Running Log - Tuesday, 10/26/2010

Dist: 2.5 mi

Shoes: barefoot

Had an awesome run tonight! Recently, the big toe and inside ball of each foot have been feeling tender after about 2 miles of running. Because of my flat feet, I tend to overpronate which causes me to use my big toe for stability. The added pressure on that part of my foot is what was causing the tenderness.

I played around with my form a little, trying to minimize the unevenness and I think I may have fixed it. I angled my feet so that if I formed a straight line from my heel to my big toe it would point slightly inward. I believe my feet were pointing outward before, especially on my right foot.

As soon as I made the change I noticed a difference in my form. I could tell that I was landing (and lifting off) more evenly on the entire surface of my feet. And on top of that, it made an immediate improvement in my pace. The loop I run has a slight hill, and on the downward part I felt like I was flying. I have no idea how fast I was going (I don't carry a watch; just shorts and my house key), but it was way quicker than my usual pace. I'm feeling a little muscle soreness, probably from engaging new muscles, but there was no other pain. I ran 2.5 miles, but my feet felt like they could have done more.

I also had an interesting conversation with one of my neighbors. She was walking her dog with her son and she asked me about my bare feet. She seemed skeptical at first, but in the end she seemed fairly open to the idea. It's been pretty neat how interested random strangers have been, and then getting an opportunity to explain it.

Oh, and to top off an already good night, I have now run 50 miles barefoot this year (since late August). Going to shoot for a 3 mile run this weekend, and then maybe sign up for my first ever 5k!

Running Log - Monday, 10/11/2010

Distance: 1 mile

Shoes: barefoot

I haven't updated in a while, but I've been running. I've decided to save the run logs for the days that are especially good (or bad). Or for days where something noteworthy happens.

I'm trying to increase the frequency of my runs, and so I'm backing off the distance a little. I went for a nice and easy 1 mile run tonight after about 30 minutes of strength training at home (push-ups, core exercises, bicep curls, tricep extensions, and military press). I might have found a way to get out of the gym for good. :)

Anyway, the run felt nice and easy. I may have had a revelation with regards to up and down movement. I initially thought that any vertical motion was bad, but after I thought about it, you need a little downward motion for shock absorption and then you need a little upward motion to get back to where you started. I transitioned to a slightly springy step for the second half of the run, and it was surprisingly light and easy. I'll try it again for my run tomorrow night.

Feet felt fine, but then again, it was only a mile.

Running Log - Tuesday, 9/28/2010

Distance: 2 miles

Shoes: barefoot

Tonight kind of sucked. I started my evening off by thinking about changing my route to get out of my neighborhood. There's a green-belt/park with a bike path that is .7 miles away. I figured I would just walk the first .3 miles as a warmup, run rest of the .4 miles until I got to the park and then go another .45 miles along the bike path. Then turn around and run the 1.15 miles home. Totaling 2 miles running and a .3 mile warmup. For whatever reason, I told myself that I needed to do a few runs at this distance before trying a new route, and decided against it. Instead I just ran my normal .5 mile loop 4 times (in reverse because I'm alternating my direction each run).

I increased my pace a little for this run, which ended up being a mistake. The run started off pretty good. I made it about a mile without much trouble. After that first mile, I started feeling some pain under the 2nd metatarsal (the one next to my big toe) on my right foot. It kind of felt like a cut, or like a pebble was stuck to the sole of my foot. I inspected my foot and didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, so I kept going.

On my last half mile, the pain in my foot got worse, and by the time I stopped I could feel a slight blister forming. On top of that, the blistered area feels bruised. And after my run, I noticed that my left outer metatarsal feels a little bruised as well. I guess the pain in my right foot was masking it during the run.

I think the issue was caused by 2 things. The first is that I've been forcing myself to run with the "proper" form. I've been trying to make sure I land slightly on the ball of my foot and then let my heel touch, but I think I've been pounding my foot into the ground. The second is that I've been pushing off a little more when I increase my pace. The combination of the 2 is that the ball of my foot gets pounded into the ground once when I land, and again when I lift my foot.

I remember a run from a couple of weeks ago when I just forgot about my form and ran the way my body naturally wanted to. My feet and legs were relaxed and I was basically just swinging my legs underneath me to keep up with the pace of my forward momentum. I think next time I'll try to emulate that feeling. Just clear my head of all the "proper form" junk I've been reading about and do what feels right. Hopefully that will be Thursday, but if my feet haven't healed by then, I might have to wait until the weekend.

Running Log - Sunday, 9/26/2010

Distance: 2 miles

Shoes: barefoot

Yesterday was only okay. I got up early out of habit, threw on my shorts and went out the door. The problem is that it was in the 60s and still damp from the rain we got this weekend. My 5 minute warmup walk didn't live up to its name. It took me about a mile of running before my feet felt warmed up and were used to the ground temperature.

On the bright side, I finished 2 miles (PR) without any major problems. I tried to focus on landing more on the front of my foot, but it actually caused a little bit of abrasion on my right foot (no blisters though). I guess I shouldn't have tried to change what was already working.

Next time it's this cold I'll remember to wear a shirt.

Running Log - Thursday, 9/23/2010

Distance: 1.75 miles

Shoes: barefoot

I felt drained tonight. My hamstrings, which were sore last time, didn't give me too much trouble tonight, but my hip flexors were sore. The pain is on the inside of my thighs, almost like a pulled/strained groin. I'm assuming it's because the lack of a push from my feet is putting extra strain on my upper legs to get my feet back out under my center of gravity.

I tried to focus on my cadence tonight, but I started feeling tired toward the end, and coupled with the nagging hip flexors, I couldn't sustain the high cadence. I did a long, medium-high intensity elliptical workout last night (1200 calories in 60 minutes), so that probably explains some of the tiredness. I can't wait for the day that I get all of my cardiovascular endurance from running.

Lately I've been feeling tight on the right side of my body, and I think it might be because I always run the same direction on my half mile loop. So, tonight I ran the opposite way and I'm hoping I'll start re-aligning the tension in my body. Some time soon, I'll be taking my runs outside my little neighborhood (so no more loop), but until then, I'm going to try alternating the loop direction.

I'm looking forward to increasing my distance to 2 miles on Sunday!

Running Log - Tuesday, 9/21/2010

Distance: 1.75 miles

Shoes: barefoot

Good: Had a nice slow-paced run. Was able to go the entire 1.75 miles without stopping, despite some nagging hamstring pain (caused by doing some squat-like motions while doing yard work this past weekend). Weather was warm, but not too hot. Feet feel great afterwards, like they could have handled twice the distance.

Bad: I had some sore hamstrings that caused me to run a little slower than I might have otherwise. By trying to avoid the slight pain of the muscle stretching and contracting, I had to change up my form a little, which wasn't quite as smooth. But the slower pace allowed me to run without too much impact.

Running Log - Sunday, 9/19/2010

Distance: 1.75 miles

Shoes: barefoot

Good: The focus on my landing worked really well. I felt really smooth for the whole run. The first mile or so was really fun. I don't think I've ever run midday before due to the heat, and even though it was still pretty hot outside it was a different experience from running at twilight or in the early morning. I've been wearing nothing but some shorts for my runs lately, and the breeze and the sun on my bare skin feels really good. I also broke my previous distance personal record by a quarter of a mile, so that was a bonus.

Bad: Despite the pleasurable experience of running with the sun directly overhead, the heat of the road and sidewalks started to do a number on my feet. I didn't get any blisters, but I don't think I could have gone any further without being in a lot of pain. The heat also made me take a few rests (about 10-20 seconds after each half mile) to cool down and lower my heart rate. I was drenched with sweat by the time I was done.

For Next Time: I found the right pace this time for smooth running. Hopefully on Tuesday I'll be able to run at the same speed and distance.

Running Log - Thursday, 9/16/2010

I realized tonight that I could possibly benefit from a little more introspection on what went right and what went wrong after each of my runs. Barefoot running is great for the feedback it gives you, but I've found that you learn even more, and it sticks in your mind better, if you find a way to articulate what exactly it was that you did. So, this post is hopefully the first of many such small updates.

Distance: 1.5 miles

Style: barefoot

Good: Tonight was my third run at 1.5 miles. I did my warm up barefoot as well, for a total of 1.9 miles. It's starting to feel frictionless, and I think after 3 weeks of no blisters, the tender soles are starting to feel like a distance memory. No ankle or shin pain either.

Bad: After an awesome run Tuesday, I think I might have gone out a little too fast tonight. On Tuesday, there were parts where it felt entirely smooth, like I was floating, whereas tonight felt more plodding. And I can tell because I think I may have bruised the outside metatarsals, just under the balls of both feet (left hurting more).

For Next Time: I want to find a way to get back to running as smoothly as I did Tuesday. Focus on the landing part of my form.