Mileage Reporting 8th Week of 2013

Sunday - 18 mi bike ride...was supposed to be a little over 20, but had to cut it short when a friend was suffering equipment issues (she was not able to get either foot unclipped from the pedals; this meant I had to ride ahead of her, dismount and catch her when she stopped. We all determined that it would be a good time to call the ride at that point.)

Today - ~6.5 mi hike. Normally, this is 7.5 all the way to the top (Mission Peak) but a) there was a cold cold wind blowing and b) we were underdressed, so c) we said "Screw it, let's go get lunch."
 
Had my first physical therapy session today and the pt found that my right heel was completely locked up. He got it unlocked and then had me walk on it. It was such a weird feeling as walking barefoot I was than walking on a different part of the calcaneus than I had been while it was all locked up. He then did some shock therapy thingy on the heel. After the appointment he wanted me to go run for a mile so I got my first run outdoors in over a month in today. Now I am pretty sore (the heel I mean) and I hope my heel isn't locking back up. My next appointment is Wednesday so hopefully my foot will feel a bit better by then.
 
Had my first physical therapy session today and the pt found that my right heel was completely locked up. He got it unlocked and then had me walk on it. It was such a weird feeling as walking barefoot I was than walking on a different part of the calcaneus than I had been while it was all locked up. He then did some shock therapy thingy on the heel. After the appointment he wanted me to go run for a mile so I got my first run outdoors in over a month in today. Now I am pretty sore (the heel I mean) and I hope my heel isn't locking back up. My next appointment is Wednesday so hopefully my foot will feel a bit better by then.

Your heel locked up? I honestly did no know there was much there to lock up - isn't it just one bone?
 
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Your heel locked up? I honestly did no know there was much there to lock up - isn't it just one bone?
Nope, actually there is several bones and there is a joint there. I guess I never really realized it could lock up or that it even moved much. He popped it free and then after my run it's still free but it's a bit painful now. Not sure if the pain is because things are released and now trying to get right and settle or if the run aggravated it. Also, it's not like the heel moves much but it does move a little bit. I was shocked when walking barefoot to feel that I was walking on a slightly different part of the calcaneus bone. It was a very weird sensation because I could tell the rest of my foot was hitting the ground normally but there was just that slight difference in the heel.
 
and I"m going to try a Lee experiment in speed: no miles slower than 9:30, most miles faster than 9:15, gradually working into the 8:30-8:00 range as long as no further hurties. Why? No reason. Just everyone I know runs faster than I do and if I'm not racking miles I may as well do something.

Yah, a lot of people counsel 'go slow' or 'take it easy', but running is a high impact activity, so taking it easy isn't always taking it easy. High mileage, no matter how slow, involves more repetitive stress than lower mileage. Meanwhile, faster paces involve more force on each step/impact. So it's a trade-off. I'm pretty sure for my ITB issue (which seems cured now, knock on wood), the scale tilts towards faster paces, less repetition, but I wouldn't assume that for your ankle. You'll have to continue experimenting and find out what sort of 'active recovery' works best. But it's great to hear you're able to run again. Don't blow it like me and get overly exuberant and want all of your previous running fitness back all at once. I'm still trying to get back to where I was last July.

I have not been adding, but it seems to me like your mileage has been creeping up generally, yes?

Yes, I've been good this time around at holding the over-exuberance at bay, and have been building up slowly, both in terms of general distance and in terms of barefoot distance (I froze my toe calluses off in my frostnip mishap, so I'm having to build them back up again). Although yesterday I did get a little frost nip again (v. infra).

The idea is to stabilize at about 6-7 miles per run, 3 x per week, and then begin adding a mile every few weeks to the third run of the week, and see where that takes me. Once the weather is nice and/or there's less ice and slush around, I'll begin adding in more tempo runs or intervals/fartleks. I'm also continuing the experiment of micro runs, usually just .3 or .4 miles a crack, and it seems like the consistency is helping, even though the extra mileage is negligible.

On the barefoot front, I've given myself a clean bill of health after my last run. I should be good up to six miles the next time conditions are favorable. My calluses haven't completely reformed yet, but they're coming along, so I don't anticipate any problems there.

1. So when anyone asks about how much I"m running now, I'll let them know I'm experiencing "multimodal aerobic fitness"

That's one nice thing about studying linguistics/semiotics--it's easy to translate almost anything into exacting if obtuse jargon.
2. I'm always on time, unless I'm late, which happens frequently. If I'm early, I'll find something else to do first.
One draw of academia; unless it's a grant proposal, late is normal. Ergo, I am normal. What were we talking about?
Thanks for acting as foil for my explorations in fora chronotopes!
3. Don't you dare get me started on fire sports. Seriously, I think many of my ancestors must have died just after their last words of "hey guys, watch this"
Sorry to hear of your ancestors' wacky demises in blazes of glory. At least they reproduced

before performing their ill-advised fiery feats.

Usually those reckless types don't make it past their teens.

But yah, I think we best leave any attempt to incorporate fire into our multimodal workout routines to RP. He's the most surreal amongst us, so if anyone can pull it off, I think it would be him.

My next appointment is Wednesday so hopefully my foot will feel a bit better by then.

Great to hear the doc and therapist may have this thing figured out. The worst thing is not knowing. It's so frustrating. Once you identify the problem, then it's just a matter of slowly fixing it over time. I hope this is your solution.

P.S., I surpassed 3000 messages before you got to 4000. But I still can't seem to puncture your overall lead of about a thousand.

Anyway, Monday afternoon.
Chest and upper arm strength-training.
Did about 3/4 of my routine. The last few weeks I've only been making it through about half of my st routines, so that's progress. Hopefully my viral syndrome is gone for good, and I can start pushing things a bit again. I also got 3/4 of a pump, which was nice. I'm still pampering my somewhat sore left shoulder, so no parallel dips or bench pull-overs, and I've been holding off on doing my max bench as well. Maybe next week.

After the run I did a micro-run around the block, bare. I had thought it was still around 30 F but I guess the temps had already begun to drop around mid-afternoon as we pick up the tail end of the Arctic spike that the Winterpagans went through last weekend. I looked it up afterwards and it was about 20 F / -7 C and 4 F / -16 C windchill when I went out, and I was running in pure slush most of the way. The last hundred yards were kind of painful and when I got inside the garage I realized I had incurred a little frost nip again. Not nearly as severe as two months ago--the toes were still red, not white--but today the tips of several toes are a bit painful and sensitive. Dumb. I guess I need to restrict myself to dry or mostly dry surfaces for the rest of this winter. I think my tolerances are at least 5-10 degrees F less (warmer) than they were before late-December's frost nip.
 
The worst thing is not knowing. It's so frustrating. Once you identify the problem, then it's just a matter of slowly fixing it over time. I hope this is your solution.

P.S., I surpassed 3000 messages before you got to 4000. But I still can't seem to puncture your overall lead of about a thousand.
Ya, I just hope this really is the problem and this fixes it. He wants me to come in twice a week for 7-8 weeks, but I don't know if I can afford that bill even with my insurance. Hopefully I can learn what he is doing and then just continue on at home.

You're slowly gaining on me in message count Lee since I am actively trying not to post as much on here, but I had such a huge lead (countwise that is) that it'll be awhile yet till you surpass my number count.
 
am: messed around with the kettlebell some, messed with the balance ball some, mostly abs and some arms.

late am: 45 min at gym, 30 min elliptical, some st, a bit of shoulder, yada yada

lunchtime: 40 min swim, alternating kicking across and freestyle laps, as usual, only stopping to mess with ever annoying goggles. had a friend there today watch one of my laps. said my arms were not crossing over my head, nor did it feel that way. In fact, I was starting to feel far more relaxed and like I wasn't working nearly as hard to get across, which I take to be a good sign. The key, I think, was getting my arms back in the water sooner and not overreaching out of the water. The concentration on relaxing and getting the full effect from each arm made my stroke cycle longer, so I found myself having to work to readjust the breathing rate to match. Otherwise, it felt much better. I still wish I knew how much rotation to have on the stroke; oh well, give it time.
Swimming was fun today. Soothing, even. Tiring, but also soothing.
 
Thanks for acting as foil for my explorations in fora chronotopes!

I was a little pleased this morning when my 9yr old indicated that she had a slight preference for my chronic lateness in picking her up from school (they are never the last kids waiting, but we cut it close some days......) and her annoyance at missing out on social time when dad ("dad always picks us up REALLY early") does the kid-getting.
Moreover, the spouse is usually about 20-35 minutes early for everything, so she also expressed annoyance at getting places like swim class, having all the doors still locked, then having all that time to stand around and get bored.
Not with mom.
With me, it's more like "ok kid, you get out here while i go park, run in, get dressed in 2.5 min, then maybe you can be on time for swim now go go go fast as you can"
 
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Sunday - 18 mi bike ride...was supposed to be a little over 20, but had to cut it short when a friend was suffering equipment issues (she was not able to get either foot unclipped from the pedals; this meant I had to ride ahead of her, dismount and catch her when she stopped. We all determined that it would be a good time to call the ride at that point.)

Today - ~6.5 mi hike. Normally, this is 7.5 all the way to the top (Mission Peak) but a) there was a cold cold wind blowing and b) we were underdressed, so c) we said "Screw it, let's go get lunch."

Cute--- Maybe you can get a job as biker catcher! I'm telling you, bike clips scare me, especially in places where you have to stop, like for lights and traffic and obstacles. I've heard it's no biggie once you get used to it, but you have just fed my fears with your tale, as I have no such accompanying "catcher"
 
Cute--- Maybe you can get a job as biker catcher! I'm telling you, bike clips scare me, especially in places where you have to stop, like for lights and traffic and obstacles. I've heard it's no biggie once you get used to it, but you have just fed my fears with your tale, as I have no such accompanying "catcher"

OK, here's the unwritten subtext: My friend just exchanged her worn-out set of pedals/clips for a new set and they weren't properly adjusted. When they are properly adjusted, you can get out of them, no problem. In fact, I find with mine, I have more problems clipping in (alignment, mainly) then unclipping.

Now - all that said - they do help, but they are by no means mandatory. In fact, the bike that I have probably ridden the most -my commuter bike - has normal pedals (non-clip in) and I wear trail runners (or hiking boots in foul weather) when riding. If you get rubber block pedals (like what you find on cruiser bikes) you can comfortably ride barefoot, as well.
 
6 miles today, 9.02 min average pace, barefoot on roads. I can handle 9min pace comfortably now so I'm starting to dip my toes into the eights, just the odd half mile here and there but veeeerrrrryyyyyy slowly I'm starting to see a consistent improvement.
'Twas my sisters birthday yesterday so it was a 'I've eaten too much cake' run, not that I have issues with eating too much cake, but I felt a good calorie burn was is order to restore the balance.
 
20min swim. Did a bit better. We'll see how tomorrow goes. Betcha that weird guy with the water shoes is there again. Seems like he's on a MWF schedule. I'm going to try to beat him to the pool, a bit just to see if I can, a bit because I suspect he's a type A personality and doesn't like losing at anything, even as trivial as being first to the pool.

Me? Of course, I'm the oddball, who is curious just how far this guy will go to be first. This will probably entail me having the trunks on, goggles around my neck, shirtless underneath my jacket, duffle bag unzipped with towel at the ready, and lock in hand.

Freaky dude.
I see the older ladies who do water aerobics use the water shoes. Lots of the ladies who lap swim also won't let their feet touch the floor (they either wear flip flops or water shoes everywhere). I get it, fungus amongus, but really, how artificial to SWIM with shoes on????
I'm totally with you. I was thinking, swimming is a barefoot activity. Then I see watershoes guy. Now, I do wear my sandals to side of the pool, where they have wall hooks for the towels, then I go bare. I try to avoid touching the floor in the men's locker room, but then again, it smells like jungle rot in there.
 
20min swim. Getting better on the backstroke. Still trying to figure out how to breathe on the left in the freestyle. Watershoes guy was there again, and he swapped them out for flippers later! He's definitely breathing, although he doesn't pop his head out of the water, like everyone else does. Rather, he rotates his head just a bit, which is how I think you're supposed to do it.

Even though we don't speak to each other, I think we're all getting a sense of each other's swim schedules and lane preferences. (It's Florida. Best not to talk or make eye contact.) I didn't feel annoyed by him at all today, as I was halfway across the pool, when he dove in. (Gym rules: No diving!) I'm still going to try to get there early, as all 4 lanes were full by 5:05A!

I think I've gained a bit of flab since not running, though I'm trying not to obsess about it or even weigh myself too often. It's only a few pounds, and I could burn it off with a week of running. However, I wouldn't have any energy for swimming. At least, it'll help with the buoyancy!
 
Tuesday afternoon
5.7 mi /9.2 km
7 F / -14 C
-15 F / -26 C windchill
Shod, Aqua Lites

Really didn't feel like running, but felt pretty good afterwards. I was a bit off my normal LS pace, but there were a lot of ice patches and the windchill was demotivating. Luckily when I got to my daughter's school, our neighbor was picking up her boy there and I asked her to take our daughter too. It was a bit too cold for her to walk the last half mile home, and I got in an extra bit of running. Really tired of shoes and winter. The good news: now that I'm back to exercising an hour a day fairly consistently, my insomnia has passed.

Cute--- Maybe you can get a job as biker catcher! I'm telling you, bike clips scare me, especially in places where you have to stop, like for lights and traffic and obstacles. I've heard it's no biggie once you get used to it, but you have just fed my fears with your tale, as I have no such accompanying "catcher"
You might consider something like this:
41JMTVDWX7L._SX385_.jpg

http://www.amazon.com/Delta-Bicycle-Strapless-Toe-Clips/dp/B000FSQQMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1361357678&sr=8-1&keywords=bike pedal toe cages
That's what I used when I was traveling by bicycle, and still use them today. They hold the foot in place, but are extremely easy to get out of in an emergency. I was traveling with all my gear and water, so I needed to be able to stabilize myself immediately at the first sign of trouble. Could be a good commuter option.

I think I've gained a bit of flab since not running, though I'm trying not to obsess about it or even weigh myself too often. It's only a few pounds, and I could burn it off with a week of running. However, I wouldn't have any energy for swimming. At least, it'll help with the buoyancy!
I hear ya. Since the MCL sprain in early October, I've put 7-8 pounds back on. Hopefully now that I'm back on my full routine (knock on wood), it'll start coming off again.

I was a little pleased this morning when my 9yr old indicated that she had a slight preference for my chronic lateness in picking her up from school (they are never the last kids waiting, but we cut it close some days......) and her annoyance at missing out on social time when dad ("dad always picks us up REALLY early") does the kid-getting.
Ha! For us, it's just the opposite. My daughter prefers Dad's punctuality. My wife still lives in tropical time.
 
Just short of 19km, a little under 200m ascent, 2:05, empty stomach. Felt really relaxed, had planned on about 12km, but decided to bump it to 16 and then later to take a roundabout route home. Would have been 20-ish but time started running short and I had to get home, wash the dog, wash myself, and go get the kiddo from school, so I cut the scenic route down a little. Positive feedback from all systems - muscles, joints, cardio, all that stuff. Felt like I could turn around and do it again (that's one of my most useful self-tests).

We (Leni was of course with me) took some chances going off in new directions. You never know when a trail is going to just end and leave you in the middle of the woods. We did end up running over some pretty rough stuff, and got nice and mucky and cold. Weather was wacky, sometimes too warm in the sun, and then BOOM, snowstorm.

So... Sunday 22km, Wed 19km, brings us to 41km for the week so far. My plan is to do a loose 10 tomorrow and 20 on Friday = 70km for the week. And then 33km on the coming Sunday (33 because although I like kilometers, my milestones are still miles, lol, ie 20 miles). And then a rest, maybe four or five days. Then start the cycle again ...

Some of today's scenery:

47186917_1361353955774.jpg this was a pretty nice view when we came out of the woods


47186917_1361355200796.jpg that cloud-looking thing is snow. It started dumping on us right after snapping this.


47186917_1361355986207.jpg that sign says, 'Road damage' and I thought it was funny because, road? What road? :D
 
Ha! For us, it's just the opposite. My daughter prefers Dad's punctuality. My wife still lives in tropical time.

It's kind of strange-----one might expect her to get anxious when I don't show up right on time, since she was adopted at a somewhat older age. I've asked her about this, and her gist is that she knows if it's me, I'll be late and not to worry. And I'm not usually colossally late, just 10 min here and there. But still, it's surprising how laid back she and my son are about it. They're never even irritated, and only inquire about what took me so long once in a while. Maybe she's such a survivor she has confidence in her ability to figure it out? Dunno. We are never late going to school though. And I'm never late to teach.

I need more negative reinforcement to mend my ways.
 
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