"Barefoot" Running

Here's how I feel about it so far. I'm noticing that my calves are less irritated after each "barefoot" running session. I've had 5 so far. I ended up running back to back days to avoid the treadmill. I knew we had rain coming, so I did a 4miler yesterday instead of today. My calves are a little sore, but nothing serious. Considering that they had no rest, they feel great. I'm still not hobbling downstairs or busting out the liniment. When I ran in my stability shoes last Saturday (to supposedly give my calves a break), my left foot got irritated. I've been cracking my left ankle ever since. It was harder to run properly on my forefoot. With that being said, I think I'll be switching to EVOs (Terra Plana Vivo Barefoot EVO) as my primary running shoe. They just feel better. I'm still easing into the EVOs and back into running in general. So I'll be increasing mileage slowly. Don't expect a 10miler from me any time soon :)

In case you care, here's what I did since my last post. And yes, I'm still going strong with yoga, 13 days straight. Namaste.

3/9 - Yoga Meltdown Level 1 (34min)
Swim (1700yd - 49:09)

3/10 - Yoga: General Practice w/Backbends (38min)
3mi Run (27:36 - 9:12 pace)

3/11 - 4mi Run (See below)
Weights (11min)
Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/12 - Shimmy (21min belly dance)
Yoga: General Practice (46min)

Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/11/10 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 04:42 PM Difficulty: 1.7 / 5.0 Weather: Overcast 59 F temp; 64% humidity 59 F heat index; winds N 5 Performance Distance: 4.00 miles Time: 0:37:21 Speed: 6.4 mph Pace: 9' 20 /mi Heart Rate: 172 bpm (Avg) Calories: 448 193 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .55mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 07m 19% 0.83 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 28m 75% 2.99 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 03m 8% 0.32 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 1% 0.04 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.01 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 45 +0' 25 6.1 -0.3 159 0 ft 2 9' 29 +0' 09 6.3 -0.1 173 0 ft 3 9' 16 -0' 04 6.5 +0.0 176 0 ft end 8' 49 -0' 31 6.8 +0.3 182 0 ft Versus average of 9' 20 min/mile

Posted from bimactive.com

So Far, So Good

I've run three times since my last post. I have to say, I really like the EVOs, despite the pain they cause. I've hobbled down the stairs for a couple of days due to sore calves. I had to put a liniment on them and everything. But it's all good. I ran in them again last night, and my calves feel fine today. Maybe they're quick learners. On Saturday, I gave my calves a break and ran 3mi in my old bricks. Talk about being aggravated. It was probably a bad run in general, but the bricks didn't help. I know I'm coming back from a long break, but I just felt so slow. It took so much effort to maintain a pace that was once easy. But it's to be expected. Unless you're Super Athlete, you're not gonna pick up right where you left off. I'm over it. I had a good run in my EVOs yesterday, where I felt almost normal. Sub 9:00 paced short runs were a distant memory. But after last night, I left the track feeling like I'd be back there sooner than I thought.

But I must confess, I've had hip irritation after my second run. It's only after a run, never during. Then a fellow runner, Dan, posted an article that may be helpful. The first injury mentioned describes what I've got going on. So I've been doing weighted side leg raises since Saturday (2x15, 5lb). I'm going to keep up with that and see how it works. I won't consider any serious mileage or races (not like I like racing) until I get that figured out.

So with the muscle soreness I had going on, I've been that much more on top of yoga. Yesterday made 9 days straight of yoga practice. And with every session, I see improvement. It's nice to be able to measure progress without having to depend on the scale. The scale hasn't been my friend lately anyway. I'm convinced it's mostly muscle. I am stronger. And I see that when I finally master a pose I couldn't do. Or improve my swim stroke. Or by doing something as simple as pushups, because Lord knows, I could only do them on my knees. I'm not busting out my jeans or running skirts, so it's all good.

Snapped a quick pic yesterday before hitting the track.

In case anyone cares, here's a recap of what I did since my last post. I'm so happy to share because I have NOT been slacking!

3/2 - Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/3 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
Swim (43:21 - 1500yd)

3/4 - 2.36mi Run (23:00 - 9:44 pace)
Yoga: Hips, Legs & Feet (43min)

3/5 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
Shimmy (21min of belly dancing)

3/6 - 3mi Run (27:44 - 9:14 pace)
Yoga: Hip Mobility (30min)

3/7 - Swim (30:45 - 1150yd)
Yoga: Wringing Out the Old (36min)

3/8 - Yoga: Power Yoga Total Body (1hr)
3mi Run - Awesome stats below :-)

Activity Route: Track Elev. Avg: 36 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: +0 ft Date: 03/08/10 Up/Downhill: [+0/-0] Time: 05:50 PM Difficulty: 1.5 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 57 F temp; 30% humidity 57 F heat index; winds W 6 Performance Distance: 3.00 miles Time: 0:27:27 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 09 /mi Heart Rate: 181 bpm (Avg) Calories: 335 198 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .43 Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 19m 71% 2.17 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 07m 25% 0.72 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 01m 3% 0.09 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 29 +0' 20 6.3 -0.2 169 0 ft 2 9' 11 +0' 02 6.5 -0.1 185 0 ft end 8' 47 -0' 22 6.8 +0.3 190 0 ft Versus average of 9' 09 min/mile

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Before I Forget...

Here's what I did this week:

1/11 - Swim (33:35 - 1250yd)
Yoga Class - (1:30)

1/12 - Yoga: General Practice w/Backbends (38min)
Chisel Class - (1hr)
Bike (50min - 10.54mi)

1/13 - Elliptical (50min - 5.47mi)
Swim (45:19 - 1600yd)

1/14 - Yoga: Finding Balance (36min)

1/15 - Yoga: Going with the Flow of Life (40min)
Elliptical (50min - 5.54mi)
Bike (50min - 10.71mi)

1/16 - Yoga: Open and Strong Heart (30min)
Strength Training (12min)
Dancing!

I tried to do something every day, even if it was just yoga. Actually, this is the most yoga I've done in a week. Yoga is the perfect thing to do when you feel like doing nothing. There are lots of days I want to do nothing. So instead of nothing, I'll do yoga. But today, I'm actually resting. I am so tired. And it has nothing to do with my workouts. My period is due this week. And right beforehand, I get so beat that I could fall asleep standing up. Well, not really but you get what I mean. When my body says rest, I do so. I dosed off numerous times during the football games. I just hope I can sleep tonight and wake up refreshed tomorrow. I hope to swim and such.

Usually, I would write more but I'm just not in the mood. I'm watching tennis. And I just feel like being lazy. So on that note, I'm out. Have a great week!

I'm Making Progress

No. Not on my hip. That's still jacked up. There's a sensation in the joint that shouldn't be. My guess is that it's healed when I don't feel it anymore. I also suspect that the elliptical irritates it. I may lay off that for a while. But darn it, I'm not a fan of the bike. You have to be on it for a while to burn some serious calories. And you know me, it's all about the calorie burn. Well, I could just swim more.

Speaking of swimming, I'm improving. Well, at least, I think so. No, I haven't increased the front crawl set yet. BUT I'm working my way from 3 stroke bilateral breathing to 5 stroke. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. I remember going from 2 stroke to 3 stroke, and I felt like my lungs were going to collapse. But I stuck with it. And now bilateral breathing is just natural for me to do. I've also learned that the key with breathing is to make sure you exhale as much as possible before you inhale. About time I get to the end of the pool, it feels like there was less effort involved. So I guess with my breathing getting better, I'll be increasing front crawl sets soon. Right now, I'm still switching to breaststroke every 50yd. Maybe in a few more weeks, I'll begin to cover more distance in a shorter time frame. I'm excited.

So I took a couple pictures after I got out of the pool yesterday.

I like blue. Can't you tell?

Me and my fins. I use them for kicking drills.

Oh, and I was also showing off a yoga pose. No, it's not that serious. I'm wearing jeans and a sweater.

My arm used to tremble. I thought my yoga teacher was crazy.

And it was luck that I got into this position. I tried to do it last week, and it was extremely difficult to reach my hand around my back to my foot. I guess swimming helped loosen me up a bit.

Ardha baddha padma paschimottanasana..Say what? Say that 3 times fast.

And with that, I'm off to the pool. Have a great weekend!!

10/24 - Yoga: Practice for the Spine (47min)

10/25 - Bike (35min - 7.72mi)
Elliptical (35min - 3.44mi)
Swim (1:02:11 - 1900yd)

10/26 - Yoga Class (1:30)

10/27- Swim (1:06:50 - 2000yd)

10/28 - Yoga: Wringing Out the Old (36min)
Shimmy (Belly dancing - 25min)

10/29 - Swim (52:01 - 1700yd)

Christie Runs, Right?

Right. Right? Well, in theory, yes. In real life, not so much. I haven't run since last Friday. I still have this nagging injury to my left hip. Well, it's the hip/pelvic bone region. It's been an issue since August, when I was doing some serious mileage. I can run on it. And it usually doesn't bother me during the run. But the fact is, it just gets more aggravated afterward. So I'm back to square one. It didn't help that a few days after my last run, my hip was still talking to me. Makes no sense to keep injuring the thing. I think it was about Wednesday when I decided to be serious about not running. My hip had a lot to say.

What's funny is that now I'm not pressuring myself to run, I want to run. I step into the Y and want to walk over to the treadmill. I hate the treadmill. I'm kind of jealous of the people I see getting their run on. I'm like I can do that too. For real! I'm pretty good. But you wouldn't know. I'm injured. In the meantime, I'm embracing the elliptical. It's a lot easier on me than actual running. I found myself constantly increasing the resistance yesterday. That just tickles me because I really, REALLY hated that contraption. Anyway, I finished up drenched in sweat. It was a good workout after all.

In the past, when I've stepped away from running for whatever reason, I did nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was an all or nothing type thing. When I came back to it, I would hate it. I could still manage a decent pace, but my heart rate would be through the roof. The most uncomfortable and horrible series of runs ever. But now, I'm completely caught up in swimming. Talk about some ass kicking cardio right there. With that, I think that my first run after however long will be pretty decent.

Speaking of swimming, yesterday's session was on point. I don't know what happened but all the sudden, it just started to feel easier. I was able to breathe more deeply. I didn't feel beat when I got to the end of the pool. The thought of increasing front crawl sets scare me. I wonder how I can make it through without my lungs collapsing on me. But if my swims continue to be this way, it won't be so scary after all. Mind you, when I started in swim class, I'd stop 2 or 3 times before making it to the end of the pool (only 25yd). It was torture. And once I got down there, I needed to catch my breath AGAIN so I could struggle on the way back (stopping along the way). I've improved a lot but still have a long way to go.

So Christie probably won't be running for a few weeks. And that's cool. I'm not just a runner anymore. I think I've evolved into an athlete. In the meantime, I'll be improving my swim technique and expanding my lungs. When it's time to run again, I'll be so ready to kick asphalt!

10/22 - Yoga: Finding the Balance (45min)
Belly Dance: Basics and Beyond (38min)

10/23 - Yoga: Shoulders, Arms, Wrists and Hands (16min)
Yoga: General Practice Routine (42min)
Elliptical (35min - 3.52mi)
Swim (48:43 - 1600yd)

10/24 - I'm sore. Maybe a little yoga. Maybe a lot of couch. Still up in the air.

Yesterday was a waste...

But today was not. Here's how it went down...

With some stuff going on at home, I wasn't able to get to the pool until about 8pm. Come to find out, they're shutting down the pool because some dumb #$%@& threw up in the pool. The story was that homegirl was actually sick before getting in the pool. Hard headed wench got in anyway. She then tossed her cookies and ruined it for everyone. Doggone it!!

So I head to the other Y. The swim team hogs the pool until 9pm. That means only 30min left to swim. But dang it, I was getting in a pool somewhere. I get there, watch the swim team a bit. Then I go to grab my swim gear. Towel..check. Swim cap..check. Ear plugs..check. Fins..check. Goggles..goggles? Where the heck are my goggles? I had them at the other pool strapped on when I found out about the fool in the pool. I check the car to see if they fell from my bag. Nope. Nada. Damn. Oh well. I did kicking drills. I always do drills, but not for the entire time. The day was wasted.

Today was completely different though. I went to Sports Authority for a new pair of goggles. Got to the Y, jumped on the bike. It was cool because I got to read my book. It started getting juicy as my time on the bike came to an end. Jumped on the elliptical next and continued to read. Had no idea those things had a nice little ledge to put a book or magazine. Good stuff. On my way out, I check the ARC trainers to see if they had ledges too. And they do! Maybe I'll tackle that next time. I had a date with the pool.

Couldn't read in the pool but that was okay. I forgot my fins and ear plugs. That was okay too. Ear plugs are important when you're not entirely comfortable in the water, learning a stroke that requires your ears underwater. But the more I front crawl, the more comfortable I am with it. Still need lots of improvement though. Tried to do some catch up drills but didn't work out too well. The more I concentrate on the drill, the less comfortable I am, the more rigid my body becomes, then I feel like I'm sinking instead of floating. So I did away with that. Better luck next time. In other swimming news, my endurance is slightly better. Before I would alternate between front crawl and breaststroke every 25yd. This allows me to swim nonstop. I don't take breaks to breathe at the end of the pool. Now I've started alternating the strokes every 50yd. My next goal will be every 75yd. Baby steps.

Also, I've been doing bilateral breathing for quite some time now. I breathe every third stroke. My goal is to eventually breathe every fifth stroke. It's helpful because I notice now if I'm not rotating properly to one side. Some days I have problems with the left side. Other days I have problems with the right. How do I know? Because I end up with a mouthful of water. No rotation issues today though. I have yet to figure out why I may not turn enough on one side. Maybe it's just an issue of not being completely relaxed. I don't know. I just know that today was a good rotation day.

Finally, I had yoga class. It was just what I needed after today's workouts. I'm feeling like such a yoga pro. Well, not really. I can't do any handstands, but I'm pretty thorough at what I can do. And I always finish feeling strong. I actually start to sweat. No, I'm not doing bikram, hot yoga or power yoga. But what I am doing gets my muscles working. I guess I'm moving from beginner to intermediate.

Now here's a recap...

10/16 - 3mi Treadmill (27:39 - 9:13 pace)
Elliptical (25min - 2.35mi)
Swim (1:00 - 1850yd)

10/17 - Yoga: Going with the Flow of Life (40min)
Shimmy (Belly dancing - 18min)

10/18 - Swim (1:07 - 2000yd)

10/19 - Yoga Class (1:30)

10/20 - Swim (24:25 - 900yd) <--Wasted day

10/21 - Bike (35min - 7.93mi)
Elliptical (35min - 3.39mi)
Swim (56:05 - 1650yd)
Yoga Class (1hr)

It's Been How Long?

I know, I know. I've done a terrible job at maintaining this blog. For one, I'm always logging everything on dailymile. It posts to Twitter and Facebook. So if you follow me on there, you know what I'm up to. Two, I was in a funk. I took some time away from all things running..my blog, your blogs, and of course actual running. In the midst of the funk, I had an injury too. It's still here. So I've cut my mileage way down. Yeah, I ran 113mi in August. Then ran less than 30mi in September. Big difference. Gained a couple pounds from inactivity. I even stopped hitting the club while in my funk. If you know me, you know that I love to dance and that I dance hard (like hard running in a race). But it's cool. I'm active again and those couple pounds are gone. And I was out last night wearing a groove in the floor. So all is good. I ran today and it was cool. Pretty graphs below. I also pulled out my bike for the first time in ages. It was a short ride (3.24mi). I was riding to the track to get a run in, but there was a football game going on. I took the scenic route home and ran in the park instead. As far as my current running state goes, I am not following a plan. Maybe another time, but not now. No need to pressure myself, especially when there's an injury involved. If I feel like running, I run. If I'm not feeling it, I don't. Usually my hip lets me know anyway. It can go from being sore, to being okay, to feeling like I've been shanked. Gotta play it by ear. But my goal is to run 3 or 4 days a week, allowing plenty of rest. In the meantime, I've spent a lot of time swimming and doing yoga. I had my last swim class a couple weeks ago. And I'm really keeping up with my practice. I'm at the pool 2-4 times a week. If I have the time, I swim for at least an hour. I have two yoga classes this session on Mondays and Wednesdays. The Monday class is 90min long and more intense than Wednesday's 60min class. The classes really help my home practice. Yes, I'm doing yoga on my own too. I feel strong. No, I'm not balancing my whole body on my finger tips. I may never do that (too much junk in the trunk for all that). But my arms look like I hit the free weights. And we all know how I feel about strength training. HATED IT! Another thing I've been doing in my spare time is belly dancing. No, I'm not taking classes. I bought another dvd. Yes, another. I have one from a few years ago, but it's not very good to learn from. But the instruction on this new dvd is on point. Love it! That reminds me, I'm signed up for Zumba next session. We all know how I love all things Latin. Along with that, I'm signed up for more yoga (the same two classes), a chisel class (because I hate strength training but really should), and a step/sculpt class. I'll be busy, busy, busy and hoping to love every minute of it. Why am I all YMCA class crazy? Because it's free with my membership of course. It may not always be like this, so I gotta take advantage when I can. On that note, I've done all the catching up I'm gonna do for now (because I'm tired). I hope all is well. And I plan to catch up with y'all soon. Well, that's if my Google reader hasn't exploded :) Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 26 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -27 ft Date: 10/11/09 Up/Downhill: [+173/-200] Time: 02:10 PM Difficulty: 1.8 / 5.0 Weather: Fair 64 F temp; 42% humidity 64 F heat index; winds NW 8 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:45:47 Speed: 6.6 mph Pace: 9' 09 /mi Heart Rate: 172 bpm (Avg) Calories: 561 189 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .45mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 17m 36% 1.92 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 25m 54% 2.71 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 07m 14% 0.70 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 00m 0% 0.04 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.00 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 39 +0' 30 6.2 -0.3 153 -49 ft 2 9' 24 +0' 15 6.4 -0.2 169 0 ft 3 9' 08 -0' 01 6.6 +0.0 175 +13 ft 4 8' 55 -0' 16 6.7 +0.2 181 +13 ft end 8' 39 -0' 30 6.9 +0.3 184 -3 ft Versus average of 9' 09 min/mile

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Run + Swim + Recap

I haven't run in the park in weeks, but I went today. I didn't have time to fit a run in at the Y before swim class. See, I run at one Y (there are more treadmills and an indoor track) and have swim class at the other Y (closer to home). I didn't have time to be driving from town to town, so I sucked it up and went out in 87° with a heat index of 93°. Before I stepped out I prayed, "Lord, please don't let me crash and burn." I also blurted out a, "Lord, have mercy on me" somewhere in the middle of the run. I was expecting the heat to take me under since I've been running indoors lately. Thank God, it was overcast. If the sun was out, I'm pretty sure I would have been laid out. I was also expecting the little hills and inclines to get me since I've been running on extremely flat surfaces, i.e. track, treadmill. But that didn't bother me at all. What did bother me was the extremely thick air. I tried to slow my pace for consistent splits. But consistency is not my forte, so I decided to go with negative splits instead. Pretty graphs below. So I make it to my swim lesson on time. I have no idea how far I swam. At some points, there were others in the lane, so I would only go part way and back. I did some kicking drills (frog kick forward and backward, flutter kick forward and backward), breathing exercises, front crawl, competitive breaststroke, and backstroke. Now my shoulders and back are sore. It's okay though. I was expecting to be sore way before now. I was out dancing last night. Woke up fine though. And, now let me recap where I left off... 8/9 - 3mi Track (25:47 - 8:35 pace) 8/11 - 5mi Treadmill (50:00 - 10:00 pace) I began making an effort to run slower, since my mileage is getting up there. Really helps with recovery. Swim Lesson (30min - 550yd) 8/12 - 5mi Treadmill (50:00 - 10:00 pace) Yoga Class (1hr) Right before yoga 8/13 - 6mi Treadmill (60:00 - 10:00 pace) 8/15 - Namaste Yoga (25min Fit TV) Shimmy (2 x 20min Fit TV - Belly dancing and loving it) 8/16 - 10mi Treadmill (1:40 - 10:00 pace) With keeping my speed down, I didn't even feel this run the next day. So there is something to long SLOW distance runs, huh. Oh, and I must mention that I skipped a 5miler. If I keep my runs slow, I should have no problem making it up. But if I run outside, I can't guarantee a slower run. So we shall see. Activity Route: Park Elev. Avg: 27 ft Location: Willingboro, NJ Elev. Gain: -32 ft Date: 08/18/09 Up/Downhill: [+200/-232] Time: 05:30 PM Difficulty: 3.1 / 5.0 Weather: Partly Cloudy 87 F temp; 61% humidity 93 F heat index; winds Vrbl 3 Performance Distance: 5.00 miles Time: 0:48:02 Speed: 6.2 mph Pace: 9' 36 /mi Heart Rate: 169 bpm (Avg) Calories: 554 194 bpm (Peak) Notes Cool Down = .43mi Elevation (ft) Pace (min/mile) Heart Rate (bpm) Heart Rate Zones Zone Range (bpm) Time In Zone Distance In Zone Zone 5 180 - 200 0h 15m 31% 1.63 mi Zone 4 160 - 180 0h 25m 51% 2.57 mi Zone 3 140 - 160 0h 06m 12% 0.63 mi Zone 2 120 - 140 0h 03m 6% 0.28 mi Zone 1 100 - 120 0h 00m 0% 0.02 mi (none) out of range 0h 00m 0% 0.03 mi Splits Mile Pace (min/mile) Speed (mph) Heart Rate Elev Gain actual +/- avg actual +/- avg 1 9' 54 +0' 18 6.1 -0.2 145 -49 ft 2 9' 49 +0' 13 6.1 -0.2 165 +16 ft 3 9' 39 +0' 03 6.2 -0.0 172 -19 ft 4 9' 23 -0' 13 6.4 +0.1 182 +17 ft end 9' 15 -0' 21 6.5 +0.2 184 +3 ft Versus average of 9' 36 min/mile

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