Running various amounts of my mileage barefoot since July 2004. Now that it's mainstream, I am no longer crazy, but maybe I was among the visionaries.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
I Am A Barefoot Runner
This is so funny. Especially the part about the VFF's smelling bad!
Thank you for making this one FacePaster
Friday, November 26, 2010
Sunday, October 31, 2010
I have a cold
I have a cold or something. It is worse at night. My throat hurts and I had a lot of trouble making it feel comfortable when I went to bed too late (as usual) last night at 1 AM. My head hurt this morning. I slept late. I used some throat lozenges yesterday and several cups of tea. This morning I took psudafedrine, ibuprofen, and a Zicam. I feel OK now, but I can tell the problem is still there.
Ten mile run yesterday felt GREAT however (embed below).
Kid's soccer game today and trick-or-treating with tons of kids this evening. Hoping I can sneak a run in and feel well through it all.
Happy Halloween!
Ten mile run yesterday felt GREAT however (embed below).
Kid's soccer game today and trick-or-treating with tons of kids this evening. Hoping I can sneak a run in and feel well through it all.
Happy Halloween!
Monday, October 11, 2010
How my running is going....
I need to blog more. There have been a lot of miles under my wheels and heels that I have not blogged about. Do i start with today and work backwards? Or do I start with running back in May, and work forward? Or do I just dive in and write stream-of-consciousness? Hmm - yea, I think that is the way to do it....
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
testing the Android
not running barefoot. Posting from my LG Ally!
Published with Blogger-droid v1.5.5.2
Monday, May 31, 2010
The Ridgewood Run
Memorial Day in the NJ running community means the Ridgewood Run. It should be the Ridgewod RUNS because there are lots of them. 10K, 5K, and elite miles. Money races with a long history. There is money for placing, and for masters age grading. This year, the 10K was the USATF-NJ Women's Masters Team championships. ( 10K Results - 5K Results )
I ran both the 10K and the 5K. I began the 10K wearing Saucony Killkenny XC flats. I went out at about a 6:20 mile. My left lower leg muscles were feeling massively tight and were not getting any looser as I hit mile 2 at about 13:30. I kept thinking that it would loosen up if I didn't have the stinkin' shoes on. So I stopped and took them off. Within a few hundred yards my lower left leg was perfect. Was it the shoes? Was it because I was running slower? Was it coincidence, and would I have loosened up even if I didn't remove the shoes? Who knows. It was unbelievably hot at this point - high 80's at least - so maybe it was dehydration or the beer I drank the day before at our pre-Memorial Day barbecue. I stuck the shoes in my shorts, but I had to throw one down at the finishing mat at the end of the race because it had a timing chip on it.
Shod at first... tightness...
Shoes stuck in shorts...
Retrieving shoe I had to drop onto the chip sensor
I ran both the 10K and the 5K. I began the 10K wearing Saucony Killkenny XC flats. I went out at about a 6:20 mile. My left lower leg muscles were feeling massively tight and were not getting any looser as I hit mile 2 at about 13:30. I kept thinking that it would loosen up if I didn't have the stinkin' shoes on. So I stopped and took them off. Within a few hundred yards my lower left leg was perfect. Was it the shoes? Was it because I was running slower? Was it coincidence, and would I have loosened up even if I didn't remove the shoes? Who knows. It was unbelievably hot at this point - high 80's at least - so maybe it was dehydration or the beer I drank the day before at our pre-Memorial Day barbecue. I stuck the shoes in my shorts, but I had to throw one down at the finishing mat at the end of the race because it had a timing chip on it.
Finishing at 43:54, I had thrown that race away.
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Newport 10K Review - Ran it on 5/8/2010
I tried posting this as a review at Active.com. It keeps getting kicked out. Is it something I said?
The management of this race does an outstanding job with parking, check-in, bag check, food and drink, and goodies like tech T race shirts. They have a timely awards ceremony with plenty of raffle prizes. For top runners, there are plenty of cash prizes to go around. The Saturday 8:30 AM start time is rare in NJ, and leaves plenty of time to do other things during the rest of the weekend.
Jersey City is cursed with course length mishaps. See for example http://www.compuscore.com/cs2007/may/newport1.htm
http://compuscore.com/cs2006/october/LIBHM1.HTM
This year's running was a minor revival of the Jersey City course curse. I think it was at least 1/10th long, judging by the slow times of friends and elites, and by Garmin readings that were in the 6.3x range. The turns seemed unduly wide due to parked cars on the course, and I think we were sent out & back too far around some cement ornamental structures on a pier along the waterfront within the last half mile.
Thursday, April 08, 2010
Sunday, April 04, 2010
Half & Half & 1 Woo-Hoo!
Ran 5.75 with Jeff, then 4.5 barefoot. Averaged 8:30's in XC flats with Jeff, and abut 10 min/mile barefoot. There is a lot of crap, glass, stones and other scree around after the big rains of last week. But you know what is great? Running with my kid: Sixteen and 50 running down the street and now I don't know who the girls out springtime-driving are woo-hoo'ing about!
Friday, April 02, 2010
Where things stand right now...
Road east & west VFFs by thinnmann at Garmin Connect - Details
WOW- Garmin Connect fixed the elevation abnormalities!
Longest run today since January 9th's Watchung Winter Ultra. Wore the VFF's. Sunburned my head. Ran the first almost 5 miles with my son. April is all about LSD. I am so out of shape! I knew I was gaining weight during the January - March ski season, with low training mileage. I thought I had gained about 4 pounds, and I avoided weighing myself. Finally jumped on the scale last night and I was a whopping 150 lbs! I don't think I have ever been that heavy. That was a shocker. Gotta go run! I have a half marathon in two weeks. I am running that slowly, I suppose.
Friday, February 12, 2010
First Barefoot Run This Year
My first barefoot run this year was on a treadmill at the Philadelphia Loews Hotel today. Three miles. It felt great!
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Running Barefoot = Underwear with Less Cushioning & Support
I am going to write a post about underwear. This is related to running barefoot in two ways. First and least important is it is about me and my running in a tangential way. The second is in questioning what we have thought to be right all along may actually not be right.
Running in the winter months in NJ requires one to usually wear more clothes than during the spring, summer and fall. This unfortunately includes footwear, long running pants and underpants. When one runs in the winter, one still sweats. The sweat often makes the underpants wet. During warmer weather, all of my running shorts have built-in underpants that tend to wick the sweat. Cotton underpants briefs do not do that job. This has led to a condition collectively known as "jock itch", even though a jock is not involved. (Well, unless you consider me to be the jock.)
This condition has been driving me crazy for about a month. I have been using sprays and creams for relief, but their effects wear off in a few hours and the itch kicks in. I also notice that the itch is at its worse after running, when a shower isn't immediate, and when other sweaty conditions happen inside the underpants. Said sweaty conditions might happen anywhere, like at work or at a restaurant - generally in places where scratching can be both inconvenient and embarrassing. I'm sure you know what I am talking about, all you athletic men and women out there... So what to do? You either scratch or squirm. Scratching does start to almost feel good and gratifying under such circumstances. In such public circumstances, one's self control is often put to the test!
It became obvious I needed another measure besides the sprays and the creams. So I decided to rethink the supportive briefs underpants. They are cotton, and their support function puts them in constant contact with my skin. I know that I can not wear cotton socks, ever, for running or anything else. Cotton was rejected as a fabric for active activities since the late 1970's since it holds all the moisture the body produces right there against the skin. Not good for the old "jock itch" situation, no doubt. So I did some online research at Kohls.com to see if there were any non-cotton alternatives. And they were there. Last night I bought 4 pairs of Jockey Go Mesh Boxer Briefs in black. They are poly/Spandex, breathable, wicking. So far they are working! I have not had an itch attack since putting them on this morning, and I am way past the usual limit of the topical applications. I think the problem has been almost solved. Much like running barefoot, part of the solution to my discomfort involves less cushioning and support.
Running in the winter months in NJ requires one to usually wear more clothes than during the spring, summer and fall. This unfortunately includes footwear, long running pants and underpants. When one runs in the winter, one still sweats. The sweat often makes the underpants wet. During warmer weather, all of my running shorts have built-in underpants that tend to wick the sweat. Cotton underpants briefs do not do that job. This has led to a condition collectively known as "jock itch", even though a jock is not involved. (Well, unless you consider me to be the jock.)
This condition has been driving me crazy for about a month. I have been using sprays and creams for relief, but their effects wear off in a few hours and the itch kicks in. I also notice that the itch is at its worse after running, when a shower isn't immediate, and when other sweaty conditions happen inside the underpants. Said sweaty conditions might happen anywhere, like at work or at a restaurant - generally in places where scratching can be both inconvenient and embarrassing. I'm sure you know what I am talking about, all you athletic men and women out there... So what to do? You either scratch or squirm. Scratching does start to almost feel good and gratifying under such circumstances. In such public circumstances, one's self control is often put to the test!
It became obvious I needed another measure besides the sprays and the creams. So I decided to rethink the supportive briefs underpants. They are cotton, and their support function puts them in constant contact with my skin. I know that I can not wear cotton socks, ever, for running or anything else. Cotton was rejected as a fabric for active activities since the late 1970's since it holds all the moisture the body produces right there against the skin. Not good for the old "jock itch" situation, no doubt. So I did some online research at Kohls.com to see if there were any non-cotton alternatives. And they were there. Last night I bought 4 pairs of Jockey Go Mesh Boxer Briefs in black. They are poly/Spandex, breathable, wicking. So far they are working! I have not had an itch attack since putting them on this morning, and I am way past the usual limit of the topical applications. I think the problem has been almost solved. Much like running barefoot, part of the solution to my discomfort involves less cushioning and support.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Critical Mass
With the publication of Lieberman's Harvard study of barefoot running, combined with the lead in effect of the publication of Born To Run, running barefoot has been in the news every day. Discussion of barefoot running has leaked onto the running forums of many web sites, most recently onto my running club's Yahoo! group.
One of the best things coming from this discussion is the concentration on running technique. Too long that has been ignored in favor of ever more distance and speed work. The great thing about running barefoot (not so much for using "minimal" shoes, except for VFF's) is that you have to correct your running technique. You can't land on your heels. You eliminate heel to toe pronation. Once you eliminate pronation, then most injuries that are caused by it disappear.
One of the best things coming from this discussion is the concentration on running technique. Too long that has been ignored in favor of ever more distance and speed work. The great thing about running barefoot (not so much for using "minimal" shoes, except for VFF's) is that you have to correct your running technique. You can't land on your heels. You eliminate heel to toe pronation. Once you eliminate pronation, then most injuries that are caused by it disappear.
Sunday, January 03, 2010
Preparing for The Watchung Winter Ultra 50K
I ran with Joel, Kyle, Steve & Lauren at Watchung Reservation yesterday. (Garmin Data) I wanted to preview the trail conditions for my first attempt at 50K on January 9 at the Watchung Winter Ultra, next weekend. Last year I fell and broke a rib attempting the trail marathon there.
Yesterday, the trail was frozen in a few ways. There was trail that had been hiked into slush, then the slush refroze into lumpy crunchy ice. There was trail that had turned to mud and footprinted, then refrozen. And there was crunchy few inches of leftover snow. Sometimes those conditions were mixed. There was a little foot slippage in all directions, even wearing my Brooks Cascadia trail shoes with the deeply waffled sole. So on the way home from breakfast after the run, I stopped at Home Depot and got a couple dozen 3/8" sheet metal screws. I made my first pair of screw shoes. It took only about 5 minutes per shoe. This week the forecast temperatures are pretty much under freezing, with some snow flurries. The modified Brooks Cascadia shoes should be perfect for next Saturday!
Yesterday, the trail was frozen in a few ways. There was trail that had been hiked into slush, then the slush refroze into lumpy crunchy ice. There was trail that had turned to mud and footprinted, then refrozen. And there was crunchy few inches of leftover snow. Sometimes those conditions were mixed. There was a little foot slippage in all directions, even wearing my Brooks Cascadia trail shoes with the deeply waffled sole. So on the way home from breakfast after the run, I stopped at Home Depot and got a couple dozen 3/8" sheet metal screws. I made my first pair of screw shoes. It took only about 5 minutes per shoe. This week the forecast temperatures are pretty much under freezing, with some snow flurries. The modified Brooks Cascadia shoes should be perfect for next Saturday!
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