Poetic MissRandie:
This morning, something finally "clicked."
I had an urge to go run and, rather than keeping to my schedule for schedule's sake, I went ahead and did a mindful scan of my body to see if it would be a wise idea. (This is something I've begun doing, and it's quite freeing to listen to ones own self.)
Body says, "a bit stiff in the anterior left hip, a bit tender in the feet, but nothing major. Stretch that hip a bit, walk on the feet, and everything will be dandy. Let's go trot!"
And so, I began my next repeated week of C210K, the 5 minute week. I felt it was best to delay the 8 minute week a bit more since I'm blazing right into barefoot with my Genesis sandals strapped to my back. Body said it was a wise, albeit cautious, choice.
Boy howdy, what a perfect run! It felt like my entire being was in tune, an orchestra coming together for middle C. My feet padded silently and efficiently without excessive slip, slide, or friction. My breath stayed controlled at my favorite count, and I never really became overly winded. My face stayed relaxed, and I felt a serene smile playing at the corners.
I followed my timer's voice cues, only running for 5 minutes at a time, then walking for 3 minutes. For once, though, I didn't really want to stop. I didn't need to stop. There was no "ouch, that hotspot is beginning to blister" or "my heart is gonna explode" feelings. Instead, I was in the moment; a beautiful, mindful, meditative run.
Analytical MissRandie here:
Today, my body remained in balance while running. Although the blisters under my right third and fourth metatarsals has begun shedding, there was no pain or discomfort during my run, even over my short experimental stretch of chip & seal. Interestingly, several hours post-run I began feeling some mild tenderness in a previously inexperienced area: the thick skin over my 5th metatarsal heads. It pleased me that I was finally using even more of my foot.
My heart rate remains annoyingly high, but I experienced no wheezing or "I feel like I'm going to die" feelings although I reached 202 bpm at one point (entirely normal for me). I have come to accept that either my system will eventually become more efficient at delivering oxygen, or it won't. Either way, I will continue trotting along. I sense some improvement, if only from a comfort standpoint.
When I first began this program, I felt highly uncomfortable even running short distances. Whether this was from the gross inefficiency of my shod running and terrible form, my low VO2, or a combination thereof, I do not know or greatly care (okay, analytical me cares, if only from a data standpoint. But I introduce far too many variables at once to get proper data. Oh well).
At some point this week, I am going to attempt bf walking the "training loop," a 2.5 mile stretch of hilly, worn chip & seal. If I can walk it, I can later attempt to run some of it. As much as I adore the 1.5 mile dirt track, it's beginning to get monotonous despite its plethora of textures. Im still going to avoid the ground tire track. Lessons learned in blisters and all that. It'll get tackled at a later date, when form and condition are much improved.
I will most likely take the Training Loop in stages.
-Walk 1: sandals. I haven't been on the loop with anything less than my old running shoes yet.
-walk 2: bf and sandals. Most likely, my sandals will be on my running belt until (if) I need them.
After that? We shall see. The Girl Scout in me says "be prepared." Although, it will be wonderful one day when I can leave the house and run wherever I wish, barefoot, with confidence and no lingering need for a safety net. Or hot kidneys from sandal rubber.
This morning, something finally "clicked."
I had an urge to go run and, rather than keeping to my schedule for schedule's sake, I went ahead and did a mindful scan of my body to see if it would be a wise idea. (This is something I've begun doing, and it's quite freeing to listen to ones own self.)
Body says, "a bit stiff in the anterior left hip, a bit tender in the feet, but nothing major. Stretch that hip a bit, walk on the feet, and everything will be dandy. Let's go trot!"
And so, I began my next repeated week of C210K, the 5 minute week. I felt it was best to delay the 8 minute week a bit more since I'm blazing right into barefoot with my Genesis sandals strapped to my back. Body said it was a wise, albeit cautious, choice.
Boy howdy, what a perfect run! It felt like my entire being was in tune, an orchestra coming together for middle C. My feet padded silently and efficiently without excessive slip, slide, or friction. My breath stayed controlled at my favorite count, and I never really became overly winded. My face stayed relaxed, and I felt a serene smile playing at the corners.
I followed my timer's voice cues, only running for 5 minutes at a time, then walking for 3 minutes. For once, though, I didn't really want to stop. I didn't need to stop. There was no "ouch, that hotspot is beginning to blister" or "my heart is gonna explode" feelings. Instead, I was in the moment; a beautiful, mindful, meditative run.
Analytical MissRandie here:
Today, my body remained in balance while running. Although the blisters under my right third and fourth metatarsals has begun shedding, there was no pain or discomfort during my run, even over my short experimental stretch of chip & seal. Interestingly, several hours post-run I began feeling some mild tenderness in a previously inexperienced area: the thick skin over my 5th metatarsal heads. It pleased me that I was finally using even more of my foot.
My heart rate remains annoyingly high, but I experienced no wheezing or "I feel like I'm going to die" feelings although I reached 202 bpm at one point (entirely normal for me). I have come to accept that either my system will eventually become more efficient at delivering oxygen, or it won't. Either way, I will continue trotting along. I sense some improvement, if only from a comfort standpoint.
When I first began this program, I felt highly uncomfortable even running short distances. Whether this was from the gross inefficiency of my shod running and terrible form, my low VO2, or a combination thereof, I do not know or greatly care (okay, analytical me cares, if only from a data standpoint. But I introduce far too many variables at once to get proper data. Oh well).
At some point this week, I am going to attempt bf walking the "training loop," a 2.5 mile stretch of hilly, worn chip & seal. If I can walk it, I can later attempt to run some of it. As much as I adore the 1.5 mile dirt track, it's beginning to get monotonous despite its plethora of textures. Im still going to avoid the ground tire track. Lessons learned in blisters and all that. It'll get tackled at a later date, when form and condition are much improved.
I will most likely take the Training Loop in stages.
-Walk 1: sandals. I haven't been on the loop with anything less than my old running shoes yet.
-walk 2: bf and sandals. Most likely, my sandals will be on my running belt until (if) I need them.
After that? We shall see. The Girl Scout in me says "be prepared." Although, it will be wonderful one day when I can leave the house and run wherever I wish, barefoot, with confidence and no lingering need for a safety net. Or hot kidneys from sandal rubber.
