When You're Green, You're Growing

I started running seriously about 2.5 years ago, which has essentially been all minimalist running. When I started minimalist, or barefoot, or natural, running, I was hard pressed to find resources about the subject online. Today there's a lot of quality information available about the subject, but with it has come an ever increasing white noise generated by people talking about the subject and passing themselves off as experts. As this noise has gotten louder, I've found I'm just not as interested reading about the subject as I once was. In fact, I can remember the last time I was really excited about a new barefoot running resource.

A couple of days ago my friend Alan T. posted a video title The Principles of Natural Running, by Dr. Mark Cucuzzella on Daily Mile, which is available from Dr. Cucuzzella's website Natural Running Center and is embedded below. After watching this video of Doc Mark running barefoot, I felt like a klutz, this guy is amazing, but more than that, he explains some of the things that have been sussed out by barefoot running guru, Barefoot Ken Bob (BKB) and many others. For example, the 180 steps per minute cadence, this is a principle that BKB discussed well before barefoot running got the attention it currently has. In this video, Doc Mark explains this as being our natural rhythm, one that can be seen repeated in many activities that we do, such as jumping rope. I found this video to be very informative. It reiterated things I've known, reminded me of things I've forgotten, introduced things I didn't know or really understand, and made me aware of several flaws within my own form. This is the first running resource I've been excited about in awhile and I plan on making use of the source website to improve my running, which I believe will result in making me a faster more efficient runner.

Update 2/11/12:
I ran another three miles today and I tried to apply some of the principles discussed in the above video. During both of these runs I've felt as though my lungs were the limiting factor, which I mentioned on Daily Mile for both of these runs. Not knowing what I was talking about, I thought I needed to increase my lung capacity, but, thanks again to Alan T. who pointed me in the right direction, it looks like it's a diaphragm strengthening related issue. During both of these runs I felt a slight pain in my right side under my ribcage, which I just assumed was a cramp, but was actually a stitch, which I found some information about here: http://www.brianmac.co.uk/articles/scni10a1.htm

I wanted to add this bit to this post because I feel it's related to the above. I have a sense of being ready to advance to the next step, one I don't think I was really aware of other than having a desire to reach what I believe is my potential, which in simplistic terms would translate to a faster pace. Until know, however, the way hasn't been clear.

Hyannis Marathon - Race Report

I knew this marathon was going to be tough, but I have to admit it was tougher than I let myself believe. As it turned out, this was my slowest marathon to date, although it was not my worse, that still belongs to the Myrtle Beach Marathon a year ago. The difference between Hyannis and Myrtle Beach is that I had the benefit of experience this time around. This time I managed to keep an overall positive attitude. I had expected to complete this race faster than my time at Myrtle Beach, which turned out to be overly optimistic, but even as things started to fall apart, I managed to take it in stride. 


I started out with a race pace of 10:30 min/mi, and for the first 5 miles I was quite pleased with how well I was maintaining that pace. After 5 miles however, my pace just continued to slip, which surprised me as I felt as though I was maintaining a steady pace. When I decided on a pace of 10:30 min/mi I knew, in the absence of my planned training, even that pace might have been a bit optimistic. The plan had been to adjust my pace as needed, but it turned out that my pace just continued to slip, 11:00 min/mi, 11:15 min/mi, 11:30 min/mi, 11:45 min/mi, all by itself. Reflecting back, I don't believe starting at an even slower pace, such as 11:00 min/mi, would have made enough of a difference to carry me through to the end at a steady pace. The issue wasn't pace, it was a lack of the conditioning required to successfully run 26.2 miles. Had my error just been running too fast in the beginning, I don't believe it would have become apparent after 5 miles as it did. I had also started to feel the fatigue set in well before the halfway point, which I believe is also an indicator of poor conditioning.


The wind during the marathon was between 18-20 mph, but other than that, it was a beautiful sunny day. The weather forecast predicted temperatures in the low 30s (°F) at the beginning of the race then warming to the upper 30s throughout the day. Dressing for this race was a bit complicated due to the wind speeds so I made my best guess and went with warmer, at least for the beginning. The course is a 13.1-mile loop that those running the full marathon would simply run twice. This halfway point provided a convenient location for my sister to meet me with some lighter gear if I felt I needed to dress down. Just after the point where the half marathoners peeled off, I met my sister as planned and I swapped out my running jacket for a vest and my skull cap for a visor cap. It wasn’t that I was burning up by the halfway point, rather it had became obvious that fatigue was setting in, so I figured at worse, a little cold might help to fend off the fatigue. I remember feeling a sense of dread at the midway point, I already felt drained and I had to run the whole loop again. I changed, buckled down, and just told myself to "get it done." Somewhere around 19 or 20 miles, as my body was giving out, I reflected on my training leading up to the race and I realized just how ridiculously unprepared I was for this race. From 20 miles on it was a constant struggle to keep moving forward, my legs were shot and I started walking/running, which slowly became more walking than running. The closer I got to the end, the further away it seemed to get. It must have been somewhere around 23 miles when I transitioned to mostly walking. I'd walk and then try to start running again only to get a few steps, I was spent and everything hurt. I tried to walk as quickly as I could, which I actually think helped loosen up my legs a bit. After many more false running starts I was eventually able to get the legs going for the last half mile to the finish line.


Despite this being a grueling race for me, I managed to keep my spirits up and cracked jokes with the race volunteers saying things like, "Am I winning", "Am I gaining on the leaders", "I'm getting ready to make my move any minute now", etc. I've only seen a few pictures so far, but I was really glad to see myself smiling in a lot of them. My sister even commented that she was surprised to see me in general good spirits at the 26-mile point and at the finish. I also made it a point to thank the volunteers as I knew they were hanging tight for us stragglers, and they were great and encouraging all the way to the end. I actually did have a good time, even while I was in agony. I found it all to be quite amusing and found myself chuckling quite often. I even laughed out loud at one point when my legs just refused to run. I was just not prepared to run this, yet there I was.


This race was very well organized and the course was not only beautiful, but it was just a great racing course in general. I know that if my training went the way it was suppose to, I would have PR'd on this course. What struck me about this event was the stark contrast between this one and the Smuttynose Marathon at Hampton Beach. I felt that they were more or less the same size, and just assumed that these smaller marathons didn't have the same perks found in larger ones, such as at Myrtle Beach. However, the Hyannis Marathon proved that assumption wrong. First, the Hyannis Marathon actually had a mini race expo, Smuttynose didn't have anything like this. Second, all the amenities I had expected to be at Smuttynose, but weren't, were available at Hyannis, such as a bag-drop, drink stations where they were suppose to be (cough), post race food was abundant and available for us stragglers, and the traffic control was excellent.


The course itself was just better than Smuttynose. A big problem with the Smuttynose course was a severe road pitch to the right, which is really difficult to run on and resulted in me and several other people I talked to during and after the race having some IT band issues. The roads at Hyannis were nearly perfect in regards to pitch, something I was very happy for. Smuttynose also claimed on their website that they are the flattest course in New England, but I don't believe they have a right to that claim. First, my Garmin, as imported into my runkeeper.com, shows an elevation change of about 1,100 feet at Smuttynose, but only 800 feet at Hyannis. Second, it just seemed less hilly, and the hills that were on the course were gentle climbs.


Since this race is in February, the weather from year to year varies dramatically, which has resulted in the cancellation of the race in the past, so it's a hit or miss year to year. Nonetheless, I can definitely recommend this event if you're looking to run a well organized marathon in the northeast in February.


I have it in my head not to run another marathon at the end of the winter season. I ran Myrtle Beach last February, which ended up having temperatures in the 70s on race day, which doesn't really workout when you train in temperatures below 40°F. This time around I just couldn't seem to avoid injuries, which I think, in part, had to do with the colder temperatures. Here in New England, daylight is limited, which I've found just makes training that much more difficult. Oh, and lets not forget about snow, which increases road hazards and/or sticks you on a treadmill for most of the season.


When my calf got injured for the third time, I debated whether or not I should participate in this marathon. I had decided to go forward partly because the odds at that point just seemed against me which just made the challenge that much more appealing. To my amazement, I managed to show up to the starting line, I finished the marathon, and I managed to do it with a good attitude. It was a good experience and I'm glad I decided to go for it. I learned a little more about running and about myself. Nonetheless, I don't believe I would run another marathon if I don't feel I'm property trained to complete it. In the future, if I find I'm just not ready, I’ll know that when I decide not to run a marathon it'll be because I "won't" rather than I "can't". I didn't PR at Hyannis, but I beat "can't" and that's an experience that'll stay with me and maybe even carry me through to my next PR.


My thanks to my sister Natascha who hosted me over the weekend and provided the much needed logistical support to get me through this race and just committed to being there before, during, and after, and to her girlfriend Saraphina (@saraphina) who despite having a ton of work this weekend managed to come out and support me. To my parents for their continued support as I trained, a great dinner the night before, and for freezing their butts off during the race. To my sister Michelle who help me edit this post and has always been a support for me.


I also want to thank my running friends on Daily Mile with special thanks to Alan (@basicbare) and Alyssa (@alyssarun) for their encouragement and support through these last four months, visit their blogs at http://barefootjourney.org and http://notarunner.com, respectively.

Update on Foot Injury and Road to Hyannis Marathon

My foot is doing fine.  By Tuesday morning, that bright reddish spot, shown in the previous post, seemed to have dissipate across the top of my foot and the color was close to my natural skin color.  By Wednesday, unless I pointed it out to you, you would not have noticed it at all.  There was some tightness in the foot, which I only really noticed when I flexed my foot.

I saw my bone doctor this morning for a follow up.  He did his exam and he thinks it is/was a bone bruise and he said I should build up the running slowly and at a slow pace (he knows I'm running a marathon at the end of February).  I did some more internet searching this morning and I'm not convinced it is a bone bruise (though it could be).  From what I found online, I think it could be Bursitis, and I think the same treatment recommended by my doctor for a bone bruise applies.

I'm not sure what the cause was in either case.  I've been running minimalist/barefoot for 2.5 years and this has never come up.  I have a suspicion that it might be related to doing some of my running in Merrell Sonic Glove trail shoes this winter, which are a minimalist shoe, but unlike the Vibram Fivefingers, which are best described as a foot-glove, the Merrells are definitely shoes.  While my injury occurred while wearing my V5F Speeds, I can't help but wonder if my form had gotten a little sloppy as a result of wearing the Merrells.  Specifically, I'm wondering if, without the feedback I get while running barefoot and in V5Fs, was somewhat muted and started to land harder on my forefoot.  I did actually notice a similar pain at the same location while wearing the Merrells on a run weeks before, but that pain seemed to go away by the time I reached the end of that run.  I should also point out that I really only suspect that running in the Merrells as the cause as it's the only thing I've been doing different recently.  It could also be that the cold has something to do with it (as indicated in the "Who is at Risk" on the Bursitis Page).

I don't have another follow up with my doctor and the pain is gone.  I have about 40 days before the Hyannis Marathon.  I have a 20 mile run scheduled for this Sunday.  In fact the remainder of my training schedule looks like this:

Monday  |  Tuesday  |  Wednesday  |  Thursday  |  Friday  |  Saturday  |  Sunday  
Cross      |  5 miles    |   10 miles       |  5 miles      |  Rest     |  10 miles   | 20 miles -1/22
Cross      |  5 miles    |   6 miles         |  5 miles      |  Rest     |  6 miles     | 12 miles -1/29
Cross      |  5 miles    |   10 miles       |  5 miles      |  Rest     |  10 miles   | 20 miles -2/5

Cross      |  5 miles    |   8 miles         |  5 miles      |  Rest     |  4 miles     | 12 miles -2/12
Cross      |  4 miles    |   6 miles         |  4 miles      |  Rest     |  4 miles     | 8 miles   -2/29
Cross      |  3 miles    |   4 miles         |  Rest          |  Rest     |  2 miles     | Marathon-26th

Right now, I believe my biggest challenge will be to completed the remainder of my training and make sure I can run on the 26th.  That means that if I need to reduce milage or even eliminate runs from my training schedule, then that's what I'll do.  What I don't want to eliminate is the two remaining 20 mile runs as I feel more than anything else, it's these runs that get me ready for running a marathon.  I may have to shift things around to get these done.  Tomorrow I'll attempt to run the scheduled 5 miles, what happens on the following day that will depend on how that goes, and so on.

UPDATE!
1/17/12
I successfully completed my 5 mile run today (Tuesday) - no issues what so ever.  Ironically, I actually ran in my Merrell Sonic Gloves, but I focused 100% on form.  I had to make several corrections to my form several times during my run, even as I attempted to maintain a constant state of awareness regarding my form - if that makes any sense ;)  I discovered three key deficiencies in my form that I believe snuck into my running form due to a muting of the sensory feedback I get when running barefoot or in V5Fs.  Once I ponder it some more I'll write up a post about it.

Ouch - Post Marathon Note

Since my marathon this past Sunday, I've been resting with only running some short and easy miles.  On Wednesday I ran 2 miles.  I had some knee discomfort during the race, which I'll discuss in my race report, so I wasn't sure what to expect.  I had some minor tightness and my legs did seem a little wobbly for a good part of the run, but all and all I was very pleased with how my legs were working.

On Thursday I ran 3 miles.  My legs were a little wobbly for the first 1/2 mile and I still had some tightness in my left hip, but that worked itself out - it was a good run.

Today I started out on my planned 3 mile run keeping to the theme of "easy" and everything was going well until my turnaround point at 1.5 miles, which I'd done carefully.  Well, I must have turned in such a way that it created enough strain on something in my right calf because shortly after that I noticed a tight pulling sensation.  I automatically went into self diagnostic mode and quickly realized it was not just a passing discomfort.  I stopped and stretched it out a bit, then tried to run a little more to test it out.  It was still there, but so far it still seemed minor.  I've enough experience now to know when to stop - running further at that point could have turned a minor injury into something more serious.  I stretched it out some more and started my 1.5 mile walk back.

It was actually a very pleasant walk since it's a beautiful day today and comfortably warm.  My calf felt OK and I wasn't limping.  I think walking actually may have been beneficial at times and, at least in the beginning, I was not even aware of it.  The distance, however, was probably further than what was good for it as my calf started to feel tight again with a little under a 1/2 mile to go.  I stopped more frequently to stretch it out and kept my strides small to prevent aggravating my injury.

When I finally got back I stretched it out some more and rolled my calf over a rolling pin set up I have.  I think I managed to avoid anything too serious.  I expect that rest, stretching, and massaging will be all I need.  I really won't be able to gauge how long I'll need to rest until at least tomorrow.  Something else that experience has taught me is to make sure I take the time to heal fully after an injury.  In the past I've rushed back running to soon and re-injure myself, resulting in even longer down time than had I just taken the time I needed in the first place.

My next training cycle starts on Oct. 24th, which is plenty of time to recover fully it this turns out to be more serious that it feels right now.  Plus I'm very please that this didn't happen right before my marathon.  My best guess is that my muscles were still tight and when I turned I just happened to extend it just enough.  I probably should have had a more rigorous post-mary stretching routine.  Learning is part of the journey :)

Freedom!

I just completed my 9th week of marathon training with a 19 mile run today.  My run wasn't pretty, my pace was erratic, and I was struggling.  Heat seems to affect all runners, some more so that other, but from what I've read about it online, even top athletes take a performance hit.  Sure, there are some people that don't seem adversely affected by heat.  Take my friend Alan T. for example, he reveals in the heat, but there's some strong evidence that his DNA has some lizard DNA in it (check out his Barefoot Journey blog - link in the Blog Roll).

With today's scheduled long-run and the forecasted humidity, I knew today's run was going to be a tough one.  One way to get through these warm days is to start out early to get your run done before the day's heat start picking up, but I seem to be having some difficultly getting out of bed early on Sundays, plus yesterday was an exceptionally long day for me.  So I didn't get to my route's starting point until 10:30AM today.  The temperature was 72°F when I started and it was very humidity, I was soaked within the first two miles.  Another way to get through the warm weather is to slow your pace - one online resource I read was to adjust your pace by 30 seconds for every 5 degrees above 60°F.  I have a tendency to start out to fast, even this morning when I was trying to go slow, I found myself having to pull back several times, at least until around mile 7, where I was just slowing down.  In addition to adjusting my pace dur to the heat, my long-run-day pace is also suppose to be slower than my  intended marathon pace, but again, this will depend on the temperature on race day.  So as I felt myself slipping in my pace mile by mile, I wasn't too upset about it.  I kept reminding myself, or at least I kept trying to remind myself, that with the heat adjustment AND the training pace, I was alright, but a part of my was telling me that would be fine, if I was running this slow on purpose.  In truth, it actually is alright, the heat does and did beat me down, and I know what my performance looks like when temps are below 70°F and lower.  So what gives.

If you've ever run a long distance you already know this.  It's mind games, it's your body trying to convince your brain to quit, it's your own personal expectations, it's your brain trying to think when your muscles are bogarting all the oxygen in your body.  You need to mentally overcome these obstacles.  It's as much of marathon training as logging lots of miles.  I was struggling, which is not unusual for me on my long-run under less than ideal conditions (i.e. hot and humid 0_o).

But something else happened today.  I wore my Bikila LS Vibram Fivefingers today.  Somewhere around 12 miles, my feet were starting to feel "tired".  As the miles went on, my feet just started to feel more and more tired, and my body brought this complaint up with my brain.  Now at no point did I ever consciously think, 'my feet are tired, I should stop', but it was, I think, an added stress on my brain, which was just trying to keep everything together and keep me moving forward.  At around 14 miles I stopped for the first time, I was HOT.  I took off my running hat then stopped to pack it away in my running vest.  I drank down some water, fueled, and took some electrolytes.  I stopped three more times with the last one being around 17 miles - 2 miles left to go.  I was spent and my feet just weren't happy, I was at that point where I knew I only had two miles left to go, and, at the rate I was going, I knew it was just going to take forever with a combination of slow runs and walking.  Things were looking grim in Mudsville.

A little background:
This year I've really worked on improving my barefoot running, both form and distance.  It's been a great year.  So far my max barefoot distance runs have been 9 miles and I'll be hitting 10 miles for the first time this coming week.  There is no better way to improve your minimalist form than kicking off your shoes and running barefoot.  (Caution: if you've always walked around in shoes, the epidermis on the bottom of your feet is probably really thin, start slow, walk around barefoot as much as possible.)  I'm at the point in my form where I can comfortably run the above distances without damage to my feet, at least on hard surfaces.  I think I could probably get away with doing a half marathon distance barefoot now, but that would be on pavement.  My form is not at the point where I feel I could go further than that and I'm a long way off from where I can run on, say, a gravelly dirt road.  Nonetheless, for the distances I'm running, my feet feel great.

Back to my run:
So there I am, facing two more miles with dread.  Somewhere before 17 miles I started to think about taking off my shoes.  (When I've run barefoot on one road surface with a consistent texture for a couple of miles, and then another road surface with a different texture, my feet seem to feel reinvigorated.)  A voice in my brain was telling me that this was a stupid idea, my feet were soaked, I had sweat frothing out of the side of one of my Bikilas.  At the same time, I kept thinking about how much better my feet would feel, to, well, feel that road.  I took off my Bikila's strapped them to my vest, and started running.

I could feel the wariness of my feet begin to fade, I was flexing my toes between strides, I was, wait, I was, that can't be right, I was actually starting to pick up my pace a bit!  My cadence had increased!  Short rapid steps, my feet were talking directly to my brain.  This was so bizarre, never had I thought of taking my V5Fs off toward the end of a long-run.  I ran the rest of the route, a little less than two miles, without anymore stops.  Somehow, it wasn't just my feet that were reinvigorated, it was my whole body.  I'm not 100% what happened, but I think what it might be, or at least in part, is that as the heat and distance started to take their toll, my form just started to fall apart, (although I didn't think it was), and that in turn further taxed my body.  As great as minimalist shoes are at sensory feedback, they, obviously, aren't barefoot.  But that's why we stick a thin layer of something between us and the ground, so when we just don't see that rock, or that very rare piece of glass, there's something between you and it.  And, having thought about today's lesson, that piece of "something", is also there because, as far as I've come with my minimalist form, I still have a very long way to go.  On today's run, my body was taxed and I got sloppy, and didn't realize it, so today, my minimalist shoes, in a sense, failed me.  At the same time, however, I've run long distances under far cooler conditions, which I would not have been able to run without them.  There's probably a lot more too all this, things that I may or may not discover as I move along, but today I learned something new, and that is, perhaps, what all of this is really about anyways.