In my last post, I wrote about my first run in Vibram Five Fingers (a minimalist running shoe). One thing I did not realize while writing that, is that I completely overdid it. It was my first run in Vibrams. I felt great during the run, and since I have run a half-marathon before, 3.8 miles shouldn’t have been much. However, I was a heel striker at the time and it was a month ago. I’ve taken the better part of a month off dealing with injuries and illness. Running with better form is much harder on the calves. For days, I was walking like an old man. I was starting to return to normal today, although they are still sore. I thought I might be able to attempt a short run.
I was getting antsy in my office and thought lunch would be a good time. I only get 30 minutes for lunch, so I knew it would be quick. I didn’t bring much gear, so I decided to try going barefoot. I have been taking regular, long walks barefoot to try to strengthen my feet the last few weeks. I’ve been feeling pretty good and wanted to try running. I still had to take it pretty easy because of my calves. I feel like an old man again because I inflamed them, but barefoot running was a lot of fun. I had no pain and very little discomfort. It was over a fairly rocky parking lot, sidewalks, and grass. Once my calves heal, I’m looking forward to taking longer barefoot runs.
By the way, my Nike+ Sportswatch GPS just came in. It works great and even looks decent as a watch. You can look at the workout on Nike Running or on DailyMile.
Lastly, I was able to go running on my break because it was raining and unusually cool, which negated perspiration. I’m curious. Those of you who run at work, how do you avoid those unpleasant side effects?
Today, I went for a decent run for the first time in 3 weeks.You can see information about the run here: http://runkeeper.com/user/jasontbedell/activity/33725109. Between resting my knee, horrendous allergies, and general laziness, I haven't been doing too well. Obviously, I'm not going to be ready for a marathon on June 4th. I got in over my head. My new plan is to run the Atlantic City marathon in mid-October. I will start a full 18-week training camp in June and just want to get in generally good shape in the next month.
I've been wearing my Vibram KSO Treks on long walks to get used to them and was excited to try to run in them. They are a little tight and I would probably get the next size up next time. Overall, I really like them. I ran the whole time with the best form I have yet. I only landed on my heel once in close to 4 miles. I was able to land on the balls of my feet and keep my stride fairly short. I was a little worried that they were not in good shape from long walks to work over very rocky roads the last few days, but I felt good. My only complaint was that my calves were sore from not having run with that form before. I had no real pain in my knees to speak of and hope that keeps up.
I'm actually starting to like the gym; I'm going about five days a week before work. I'm doing a lot of cross-training, but not a lot of running. I really hate the treadmill... and the stationary bike... and the elliptical. I am not getting either the cardio or leg workout that I get outside and feel like I'm moving backwards in my training. Odd that going to the gym religiously can actually inhibit training, but that is what's happening.
I need to get back outside. I run better and I enjoy it more. I don't need to make sure my Bluetooth headset is charged so as to distract me from the monotony. I may still go to the gym afterwards for cross-training, but I find that the best training for running is running. Since I run best outside, I need to get back to that.
On a side note, I feel like I am running with better form and my knees feel healed. Hopefully, I can maintain that as I start to build back up to where I was for the half-marathon and beyond.
I arose at 4:30 am this morning and drove to new trail. Unfortunately, it was closed. Apparently, people aren't supposed to run in the woods in the dark. So, I drove over to the Barnegat Branch Trail, which, as a man made trail, is completely flat. It was good for a comeback run, though. I have not run in a week to try to rest up my knees.
I went for a short 3 mile test run this morning. I felt fantastic on the way out and pretty good on the way in. The first thing I noticed was that I was naturally landing on my midfoot and springing without having to think of it. Also, I had some other things I wanted to try after reading the incredibly helpful comments on this post by @oblinkin. I really started trying to push off of the big toe as opposed to the little toe/outside of the foot as is natural for me. I also tried to keep my arms pumping straight as opposed to my normal, which probably causes unnecessary torsional rotation. I only felt the slightest twinge of pain in my right knee on the way back in, towards the end of the run.
I have to work back up after what amounts to essentially two weeks off. I am going to continue cross-training as I think that will help as well. Particularly, I want to strengthen the muscles that support the knee, ankle, and hip joints. I'm causiously optimistic that I'll be able to continue running and hopefully even finish the marathon in June. It's going to be a short, intense training period if I'm going to be able to do it.
I've been doing cross-training all week and resting my knee. At the moment, my knees feel pretty good. The real test will be tomorrow and, if successful, long-term. I'm planning on going for a trail run tomorrow. I'm not sure if I'm going to go back to Double Trouble, Wells Mills (the half-marathon course that kicked my butt), or Jakes Branch, which supposedly has a nice 4-mile loop.
On my lunch break today, I bought some knee wraps in the hopes that stabilizing them will help prevent whatever is causing the pain. I'm itching to start running again and am cautiously optimistic to go out again tomorrow.
Yesterday, I tried to use the elliptical to help stay in shape during my week off from running. I was hopeful after talking to a friend has run several marathons and who supplements his running training with elliptical training. Unfortunately, it just felt unnatural to me and I stopped after 10 minutes. So far, I haven't foud a cardio replacement for running. I may try the bike again tomorrow and bring my phone to distract me. I really like the Bible.is app for Android (also available for iPhone) that lets me listen to the entire Bible in several tanslations.
Not satisfied with a 10 minute workout after having gotten up at 4am, I decided to try the weight machines. I neglected that aspect of my workout for some time. I had a decent workout for about an hour. Although it would have been great a year ago, it wasn't satisfying at all. I didn't feel like I had a workout. I definitely felt it this morning though. I was very sore in places I hadn't expected to be sore and ended up skipping this morning's workout. I may try again tonight if the kids let me, but I'll have to play it by ear. I'm really itching to get back to running this weekend. I'm worried about the detrimental effect it will have on my cardio, but I really want to rest my knees for the whole work week. I do want to start incorporating some weight and core training in to my regular workouts. I think that strengthening the muscles have a beneficial effect on running.
Because of a family obligation, I'm not going to be able to run the Northface marathon on 5/7. Thankfully, they were nice enough to switch my registration to the 6/4 marathon in June. Truth be told, I am a little relieved. My training has been going unbelievably poorly and this gives me a little time to figure things out. Since the half-marathon, I have not really been able to run more than 1 mile at a time, usually with knee pain kicking in by around the half a mile point. This is despite trying grass and trails which are supposed to be easier on the joints, changing my form to have a shorter stride and land on midfoot, and even some barefoot running (the weather has been to cold to do this extensively).
So, this week, I am taking the week off of running. I am going to try to go to the gym every day and use this week to just build a routine of training from 4:30 to 6 or 6:30. It didn't quite work out that way this morning. I spent around 15 minutes on the exercise bike, but found it exceptionally boring. It wasn't hard; just boring. I went in the pool afterwards, but didn't stay in too long. I am going to try the elliptical tomorrow. Basically, I just want to try to maintain cardio work while resting the knees. I know this is only a short-term solution, though, until I can gain more insight into what is causing my knee issues.
This morning, I got up to go for a run in the rain. It was about 35 degrees (F) outside, but the rain was actually a motivator. For some reason, I love running in the rain. I actually switched shoes; instead of the expensive Nike running shoes, I tried the clearance sneakers that felt comfortable in my jog yesterday. I wanted to see if the shoes had anything to do with my knee problems. Unfortunately, the problem persisted. I started on my normal 7 mile loop and had to stop at less than a mile in because of pain in my knee.
It is incredibly frustrating and discouraging. It takes all the joy out of running. I love running, but if the knee problem isn't going to get any better, I don't know how much longer I can subject myself to it. I'm emotionally mature enough to chalk this up to a bad week and try to salvage my marathon training next week, but when is knee pain too much? I don't know if there is a risk of irreperable damage. I'm actually considering taking a week off running and using the bike and the pool at the gym. I'm still not sure; I hate the gym and would rather be outside. I'm just not sure what to do at this point.
On my lunch break today, I had to go to the Post Office about a mile away to mail back my Vibram Five Fingers for an exchange. It's a little under 40 degrees and raining out. The place where I work has a very tiny parking lot, so we park about a mile away and are shuttled in on a bus.
So, what to do? I decided to jog of course. It's only 2 miles round-trip. but it was easily the best part of my workday, even though I was wearing my work uniform of an uncomforatble long-sleeve polo, cargo pants with a million pockets, and clearance black sneakers. If you've been following this journey, you'll know I've been having some problems with form, stride, and, most of all, my knees. While running, I was experimenting with slight variations in stride. How does it feel when I land on the ball of the foot and have my foot go down and then spring off? How does it feel to land mid-foot and roll forward?
The whole way there, I felt tightness in my leg, primarily in my knee/IT band. With about half a mile left, something clicked. I really thought, "That feels good." I enjoyed runnng again. I wanted to keep going, but I had to punch back in. Here's hoping I can recover the form and feeling in the morning.
I finally had the chance to go on my first run since the half-marathon on Saturday. If you haven't seen it, here is my recap.
I ordered a pair of Vibram Five Fingers because I hoped that barefoot running could help correct my stride and knee problems. Here is a TED Talk from Christopher McDougall, author of Born to Run, on the subject.
Unfortunately, the Vibrams didn't quite fit. So, at 4:15, I decided to just try barefoot running. Between the freezing pavement and small rocks, I didn't get too far. I did notice a change in stride, though. Obviously, the length of the stride is shorter. Also, I was landing on the middle of the foot, the fatty part just in front of the arch that absorbs impact. Once I put the running shoes back on, it was easier to maintain that form. Unfortunately, I was only able to go about a mile today. About halfway into the run, the pain in my knee returned and I had to call it short.
I was happy I was able to get up and go running on 4 hours sleep instead of going back to bed, but I do hope I can get this knee issue sorted out. It is making things quite difficult.
