I Need

I need another one of me.

I need another one of me to run with, to talk to, and to watch my form for feedback. I need another one of me to listen to my complaints and thoughts and to tell me that it's clear I should stop running now before the pain gets any worse. (And to argue with me when I say that it'll be ok)

I need another one of me to be my voice of reason.

I'm so good at doing that for other people, being their voice of reason, but I can't seem to do that, or be that, for myself. Starting to sound like a broken record, all this "I ran too much and hurt myself" nonsense. It's not necessarily that I'm running too much - it's that I'm running when I feel slightly off, and I think the mileage is not going to affect it.

I think too much.

Also, I really want to see what my own running form looks like. I keep seeing these pretty videos of barefoot runners and their fantastic form and I want to be that but I have no idea if I'm even close or not. Once I'm healed, I'll have a run with my friend Meredith, who said she would videotape me. (Weeeee!)

Doubts

I'm having doubts.

I really want to be a strong runner, to be able to run barefoot or in minimalist footwear whenever and wherever I want; but so far I've injured my feet twice already, and it seems a third time is inevitable.

I really want to run/walk the Nike Women's (half) Marathon in San Francisco in October, but I'm afraid that if I try to do barefoot running and try to train for a half marathon within the same six months, that the patience needed for barefoot running and the mileage needed for half marathon training will conflict and I'll just end up injured.

(I understand that I should probably be posing this question next week when I actually know whether or not I've gotten into the race.)

I'm wondering if maybe I should start training in my Nikes to get back into running again? I would try this time to focus on good form and a midfoot or forefoot landing. I would also try to incorporate small amounts of barefoot activity before or after runs, perhaps like a warmup, in an effort to strengthen my feet and still work towards minimalist or barefoot running in the future.

I know it seems like this is a backwards step - but all I really want to do is run the hell out of this thing for my Dad. I can't do much for him, but this is something I CAN do to support him as well as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

And really, isn't the running the most important thing? Not necessarily how I do it, but that I do it at all? Have I just gotten way too far ahead of myself here?

Any thoughts on this topic would be welcome.

Singing to the tune of Frustration

Heading out the door yesterday for a little barefoot jaunt, I felt a little twinge, stretched out my ankle, then thought nothing of it and continued on my way.

Today, I am regretting that decision.

I've been limping around school all day, though admittedly not nearly as bad as I was when I hurt myself in November/December. Also, it's the opposite foot, and not in the same area.

I'm wondering if this is part of the "my foot is weak and needs to man up" portion of learning to run barefoot (yes, that's what I'm calling it), or if it's just me being stupid and not listening to my body, or if perhaps I turned my ankle a little farther than I originally thought in that soccer field.

(By the way, grass, although it feels very nice underfoot, is frequently NOT EVEN. You can't see it until you step into the hole sideways. Lesson learned.)

In any case I found this link and after reading it, I realized that hey, perhaps just going out for walks for about a month would have been a better way to strengthen my feet and soles than doing the 5-minutes one week, 10-minutes the next week running schedule.

*facepalm*

Yeah yeah yeah. So I'm going to ice down every evening after school and hope that I'm not on my ass for too long on this one. IMPATIENCE. Can't I just be good at it already? kthxbai.

Four thoughts

For tonight's blog, I have four thoughts.

ONE. I need to find a proper warm up, something that will thoroughly lubricate my joints, warm up my feet and ankles, and help me get ready to start running. Any suggestions would be helpful.

TWO. I need to try running at the beginning of the day whenever possible - although I like to run near sunset, the sidewalks and asphalt have been baking all day. The surfaces do cool down somewhat, but it's still not as nice as cool concrete under my soles. Sonoma's just going to keep getting hotter.

THREE. If I miss a few days of training, I need to back off a notch and take it easy. Pay more attention to what's going on. My feet and ankles were a bit cold/weak/tired today and I probably could have done less. My swimming coaches used to tell me that if you miss one day in the pool, you have to make up for two days' training lost.

FOUR. I don't drink enough water or hydrate myself enough. Headaches during runs just don't help with the enjoyment factor.

That's about all I have for tonight. It felt good just to get out and run, but three five days was too long to go without running. Oops... definitely thought it was only three.

"Oh sweet Lord. I wish I had not asked."

"I have a blog about my barefoot running. It is required to have a blog."

This just made me crack up... had to share.

Sonoma doesn't believe in street lights

It feels really awesome when the only motivation you need to get out and run is the imminent threat of sunset. 

I stayed at school working until 6:30 today, then hopped over to Sonoma Market to buy some ingredients for dinner. I have a bad habit of shopping hungry and decided to shop before the run for this reason.

I wasted no time when I got home. I changed, ditched the shoes, got my blood pumping a bit with some warm-up exercises in my apartment before heading out the door. I have noticed that I'm slowly getting more comfortable on rougher surfaces. Mind you, I'm not running on gravel or even trails but I did choose a route with slightly more beat-up cement, and felt pretty comfortable.

I am slightly surprised that I haven't gotten more weird looks. I see people noticing that I'm barefoot, but there are no double-takes or questions. Perhaps they are too polite, or just not as shocked as I would expect them to be. Or, I just sneak up on them too quickly. I have to admit, I do feel like a ninja sometimes!

Foot check: no tenderness or soreness anywhere on the feet, except a slight feeling of fatigue for a few hours after the run. I did find one tiny puncture in the bottom of my foot, probably from a loose piece of gravel. In any case it doesn't hurt (unless I poke it real hard like an idiot), and I cleaned it and patched it with Skin Shield liquid bandage for good measure. But HOLY WOW my calves feel it! That's probably an exaggeration, but I am definitely sore in the calves and loving every minute of it... I even caught myself with a stupid happy grin on my face once or twice ;)

It burnsss ussss!

ALERT: whining may be involved in this blog.

OOOOOOMMMMGGGGG ice water so cold so cold it hurts usssss... I am writing this blog with my feet in a bucket of ice water. I've heard from several sources that icing your feet after a run is beneficial, and helps to reduce the chance of injury, especially in the case of barefoot running. So, since I upped my running time today, and it's getting much warmer, I decided to submit to some ice lovin'. (pshh.... NOT loving it)

Went for a run today in sunny Stockton. It's getting hot! I went outside to test the sidewalk before I ran and decided that it was still cool enough to run on. I planned my route, about one mile, decided to go for ten minutes today, and then started! Somehow, I missed a turn and got off route, which sent me farther than I was planning to go. So, I stuck to the original 10 minute plan, then paused to put my VFFs on. By that point, the sidewalk was also getting pretty toasty, and my soles were glad for the break. Side note: Vibrams are much harder to put on when your feet are already hot!

Since I was still a ways from home, and my feet still felt good, I decided to try adding five minutes in my Treksports. The interesting thing about the transition from barefoot to shoes this time is that I still kept the forefoot strike that I was using while I was barefoot, as opposed to switching from a traditional running shoe to the minimalist shoe, which changed the way I was running, but not enough to protect me from injury.

The VFFs felt very cushy under my feet, which was an odd sensation! I can understand the comments about the lack of ground feel now. The rest of the run felt light and smooth. My calves certainly feel stronger, and I can feel soreness in between runs in my legs. The places on my feet that were tender on my last run are no longer tender; however I do have some sensitivity the outside of both feet, just below the pinky toe. I think that's from the sole/upper seam in the VFFs.

Note: If you want to keep your Five Fingers from smelling like death, swipe a stick of deodorant along the soles of your feet before wearing them. The only problem is it's kind of strange to carry around a stick of deodorant on your run, in case you want to put your shoes on!

Now that my feet are sufficiently numbed, the ice water isn't so bad... =P