Circles, Fortunes, Distances, and Prickly Things

Long time no post(10ish days). I have been running though!

First of all, I started doing more flat-ground one mile laps at Yahoola. They are treating my hip flexors nicely, but I have found a new pain in my butt, literally. Here are my last few runs.


Finally, I decided to go big today and run my longest distance yet, 15 miles. It took nearly 3 hours, but was worth it. After a quick nap(that had some awesome dreams) I feel GREAT.


I believe I hit a wall around mile 13. I pushed through(this was after I ate my arsenol of food) and around mile 14 nothing hurt. No hip pain, no butt pain, I was just running. It was significantly harder for me to move. My legs were getting stiff, but I expected that. Also my feet had that same sting they get every time I increase mileage. I have run into it so much that I know what to expect. My feet already feel like I didn't run 15 miles. They will get used to it. If I can keep safely increasing my mileage like this I will be fine on my 30K. I fear school will put a damper on my schedule. Night running/really early morning running here I come!

I have been experiencing with my hips. I found that if I sprint by trying to put my hip where my foot is(horizontally, not vertically) I can sprint without hurting my hip flexors. It also works great on pulling myself up a hill.

So what caused my 50% increase in mileage? This may not have been the cause, but it is a good story. The
other day while eating out at a Chinese restaurant I got a fortune cookie, telling me this:

For real? I just started exercising for the first time in 5 years and this is what I get!?! It's not even a fortune, just advice. Fine then, so I did.

The other day while running my circle laps I dropped a piece of my bar. I let it go, telling myself I would pick it up later. I remembered it, then passed it. Then I remembered it again, then passed it. Finally, I remembered to pick it up. I was bending over to get it when I saw a car coming. I got out of the way to let it pass. The car ran it over. I didn't pick it up.

Finally, my PADMA NailMat came in. I played with it for a little today, but I intend on using it for a while before giving it an honest review. Use this code to get $5 off: KQ76-8382. My Nan(grandmother) LOVES it!

Let's Get Flat

oh childhood music...


recently my hip flexors have been hurting me, specifically when i run up hills. to give them a break today, i ran a more flat route. i wanted to find the longest and flattest loop at yahoola and run it until i felt complete.


i never actually felt complete, but i did end up running it with my dad, which was cool. dave showed up and yelled at me for not calling him(i would have if i didn't forget the night before).anyway, my dad quit at 5k. i had been running for 3 miles when he showed up. i ran one more mile and finished up around 7 miles. why did i quit? we decided to go out to breakfast. i like spending time with people, and i can run anytime, so eating was the better option.

another thing. my dad sent me an email the other day:

I woke up at 5 am, at the park by 6:15 am, temp 72 and foggy. First 10k EVER!!!!!. First 8 k in Vibram 5 fingers KSO minimalistic shoes. Last 2 k barefoot. I felt like I could have went another 3 K....Didn't want to push it. My goal is to put on more miles this week than my son.  He slept in on this Sunday morning (day 1 of the week)....so I am officially ahead!!! (I also picked a week when  he is hurting, kick him when he's down...LOL)

my link:
http://runkeeper.com/user/AlaninDahlonega/activity/13007089

his link
http://runkeeper.com/user/barefoottyler/profile

he's really pushing it. i have been running barefoot longer than he has and have more experience with it. i think to be fair i will try to run one mile for ever kilometer he runs. this will make the challenge more fair. either way, a challenge is a challenge. is he trying to get me to run more? is he trying to prove something? i dunno. i'm just gonna run!

Chill With Society

run was great this morning. i left my iphone at home so i had to runkeeper it when i came home. once again, i concentrated on my form. when i started my hip flexor was bothering me, but on the way down the hill it stopped and didn't bother me the rest of the run. maybe i just need to warm it up more before i run. the pelvic lunges help.

talked to some older gentleman that were walking up the hill to the baseball fields. they were really neat and asked about my feet being "tough as nails." i told them barefoot running makes you run lighter and stuff like that. i told them about the tennis shoe heel strike situation. they replied, "yes, well if i run in tennis shoes i go like this *huph huph huph*". I had to laugh.

Pleasant 5 Milers and Hip Flexors

for most of this month i have been having hip flexor problems. i have seen the chiropractor, who did help it, but the pain keeps coming back when i run. in turn, i have learned to run with a faster cadence, bend my knees even more, and land as soft and quietly as possible. this has helped, but a lighter version of the pain is still there.

now my chiropractor has told me that if i can get the hip to pop it would benefit me, since it causes the hip flexor tendon to release. after mile 1 i did some lunges+pelvic thrust to loosen the tendon. i could feel the hip loosening. this helped for the remainder of my run.

i finished at 5 miles and spent a few minutes doing more lunges+pelvic thrusts. Once again, my hip was loosening. by the time i came home and plopped out on the couch it popped. ahh relief.

tomorrow my chiropractor is going to watch me run. maybe he will spot something that i can't see since i am the runner. i may also make a video of my run and posture after three miles. this is a good time for me  since i would be past the "OH MY GOD I'M RUNNING THIS IS AWESOME!" and "okay *breath* only three more miles..."


now my run. it was EXCELLENT! it was a little later in the day and it was hot. i have learned to appreciate the heat a little bit more. i kind of like breaking a sweat. this appreciation is inspired by this barefoot journeys post. alan seems like a really cool and humble guy btw.

The Happenings

While reading intelligent bodywork, I was informed about the PADMA NailMat. I have never dealt with acupressure mats, but think that something like this would be great for relaxation and feel great on my feet. I contacted to company and expressed interest in their product. PADMA offered to send me a free one to give a good and honest review about, and I intend on doing that. They said they would ship it out soon, so I just have to wait.

They gave me a promotional code, which gives my readers an awesome discount of $5. So here's the deal, if you are interested in any PADMA NailMat, use the code, KQ76-8382 , to get $5 off. Simply AWESOME!

my most painful barefoot running experience

i am going to hold off on the shift button today. it is causing me to stretch my wrist and i think it is causing carpal tunnel, that and my mouse.

today, i want to tell you about my most painful barefoot running experience. those who claim barefoot running doesn't hurt have obviously never been in my situation. if i was wearing shoes it wouldn't have been a problem. yep, you heard me, i am barefoot tyler suggesting that it would have been better for me to wear shoes. let me explain.

yesterday i was sleeping on the couch, minding my own business, when my friends dog(we were watching it) decided to just start barking at me. it does that to get my attention, but it is kind of annoying. i woke up, tried to ignore it, and was bothered with the "WOOF WOOF WOOF I'M A DOG OH MY GOD WOOF WOOF!" so i got up to chase him out the front door. i hopped off the couch, ran 3 steps, and ended up kicking my wall. for that few seconds, i was no longer concerned with the barking. my thought process was, "oh god - is my toe broken - why am i still walking - ahhh ahhhhhhh!"(thanks reddit for teaching me about using hyphens to change thoughts)

after retaining myself i began chasing after the dog. my dad reminded me that it wasn't the dogs fault. i agreed and took him outside, unharmed(gotta mention that for PETA)

so yup, my words of advice: don't run barefoot inside, run barefoot outside! how's that for a flip?

on another note i switched to linux mint today. it's nice and friendly to new users and power users, rarely needs any post installation setup(drivers and program installations), and of course its free! check it out if you are bored one day.

for a free promotion of your site, something you support, or anything, shoot me an email at barefoottyler (at) gmail (dot) com.

Takin' It Easy

So my 10/10/5 goal was a no go. My foot still hurts under my fourth and fifth metatarsals of my right foot. I am icing it now and going to try to get it feeling normal so I can run tomorrow. There is no sense in rushing anything and hurting myself worse. Wish me luck.

10/10/5 Day 1

This mornings run felt great for the most part. The ground was wet, which is good and bad. It felt really great and the gravel spots I ran over had a bit more give to them as usual, but with all good comes some bad... right?

My left big toe has a rub mark on it. Whenever I run I get a mark there. I know it is due to my form and I am trying very hard to fix it, but the wear is about doubled on wet days.

Around mile 7 I ran through a sprinkler. I'm pretty sure someone was watching me run through the new court house's lawn. I didn't care. I figure my tax dollars payed for those patches of grass. It's not like I harmed them anyway.

On my last mile my pace was 10:04. I ran as fast as I could on the last mile and got it down to 10:01. I figure those 10 seconds I lost were from putting my bag on and stuff, so I don't think thats too bad.

I also had some pain under the fourth and fifth metatarsals of my right foot. They don't hurt now, but we'll find out tomorrow if it hurts...

Alright. Gotta rehydrate!

10/10/5

I am going to try something new this week. Every day of the week I am going to try to run 10 miles. This will be a true test to my form. I also want to try to run everything at a 10 min/mile pace, but that is a secondary goal.

Sweet 10 And Diet Choices

For some reason RunKeeper's embed feature is not working properly. They know about it and are fixing it.

I told myself I would run 10 miles this morning. I woke up at 5:30, got out the door around 6:30(I know I'm slow) and hit the road.

The run went good except for a few bathroom breaks. After I came out of the bathroom, shortly after 3 miles my RunKeeper messed up. It drew a straight line from where I was to some random place in the abyss. Shortly after it told me I was at 4 miles. So for the next 7 miles I knew I was off.

At mile 7ish my dad pulled up and wanted to run a 5K. That was convenient. We took my favorite 5K route. RunKeeper screwed up again! I think it had a bad connection between the iPhone and the ground this time though.

Running back to the car we were waiting for the woman's voice to say "Ten miles" but it never happened. Finally we got back to the car and I saw that RunKeeper was on the map page, not the stats page. It jumped from 9 miles to 10.

I figured it was 3 miles for my dad. I accepted my distance came home.

After I got home I realized the second RunKeeper error caused it to draw a straight line from a point I was at to my finish and not track me. This meant that I ran farther than 10 miles. Sweet!

All-in-all it was a great run. It got hot out toward the end, but I didn't mine since I was almost done anyway. Oh and I saw a turtle!

I think I am going to drink more vegetable juice. We have had a juicer for years and nobody has ever used it. I also like V8 Spicy Hot. Many runners are vegetarian - Barefoot Ken Bob comes to mind(vegan) and he seems happy. 

 the happy vegetarian, Barefoot Ken Bob

I don't want to be a vegetarian(I like meat WAY too much), but I can make healthier choices.

Getting On My Nerves: A Tingle In My Step

I created this post at Runners World. If anyone has any input on it please let me know.

I started noticing that when I am wearing my crocs or vibrams I sometimes take a step funky and feel a tingle going toward my pinky toe. I adjust my foot and it feels fine. This only happens once or twice a day.

Now, when I am walking around barefoot or running this doesn't happen. I know it has to do with the way I am walking in my shoes.

Could this be premature signs of something bigger? Should I be worried? Am I stressing because it will probably go away next week and be forgotten about?

2011 Alex's Fat Ass Ultramarathon 50K SC Version

Last night I was looking for an ultra to run and I found Alex's Fat Ass South Carolina run. It is not actually a race, but a less organized run designed to burn off the fat you gain over the holidays. The course looks like it is mostly road, with four miles of beach. I honestly think this will be a great race since it is not too long, is mostly road, and has some cool sounding people behind it. I intend on running it barefoot.

Before I run this I want to know that I can run a 50K. I want to continue increasing my distance. I can comfortably run 10 miles if my hip flexor doesn't act up like it has been. My goal is to keep expanding on this until I can run a 50k with confidence. This will take a lot of hard work, but the race isn't until January. I think if I can keep a loose schedule, like I did for my 5K, I will be fine. More thoughts on the schedule later. Carpal tunnel is bugging me.

Wahoo! Barefoot Trail Run With My Dad To Ramrock Mountain

This morning was a big bowl of AWESOME! Actually, I had oatmeal again(that stuff is super great for running), but we went trail running on the Appalachian Trail. The drive out there is only about 30 minutes. Once your out there you can hike, 1 mile, 2 miles, or 2175 to Maine. We took the middle ground and went about 3.





Some of my big fans(yeah right) may remember that I did this a while back. I got miserable half way though and walked back. This time was a bit different.

We started out doing great. My dad had a few second lead on me and spread it out to about a minute by the time we hit the half way point(Ramrock lookout). He was running in his Vibram Five Finger KSOs and I was barefoot.

photoshoot!

We chilled at the top, watched some Boy Scouts walk buy, disregard the lookout, and keep walking. I couldn't believe it.

dad running in his Vibram Five Finger KSOs. i like the lighting.

Anyway, on our way back my Dad stayed behind me and was laughing whenever I would step on a rock. I do what I am supposed to do and buckle my knee so the weight is shifted to the other foot. He still thought it was funny.

 my camelbak xct is the bee's knees

This is where I see the difference between barefoot running and running in Vibram Five Fingers. My Dad handled the rocks just fine in Vibram Five Fingers. Its great to see him running out there with me, but I have to point out one thing: Wearing Vibram Five Fingers is NOT barefoot running! Its not washing your hair if you have a shower cap on. You can feel it, see it, but it isn't touching your skin.

some rocks are unavoidable. remaining light is key.

Now would I have preferred Vibram Five Fingers today? Maybe. There were times of discomfort, but I REALLY enjoy running barefoot and think that the ground feels so awesome with all of its different textures. If you have never walked around outside barefoot you are missing everything. It's like a completely different sense.


Anyway, we started to run back. My dads pinky toe slipped out of his Vibram so I took this as an opportunity to take some pictures. I should have never done this.

Yesterday my hip flexor was hurting, and it started to nag me on the way down. After we stopped to take pictures I didn't want to run anymore. My feet were uncomfortable, but I could have ran over that if I didn't have stupid hip problems.

LOOK AT DEM FUNKY SHOES! (Otterbox iPhone case if anyone is wondering)

I let my Dad run out in front of me and I walked the rest of the way down. Toward the end of the trail my Dad was walking back toward me looking for me. He saw I was having a hard time walking and gave me crap about it. :P

At the end of the trail I noticed some glass that was at the start of it. I ran over it earlier and didn't even know. I must be running light!

the feets

After that we went to our friend/chiropractor. He told me that he may be able to adjust me to loosen up my hip flexor. He definitely did something, because it is feeling a little better.

 

Well that was two hours of awesome. I can't wait to run some trails again!

It's All In The Hips

Oh boy did I have a nice run today.

I woke up, ate some oatmeal, drank some chocolate protein drink and chia, and headed out the door. It was around 68 F this morning and it stayed that way for an hour, then got increasingly hotter.

I started out running with Dave. He got new shoes. He has went through three pairs of shoes since we have started running. I have hinted for him to take them off, but I don't want to be pushy. I'll just let him figure it out on his own.

Anyway, Dave and I ran a 5K. Toward the end my Dad was there. He was running in his VFFs. I finished running with Dave and met up with my Dad. I ran next to him, tried to give him some tips, such as upping cadence and bending his knees more. Essentially, run like you are riding a tricycle with a very small wheel.

I tried something new today. My cadence is probably around 180 steps per minute. I think I sped it up to 200. I felt much lighter. My legs didn't feel worked because I wasn't doing much! I ran really light and it felt awesome. I am definitely going to do this more and see if it reduces wear on my feet. From what I have seen, it has!

Despite my AWESOME new run technique, I had two major setbacks today. I have encountered hip flexor problems. Its my left hip. I think it is due to the increased lifting. I have stretched it some and plan to rest. I will probably try to run tomorrow. I'm just glad it's muscle and not joint.

[nasty]My second major setback was: Toward the end of my run I had to poop. I was about half a mile away from the nearest bathroom. I had to walk, because running seemed risky.[/nasty]

After coming home and doing homework I went over to my grandmothers house. Being the fatty I am, I ate some Dove chocolate. It told me to "Walk with a light step and a lighter heart." A testament to barefoot running? I THINK IT IS!

I think I need a new goal. My last 5K was my goal, and now it is over. I really want to do more trail running and shoot for an ultra. Maybe I will set a long term goal for a trail ultra.

Shood To Nood!

I recently gave my dad Born To Run. He really liked it and started running minimalist and barefoot. I received this email this morning. It seems he is doing good!

Finally, back to my SHOD times!!!
5 K 32:42, (my norm slow times), I bought my Vibram 5 fingers on June 12th, never put my Nikes back on...it took 18 long days thinking that I would never get my times back. Against EVERYONES advise, I am running three days a week at least 5 k in 5 fingers, Then trying to run barefoot 2 K's (building distance) in between as a stretch and to improve form....YES, I know this not what ALL the barefoot Guru's say to do. But I gotta go with what feels right.
I developed a sore spot about the size of a half dollar on the ball of my right foot. I am thinking that it may have something to do with running on the left side of the road, making my right foot on the slight up hill side of the gradient for water runoff. I was told to continue my developed barefoot form but add a slightly new twist: place my feet slightly more centered to land more laterally. Funny, it was difficult to do it with both feet at the same time, so I concentrated on the right foot placement on the first 1 K, then left on 2nd K, then Forrest  Gumped the last K using the both foot centered placement. I found new muscles in my calf.

This is awesome to hear. He showed me his blister and I told him that if he runs in a way that makes his feet land almost in front of each other he will land more on the outside of his foot(4th and 5th metatarsal). I picked up the idea from Barefoot Ken Bob. He basically said, "I like to run efficiently. If my feet aren't landing in front of each other I am not running in a straight line. This takes me longer to get to my destination." Smart words from a smart man!