 miles and 0.29 miles respectively. I was rather surprised when I saw those distances on the map, only because it seemed like it was so short when I was running it. I really am improving! The other huge improvement this run was that I ran the 1.79 miles in 17:48, whereas last time I ran it in 19:16. That takes me from a 5.5 mph pace all the way up to a 6 mph pace! I was pretty excited when I saw that on my watch.
I walked proudly back to my house, but I could tell long before I got there that the door was closed and locked. My heart sank; I had assumed that J had returned to the house and would be waiting there for me to come home. He had the house key. I circled the house, even though I knew that both doors and all the windows were locked. I was ready to expire. I wanted a tall glass of ice water, a place to stretch, an ice cold shower, and a ton of protein. I wanted to tear my rotisserie chicken out of the kitchen and sit on the floor gnawing on it like a dog, I was so hungry and thirsty and hot all at the same time. Minutes ticked by. I thought about walking back and retracing the route, looking for J, but I knew I didn't have it in me. Fortunately, my land lord pulled in to the driveway and I begged him for the key. Just as he went upstairs to find the keys, I saw J walking down the street. Perfect timing.
The only thing on the aforementioned list that I didn't actually do upon entering my house was the gnawing on the chicken like a dog. I did however do an excellent stretch routine, drank a huge glass of ice water, and nearly gave myself a heart attack with a freezing cold shower. I could barely breathe, again, because the water was so cold. It felt really nice on my legs though.
I'm still not sure what is causing me to have side cramps. I thought it was the yogurt that I was eating before the runs, but a peach isn't yogurt. I'm thinking now that it's perhaps an air quality/hydration/heat issue. The last time I got side cramps was when I ran with my brother and that was a really hot day. Today was pretty hot also. We will see, I will have to investigate.
Moral of the day? Improvements are great, running in near 90º heat with ridiculous humidity is not so great.
Sunday, July 10, 2011
I've finally become a woman.
I am 5' 4.5". (Seriously, every time I get measured, I am *right* in between 4" and 5".)
I weigh between 105 lbs and 107 lbs. (My weight has fluctuated between 107.6 and 105.4 in the past 24 hours.)
And yet, I somehow have 22.1% body fat, according to the body fat calipers that J and I bought two days ago.
This number in and of itself really doesn't bother me at all. Truthfully, I have always been quite a fan of the way that I look. I've got a decent figure for someone who was a twiggy bit of a thing growing up.
But in the past two days, that's changed a little bit. You measure body fat percentage with calipers by grabbing the fold of skin/fat on your stomach between your hip and belly button. And all of a sudden, I don't like that fold one bit. It isn't noticeable unless I am sitting, but I don't like it! I feel like it appeared overnight, which obviously can't be true, but I find it a little bit alarming. I have never been the least bit sensitive about my appearance, except when people used to make fun of me for being thin in high school (anorexia jokes really get old fast, in fact they are pretty much never funny). But now I want that fat to go away. I want what every woman wants... a flat, toned stomach, and no more bra bulge on my back. Sigh.
In other news, J and I did our second day of the body weight circuit. I managed to make some improvements. I lifted 25 lbs (!!!!!!) for the dumbbell rows in the first set and then switched down to 12 lbs for the second two sets. I also did the plank for 45 sec, 35 sec, and 40 sec instead of 30. I think next time we do it, I am going to kick my pushups up a notch. I know that you can't rush these things, just like with the running, but I want results!
I weigh between 105 lbs and 107 lbs. (My weight has fluctuated between 107.6 and 105.4 in the past 24 hours.)
And yet, I somehow have 22.1% body fat, according to the body fat calipers that J and I bought two days ago.
This number in and of itself really doesn't bother me at all. Truthfully, I have always been quite a fan of the way that I look. I've got a decent figure for someone who was a twiggy bit of a thing growing up.
But in the past two days, that's changed a little bit. You measure body fat percentage with calipers by grabbing the fold of skin/fat on your stomach between your hip and belly button. And all of a sudden, I don't like that fold one bit. It isn't noticeable unless I am sitting, but I don't like it! I feel like it appeared overnight, which obviously can't be true, but I find it a little bit alarming. I have never been the least bit sensitive about my appearance, except when people used to make fun of me for being thin in high school (anorexia jokes really get old fast, in fact they are pretty much never funny). But now I want that fat to go away. I want what every woman wants... a flat, toned stomach, and no more bra bulge on my back. Sigh.
In other news, J and I did our second day of the body weight circuit. I managed to make some improvements. I lifted 25 lbs (!!!!!!) for the dumbbell rows in the first set and then switched down to 12 lbs for the second two sets. I also did the plank for 45 sec, 35 sec, and 40 sec instead of 30. I think next time we do it, I am going to kick my pushups up a notch. I know that you can't rush these things, just like with the running, but I want results!
Saturday, July 9, 2011
Getting better all the time.
Originally J and I planned to go running yesterday, but we both were so wrecked from the circuit workout that we decided to take a day off. It was a good decision, because I could barely walk all day. I was pretty floored that my legs were so incredibly weak, with all the running that I have been doing, but I suppose your thighs really do get used less than you think when you barefoot run... it's the calves that do a ton of work. In lieu of exercise, I finished painting our new living room and moved all the furniture from the old living room to the new living room. I was joking with myself about how lifting and moving the television is like doing a dead lift! Only with a TV! Once everything was moved I pretty much collapsed on our couch and watched TV until J got home from work.
This morning we got up and we went running before the sun made everything too terribly hot. I mapped out a new course for us to run. Our goal is to run a 5k by the end of the summer, so J suggested that we actually start run/walking a 5k distance. I thought it was a good idea, and it's good to change things up, so I mapped out an all-street loop near our house that is a little bit more than 5k. It included the quarter mile walk to the park that we normally do as a warmup, so once we got there we started to run. The run was fairly flat for the most part, although there were a few parts that had some decent hills. There also was a fair mix of sun and shade. We made it to a street corner that marked 1.79 miles of actual running before we stopped and walked the rest of the way. I timed our running and, although I forgot to hit stop when we were finished, we were at about 19:16 for the entire run. It's about a 10:45 mile... slow, but not bad I think. I really am more focused on distance right now than time, so in that regard, I am very pleased with my progress:
Basically, what everyone has told me so far is true. Once you get past your first mile, it becomes progressively easier to add on mileage. What was interesting for me today was that I have moved past my lung capacity being what slows me down. I could have kept running today; I wasn't out of breath when we stopped. J was quite out of breath, but what was bothering me were my calves. They were much more sore than they have been before. I need to make sure that I am careful, and don't overdo it with my legs now, since I've been so careful. I think once I can actually run 5k, I am going to try to improve my speed. Because after all, if I sign up for a 5k and do it, it's a race! So far today my foot doesn't hurt at all, but we will see how it feels later tonight after I start cleaning and washing dishes.
This morning we got up and we went running before the sun made everything too terribly hot. I mapped out a new course for us to run. Our goal is to run a 5k by the end of the summer, so J suggested that we actually start run/walking a 5k distance. I thought it was a good idea, and it's good to change things up, so I mapped out an all-street loop near our house that is a little bit more than 5k. It included the quarter mile walk to the park that we normally do as a warmup, so once we got there we started to run. The run was fairly flat for the most part, although there were a few parts that had some decent hills. There also was a fair mix of sun and shade. We made it to a street corner that marked 1.79 miles of actual running before we stopped and walked the rest of the way. I timed our running and, although I forgot to hit stop when we were finished, we were at about 19:16 for the entire run. It's about a 10:45 mile... slow, but not bad I think. I really am more focused on distance right now than time, so in that regard, I am very pleased with my progress:
Date | Initial Run | Total Run |
5-31-11 | 0.29 miles | ? |
6-7-11 | 0.4 miles | 1.04 miles |
6-10-11 | 0.6 miles | 1 mile |
6-15-11 | 0.77 miles | 1.12 miles |
6-20-11 | 0.8 miles | 1.15 miles |
6-28-11 | 0.7 miles | 1.12 miles |
7-2-11 | 1.33 miles | 1.33 miles |
7-5-11 | 1.48 miles | 1.48 miles |
7-9-11 | 1.79 miles | 1.79 miles |
Basically, what everyone has told me so far is true. Once you get past your first mile, it becomes progressively easier to add on mileage. What was interesting for me today was that I have moved past my lung capacity being what slows me down. I could have kept running today; I wasn't out of breath when we stopped. J was quite out of breath, but what was bothering me were my calves. They were much more sore than they have been before. I need to make sure that I am careful, and don't overdo it with my legs now, since I've been so careful. I think once I can actually run 5k, I am going to try to improve my speed. Because after all, if I sign up for a 5k and do it, it's a race! So far today my foot doesn't hurt at all, but we will see how it feels later tonight after I start cleaning and washing dishes.
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Beyond running.
Way back when, before I started running, I decided that my fitness goal for my wedding (since every bride has one!) is to have impeccable posture. At the time, I had 18 months to learn how to stand up straight without my shoulders hunching.
This is an extreme case. The dress I was wearing didn't fit me properly, so my elbows were locked to my sides for the entire ceremony to hold it up. But regardless, this picture to me is the epitome of bad posture. My shoulders are hunched, my back is curved, my neck is sticking out. Bad, bad, bad. I do not want to look like a stunted flamingo on my wedding day.
I asked our friend N (the one who recommended Born To Run and In Defense of Food and really was a major catalyst for this entire life change) what I could do to improve my posture. He suggested pull ups. I scoffed and said that I could not do pull ups.
Fastforward four months. My recent running goal was to be able to run more than a mile. Now that I have achieved that, I have set my sights on other sorts of fitness. I had put my wedding fitness goal on hold for a while as I was building my running endurance, because running itself was actually improving my posture and I got a little bit sidetracked by how awesome running made me feel. I am not going to stop running, by any stretch of the imagination, but its time that I work in some other things to make my entire body strong and fit.
Like pull ups.
I find pull ups to be the epitome of badass. I find it ridiculously attractive when guys can do them, and ridiculously badass when girls can do them. Being able to lift up your entire body weight like that is pretty freaking cool. I know that it won't be easy, but that is what I've got my eyes set on. My brother flat out told me not to bother, since there are plenty of girls at the Air Force Academy who can't do a single pull up, but I know I can do it. I also like proving him wrong when it comes to my fitness. I discovered the excellent page on Nerd Fitness about how to learn how to do a pull up if you can't do any and I feel confident that eventually I will get there. I discovered last week that I can in fact do chin ups. Ridiculous! Scrawny toothpicks-for-arms me.
All that being said, today J and I started a new workout regimen. Nerd Fitness (which is one of my new favorite websites) has a detailed "Beginner Body Weight Circuit." Essentially, it consists of:
- 20 body weight squats
- 10 push ups
- 20 walking lunges
- 20 dumbbell rows
- plank
- 30 jumping jacks
Then repeat the circuit three times.
I really didn't think I would be able to do it three times, but I did. I used my six pound dive pocket for the dumbbell rows, which was not enough weight, and I did the pushups on my knees. My body was pretty wrecked afterwards, which actually felt pretty nice. J and I are trying to start a schedule of running, circuit workout, day off. Eventually we will fill the day off with something else, but for now, that body weight circuit workout is kicking our butt. Once I improve enough to be lifting 25 lb dumbbells on the rows, I'm going to start doing negatives or inverted rows. Then, someday, pull ups.
 |
| Exhibit A: Wearing a too-big strapless gown in my cousin's wedding. |
I asked our friend N (the one who recommended Born To Run and In Defense of Food and really was a major catalyst for this entire life change) what I could do to improve my posture. He suggested pull ups. I scoffed and said that I could not do pull ups.
Fastforward four months. My recent running goal was to be able to run more than a mile. Now that I have achieved that, I have set my sights on other sorts of fitness. I had put my wedding fitness goal on hold for a while as I was building my running endurance, because running itself was actually improving my posture and I got a little bit sidetracked by how awesome running made me feel. I am not going to stop running, by any stretch of the imagination, but its time that I work in some other things to make my entire body strong and fit.
Like pull ups.
I find pull ups to be the epitome of badass. I find it ridiculously attractive when guys can do them, and ridiculously badass when girls can do them. Being able to lift up your entire body weight like that is pretty freaking cool. I know that it won't be easy, but that is what I've got my eyes set on. My brother flat out told me not to bother, since there are plenty of girls at the Air Force Academy who can't do a single pull up, but I know I can do it. I also like proving him wrong when it comes to my fitness. I discovered the excellent page on Nerd Fitness about how to learn how to do a pull up if you can't do any and I feel confident that eventually I will get there. I discovered last week that I can in fact do chin ups. Ridiculous! Scrawny toothpicks-for-arms me.
All that being said, today J and I started a new workout regimen. Nerd Fitness (which is one of my new favorite websites) has a detailed "Beginner Body Weight Circuit." Essentially, it consists of:
- 20 body weight squats
- 10 push ups
- 20 walking lunges
- 20 dumbbell rows
- plank
- 30 jumping jacks
Then repeat the circuit three times.
I really didn't think I would be able to do it three times, but I did. I used my six pound dive pocket for the dumbbell rows, which was not enough weight, and I did the pushups on my knees. My body was pretty wrecked afterwards, which actually felt pretty nice. J and I are trying to start a schedule of running, circuit workout, day off. Eventually we will fill the day off with something else, but for now, that body weight circuit workout is kicking our butt. Once I improve enough to be lifting 25 lb dumbbells on the rows, I'm going to start doing negatives or inverted rows. Then, someday, pull ups.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Foot fatigue.
I'm starting to worry that this experiment isn't actually helping. I feel like my foot is much more frequently on the edge of pain. For the past two nights, I've been too exhausted to help J do the dishes (though tonight I did put in a valiant effort) largely due to my foot threatening to not support me any longer. I did run yesterday, but otherwise my days have been largely sedentary. Today I went to the beach with J and his parents, and we didn't run or go to the gym like we had planned, but yet my foot still was completely fatigued by the end of the day.
The problem is that I have a newfound love for exercise and I'm very motivated to continue to get my body in shape. I want to be in shape for the rest of my life so that I can avoid injury in the future, and having my foot hold me back from that is going to be aggravating. I do not plan on stopping the experiment, largely because I have seen so much progress with my running and because I really do enjoy it very much, but I figured that writing about the pain and discomfort I've been feeling lately was necessary.
The problem is that I have a newfound love for exercise and I'm very motivated to continue to get my body in shape. I want to be in shape for the rest of my life so that I can avoid injury in the future, and having my foot hold me back from that is going to be aggravating. I do not plan on stopping the experiment, largely because I have seen so much progress with my running and because I really do enjoy it very much, but I figured that writing about the pain and discomfort I've been feeling lately was necessary.
Tuesday, July 5, 2011
Military man.
My younger brother JH is in the Air Force. He came to visit me a few weeks ago, during the stretch of time where I didn't run for eight days because the weather was crummy. I was very disappointed in the weather because JH had bought himself a pair of Treksports while he was visiting me, and I was looking forward to the opportunity for J and I to show him how to properly run. When we were in the shoe store, he did a short run down the main aisle of the store and he was shaking the displays with each heel-stomping step. I then did the same run, to show him how lightly and easily I land when I run, but I never got the chance to really run with him because the weather was so crummy. J especially was disappointed because my brother is pretty scrawny, and J wanted to show JH that a guy much bigger than him can still land as silently as I can.
I was home with my family over the weekend celebrating the Fourth of July and when we finally arrived back at the house, I told my brother that we were definitely going to run this morning. We were ready to go at around 9am, and after helping my father briefly, we set off down my parents' street. I ran here before, a week and a half in to my experiment, and I ran for 0.6 miles without stopping and ended up running a total of 1 mile. I knew that it would be a different experience to run in the hot sun entirely on pavement, but I figured I would be in good enough shape to potentially run a mile and a half. As I mentioned the first time that I ran at my parents' house, my father walks a two mile loop every day. With the quarter mile warm up and cool down, if I managed to run the entire rest of the way, I would be running a total distance of a mile and a half.
We made it the two blocks and took off running. My brother is a chatty little fellow when he runs. Usually when J and I run, I talk fairly intermittently and he is breathing too hard to respond. My brother just likes to yak yak yak. I also made the critical error of eating a yogurt for breakfast before I ran, so I had a side cramp almost immediately. I also took note of the fact that my brother still was landing hard on his heels while he was running. Quite frankly, I don't know how he does it. It never occurred to me to even attempt landing on my heel when I run; I have never done a single stride that way and the idea of it seems completely unnatural to me. That said, he obviously had a lot more experience with running than I did and had quite a bit of training to unlearn.
We ran all the way down my parents' street and past the landmark where I had stopped running three weeks ago. Although I had a cramp in my side, I breezed right past and continued to run through the dead end circle street that my father uses as a turn-around. By this point, my brother caught on to the fact that I was slipping into a rhythmic breathing pattern and I wasn't able to carry on conversation as easily anymore. Even though he spent the past three weeks sitting on his butt and just hanging out with my family, he still is used to running at altitude in Colorado Springs, so he wasn't even winded by this point. We got back on my parents' street and kept going. I started scoping out how much farther I had to go, and trying to estimate whereabouts a mile and a third would have been so that I could tell how far I had run in the past. Once we saw the spot where we were going to finish, my brother encouraged me to sprint to the end. I told him flat out that I didn't have it in me, so we finished at the same jogging pace that we had kept up the whole time.
We walked back to my parents' house and I went inside and grabbed my video camera to video us both running. I was able to put the videos on the computer and show him in slow motion the differences in how our feet land, and since the videos of J running were still on the memory card, I showed him how perfectly J lands. Hopefully it made a difference in how he thinks about running in the Vibrams, because I still worry about him heel striking.
For myself, I am pretty freaking thrilled that I was able to run a mile and a half today and keep up with my military brother. I do wish that J had been with me, but the fact that I was able to do this today was pretty cool. I figure that as long as I keep running farther each time I go out, I will continue to improve.
I was home with my family over the weekend celebrating the Fourth of July and when we finally arrived back at the house, I told my brother that we were definitely going to run this morning. We were ready to go at around 9am, and after helping my father briefly, we set off down my parents' street. I ran here before, a week and a half in to my experiment, and I ran for 0.6 miles without stopping and ended up running a total of 1 mile. I knew that it would be a different experience to run in the hot sun entirely on pavement, but I figured I would be in good enough shape to potentially run a mile and a half. As I mentioned the first time that I ran at my parents' house, my father walks a two mile loop every day. With the quarter mile warm up and cool down, if I managed to run the entire rest of the way, I would be running a total distance of a mile and a half.
We made it the two blocks and took off running. My brother is a chatty little fellow when he runs. Usually when J and I run, I talk fairly intermittently and he is breathing too hard to respond. My brother just likes to yak yak yak. I also made the critical error of eating a yogurt for breakfast before I ran, so I had a side cramp almost immediately. I also took note of the fact that my brother still was landing hard on his heels while he was running. Quite frankly, I don't know how he does it. It never occurred to me to even attempt landing on my heel when I run; I have never done a single stride that way and the idea of it seems completely unnatural to me. That said, he obviously had a lot more experience with running than I did and had quite a bit of training to unlearn.
We ran all the way down my parents' street and past the landmark where I had stopped running three weeks ago. Although I had a cramp in my side, I breezed right past and continued to run through the dead end circle street that my father uses as a turn-around. By this point, my brother caught on to the fact that I was slipping into a rhythmic breathing pattern and I wasn't able to carry on conversation as easily anymore. Even though he spent the past three weeks sitting on his butt and just hanging out with my family, he still is used to running at altitude in Colorado Springs, so he wasn't even winded by this point. We got back on my parents' street and kept going. I started scoping out how much farther I had to go, and trying to estimate whereabouts a mile and a third would have been so that I could tell how far I had run in the past. Once we saw the spot where we were going to finish, my brother encouraged me to sprint to the end. I told him flat out that I didn't have it in me, so we finished at the same jogging pace that we had kept up the whole time.
We walked back to my parents' house and I went inside and grabbed my video camera to video us both running. I was able to put the videos on the computer and show him in slow motion the differences in how our feet land, and since the videos of J running were still on the memory card, I showed him how perfectly J lands. Hopefully it made a difference in how he thinks about running in the Vibrams, because I still worry about him heel striking.
For myself, I am pretty freaking thrilled that I was able to run a mile and a half today and keep up with my military brother. I do wish that J had been with me, but the fact that I was able to do this today was pretty cool. I figure that as long as I keep running farther each time I go out, I will continue to improve.
Saturday, July 2, 2011
A new milestone. Pun intended.
I nagged J to get out of bed this morning by reminding him that he had told me he would run with me yesterday, and we didn't ever go. I was planning on traveling home to Rhode Island to visit my family, and the train I was taking was leaving at around 2pm. I harassed him and reminded him that he promised we would go today and that we needed to go now.
As we walked to the park, J and I both felt some trepidation since the last run went so well. We both didn't want to crap out early on the run and feel like we hadn't improved. The weather was very comfortable, so we started to run. I knew in my head that I definitely could and wanted to run farther than I had last time, but as I was running down the trail I kept in my mind that if I ran all the way down the trail and back and made it to the middle of the parking lot, I would have run a mile. J and I ran side by side down the trail the entire time except where the trail was too narrow. J told me later that his goal for the day was simply to keep up with me the entire time I ran, but I had my mind set on making it to that parking lot. We made it to the fork in the trail where we started running our second interval the last time we went, and I commented out loud "If we make it to the parking lot, we will have run a mile." We were almost there; there was less than a quarter mile left to go. J nodded at me and we kept running. As we saw the opening to the end of the trail, a huge smile broke over my face, and as we sailed through the parking lot we gave each other a high five.
Then we kept running.
We ran back down the paved road through the park and grimaced at the hill in front of us. J said that it was going to be the hardest part of the day, and it was. It's not much of a hill, but it is enough to be a problem after you've run the first consecutive mile of your life. We both powered through, and continued to run back towards the entrance of the park. As we got closer and closer, I realized that we might maybe just maybe make it all the way back to the entrance. I said as much to J when we were about one curve away from the entrance. He shhed me, and we kept running.
When we finally made it to back to the entrance, we both were ecstatic and a little bit shocked. I was so impressed and pleased that J managed to keep with me the whole time. I couldn't believe that I was able to run as far as I did; the farthest I had ever run before was 0.8 miles, and this run was a grand total of one and one third miles. We did it together, encouraging each other, pacing each other. It was the most incredible feeling. We did a longer than normal cool down walk and I took a quick shower before I left for Rhode Island.
I can't believe we have come this far. On May 31, I did my first run of 0.29 miles. Today, thirty two days later, I ran 1.33 miles. In a little more than one month, I have added over a mile to the distance I can run. More specifically, J and I together have added over a mile to the distance we can run. I am so unbelievably proud of us.
As we walked to the park, J and I both felt some trepidation since the last run went so well. We both didn't want to crap out early on the run and feel like we hadn't improved. The weather was very comfortable, so we started to run. I knew in my head that I definitely could and wanted to run farther than I had last time, but as I was running down the trail I kept in my mind that if I ran all the way down the trail and back and made it to the middle of the parking lot, I would have run a mile. J and I ran side by side down the trail the entire time except where the trail was too narrow. J told me later that his goal for the day was simply to keep up with me the entire time I ran, but I had my mind set on making it to that parking lot. We made it to the fork in the trail where we started running our second interval the last time we went, and I commented out loud "If we make it to the parking lot, we will have run a mile." We were almost there; there was less than a quarter mile left to go. J nodded at me and we kept running. As we saw the opening to the end of the trail, a huge smile broke over my face, and as we sailed through the parking lot we gave each other a high five.
Then we kept running.
We ran back down the paved road through the park and grimaced at the hill in front of us. J said that it was going to be the hardest part of the day, and it was. It's not much of a hill, but it is enough to be a problem after you've run the first consecutive mile of your life. We both powered through, and continued to run back towards the entrance of the park. As we got closer and closer, I realized that we might maybe just maybe make it all the way back to the entrance. I said as much to J when we were about one curve away from the entrance. He shhed me, and we kept running.
When we finally made it to back to the entrance, we both were ecstatic and a little bit shocked. I was so impressed and pleased that J managed to keep with me the whole time. I couldn't believe that I was able to run as far as I did; the farthest I had ever run before was 0.8 miles, and this run was a grand total of one and one third miles. We did it together, encouraging each other, pacing each other. It was the most incredible feeling. We did a longer than normal cool down walk and I took a quick shower before I left for Rhode Island.
I can't believe we have come this far. On May 31, I did my first run of 0.29 miles. Today, thirty two days later, I ran 1.33 miles. In a little more than one month, I have added over a mile to the distance I can run. More specifically, J and I together have added over a mile to the distance we can run. I am so unbelievably proud of us.
Friday, July 1, 2011
More setbacks.
It is hard for me to tell if running is making my foot worse, or if my entire experiment is just not leading to any improvements.
I had a glorious run on Tuesday. My foot didn't bother me at all, and everything felt fine. On Wednesday, I went to a talk at MIT and when it was over, the weather was just so stunningly beautiful that I felt the urge to walk through my city. I walked across the Longfellow Bridge, and the sun was setting over the Charles. The skyline was lit up in the most magnificent shade of orange light, people from Community Boating were flitting across the water in sailboats and kayaks, and runners were jogging along the Esplanade enjoying the view as much as I was. I walked all the way from MIT to Park St station in the city, which is about two miles.
Yesterday, I decided that since I no longer have a monthly pass for the T and since I wanted to surprise J with some books from the BPL, I would walk to the library from BU and then get on the train at Back Bay. This also is about a two mile walk.
So in grand total, we have 1.2 miles of running and 1.1 miles of walking on Tuesday (holy crap, just realized we ran more than we walked! Awesome!), about 2 miles of walking on Wednesday, and 1.75 miles of walking on Thursday. Grand total? Whole lot of accessory navicular pain on Thursday night.
We had some friends over on Thursday night, and I was sitting pretty much all night long with an ice pack on my foot. It sucked. I felt like a jerk because I was fairly useless with helping J cook and clean and entertain our guests. I just sat in a chair with ice on my foot.
I really was hoping that running (which I now love and am loathe to stop) would somehow help, despite the fact that most people agree that all you can do for accessory navicular syndrome is be sedentary. Argh, I don't buy it! I'm going back to trying to walk with a forefoot strike, similar to how I run, since I didn't have any pain at all in the two weeks or so when I did that... we'll see how it goes.
I had a glorious run on Tuesday. My foot didn't bother me at all, and everything felt fine. On Wednesday, I went to a talk at MIT and when it was over, the weather was just so stunningly beautiful that I felt the urge to walk through my city. I walked across the Longfellow Bridge, and the sun was setting over the Charles. The skyline was lit up in the most magnificent shade of orange light, people from Community Boating were flitting across the water in sailboats and kayaks, and runners were jogging along the Esplanade enjoying the view as much as I was. I walked all the way from MIT to Park St station in the city, which is about two miles.
Yesterday, I decided that since I no longer have a monthly pass for the T and since I wanted to surprise J with some books from the BPL, I would walk to the library from BU and then get on the train at Back Bay. This also is about a two mile walk.
So in grand total, we have 1.2 miles of running and 1.1 miles of walking on Tuesday (holy crap, just realized we ran more than we walked! Awesome!), about 2 miles of walking on Wednesday, and 1.75 miles of walking on Thursday. Grand total? Whole lot of accessory navicular pain on Thursday night.
We had some friends over on Thursday night, and I was sitting pretty much all night long with an ice pack on my foot. It sucked. I felt like a jerk because I was fairly useless with helping J cook and clean and entertain our guests. I just sat in a chair with ice on my foot.
I really was hoping that running (which I now love and am loathe to stop) would somehow help, despite the fact that most people agree that all you can do for accessory navicular syndrome is be sedentary. Argh, I don't buy it! I'm going back to trying to walk with a forefoot strike, similar to how I run, since I didn't have any pain at all in the two weeks or so when I did that... we'll see how it goes.
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