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!