Runner's Community

I ran outside.

It's 36 feels like 31 degrees and aside from regretting lacking gloves I was perfectly comfortable. I got to use my Vibrams outside for the first time which was exciting. It's very pleasant to run through a wet slab on the sidewalk and see your footprint--toes and all--on the next dry slab.

Here's the best part though:

On my way out, while I was still deciding my route, I hesitated at a corner and ended up nearly running into another (much more serious) runner. He smiled and said, "Hey! Good! You're doing great! Keep going!" How completely wonderful.

I ran my 1.3 miles in between 11-12 minutes. It's always better running outside. I wasn't focused on how fast or far I was going, I was just happy to be making progress. I crossed the river and streets, passed light posts and dodged lunch-crowd walkers.

And on my way back, I opted to walk the last 3 blocks before I wrapped up my break. The man I had seen when I first set out was just crossing the street approaching me. We made eye contact and I said hello, albeit somewhat sheepishly since he has seen me just a few short minutes ago running and I was clearly already finished. Nonetheless, he said, "S'Alright!" as he stuck out his hand and gave me a high five as we passed one another.

My experience skepticism both tell me that this man is the exception, but I'm well on my way to tricking myself into thinking that maybe the running community really is this encouraging. Maybe they all say hello to one another on the street and bestow little morsels of encouragement to their fellow runners at every literal turn. Maybe they understand that somedays you go on a short run, and it's alright, you're still trying, and that's the important bit.

For those of you who are runners, if this isn't the case, please don't tell me. I like my way better.

shortcomings

I've set this goal of doing six workouts per week: 2 of each sport.

That doesn't seem so unreasonable when you consider that I'm running very short distances, and eventually will be able to bike to work, thus eliminating some of my gym time.

Still, I keep falling short by one workout a week. The past two weeks, it swimming, and this week, I ran out of time to run.

I'm not too worried about it, since overall, I feel like I'm doing really well. My swimming is coming back into shape, and biking is...well, like riding a bike. Running will come, I think, if I'm patient with it. I'm not as terrible at it as I was and it's turning out to be all mental. Plus, I'm insanely jealous of Kate's Vibrams and will probably consider forking over a chunk of my next paycheck to similar shoes.

On top of all this, I have SAD like crazy. Was there ever a syndrome so effectively acronymized? Seasonal Affective Disorder is killing me, slowly, by rotting out all trace of sanity I ever had and replacing it with the steadily building urge to kill everyone in the world one by one with hunks of solid ice I found on the street corner. My demands are simple, if you want the carnage to stop: Rapidly melting snow, 45-60 degree days, and clear bike paths from here to eternity. I want to wear shoes without socks, capris, and light jackets, if no jacket at all, and I want to leave my house and be greeted with fresh, warm air that doesn't freeze me to my very core.

I'll take all of these things by the end of the month, please, Minnesota, and no haggling.

In the meantime, my gym has graciously starting offering free Balance Bars near the towel rack, and my life has been 45% better for it.

Resources

A coworker turned me on to two sites that follow the deal-a-day model, but change the deal every 30 minutes. Here they are--Bonktown and Steep and Cheap. Knock yourselves out.

This site was linked from Vibram's site and so far it's been both interesting and helpful. I have everything I need to be a successful minimalist runner except for 40 degree weather. Come on, Minnesota. I'm counting on you.

Six Little Words

Today a man at the gym said the six words I've been waiting to hear: How do you like your shoes? He was pointing at my Vibrams. My hard-earned, waiting since November, finally got a run in them Vibrams.

"I love them." I said. I explained I had only had them a short while but I'm very pleased so far. I explained why I switched to minimalist shoes and why I chose Vibrams as my next step. He was open, but still a little skeptical, "Yeah, but what about for a middle-aged overweight man like me?" I told him I had never been a middle-aged overweight man like him, so I couldn't say for certain, but that I had less joint pain and fewer aches all around since running with them. The bulk of our remaining conversation was summed up in these points:

Pros

-No pain

-Look silly

-I love running in them

Cons

-Calves are sore

-Tricky to get on my feet

-I have new blisters

The Con list is made up of inconveniences I am certain are temporary. My calves will get stronger, my shoe-putting-on technique will get better and I will get calluses. The Pro list is mostly just a list of things that make me happy like no pain, silly things, and being excited for my workouts. The Pros win. Vibrams win. I win.

I love them.

So Excited

I got my size 35 KSOs in the mail today. I ordered them directly from Vibram because it was comparable in price and the shipping was way faster (three days as opposed to 13 weeks and counting) than the local outfitter.

I walked around a bit. I hopped. I scampered from the living room to the kitchen. I gleefully kicked my tiny little kickers. But I haven't been for a run in them yet. I'm so excited to.

I'll keep you posted.

Quasi-Barefoot Running

I've written about barefoot running before, albeit on another blog, briefly, and at the beginning of my quasi-barefoot miles, when I was still sort of figuring the whole thing out. I've been running quasi-barefoot indoors now for a few months though now. The short verdict is: I love it.

With hard soles, I got a sharp pain in my knees after less than a mile of running. It was severe enough that I had to stop almost immediately, and often times would find myself hobbling around for days to come. If I wanted to run more than a mile, I was almost guaranteed to hurt for at least a week, preventing me from having any sort of pleasure or consistency in my jogs. It was clearly an awful way to live for a girl who needed to return to her third floor apartment every night, a trek that took twice as long and involved a whole lot of wincing.

With soft, minimal shoes, I have experienced no aches in my knees. None. Astoundingly zero. I can run farther, more frequently, with greater joy and comfort. Not only do my knees lack pain, but my hips and lower back are pain-free after running, too. Instead of leading with my heel, I've learned to stretch my step and lead with my toes--to reach forward and get as much earth between my strides as possible. I feel more efficient and sleeker. Most importantly, though, I feel the wonderful absence of pain.

The only time I had a bad experience with quasi-barefoot running was my very first attempt. Yes, the first venture with flexible soled shoes was a huge failure in terms of comfort. I had heard that upon trying barefoot running (or something like it), my calves would be noticeably sore. Being the foolish person I am, I took this with a grain of salt. MISTAKE. HORRIBLE MISTAKE. I ended up running about 1.5 miles that day (the first part felt great) and could not walk for the next two weeks. My calves were so tight it hurt to even lay down and think about moving my legs. They ached in a way that made me fear I would never be able to walk again. It was awful.

I got over it though. And thus, became wise enough to offer advice for novice minimalist runners: Go for a shorter run than you think you should. If you're the type to usually go for a 6-mile run, don't cut it down to just 4 miles. Go for maybe 1-1.5 miles. If you're the type to go for a 2-3 mile run (like myself), try .5 miles first. Your calves will thank you.

barefoot is the new black?

Kate and I braved the snow today to do some shopping, in hopes that President's Day would yield some sales that were of use.

It did, but neither of us really walked away satisfied from any one place. We tried a local outdoor store, Midwest Mountaineering, and REI of course, looking for a few things. Kate wanted her five finger shoes in the right size, and I wanted to try them on and see what I thought. I also had serious bike on the brain, and the Hub Bike Co-op is right next door to MM.

I'll let Kate expound on her own issues finding a pair of five finger or similar shoes that work for her, and stick to my own observations. I tried on a few Vibrams, as well as the Merrill Pace Glove, which uses the same working theory as five-finger Vibrams but does not separate the toes individually. That is one nice looking shoe, but on my feet the 38 was too big and the 37 was too small, so I was SOL. Too bad, because I love Merrills. The Vibrams on hand at MM were okay, but it wasn't until I tried a Bikla style at REI that I felt like I really understood what these shoes were trying to get at. Even in walking just around the shoe section, my legs and feet felt different. Not bad-different, but just different. I can see how they would take some getting used to, but I liked them. My step forward from here is to try to simulate barefoot running, perhaps with an old pair of flat-heeled Champion street shoes I have, to see if it helps me make a decision at all. Either way, whether I get a pair of new running shoes or new Vibrams, I'll be spending around $100 for a quality pair, I just have to decide which is the path I want to go down.



In the meantime, this bike was so. beautiful. And on sale! Still, more money than I have right now. But beautiful. My next step toward a new bike purchase is research, and the man at The Hub was kind enough to walk me through what I wanted without pushing me to buy anything.




Suggestions? Ideas?

Eh-hem...Introductions

My name is Kate. I have never done a triathlon.

There. I said it.

What's more is that I've never really been a runner (my knees act like they're older than dirt) or a biker (which was largely due to an unshared family enthusiasm for the damn things). Recently, however, I switched shoe styles and bought a new bike, which have significantly heightened my appreciation--growing into adoration--for these means of transportation.

I have been running a few times a week for several weeks. These have been petite runs, mind you--probably about 2-3 miles a week. I made a goal to run a 5k in 30 minutes or less that I quickly forgot about since I got a new bike shortly thereafter...

Since getting my new bike I have been head-over-heels smitten. Smitten, I tell you! Last summer I averaged 10 miles a day, and ended up biking the 28-mile commute to and from work through the early fall. I have been out once so far this year (February 4) and am itching to get back on my beautiful piece of machinery.

Swimming is another story altogether--it's hard. Anyone who tells you otherwise is a liar. We humans have achieved some degree of competency in the water probably due to stubbornness and stupidity. I suspect this because we are terrestrial animals not meant to be in the water as evidenced by our respiratory system.

So that's who I am. A gal in need of advice, attempting a triathlon for the first time in her life.

lauren: day one, week one

So it begins.

I used a treadmill for 25 minutes today, completing a total of 1.98 miles. I think I actually ran somewhere between 1.3 and 1.4 miles, which was a little under my goal of 1.6.

It wasn't as hard as I thought!

Hurray!

...

I went pretty slowly though.


The fastest pace I managed was a 10 minute mile, and I think I held on to that for about 7 minutes. Still, that's pretty good for me.

Then I swan for about 20 minutes, and sat in the jacuzzi for 5, and then wobbled around the Minneapolis skyways on some errands. At Target I bought a bunch of heavy shit, and carried that to the downtown bus stop, then from my home bus stop a few blocks to my place, and now I will sleep forever.

----

Speaking of running, Kate's into barefoot running these days. Anyone else have any opinions? I'm in the market for a new pair of running shoes, and I'm wondering if I should look into the whole Vibrams craze and see if it would work for me. Running causes me a lot of hip/lower back pain if I'm not careful about it, and I'd like to prevent that if at all possible.