2 miles too far

A couple weeks ago, I did 9 miles on my Sunday run. I wasn't sure I could make it that far in terms of my feet, but I looked at my feet after 7 miles and thought another 2 would be no big deal. I was wrong. Even though my feet didn't hurt a lot while I was running the 8th and 9th miles, they hurt a lot after I was done running, especially my left foot. It took 3 or 4 days before my left foot was anywhere near close to normal. But the good thing about this foot trauma is that my feet have adapted quite a bit since that run, and they are feeling really good now.

I noticed this morning that rough pavement and gravel weren't nearly the issues that they were a couple weeks ago. My feet are now more appreciative of these kinds of surfaces, rather than overly sensitive.

I'm considering pushing for 10 miles this Sunday, but if I do so, I might do the first 3 miles with aquasocks, then do 7 miles barefoot, just to be conservative in terms of what my feet are ready for.

I've been having more and more dream fragments that have been sticking with my after I wake up. Just a few. I was swimming across a cold river that had flooded my passage back to a place I was trying to return to. I knew that the other way in was just as treacherous and involved a very steep decent down a high cliff. Lots of dreams and images about plants and gardens. This seems common right now. A bunch of images back at my parents house. My dreams of trains and subways. Stopping to visit my neighbor who happen to be sitting on the couch without clothes.

I expect to be putting together more complete dreams soon. This seems to be part of the normal cycle of when my dreams return.

Later.

Foot re-conditioning

The Winter in mostly aquasocks had a definite effect on my feet. After January, I thought I was still about where I was last November, but for some reason, only running barefoot once in February was a really killer in terms of my feet. Specifically, the foot pads lost their thick, leathery condition.

Now that it's been about a month back to mostly barefoot, they seem to be bouncing back pretty well. I'm hoping by the end of this month they are in real good barefoot condition. I'm still finding rough asphalt and gravel to be very challenging.

hibernation over

I've slowly emerged from hibernation. My running is progressing well after a period of slight regression in January and February. The Winter took a toll, and I ended up wearing my aquasocks a lot more than I had intended.

With March at an end, I might be in the best running shape of my life. My feet are still in the process of re-acclimating to natural running, but they are getting there. Today's run was 3 miles with aquasocks, then 5 miles without them. I am finding the gravelly debris to still be challenging.

The snow has almost completely melted.

More to come.

achy knees

This week, my knees hurt for the first time since last April. I think there are several factors that when into this. I skipped my Thursday run, and I think my knees are doing much better as a result.

My dreams seems to be returning, and I hope to begin posting more soon. I think it was time for them to return. They seemed lost to me for a lot longer than usual.

A new year of running

December turned out to be a down month running-wise, but it ended well. Due to bad weather, and a few unplanned events, I missed more runs than I would like, and my conditioning began to suffer. However, I ended the month well, and am back into a bit of a groove.

I found a problem with my old aquasocks. They have small holes in the bottoms, which suck in slush, snow, and water and result in pretty damp, cold socks and feet. I bought a new and improved pair of aquasocks for $20, which is 4 times what I paid for my first pair. These expensive shoes don't have holes in the bottom. They work very well for running when it's too cold and wet to run in bare feet. I went to a local running store with the intention of buying racing flats, but they didn't have anything very good, mostly because it's not the right season for racing flats. The sales woman at the store looked at me like I was crazy when I got excited about the aquasocks. They are probably better than any racing flat I could have gotten. They are light weight, with a very thin and very flexible sole. They are exactly what I would want in a shoe, if I'm forced to wear shoes.

My feet are still in pretty good shape, and I did manage a few barefoot runs toward the end of December. I was concerned that they might soften by running some of my runs in aquasocks, but that hasn't happened yet.

Thanks for listening.

dream fragment

I was talking to a woman, and she knew that there was something in one of my legs. At first I thought it was a stinger from an insect that had become deeply embedded, or some other kind of splinter. She had some kind of device that helped her locate where the object was and the point of entry, which was just above my knee in the back of my leg. She helped me pull it out, and it turned out to be a long, silver object, with a few branches.

It turned out that there was a 3rd woman who had implanted this in me, and she was still trying to spy on me somehow. There was a scene on a train, and I think we were watching each other through our laptops or something like that.

Where is global warming when you need it?

Lake Superior from Eagle Harbor, Michigan.
Photo from a site provided by Cable America.

Weather is still an issue with my running. Last night went okay, but I once again wore my aquasocks. This time because the roads were quite wet and the temp was in the 20's. I'm hoping to have a decent barefoot run before my feet completely atrophy. At least I know that Winter doesn't last forever.

Ice storm #2

This is our second ice storm of the year, not nearly as heavy as last weekend, but it might be worse in the sense that the temperature is staying cold, so the ice won't be melting soon. It makes for treacherous footing on the sidewalks and some streets.

I'm not sure if the conditions will be good later today for running. I'll run when I can. I'm considering ordering racing flats online. Running stores don't seem to carry them.

I had a dream this morning that involved an interesting building in downtown Chicago with lots of underground passageways connecting buildings to each other, maybe some escalators, and possibly some fast food places underground. It's all very vague.

More dream fragments

I have a number of dream fragments bouncing in my head this morning. They may be more like vague images than actual fragments. The clearest fragment is where I'm at my parents house, maybe in the garage. It seems like my dad and brother are there as well. Just this vague idea of a fragment brings up images from dreams past. I think the garage is a common dream location. Sometimes it's different in form, but there are similarities from garage to garage.

It also seems like there might be something this morning relating to planting in a garden. But as I write this, something clearer is emerging. I was mowing. There may have been difficulties getting the mower started, and I believe the grass was very long. This seemed to take place at my parent's house as well. This reminds me of seeing some neighbors struggling with a snow blower the other evening.

I think there may have been something with my friend J_, but that's more of a hunch than an actual concrete dream memory. Maybe there was something about playing some kind of game as well.

On to more definitive memories. I had a very good run Thursday evening. It was one of my best runs of the year. There was a light blanket of snow on the streets, but my footing was pretty decent. I kept my cadence quick and my strides very short. The combination of the feel of the snow, the beauty of a snow covered neighborhood, the light snow falling, the eerie glow that comes on a Winter night, made for a great run. Also, my pace was so slow that I felt like I could have run forever. And if you were wondering, I didn't go barefoot. Aquasocks were called for. I've found that wet and cold is a really bad combination for bare feet. Until the weather improves, I may have to wear aquasocks for more runs.

Tender foot is back

For some reason, my feet were especially sensitive this morning. I don't know why some runs are like this. It was cool (31 degrees), but I don't think it was about the temperature. For some reason, they were just extra sensitive.

I had a lot of dream fragments this morning, but it's now a jumbled mess. Nothing that amounts to a full-blown dream.

dream fragments

I was visit an old place of work and talking to one of the people there about the poor exchange rate with the US dollar, especially in comparison to the Euro. There were a couple silver coins, which were 2 dollar coins. I held one in my hand. It was very heavy and very beautiful. Later, I kissed the hand of M_ when I left, and thought about whether or not I would be returning soon and if I was being manipulative.

I had a job where I was running a small store, but that interfered with my current job. So, most of the time the store remained closed, because I couldn't be there to operate it.

I was in a dance competition, and my partner in the competition was a woman that I didn't know. All the men had smock-like things that we were supposed to put over our clothes. I unsnapped mine and tried to put it on over my head, but was having a hard time getting it to come over my body. Other couples in the competition were doing dances, but I could do anything, because I still couldn't get my smock on. Finally, I unsnapped the sides and was able to get it on. I wondered where I should tell people I was from in the introductions, my current residence, or where I grew up. I also wondered if friends were going to notice that I was on this TV show.

There was another fragment, but now it has escaped my mind.

Tanques

caring, smart, funny wife
precious 3 year old son
furry friend
low keyed feast
feet
Ken Bob Saxton
5K's
cold weather

I ran a moderate distance this morning. The temp was 30 degrees, which would have been fine by itself. However, the streets were wet, along with many stretches of sidewalk. Cold is fine on my feet. Cold and wet is painful, quite painful. I ran through a couple puddles, which ratcheted up the pain even more.

I think in the future under the same conditions, I would wear my aquasocks. I'm also considering buying a pair of racing flats for Winter running. I hope to continue to do a majority of my runs barefoot during the Winter, but I will respect the combination of cold and wet that can crop up at times.

Legs are bouncing back

It's Wednesday evening, and my legs are feeling better and better. Not 100%, but pretty good overall. And going down stairs is only a tiny bit painful now.

It happens that my cold feels like it's also on the way out.

I'm looking forward to a Thanksgiving where I don't eat so much I nearly explode. Don't I say this every year and do it anyway?

Later.

5K Postmortem

So how did it go? Very well. It was the hardest I've run in a long time, and the time was nearly 4 minutes better than I ran in early September. It was fun to run with my friend, and he did a really good job of keeping me on pace.

The big challenge was that we didn't start the race until 4 or 5 minutes after the gun went off. I got stuck in line waiting for the port-a-potties, which was a mis-calculation on my part. So we had to do a lot of weaving through much slower runners, and the field was pretty crowded for the first mile and a half.

I didn't get much in the way of comments. Heard a gasp or two behind me as people realized they had just been passed by someone who forgot their shoes.

I'm still a little sore, and just got back from a short run. That seemed to help loosen me up some.

As the other two 5K's the soreness is in my calves. No issues at all with my knees. They are quite happy.

Later.

16.75 hours and counting

I talked to an old friend, and he's going to let me park in his driveway for the race. He lives about a block from the starting line.

23 hours and counting

I just remembered a dream I had about a jigsaw puzzle competition. I was carefully watching my competitor put together a puzzle, and I was pretty sure I would be able to put the same puzzle together in a much quicker time, especially given that I had watched him/her with the same puzzle.

25.5 hours and counting

Well, it's not too far away now. I feel ready to run a good 5K tomorrow. It looks like things are lining up well for this to happen. Even if it isn't a great run, I think this will be a good race to run in. Decent teeshirt, and good food and stuff after the race.

Michigan plays Ohio State today, but somehow I'm just not into the game this year. I might record a little of the game and watch it later, or maybe not.

My dreams seem to be getting closer and closer to the surface. I'm remembering more scraps here and there.

I knew it all along

I always suspected the truth about her.

running and dreams

My feet felt very good during Sunday night's run. I'm realizing that they have been toughening up a lot over the last few months. The process is so gradual, that many times I don't really notice the change.

I had a sprawling series of dreams this morning that aren't quite a cohesive whole, but something I want to get down at least some notes on. So this is just going to be some brief notes, not really all that coherent, but something in print.

Was outdoors, asked someone about plowing up his grass. He gave me a reason for it and explained how growing the grass back was a difficult process. Later, waiting for Peyton and Eli Manning to come to a party. Wanted to throw a football around with them. Sat down at a table of people playing Euchre, made a huge mistake turning discard pile up. Nasty guy couldn't figure out how many points he wanted to penalize me for this error. Left and came back, people sitting on the ground for card game, wanted to sit in a small chair, not on ground. Port-a-potties that were somehow connected back to back in strange configuration. Not sure about other details of this party. Seemed like some was inside, and some outside, or somehow a combination of both.

Later.

sicko

The little guy is sick. Again. It seems like he is in the midst of serial colds that keep coming one after the other, with hardly any breaks between.

It happens that my wife is working all weekend, so I have the pleasure of attending to the little guy's nose full time.

I missed yesterday's run, but in a way this is a really good thing. I overslept. I think the extra day off will be helpful in order for my legs to be completely recovered for my upcoming 5K.

I registered for the 5K last night, so there is no backing out now.

Thanks for listening to this drivel.

parenting rethought

I'm reading Unconditional Parenting by Alfie Kohn, and it's making me think a lot about some of the things I'm doing as a parent.

I've known for quite some time that the power struggles I get into with the little guy aren't good for me or him, but I've been at a loss for how to do things differently.

I'm starting to think there may be a different way to approach these issues that will be better for us.

My wife was reading this book many months ago and kept saying that I would really like it, but it took me until now to finally start reading it.

Maybe my legs won't bounce back for the 5K

There are several signs right now that the last 3 or 4 weeks of running have taken their toll. Little twinges here and there in my legs and back. I'm hoping that my legs completely recover before the 5K, which is in 10 days, but it's possible they won't. I'm not totally sure about this.

In any case, I will probably have a decent 5K, but my hope is to time everything so that my legs are in the best possible condition on the 18th in order to run a really strong 5K. I may have overstressed them the last month.

I have some bugs at work that are really bugging me. This happens on occasion when I just can't seem to find a resolution to an issue. There are some things I know how to do. Some things I don't know and am at a loss for figuring out.

Blasted warm weather

I was all set for a cold run this morning. The forecast was for upper 20's. I expected this to be a good test for my feet to see how they would do in slightly sub-freezing conditions.

My run went really well, and my feet felt fine. However, when I got in and checked the temperature (according to the local news), it was 35. Not even close to freezing.

I'll have to wait for another day for my first sub-freezing barefoot run.

A semi-magic last mile of a 3 mile run Sunday

Given the semi-cold I'm fighting, and not feeling like I had a 5 or 6 mile run in me today, I decided on a 3 mile run. Given how I was feeling, after a couple miles, I decided to push the 3rd mile and see how fast I could do it. I did the 3rd mile in 8:17, which according to Jeff Galloway's Magic Mile race predictor comes out to a 27:23 5K. That feels like something well within my reach. I actually think that a sub 27 minute 5K is very possible if I pace myself well. In any case, I'm looking forward to a good 5K in a couple weeks.

Lion seen on the loose

Trick or Treat!008_edited-1
Originally uploaded by Zataod

Who says there aren't any big cats in the Midwest? We saw this lion outside our house this week. Luckily, we were able to offer him treats and tame him.

longest run in over 13 years

I did 5 miles this morning. It's the longest run in over 13 years. I'm more convinced than ever that running is going to be something I can do for a long time.

It was about 35 degrees this morning, with light frost on the ground and a nearly full moon in the Western sky. I enjoy going out when the sky is still nearly dark and having the sun come up near the tail end of my run. My feet are a little tender, but not overly so. One of these days they will adapt to barefoot running.

We have a lot of preparations to get ready for this afternoon's Halloween party. I still don't know how our house is going to handle that many little kids.

Later.

Sat morn quick thoughts

This was my best run week yet. I had 3 good runs, and my mileage is creeping up ever so slightly. I still feel very slow, and my watch confirms that I'm very slow. In terms of my upcoming 5K, my distance base is a lot better, and I'm guessing that will end up resulting in a faster time. Right now my plan is to aim for 4.5 or 5 miles tomorrow. I'll log onto runningmap.com and come up with a route that looks interesting.

We have a boatload of little tykes coming over for a Halloween party Sunday. I think our house will not be able to take this. I'm not yet sure how it will be destroyed, just that the destruction will be complete. By the way, Halloween is my favorite religious holiday.

I'm trying some experiments in self-hypnosis. In the past, I was never really sure that it worked, but I always seemed to feel better when I was doing it. I'll try it again for a few weeks and see what happens.

In terms of the Sunday party, I'm thinking that it would be good if I'm not too wiped out from my Sunday morning run. So I want to pick a good distance, but not something that is going to kill me.

Slightly cold feet Wednesday

050/365
Originally uploaded by marie-ll

I had a really good run this morning. The secret to my run was getting out of bed before my alarm went off. The secret to getting up before my alarm went off was getting a support call from work. Luckily, it was only 20 minute before my alarm was due to go off, and luckily, it didn't keep me from running.

It felt like my feet were landing very gently this morning. They were a little cold, but not uncomfortably so. The temp was 44 degrees. I wonder what it's going to feel like when it hits the 30's.

Tender feet Friday

It was a great run this morning. It just felt right on a lot of different levels. But later this morning, my feet were still tender for longer than I would expect with a 2 mile run. Just when I think my feet have toughened up, I realize they still have a long ways to go. Or maybe it's my form that still has a long was to go. Barefoot Ken Bob is always talking about how it's not about toughening up your feet, but about learning to run more gently.

In any case, I should be up for a good run Sunday. I'm not yet sure if I will do short and fast or long and slow. I'm leaning towards a longer, slower run. Part of the appeal of a longer run is finding a new route and mapping it out.

Where the heck are my dreams? They still seem to have disappeared. This dream drought is going on much too long.

Dexter

About 95% of the series TV we watch is via DVD's from Netflix. We just started season 1 of Dexter this evening. It's just like 6 Feet Under, but in this case, David has turned into a serial killer. Actually, it's not bad so far. Given the number of TV shows that are out there, it's still tough to find something worth investing part of our evening on.

I'm going to find a way to go snoozeless tomorrow morning when my alarm goes off. How hard can that be?