Happy Feet

I hate blisters and foot pain. This is obviously nothing revolutionary. I'm sure most people hate blisters and foot pain, but when you're into covering long distances by foot, it's kind of par for the course.

You need to have proper footwear for a trail race. I own La Sportiva Wildcats and Brooks ASRs. As a wear tester, I'm really fortunate that Brooks sends me pairs to test out. I'm a big fan of the ASR 9s.

I wore the ASR 9s for the first 25 miles of the race. They are pretty lightweight for trail shoes, 9.5 ounces, and they're really similar to the Adrenalines I wear on the road.

I packed my Wildcats in my drop bag and switched pairs at the halfway point. I am so glad that I did because they have a lot more cushion and the ankles are higher for more stability. Different shoe models mean that my feet weren't subjected to the same pressure points, which means less pain and risk of blisters.

This kid did not come with two pairs of shoes and tried to run the trail in road Vibrams. Eek. He was hurting pretty bad so I offered him my ASRs for the last 17 miles. I was happy to help him out and glad he had small lady feet.

Always bring two pairs of shoes!

I've found myself in a bit of a predicament. I track the mileage on my shoes using RunningAHEAD. If I switched shoes in the middle of the run, how do I track one run with two pairs of shoes? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated because it's keeping me up at night. That's not a joke.

Fresh Like Bounce Sheets

I really like the smell of Bounce dryer sheets, like willing to sniff strangers like it. I also really like when I'm excited to workout, and lately I've been feeling like everything I do is stale. I really miss kickboxing and spinning, but alas my gym membership is frozen.

I was pretty psyched when I woke up this morning raring for a run (this might have something to do with the Lipo 6 Black Hers pills I've started taking again), but I didn't want to do the same old run through town. My marathon training plan said to run 3 miles today so I decided to put on my Vibrams. I can't handle much further in them, but 3 felt reasonable. I also wanted to run with some music, but after nine hours in the car this weekend, I am absolutely sick of my iPod. Did you know that you can run Pandora and Nike+ GPS at the same time? Nike+ GPS will bitch about a low GPS signal at first, but I chose to ignore it and it worked perfectly fine. I chose a Dion station because I love doo-wop, especially for running. Really, you should try it.

I found this hill in town last week that looked like a really pain in the ass to run. Apparently my sister has known about Capitol Heights Road for five years but neglected to say anything about it. It was one of those extremely difficult, sucks so bad that I love it experiences. I must admit that I was scared that I was going to end up in the road during the descents. I really should get used to running downhill in my Vibrams. I am going to return to this bad boy later this week.

I ended up running 5.1 miles today because I was having such a good time. Don't let your workouts feel like work. They should be hard (sometimes painful) and take a lot of effort, but doing laundry shouldn't sound like a better idea... unless you like to huff dryer sheets.

Workouts shouldn't feel like work until you're passed out on your front doorstep.

A Run Through Gun-Wavin' New Haven

So I was in New Haven last weekend for a little visit. After an intense week of teaching all day and working most of the night, I was exhausted by the time I arrived Friday evening. Saturday morning I tried to hide under the covers, feign deafness, and outright refuse, but I was somehow coerced (forced?) into going for a run. This was a Vibrams-only run, so the boy and I looked like one of those obnoxious yuppie couples running around the ghetto. At least I was wearing a cut-off t-shirt... We lasted a mile and a half before shin injuries and a raging headache sent us home. I also put a hole in the right toe of my Classic Vibrams! I've been eying the KSOs, so this may be a sign. Despite our weak performance, a nice morning running cures most ailments, and I felt substantially better by the time I showered up for brunch.

Taking Advantage of the Track

I can't go that many days without exercise. Just can't function without the endorphin rush, and if I'm suffering, everyone I come in contact with suffers too. To avoid spreading feelings of unhappiness, I hit up the university track after work tonight. It was super simple to change into shorts and a t-shirt after my shift. I had stashed my Vibrams in my bag with my change of clothes, and was all set to run by 8:50pm. I decided to run 2 miles on the track before heading home. Everything is great. I've got my iPod, I've got my toe-shoes, I've got some good weekend plans to think about... and then I spot the child on the bicycle. And then I spot her parents. I smile, she's cruising, they're being weird. Now I'm not the only person running on the track. This is a track, mind you. Meant for running. I notice that the family has chosen a lane without a runner, so I go back into my fantasy, and take off. I'm good to go until a snoozefest of a tune comes on, and I go to change it, and the next one sucks too, dear lord, this is my iPod? And then I glance down and there is the toddler literally 8 inches away from my foot. I am going to take her out. I did the only thing I could: I used her as a hurdle.

Dear parents,
I don't run in your kid's playground. Don't let your kids play on my track.
Sincerely,
In Shape Out of Mind

NYCRUNS Lousy T-Shirt Race

A big thank you goes out to Steve and the rest of the great people at NYCRUNS for putting on last night's awesome race. NYCRUNS is a website that connects New York City runners, and is my go-to website for upcoming race information. Steve also sends out a pretty nifty weekly email blast.

Yesterday was NYCRUNS' first race ever. I felt like I was a part of history in the making. The Lousy T-Shirt Race was held on a USATF certified 5K course in Riverside Park, and about one hundred runners showed up for this inaugural event. We got off to a late start because Steve was making sure the volunteers were in the right places. I must admit that the extra waiting around did a number on my nerves, and I began to get antsy. Speaking of numbers - My bib number was 21, which is my lucky number. I knew good things were going to happen when I saw it.

I decided to race in my Vibrams for the very first time. I've been thinking about making the transition for a while, but I've always chickened out. I  worried that if something went terribly wrong, it would haunt me on the New York Road Runners website for eternity. I left my Nike Frees at my parents' house, so my decision was heavily influenced by my desire to avoid my clunky Lunar Glides. Those things suck to race in because they are so heavy. This laid-back race was the perfect opportunity to experiment with quasi-barefoot racing.

The race officially began around 7:30pm. We took off and tackled the worst hill in the first half mile. Some legit runners showed up for the Lousy T-Shirt race and I wanted to keep them in my sight. I didn't wear a watch or carry my phone, and the race didn't have any markers, so I was running blind. As long as I could see those short-shorts ahead, I knew I would be good. Let me tell you, racing in the evening, with humidity and pollen is a lot more difficult than racing on a clear fall morning near the water. I was huffing and puffing right away.

I noticed that I felt lighter in my Vibrams. I found it easier to run, until I thought too much about my form. I had to consciously think about not thinking. The downhills felt awkward out of my traditional running shoes, and I definitely need some practice to become more comfortable with that experience. I wasn't sure if I was landing properly. Highs-stepping the hills was a breeze and I felt like I had a greater range of motion. I have blisters on my feet from wearing flip flops constantly, and I could feel them getting tender towards the end of the race. I think they would've popped had I been running in my Nikes.

The course was beautiful, taking us through and around the park, along the highway and the river. We had to double-back at one point, which threw off everyone's judgement of the distance. We veered off the main path right before the finish line, allowing me to mentally prepare for my beastly finish. I was able to pass a runner that had been in front of me for the entire race, and as I pulled ahead I saw the clock. I could see that it still said 21 minutes. Didn't I say 21 was my lucky number, and that my bib was going to bring good luck? The seconds were still in the twenties. My PR was 21.55 - I could set a new PR! I let out a war whoop and took off, leaping across the finish line at 21.36! I came in 3rd place for women, and shaved off 38 seconds from my last 5K.

Steve announced that NYCRUNS would be hosting a biweekly summer series, every other Wednesday. Get excited for more races!

Barefoot Fitness

Last night I had a training session with my trainer Morgan. Morgan recently got his first pair of Vibrams, although I think they irritate his (mildly) webbed feet. I told him I was going to tell everyone I could about his foot condition, and what better way to do this than post it on the Internet? I've been hesitant to wear my Vibrams since I got my new tattoos, but they really do give you superior grip and stability while lifting. I showed up to the gym in a pair of Nike Lunar Glides, which Morgan promptly made me take of. I worked out in my socks.

I think Morgan has it in for me because we did squats, dead lifts, shoulder presses, and pull-ups (double-assisted, it's okay). It's difficult to remember to keep the shelf on your shoulder blades, draw your shoulders back, keep your abs tight, push your knees out, and keep your weight in your heels. Sometimes I miss the body bar...

I have another training session tonight and I packed my Vibrams. They were easier to fit in my bag than my sneakers. I just hope they don't mess with my tattoos.

Vibrams at Kickboxing

In an attempt to keep my posts about kickboxing fresh for you, I decided to wear my Vibrams to class last night. This is actually the second time I have worn them to kickboxing, but the last time was several months ago. As you know, my tight hamstrings have been messing with my knees. I have been nervous all week about hurting myself before tomorrow's 50K, and have even worn sneakers to work. (This is entirely acceptable at my place of employment. I just think I look like a tool wearing sneakers with a skirt.) Last week my knee was killing me after Coco's kickboxing class. I wore my favorite pair of Nike crosstrainers instead of my Frees, but still no dice. Maybe the extra cushioning was the problem? Was I willing to risk a knee problem to get my kickboxing fix this week?

My knees felt awesome throughout the entire kickboxing class and into Zumba. This morning I woke up pain free. Maybe I should wear my Vibrams to the gym more often.

Do I Need More Shoes?

I picked up my Ritalin prescription from my pediatrician's office today and got to see the object of my affection. The receptionist at my pediatrician's office is incredibly sexy, and he speaks Spanish, and I'm in love with him. Yes, I realize that I am twenty-four and I still go to a pediatrician. Yes, I realize that I am the only patient that can drive herself to the office. No, I don't have a problem with this.

Now I couldn't drop the prescription off at the local CVS because I might have verbally threatened one of the pharmacists last month. He was wrong, I was right, and he was being mean. And maybe I wanted a cigarette really badly and decided to take that out on him. I have been planning to make a trip over to Trader Joe's anyway, and lo and behold, there's a CVS right next door. I was able to stock up on tasty snacks and get my uppers refilled.

Since Trader Joe's is about the size of my parents' garage, I ran out of things to look at quickly and needed to kill some time. I went into Incredible Feets to take a look around and ended up having an awesome chat with the owner about Vibram footwear and the book Born to Run. He pretty much convinced me I need to buy two more pairs of Vibrams, but I managed to get out of the store before handing over my credit card. I need to mull over these purchases because I don't wear the ones I already have as much as I should. However, if I were to buy them, I'd buy them from this guy because customer service really does make a difference.

Practice 5K in Vibrams

This morning my friend Palindrome (by the way, I use nicknames to protect the innocence of my friends who may not want to be associated with my borderline psychotic fitness life over the internet) and I met in downtown Oyster Bay to practice for next week's 5K. We decided that we had to wear our Vibrams for this excursion, although I'm not sure why since I'm not planning on racing in them. This was actually the first time I ran in my Vibrams and I really liked it. Now that I think about it, maybe I will wear them next Saturday. I did find out that stepping on a rock hurts. Really hurts. I'm not sure I'm willing to risk that kind of pain during a race.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL today and the run set the perfect tone for the day. Palindrome and I didn't run very fast (we didn't time ourselves, oops), but we were able to determine which spots would be good for speeding up or slowing down. We aim to win the Supervisor's 5K.

Vibram

Now that I'm back in my apartment and my toe is nearly healed, it's time to break out the Vibram Five Fingers. I really like them as a commuter shoe, and wore them to and from school yesterday. They attract a lot of attention. Some girls from the high school located near the elementary school I work in were so fascinated by my footwear that they asked to take pictures of them on their phones.

I wore my Vibrams to Urban Rebounding for the first time. Terrell, the instructor, has a pair and he recommends them for this workout. I found that the class felt more difficult with them on because they don't give you the same bounce as a pair of sneakers. I think this is a good thing because I had to work my legs and core more to do the moves, therefore maximizing the time I spent in the class.

After class Terrell and I discussed how people who are knowledgeable about fitness recognize Vibram Five Fingers as a training shoe, but the rest of the population will try to make fun of you. Don't wear Vibrams if you aren't prepared to answer questions and take a little teasing.