The confessional

I feel sorry for the penguin. :(
 
Let us know how your Peachtree goes, and send some pictures and a report for the home page. Have fun!
 
This will be the second time DH and I have run it. During the first I had an undiagnosed stress fracture, and most of the race was extremely painful. I thought about quitting several times.

This year has to go better, right? :D
 
Ok, heres a real deal confessional....

Almost halfway through 2012, and I dont think Ive broken the 300 mile mark for the year yet, even though I ran a 50 mile race already...
 
This was a problem for me barefoot as well. I've never mentioned it, but it's true; the 'bend the knees' approach put a lot of stress on my knees. I know the knee pain wasn't holdover issues from shod, because I began bfr off a long (more than a year+) layoff from running. I'm prone to bursitis in my right knee and have ACL issues on the left, so it's no surprise to me, but I was hoping...

Mine is due to shod running. Unfortunately I had already done the damage before I discovered BFR :(
 
the 'bend the knees' approach put a lot of stress on my knees.
While it's important to bend the knees, I don't know if it's necessary for most people to consciously bend them. That seems like it might lead to exaggerating the bend. From what I've read, BFR form shouldn't look any different from good running form in general. It's just the royal road to achieving it. I would be suspicious of any advice that tells you to do something different, in terms of form, from an elite runner.
 
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I agree, Lee. I think it was exaggerating the bend to get to that form as i started out that put the work on my knees. As I said, i already have dodgy knees. As I *try* little bursts of bfr now that my foot is feeling consistently better i feel less of a need to "make the knees bend;" I have been so focused on form whilst running shod that I think it has become more habitual now. Plus my supporting muscles inthe quads and hamstrings are better able to support now after a year of training...
 
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I agree, Lee. I think it was exaggerating the bend to get to that form as i started out that put the work on my knees. As I said, i already have dodgy knees. As I *try* little bursts of bfr now that my foot is feeling consistently better i feel less of a need to "make the knees bend;" I have been so focused on form whilst running shod that I think it has become more habitual now. Plus my supporting muscles inthe quads and hamstrings are better able to support now after a year of training...
Cool.

I've heard squats and dead lifts can also help support the knee, and do a good job in general of developing all the muscles of the upper leg, hip, and lower back which are involved in running. I've always liked dead lifts (and power cleans) in particular. I don't do squats so much, and when I do, I don't like to do more than a half squat with weight. But my knees are just fine with full squats, or jumping squats, or even broad jumps, without weights.

Also, check out this article, especially towards the end. Apparently upping your cadence may help with your knees too:

“The results from this study show that increasing step rate is associated with an increase in muscle activity primarily during late swing phase. This increased muscle activity in anticipation of foot-ground contact likely alters the landing posture of the limb and subsequent joint moments and energy absorption. Further, the increased activity observed in the gluteus maximus and medius suggests running with a greater step rate may have therapeutic benefits to those with anterior knee pain.”

http://www.runblogger.com/2012/06/h...il&utm_campaign=Feed:+Runblogger+(Runblogger)
 
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I also impregnated a penguin during my short leave of absence. Not sure how that happened....

I wonder what a bald barefooted penguin will look like. Oh well, guess we'll have to wait 9 months or whatever a penguin's gestation period is.

My confessions?

1. I don't do bath salts!
2. I have gained 7 lbs in the last 2 months. Too many chocolate chip cookies.
3. I'm ditching a 50-miler next weekend on account of the fact that I can't seem to go 6-8 weeks with some reoccurring injury.
4. My body is breaking down and it is taking longer to recover. (see #'s 2 & 3)
5. I have mastered eating chocolate chip cookies and surfing internet porn with one hand. (see # 2)
6. I was passed over for a part in "Snow White and the Huntsman" because I was considered too tall.
7. I have run more miles this year in my Saucony Hattori's than in my VFF's or barefoot combined.
8. I bought a GoPro with the full intention of getting into internet porn but that mounting system is really confusing.
9.My kids are driving me take up drinking after a 7 1/2 year hiatus.
10.When I'm 90,I plan on doing bath salts,meth and crack to dull the knee and hip replacement pain!
 
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Last summer I had a pair of white slacks that were too big. I planned to move the button over, but never got around to it. This summer I was quite upset to find that they fit just fine. Until I realized that I had moved the button over after all. So I'm not getting fatter, I'm just getting more absentminded. :eek:
 
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I agree, Lee. I think it was exaggerating the bend to get to that form as i started out that put the work on my knees. As I said, i already have dodgy knees. As I *try* little bursts of bfr now that my foot is feeling consistently better i feel less of a need to "make the knees bend;" I have been so focused on form whilst running shod that I think it has become more habitual now. Plus my supporting muscles inthe quads and hamstrings are better able to support now after a year of training...

I have a sneaking suspicion that focussing on landing with a bent knee is behind my recent bout of knee/ITB pain as i several times have found myself overbending the knees and sinking at the hips overall. I'm now focussing on keeping the alignment from head to pelvis and not overthinking the knees. seems to be working so far
 
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I love this thread. Thank you, Lomad, for starting it.

I have two confessions:

1) I haven't yet run even one step in either minimalist footwear or barefoot. (That's how new I am to this stuff!) In fact, I haven't even run at all in eleven years.
2) Reading your confessions helps me feel better about myself, and is helping me break my all-or-nothing way of thinking about things.

I wish speedy recovery to all who are healing and encouragement to those who are discouraged.

~jo
 
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I have a cat named Twinkies.
 
2. I have gained 7 lbs in the last 2 months. Too many chocolate chip cookies.
10.When I'm 90,I plan on doing bath salts,meth and crack to dull the knee and hip replacement pain!

OK, new confession: I'm starting to do some runs whilst shod so I can go longer miles. Much like shortwhiteguy, I freebase chocolate chip cookies in bulk and - shockingly - it's had an effect on my midsection the past month or two. Also, thanks to shortwhiteguy, I have a new plan for when I turn 90...
 
I have a new confession, I've been using minimal-ish shoes lately for my faster runs, and I'm still not fast. Damn shoe marketing... I've also worn my old supportive pronation control boat anchors the last couple days for walking around because my foot hurts from my barefoot run on Friday afternoon. I think it's my old injury from just prior to me finding bfr, the injury that the doc had told me was arthritis that mysteriously went away after I started bfr. Today it feels a little better so we'll see how it goes in minshoes.
 
Ive been running in Merrells and huaraches lately because its about a million degrees outside and I dont like burning my feet and having to take a few days off to heal.

I fed a cat a twinkie once. Then I ate the cat and got the runs. Im never going to Mexico again.
 
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My son jumped on my ribs this morning while I was laying on the floor not paying attention and hurt my ribs. 12 hours later and still hurts to laugh and take deep breaths. Maybe tomorrow will be better. Hope it's just bruised or something.