My new shoes

So, I decided, since I am running in minimalist shoes, I might as well be walking and training at the gym in minimalist shoes too. After much consideration, I went with the New Balance Minimus. These Minimus' are inspired by injury free and minimalist running and you don't even have to wear socks with them!  They slip on very easily and feel just like slippers. New Balance says that they are "perfect everyday approach to the minimalist lifestyle". For more about these guys, check out the link below and see what else NB has to offer.

New Balance Site

Annual Barefoot Run

It has been a while since I have posted. I was wondering if anyone is going to be attending the second annual barefoot run in NYC on Governors Island? Here is the link!! Let me know if you would like to run it with me, as I will be registering if I can find a companion! The first link is for the NY chapter for barefoot runners, and the second is a link to which you can register for the run. Hope to see you there!


http://barefootrunners.org/chapter/new-york-chapter/nygovernors-island-2nd-annual-nyc-barefoot-run

http://www.nycbarefootrun.com/nycbr-2011/event-overview/

Get your scramble on!

Need a morning carb/protien boost after your run? Try this, I had it for breakfast today, it kept me full and was full of yummy goodies!

18g carbs, 24g protien, and 350 calories! You can lower the calorie count by just using egg whites, but I don't believe in egg whites. They gross me out.

Breakfast Scramble:
2 eggs scrambled with 1/4 c skim milk, adobo and red pepper
1/2 tomato chopped
1/4 cup onion chopped
1 cup fresh spinach
Veggie sausage links chopped up
1/4 c lowfat skim milk feta cheese
3 tbsp salsa and a shake of tobasco
Pam cooking spray

Light coat of pam to a warm skillet. Saute onion first, then add in tomato and spinach. When spinach reduces, add in sausage links and brown them. Spread the mix over the bottom of the skillet and top with eggs and feta. Get your scramble on! Top with salsa and hot sauce! Super easy, super yummy, super filling.

P.S. don't be afraid to add a little spice to your diet!!! Adding heat to your meal can boost calorie burn. Capsaicin, chemical in jalapenos, habaneros, and poblanos make your body increase calorie burn and clears insulin from your blood stream making you store less fat. It also adds low calorie flavor to you meal and makes it far from boring!

keep it lean and keep it green

Slacking a little on the blog here with my senior thesis due in just two days! I however have not been slacking on my running! I am almost upto 5 miles. The only thing keeping me at 4 are my ever sore shins. The rest of my body is feeling great and is full of energy. Even this terrible cold and these sore shins haven't kept me off of the pavement. I have taken this new found motivation and used it to get me out of the slump I have been in all year. I'm hiring a trainer and I have been making some changes to my diet. 


Now, my mom is the kind of person that can eat an apple, a powerbar, and a salad for her 3 meals and call it a day. Never hungry, never craving anything. I however am my father's daughter. Nothing on this planet I won't eat! That's not true- I wouldn't eat rocky mountain oysters. But, anyway, I also like to eat a lot.  I have tried the small portion deal, but it doesn't really work for me. After a long day and a good workout, I just want to EAT! So, I made a couple rules: keep it lean and keep it green. I've grounded myself to a 1200 calorie diet, dropped the alcohol (except for special occasions), and vow to drink at the very least 5 glasses of water a day. My treats are natural peanut butter, edy's all natural fruit bars, rice cakes with hummus, greek yogurt, and sugar free jello pudding packs. All are low fat/low cal. So, anyhow, 1200 calories can be tough to do when you love to eat. For goodness sakes, olive oil even has a good 100 calories in it! Here is something delish that is high in protien, fills me up and I haven't gotten bored of eating yet! I call it the provocative salad because my friend says it's so provocative to put fruits and nuts on your salad. He doesn't know.


The Provocative Salad:
Step 1:  put blackened seasoning on your hormone free boneless skinless chicken breast, drizzle with evoo, wrap in foil, and stick it in the broiler for 25 minutes. 
Step 2: 
Cover your plate in mixed greens and spinach
Give a modest sprinkle to lowfat feta cheese
Chop up and add a hard boiled egg
Add a chopped apple
handfull of dried cranberries
some red onion
and either raw walnuts or almonds
Here is the secret ingredient: Briannas Blush Wine Vinegarette Salad Dressing 

Happy Eating and happy running~

Last week I did my first and maybe last run on a treadmill completely barefoot. It was a really odd feeling having that belt under my feet.  It kind of hurt and rubbed the bottoms of my feet til they were pretty tender. I guess that's what you can expect from not having shoes on, but something tells me I would have enjoyed it much more OUTSIDE instead of on my mom's treadmill. Other than that, it was a pretty good run. I was able to set the speed and challenge myself at keeping the same pace. 

I gave my feet a little rest after that and when I got back to NY from Mom and Dad's, I kicked it into high gear. I ran my route, added another half mile and killed it. I ran so fast, I made myself sick. I find it easier to run faster in the vibrams, because when I keep a slow pace in them I start heel striking and landing too heavy on my feet and then my shins get a little sore. When I mid foot strike and hit 180 times a minute, I'm cruising. I added in some sprints as well, which always makes a difference in my work out. I woke up pretty sore today in the legs. I really wore myself out! I think I will do the same today:)

Barefoot Bliss-ter

Well, I am finally up to 3 miles in these puppies and felt like I could kick it up to 3.5 today, but I still have this stupid stupid stupid blister that is the entire pad of my big toe. I dunno if I should just push through it and let it toughen up, or if I should keep a band-aid on it. I just let it go today and it doesn't feel too nice.

I must say, I am pretty happy with the shoes so far. I do have a couple complaints about them, but the pros definitely outweigh the cons. I have never had shin splints or blisters before, and I now have both. Other than that, I have found I really enjoy running in them. My knees haven't been bothering me, my calves are getting really strong, my run time has improved, and they are really fun to run in. I have an airplane ride on Wednesday and I will be interested to see if my knees hurt during the flight or not. If they don't, I will swear off sneakers forever!!

Other than that, I am so happy about the beautiful sunny 60 degree weather. I woke up and went to the park all morning for a nice long walk in the Vibrams and finished the daylight off with a good run.

My mom and I did our first run together in Vibrams this week. I like to run alone mostly, but it was nice to have someone run with me for a change because it pushed me a little. I must be stretching the arches of my feet because I kept feeling a sharp pain every few minutes in my right arch. I was worried I'd have sore feet, but I don't at all. I think I might be ready to move up to two miles finally, except I feel a cold coming on. I thought it was allergies, but boy am I stuffed up this afternoon and my eyes are watering like crazy. I'm hoping this goes away in a day or two. I'm worried all this pollen is going to make it 10 times worse! I am pounding water, claritin and echinecia. Let's see what happens.


A couple of days ago I was at Barnes and Noble because I have some gift certificates to use up. I decided to get Danny Dreyer's book "Chi Running" and I picked up a copy of "Complete Idiots Guide to Barefoot Running" as well to flip through. I have been reading it here and there. It's pretty cool, talks about avoiding injury, how to get a healthy start, and how to develop a training regiment. I think I will read Chi Running over spring break next week and do a few solid runs and solid workouts now that I can add a little distance. Additionally, the weather is amazing and all the cherry blossoms are starting to bloom, so I am pretty motivated to spend some quality time outside. I'll leave you with a good quote I found:

“Shoes do no more for the foot than a hat does for the brain.”  - Dr. Mercer Rang

Kicking it up a notch

Today I ran 1.5 miles in 12:02. My time is usually somewhere around 13:40ish, 13 on a good day. I want to stay at 12 minutes for a 1.5. If I can keep that up, I will be able to run a 24 minute 3 mile. My fastest 3 mile time ever was under 23:30, I think it was 23:13. That is extremely fast for me though. I am most comfortable in the 24-25 range. At that pace, I am cruising and I am able to keep going past 3 miles without being completely worn out. If I can get back down to my DINFOS weight, I might even be able to keep that pace for about 5 miles. Be happy for me, because I am a pretty slow runner with short legs!!!


I notice that if I am practicing the "chi-running", leaning forward, hitting midfoot, short strides, letting my core absorb the shock, I keep a pretty quick pace and it's very steady since I'm really concentrated. Keeping a pace is probably my biggest challenge as a runner. I am one to start out fast, drag a little near my half way point, take a break, hit it fast again, drag again and then sprint the last leg home. Doing that changes my posture a lot which is probably why my back gets sore.


Taking tomorrow off, 12 hour school day. Hopefully my next run will be with my mom on Wednesday!! Can't wait!

It finally feels like spring!

Today was SUCH a beautiful day. 58 degrees, and the park was packed. This is the first day it actually feels like spring, and I even saw signs of leaves! I took a couple days off from running after the cramps, and just wore my Vibrams around town and did some calisthenics in them. Today, I decided to give it another go on the trail. I stretched a ton. Thank goodness no cramps. Tomorrow I am thinking of pulling the sneakers out and doing a long run, it's just so nice out and I want to RUN! Many miles! 


Anyone want to do the AIDS walk on May 15th?
http://www.aidswalk.net/

I don't know about 30 miles, but....

Says more deets to follow, so if there is a shorter run- I'm there.

Also, party? Me likes the sounds of this.

Check out the link! Are you in?

http://www.chrismcdougall.com/blog/june-10/

Ouch

Well, I'm not going to lie. Today's run really sucked!

Walking home from school today I was feeling good as new. Calves felt good, I felt good, and I was eager to get a really good run in. I got home, strapped on the Vibrams and took off. About 30 seconds in, I got a huge cramp in my right calf, but I kept going. By the time I got to the river my left one had cramped up too. I still kept going but eventually had to just stop all together because they hurt so badly. I tried walking it off for a little bit, but here I am back at home an hour later and they are still cramping up. OUCH. I've never had a calf cramp before, it isn't very fun. Anyway, I am bummed out. I was looking forward to adding a quarter of a mile today and doing some calisthenics. Instead, I'm walking in 2 inch steps saying "ow,ow, ow, ow". I guess I will try again tomorrow and do a ton of stretching first. Any suggestions? I've never had anything cramp before when running, so I'm not sure what to do. Potassium?

On a happier note, I saw a guy running in some Vibrams on the trail today. First sighting:)

Location, Location, Location

One thing I absolutely love about living on the Upper East Side of Manhattan is the abundance of parks and running trails available. I live on the East River, a little less than a mile from Central Park and just a couple of blocks from Carl Schulz Park and the East River Promenade (UES). 

The East River Promenade is my favorite path in all of Manhattan because you don’t get the tourists of Central Park or the honks and smog of the busy Manhattan streets. The promenade is a 6+ mile path along the East River that runs from 59^th street all the way to the Triborough bridge. I prefer to start at 81^st street, run through Carl Schulz Park and up to 116^th street in Harlem. Days I want to add distance to this 3 miler, I can add about 2 miles by running each pier, each set of steps, the Randall Island foot bridge, and the green paths of Carl Schulz Park.

Amongst the fishermen, dog walkers, cyclists, runners, and nannies, I feel at home. The views of Roosevelt Island, the East Side skyline, boaters, and the Gracie Mansion are magnificent and provide a delightful escape from the hustle and bustle of the City. I highly recommend this route!

"To get to the finish line, you'll have to try lots of different paths"  -Amby Burfoot

For anyone who's interested.....

http://barefootrunners.org/chapters-25

180 Times Per Minute....

Wow, this morning I woke up and my calves still felt like crap. They were feeling so much better last night, but I guess my 6-hour sleep let them tighten back up. I did a ton of stretching today before I hit pavement. The run warmed them up a little bit, but they are still tight.

I dedicated today to working on my form, landing on my mid-foot and then letting my toes and heels touch the ground ever so slightly. I am working on learning not to heal strike by leaning forward and developing a more cyclic motion and having my feet land under my center of gravity- hold the butt jokes haha! It is more challenging than I thought and I really had to concentrate and keep a rhythm. If I stopped concentrating for even a minute, I noticed I was only doing it properly on my right foot for some reason. I also counted how many times my feet were hitting the ground per minute. The articles I’ve read say you’re feet should be hitting 180 times per minute. Mine are hitting 148-150 times per minute when I am hitting midfoot. I noticed when I was hitting 180 times per minute, I was hitting the ground flat foot and not lightly. Getting used to running like this is really weird.

“When running, it may be useful to consciously think about lifting your foot off the ground as quick as possible as if you were running over hot coals.”

-                                    -Jason Robillard, Baring your soles

Not pushing off is a challenge for me. At 5 feet and 1 inch tall, and as a Marine running around with all those tall kids at PT every day for so many years, I always strived to elongate my stride and push off. My superiors would even advise me “elongate your stride!” I was always more worried about being fast and keeping up with the long striders, that I never paid much attention to my form or posture. Surprise surprise, my knees now suffer. I am lucky enough to have never had shin splints, or at least not chronic ones that became a hindrance to my running, but these knees sure took a beating. Here’s to turning over a new leaf and re-training my body!

 I incorporated a lot of walking into my workout today. For one it is gorgeous outside and I wanted to be able to spend at least an hour out there, and two, I want my feet to get used to being in my vibrams. It was tough getting them on today because for some reason my pinky toe hates going into its home. I guess cause pinky toes are so little.

For the past few years I have had intense knee pain (usually when I’m sitting, or triggered by prolonged sitting) Movie theaters and airplanes have become my enemy. I had my knees x-rayed and examined and the doc tells me I MOST LIKELY have what’s called Patello-Femoral Syndrome. PFS is one of the most common causes of knee pain in runners. The pain is located on my kneecaps and is usually on the inside. Sometimes it hurts on the outside of my right knee and sometimes I can’t really put my finger on where it is hurting, as odd as that may sound. They also click constantly! 

My knees NEVER hurt when I run, in fact they feel so great during my runs and the easiest way for me to get rid of the pain is to go for a run. My pain comes from sitting. It is at its worst a few hours to a few days after a very long run, and after doing lunges or squats. If I run every single day doing my normal 3-4 mile loop they hurt pretty bad even just sitting in class for an hour. So, I have found that doing 2-3 runs a week at no more than 5 miles is my “comfort zone”.  I still have some discomfort, but it is mild. I would ideally like to run 4-5 times a week at around 3-6 miles, and work up to 13 by the end of the summer. I am hoping this new method of running will help my knees and enable me to meet that goal. 

For the Ladies ~

For Women: The Barefoot Running Truth

http://www.runbare.com/788/for-women-the-barefoot-running-truth/

How to Avoid Heel Strike: Video Instruction by ChiRunning's Danny Dreyer

My friend just sent me this video on how to avoid heel striking. This will be my task for tomorrow.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkUqkdPQHis

Benefits of Barefoot

        

      • You’ll acquire a more natural step and strengthen the muscles, tendons and ligaments of the foot.

•   Running on the balls of the feet or middle of the foot reduces impact force by 2-3 times the amount of body weight that heel striking runners repeatedly experience.

•    It has been shown to reduce the force of impact on knee, ankle, and foot joints.




•       It helps to develop better perception of the contact with the ground, which allows us to interact with support more efficiently, place the body weight on the foot more precisely; have better timing of the contact with the ground.

•       Removing the heel lift of most shoes helps the Achilles tendon and calf muscle stretch and lengthen which may reduce injury.

•       It helps to release psychological stress through the reduction of electricity charges in the body.



 •  You’ll learn not to heal strike and instead land on the forefoot. The heel strike occurs due to the excessive padding in most running shoes, but research shows it isn't the most effective natural running stride. Landing on the heel is essentially putting on the breaks with every step. It is most efficient to land on the midfoot and keep your stride smooth, light and flowing. Landing on the forefoot also allows your arches to act as natural shock absorbers.

• You will improve your balance by stimulating and working the smaller muscles in your feet, ankles, legs, and hips that are responsible for better balance and coordination.

• You'll learn to spread your toes and expand your foot while running. This creates a more solid and connected base, which supports all your movements.

First day in my new feet

Yesterday, March 26, 2011, I ran my first mile in my new Vibram FiveFingers Bikilas. When I first received them in the mail, I was a bit apprehensive. My good friend Ken bought them for me as a gift, and I was worried I would not like them and feel terrible! When I tried to put them on for the first time, these second skins were quite tight on both my feet and toes. They also felt a little funny because I'm obviously not used to having anything between my toes. 

By the time I got on the road, I was feeling pretty comfortable in these guys. I'm trying to learn to run on the balls of my feet instead of heel to toe, which these shoes are supposed to help with, but it was still a challenge not to.  I was warned only to do a mile for my first few runs, so I took a short 8 minute jog along the water and then a run/walk through Carl Schulz Park back to my house. I did some stairs as well, which probably didn't help my calves out too much! I got home feeling GREAT. No pain, no discomfort. I ever wore them around the house for a while.

Fast forward to this morning.....MY CALVES WERE ON FIRE. The top of my calves hurt so bad and felt so tight that I didn't even want to walk. They are still a bit tight, but after massaging them and running around all day they have loosened up.  Now I am anxious to get back out on the pavement, but I am going to refrain until tomorrow. 

Also today, I got another surprise. My mom called me to say she also bought some Vibrams. Oddly enough she ended up with the exact same ones I have after trying on several pairs. She even got the same color. So, we are going to look so cool when we barefoot together! She will be here in two weeks and we are going to be covering some ground. I can't wait!! My dad is also getting a pair and hopefully we will meet for some races in the future.

Happy Running!