Tag Archives: marathon

I Am A Runner!

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Today, I am RUNNER!  Yes, I have been posting this series of columns on running for about a year, but until this weekend, I was working to regain my status using a minimalist style.  I am there.

Just a year ago I read Born to Run by Chirstopher McDougall and decided to give minimalist running a try. Those of you who have followed and read know that making that change after 40 years running in technical shoes is not a simple adjustment. Compounding that was my own impatience at a few points along the way.

It has been a step function of progress with quick growth followed by plateaus of stabilization.  I have discovered many things about style and technique as well as myself over this past year. More than that I have made some great virtual friends who share the running passion and who have offered encouragement and incentive. Many of them don’t even know it, but that is how those things work.

So, why today? Why this point in time to declare that I am a runner?

It is the day after the day after.  You all know what I mean.  The real pain of a long run isn’t felt until the day after the day after.  This Saturday, October 13, I ran the ING Hartford Marathon.

It was the longest run I’ve made in minimalist style by almost a factor of two.  The timing of the race didn’t allow me to use a typical prep schedule.  I gave my physical conditioning in minimalist precedence over the mileage and concentrated on staying healthy. To compensate the lack of mileage I did more hill and interval work more frequently.

The morning of the race was cold – about 38F at the start. I dress for the “second mile”, so I had my shorts, a compression top and a long sleeve jersey and my minimalist shoes. Because of an ill timed blister I couldn’t wear my Luna Sandals, so I opted for a pair of NB Minimus shoes that I have been using on trail runs. Use shoes that you have run in even if they aren’t the perfect match for the course. It took a bit more than the second mile to warm up, but the day was sunny and not much wind to speak of.

It is a beautiful course. Starting in downtown in a large park we set off along a series of pathways along the Hartford River. Rolling hills provided views of the river, oarsmen, trees turning color in the early fall, and the tall buildings of Hartford.  It would have been a perfect venue for a stroll, but me and the 17,000 other runners weren’t in a stroll kind of mood.

Breaking out of the city we spent the majority of the race running through the surrounding residential area of Hartford.  Streets lined with tall trees and a relatively flat grade. It was a wonderful place to be as the air warmed up. I felt good as I approached the turnaround at mile 15 or so. But, having done a couple of marathons before, I knew the real challenge was at mile 20 and beyond.

I loved watching the elite runners heading past us before I hit the turnaround. It was in their eyes.  None of them were looking around, just down the road at their goal. The focus and natural movement was awe inspiring. I will never be fast, but I want to be that smooth.

At mile twenty I felt the depression start to set in.  I had been drinking at must about every water station and munching a Cliff bar and some raisins as I ran to help payback the 2860 calories my app said I burnt.  I started to doubt myself.  My feet were feeling the pain. I was in uncharted territory.  Those puppies had only been subjected to 15 miles at the most during my regeneration as a runner.  Concentrating on form was taking all the mental energy I had. Well, not really. A lot of my mind was focused on living inside the pain.  Not my legs but my feet.  Remember, minimalist shoes offer no cushion and I hadn’t had time to build up the stamina.

When I hit mile 22 I had to stop while I opened up a ziplock baggie with raisins in it.  My fingers were so cold and stiff they couldn’t grip the plastic while I ran. Even standing I spent 20 seconds or so trying to get the damn thing open. I started to worry that I’d freeze up. Finally, a clump in my mouth and a second in my hand I zipped it up, tucked it in my waistband and started up again, another cup of water to help.

And it felt okay.

Mile 24 and I knew I was home. I was letting the aches and pains of my body flow through me, remembering the words of Scott Jurek – “Dig Deep”. He inscribed those words into my copy of Eat & Run.  I also knew that mile 25 held the last climb of the race. A curving path up an entry ramp then over an overpass.  It gains about 75 feet in a half mile or so. The perfect thing to do after 25 miles!  I hit the climb with a smile on my face. I felt enough reserve to be able to power up the beast and enter the downtown area with less than a mile left powered by the cheers of the crowd.

At the end there is a sharp left turn to reveal the arch tower that is a monument of Hartford. The race finishes under the beauty and power of those arches.  Legs enriched by the sight of the end find strength and move to the finish.

Water, food and some beer from Harpoon brewery made the end of the race comfortable, although I was stiff as hell.  Then a long drive back home. a warm shower, and spending some time with the family.

That evening I paid attention to the aches and pains.  Hydrating continued as well as munching on fruits.  Dinner was pizza and beer, which is always on my training table.

Sunday found me with soar ankles and feet.  That I kind of expected, but I also had a little tenderness in my knees.  I didn’t worry about it, but didn’t push it either.

Then I noticed that I could walk up and down stairs without any tightness in my thighs.  In previous marathons the thighs had taken a toll and I had to walk down stairs backwards as a result. I kept in motion the whole day.  Fish for dinner after a smoothie for lunch and an afternoon of working in the yard and garage.

Now, here I am on Monday morning and I feel normal. I have no real pain in my legs or feet. I am amazed.  I had almost dreaded getting up this morning because the day after the day after is always a deeper lingering pain. None. Nada. I walked down the stairs to my home office and a cup of coffee and I am normal.

It is the minimal style.  It is body friendly. I know that now.  And that is after running 26 miles in 3:56:30 – my second best ever – without the mileage I really should have logged. It tells me that this was the right choice to make and I am no longer wondering if there is a gottcha at the end of the minimalist conversion.  Well, there is. The gottcha is the you want to run longer than 26.2!

I have completed a full marathon, running in minimalist form for the duration.  I didn’t just survive, I ran. I finished in a time I never expected. Yes, the transition is complete.

Today I am a Runner!   Run Free.  Dig Deep

Tools of the Trade

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I’ve been trying out some new running tools and want to give you an update.  I’ll start with shoes/sandals and go into some other areas in future posts.

I’m not getting paid for any promotions here and these have all been purchased with money from my own pocket.  That doesn’t mean I wouldn’t be happy to get some product to test, but I just wanted you to know. Because of that, I have not made an exhaustive sampling of products, but am telling you about what is or isn’t working for me.

The Sandals

I’ve been wearing Luna Sandals for over 9 months now. They are my go-to running footwear.

The photo flash washes out the deep color, but you can see how the suede conforms to your foot after a while.  I have also worn them as regular sandals through the summer. Once you get the tension on the straps set right they become second nature on your feet.  I was never much of a sandal wearer because the always seemed so bulky and uncomfortable. These are great.

I use the ATS strap version. My older pair has the elasticized straps, which are nice, but ATS seem to stay in place a bit better. Over time I’ve trimmed them down to be a bit more custom to my foot. I wear an 8D in regular shoes and these are size 8, so they fit to size for men’s shoes.

I have several hundred miles logged on these (probably 400 or more) and the soles and straps don’t show any major wear. Yes, they are wearing, but I can easily see another 500+ miles in them.  That is a lot longer than I ever got with regular running shoes. Since minimalist design doesn’t have cushioning to worry about, you can run the shoes until they literally wear out.

I would suggest anyone wanting to go minimal get a pair of sandals (there are a number of good options out there).  They take a little getting used to, but tie back to man’s first effort at foot covering, so our feet actually feel normal in them. I love not having my toes rub against a shoe box. The downside is that you will build up a callous where the strap goes between your toes. In running, there is always a price to pay.

You will also find that every little pebble or sharp edge is transferred to your foot bottom.  That is important because it is that sensitivity that immediately makes you run lighter. Listen to your body and adjust your knee bend and cadence and stride and you will feel an immediate change in how the foot fall feels.  THAT is the key difference between sandals and running shoes. The amount of dampening in sandals is almost nothing. That encourages good form.

Minimal Shoes

I have started to run some more trails.  Around here they are strewn with sharp edged rocks and boulders or all shapes and sizes. I attribute it to this area having been at the tail end of ice age glaciers. We have a lot of stones and rocks!  My sandals tend to shift a little too much on these ankle twisting routes, so I looked around for some minimalist, trail specific shoes.

Trail Shoes

The New Balance Minimus10′s came to the top of the list when I ran in them at Road Runner Sports. They are light, have a toe box that was comfortable for me and a slight heel lift (4mm). For some reason I wanted a bit of a heel in my trail shoes.

After logging my first trail in them as part of a 9 mile run, I was quite happy. I still felt the rocks and stones, but they were a bit dampened compared to sandals.  It is a slight difference, but there is a difference. You want to have the feel.  I also noticed that after any run I did in these, my achilles tendons felt pretty normal.  That is the last physical adjustment my feet and legs are making.  The 4mm lift seems to make it easier.  They also help grip the rocks and wet areas nicely.

One note. I do find that I run about 15-25 seconds faster per mile in these compared to sandals.  I’ve concentrated on my form to make sure I’m still on. It must be the dampening. I’ll see how that plays out over time as I start to do more speed work in sandals.

Minimal Shoes

One of my first minimal shoes were from Stem Footwear.  They have since changed their name to Leming Footwear, but the shoes are the same.  These are not running shoes, per se, but I have logged running miles in them. They are very comfortable walking and general footwear shoes.  They look good, wear nicely and just feel easy.  The soles are very responsive and flexible, so they will naturally help you strengthen your feet.

The Lemings are made of natural fibers with a flexible sole. You can throw them in the wash (air dry, do not put in the dryer) and it refreshes them. The insides are nice enough to wear without socks although I wear socks for longer runs.  For trail runs they don’t give much buffer. They are on par with the sandals for road feel. Maybe when my feet have adapted more to that experience I’ll be able to use these.  They are also zero lift, so absolute minimal.

Socks

I’ve used running socks for a long time. I like socks that are just at ankle height, but that is personal preference.  Since I transitioned to minimal, I’ve wanted less wrapping on my feet and have found that regular socks are too constricting in the toes. I used to crave the containment, but no longer.

When I do wear socks for distance running I wear ToeSox. It took me a little while to get good at putting them on.  It is easier than putting on FiveFingers! The great thing is they can be worn with shoes or sandals. Admittedly, walking around in them while wearing sandals does look a little like you should be retired in Florida. They do a great job of adding warmth on cool days and for added protection on more wet venues. I like the lightweight ones. They make a series with a non-slip sole that are great for when I do TRX, P90x or yoga strength training.

Isn’t this a much better photo than my feet in a pair? There are several manufacturers of these type of socks. I have only tried ToeSox and liked them from the start, so haven’t felt the need to experiment.

So there you have it.  I’ll get into hydration options and phone apps I can’t live without in the next couple of posts.

The bottom line is that anything you use should enhance your running experience.  These are what have made it fun for me.  Always listen to your feet and legs, not what is in the popular press.  It really is all about the form, not the footwear.

Until then, Dig Deep, Run Free, Have Fun!

Sixty on Sixty

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I’ve been thinking about this next challenge for a while and decided it was time to put it out there and commit.  Let me get right to the point.

On June 23, 2013 I will turn 60. That day I will run 60 miles in celebration of life in general. I am calling the event 60 on 60. My planning is still in its infancy, but I have about 11 months to go and I will need most of that to get ready.

Here are the weapons of choice.  They may be modified and updated as time goes on, but these are the go to items.

Why?

There are a number of reasons, but first is that I want to run an ultramarathon next year. It has been part of my goal ever since I transitioned to minimalist style. I’ve run two marathons and have another planned in October of this year. After reading so much about the human as distance runner, I decided that I wanted to see just how far I can go. It is as much about curiosity as it is about running.  Curiosity about the pain and running through it.

The second reason is that I want to give something back. I’ve never been big at running for donations, although I often contribute to those who do so. It is time to change that.  I will be doing this on behalf of The Hole in the Wall Gang.  This organization was started by Paul Newman and is dedicated to giving kids with debilitating and life threatening diseases some time to just be kids. I can’t think of a better way to celebrate my ability to run than to support helping kids have fun.

Why a Year Away?

I has taken me about 9 months to get to a feel of comfort in minimalist form.  Not just the running form, but the muscles relaxed and adapted so that I can run in the double digits in comfort. Remember, I’ve been running since 1967 when I was a freshman in high school. For those first years it was in flats and basketball shoes, then I converted to elevated, heel cushioned, high tech shoes and ran in those for 30+ years. My muscles need time to adapt and I figure it will take about another 9 months to really get there.  Once that happens, I’ll be staged to make the big run.

What do you need from us?

See how I cleverly got you volunteered! Sure, I would definitely appreciate any donations to the cause.  I am working with the Hole in the Wall organization to set up a website.  Since it is a year away, I’ll be reminding people more after the new tax year, but I wanted to put a stake in the ground now.

Donations are only part of it.

I want you to run with me.  Make it a virtual run.  I’ve started to outline some rules and will formalize them and post them as part of this blog.  Here are some of the key rules for right now:

1) Have Fun.  This is not a workout or a race. The run on this day can be as fast as you want, but has to be done with a light heart and a smile. I want you all to celebrate the fact that you can run.  Remember what it was like to be a kid and just take off and have fun? Do something unusual. Drag your kids along with you and re-discover how to have fun with them.  Exercise, but enjoy it.

2) Keep to the Numbers.  6-23 is my birth date.  All of your runs should be a distance that is related to 6, 2,or 3.  You can run 6 miles, .2 miles, .3 kilometers, 300 feet, or 18 miles (3 times 6).  Plot it out. Try something new. Make it as hard or easy as you want, but keep rule #1 in play at all times.

3) Carpe Diem. The weather in New England can be pretty fickle that time of year. I will run the 60 miles in one 24 hour day, but it may not actually be on 6/23 because of weather.  I will finalize the day a week or so ahead of the run. I’m looking for lower heat and humidity. This is not part of an organized run, so I have the luxury of being able to adjust as needed.  It would be great if you could all hit your run on the same day, but I understand how life can be. You have plus or minus 1 week to be able to meet your commitment.  I am going to set up a chart for you to register in and we can track the number of miles that get run that day.

4) Test Yourself. I am realizing that our bodies can take a lot more than we think. There are some trains of thought that think we lose health benefits if we don’t task ourselves. We evolved to work hard. It was all survival.  That work included distance running.  Use this as a chance to do something you haven’t tried to do.  I’m not asking anyone to do go off the deep end.  Have a serious look inside and set a goal that might be a stretch for you.  Keep it to yourself or broadcast it here, but find your inner runner.  BUT, have fun while you do it. I’d rather you back off and enjoy than stretch and hate every step.

5) Beer. Yes, beer is good food and in keeping with the celebratory mode I will drink a six pack during the run. It will have good carbs and the alcohol will burn off in a few minutes of running.  I’ll probably need the anesthetic effect by mile 40 anyway!

More to Come

I have a number of tasks and todo’s that I am working on.  A good friend has offered to help me come up with a logo.  I’ll use that to create badges for your web pages if you commit to the fun run.

In the town I live, there are a number of loops I will run.  There are 3, 6 and 18 miles versions, and some others that I will have to manage.  I’m not going to be anal about the exact mileage of a loop, but they will be close to the 2, 3, 6 format. I may throw in some  trails, but most of my routes are on road surfaces. My home will be the anchor so I can eat and refresh between loops.

Web pages, twitter accounts, FB pages.  All of that will be coming. It’s just me doing this, which is how I want it, but it will take a while.  I do have a day job and I need to keep u with my writing.

Speaking of writing. One of the reasons I am making this announcement now is that I  signed up with Booktrope to publish my current book, SYN:FIN, and its follow on novel, that is in first edit.  Booktrope focuses on indie authors and has developed a unique business model that will be the future of publication.  I am honored and excited about the opportunity to be part of the Booktrope team.

When I thought of doing this run I told myself that if I got the contract with Booktrope, then I would make the announcement.  Well, I can’t back out now.  That is also one go the other reasons for making the announcement now. There is no backing out.

Going forward this journal will still cover my ongoing transition and discovery.  I will also add updates on the 60 on 60.

Thanks, in advance, for your fantastic support and commitment.

Run always!  Run free!

 

Fairfield Half Marathon is History!

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On Sunday I gave myself a birthday present.  I turned 59 on the 23rd and ran the Fairfield Half Marathon on the 24th.  It is a race I’ve run several times in the past, but this was a milestone run for me.  It was the first time I’ve run it in minimalist style.

A year ago a 10+ mile run was not a big deal.  I was putting those out on a regular basis all through the summer.  Then in late fall I started the transition to minimal style and my mileage and milestones all changed drastically.  Back in May I hit a plateau where I felt my form was good and I was going to slowly add miles.  The form has stayed and miles have been added.  It has not been without pain and adjustment.  It has been enlightening and exhilarating.

What’s Changed?

Well, first off, my times aren’t that much different.  I went back to the records and in 2002,  10 years ago, I ran Fairfield in 1:52:28.  My personal best was somewhere around 1:51, but I can’t remember where I ran that.  I know, I’m not much of a record keeper for running.  As you can tell, world class does not describe my times.

This year I finished in 1:54:52, 968 out of 3522 and #30 in my age group.  And I ran it in my Luna Sandals

scary looking picture

BTW, my feet aren’t purple, but I couldn’t find a place where the light was decent for the shot.

NOTE:  The right sandal is a little bigger.  I was trimming them down for a more custom fit and screwed up the the right one.  Luna sold me a separate sandal and I am waiting for the imprint to finalize before I do the last trim. That is what is great about sandals – you can cut them to fit.  They guys at Luna are just great to deal with. To be fair, the guys at Invisible Shoes and Bedrock Sandals have always been easy to deal with, too.  I think it is part of the mental framework that comes from this style of running.

What About The Race, Already?!

The Fairfield Half course is not flat.  There are five of six good climbs and a number of rollers along the way.  The last climb hits at about 10 miles and is a sharp uphill for .2 of a mile followed by steady upward grade for a just under a half mile.  That doesn’t sound long, but when it is hot and you’ve already run 10 miles, it is taxing.  I was looking forward to that last climb because I know it had stopped my on my second run of the course in 2003.

Before the race I did the wait-in-the Port-A-John line routine and then some walking around to kind of loosen up.  A man walked passed me and asked if I was going to change into shoes when the race started.  I smiled and said I was running in the sandals.  The two women with him almost gasped and did the “Really?  You’re running in those?” response.  That made me smile as I told them they were pretty comfortable.

About 10 minutes before the start I was sitting on the side of the road people watching.  )(It is an occupational hazard for a writer who is also a slight introvert.)  As I watched, a man who looked to be in his late twenties or early thirties walked by me.  He was barefoot.  I got off my butt and asked him if he was running barefoot.  His name was Adam and he confirmed his barefoot intention.  Then he asked if I was wearing Luna’s and we talked a while.  It turned out he was almost two years into minimal style and it had saved his knees and lower legs.  He told me that it took a long time for his calves and achilles to adjust. That made me feel better about the ongoing muscle adjustment I was experiencing.

The gun went off and we did the shuffle for a minute or so until we got passed the start line. I set off Sportstracker on my iPhone and got ready for the first mile warmup.

You can tell from the picture that it was a very accurate monitor for the run.  I kept the audio alerts off and put my iPhone into sleep mode and only used about 10% of the charge during the run.  Not bad.  I could – will – do a marathon with it.

About 5 miles into the run, a young man pulled up next to me and asked how I liked my sandals.  I told him that it took adjustment to the new style, but I loved the feel.  He was wearing some minimal shoes and agreed on the adjustment.  He asked me what brand and I told him “Luna” and spelled it for him because he thought I said “Muna”.  We chatted for a little while and then he moved off to the side to join up with a young woman.  As we hit a downhill and I started to pull away (more on that later), I heard him saying “No, Luna. L-U-N-A.” to his friend.  I smiled.  It’s funny to witness when people are shy about talking to someone. At least she had a boyfriend to help satisfy her curiosity.

After the turnaround, somewhere around mile 8, I was coming off another downhill when I heard a male voice over my shoulder. “True minimalist running!”

“I love it,” was my response.  That led to a nice conversation while we ran side by side for a mile.  He was wearing a pair of Merrel’s that he really liked.  We talked about how long the adjustment took and how nice it felt to have the feel of the road under your feet.  And, more important, how much more fun running had become. He said he was disappointed that he couldn’t get any of his friends to take up the style.  I agreed since most of my running friends think I’m crazy or that I’m doing something so herculean that they can’t imagine taking on the effort.  I guess that making running easier is hard work in their minds!

All along the way people made a comment here or there.  I had no problem with that and I tried to be a good representative of minimal running and barefoot style.  The great thing was every time I got asked a question or someone commented to me, I found myself smiling.

One of the male things to do on the race course is what I refer to as Tail Watching.  Not very clever, but descriptive, so you figure out what it means!  Post a comment if you need more details.  During the race there was one female GenY’r who seemed to have a pace about the same as mine.  I would gain some distance on the ascents and decents and she would catch and pass me on the flats.  She had on bright orange shoes and a black kneeband on her left knee and, with my admiration, was running for the Whole in the Wall Gang, a charity started by Paul Newman for kids with terminal and chronic illness.

About a mile from the finish, after I had gained on the last long climb of the day, she pulled up next to me, said “Good run”, then proceeded to pull away to finish ahead of me.  Maybe she had been watching my ass?  It’s my story and I can believe what I want!

Listen.  I am way passed worrying about people beat me in a race, so I don’t get all macho in the last 500 yards and try to run people into the ground.  There is always someone ahead or behind me.  I did pick up my pace thanks to her wake up call and finished in a time faster than I had expected.  I was shooting for 2 hours.

Reflections on the Day

I had a great time.  The weather was clear and sunny and the course was just beautiful.  It was usually shaded by tall trees and it meandered through some wonderful New England residential areas.  People were out in front of their houses cheering us on.  Bands were playing great music every few miles.  The volunteers at the aid stations were fantastic and the local police represented for all peace officers. It was a well coordinated, well appointed race that was a pleasure to participate in.  My only complaint is that is should have started an hour earlier because it was over 85 degrees when I finished.

As I crossed the finish I got a pretty cool medallion, too.

The Downhills Were Awesome!

I have put on close to 400 miles in minimal style over the past 7 months.  If you’ve been following this blog, then you have read about the adjustments I’ve made in style.  The biggest difference in running in sandals is going downhill.  In regular shoes, you just clomp down the hills and let your feet get squished a bit in the toe area.  When you wear sandals you have a little part of the strap between you first and second toes and if you land and push forward, you’ll screw yourself up.

What I discovered over the miles is that going downhill means a faster cadence while keeping the stride pretty short and landing on your forefoot or midfoot to keep the impact minimal.  It feel very unfamiliar.  I was going to say uncomfortable, but that is wrong.  Running downhill that way in sandals is comfortable, it just feels strange.

For months I’ve had no one to compare against on the hills.  Flats are just time, but hills are different.  Quite frankly, I knew I was tearing up the hills and this run proved it.  I get into this nice smooth forefoot strike mode and I move up the hill, I don’t run it.  Shorter stride, higher cadence and smooth.  I gained on just about everyone on every hill I ran in Fairfield.  A couple of times some guys tried to keep up with me and I watched them blow up near the top. Just to be clear, I wasn’t sprinting.  I was maintaining the rhythm and the hills didn’t kill me.  I killed them.

Going downhill was an eye opener.  I thought I’d get womped because the style I had developed seemed slow when I was out by myself.  The opposite happened. When I got to the first real descent I had to find a clear path otherwise I was going to run over people.  The form turned out to be efficient as hell and so smooth I even surprised myself. All of a sudden, it felt very familiar.  It was so much fun that I smiled like a kid on every descent.

Post Race

I walked around and ate watermelon and bananas and drank a lot of water.  People asked about my sandals and I continued to represent in as positive a manner as I could considering I was hot and tired (I had gotten up a 4am to be able to drive to the race in time).

When I got home I noticed my calves were very stiff and my right knee was hurting.  That was new.  It only got more tight as the day went on.  I didn’t take any aspirin of Advil because I wanted to keep an eye out in case it was an injury and not just post race shock.

To make the story short, the pain in both areas dissipated the next day.  I made sure I ate Omega rich foods and took some Omega oil blend that I had gotten as a sample.  That, I believe, helped the recovery. On Tuesday, I was back to normal.

I have now hit the third phase of my transition.

Running the half was the longest distance I have gone since my transition.  I’ve hit 10 miles several times but had to back down to let recovery happen. I crossed a bridge this weekend and now realize that I am at the same point in mileage buildup as I would be if I were wearing shoes. I am back to where I was last year, except I feel like I have a lot more headroom in my running.

Does that make sense to you? After talking to the minimalist runners on the course, I think they would understand. My transition isn’t over and an idea occurred to me on my drive home on Sunday that I will share with you in my next post.

Right now I just want to celebrate regaining my running legs.  More than ever I am convinced that your body can take a lot more than you give it.  I am also convinced that if you give it the test in a form that matches what the body was built to do, you can maximize the benefit and push further than you ever thought you could go.

Keep Running.  Dig Deep.  Run Free.

Transition Time

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It’s been coming.  I haven’t talked much about it because I have these personal superstitions that if you talk too much about something before it happens, it won’t come true.  Coming back from a four miler yesterday I decided it was time.

I am now a minimalist runner.  The transition is complete. That doesn’t mean the work is over, though.

What clued me in?  It wasn’t just the mileage – which has been building nicely – or any one thing in particular.  On a long run the other day I noticed something.  That got me noticing other things.  Subtle things.

A Breath of Fresh Air

The trigger was my breathing.  It had changed.  When heel striking I had a two step cadence.  Two steps inhale then two steps exhale.   As I was about six miles into a ten mile run I noticed I was breathing on a three count.  It wasn’t something I had tried to do or even thought about.  I don’t know when it happened or if it was that way from the start.  There I was cruising along at a nine-minute per mile pace on a long, slow distance run feeling the motion and I noticed my inhale and exhale had changed.

Then I realized my breathing was easy and natural.  When I ran with a heel strike my exhale was much more pronounced, like when you do  benchpress reps.  Now, in natural form, I had a conversational exhale.  And I was running at a similar pace, with a higher cadence.  Clearly, my diaphragm was not getting bumped as hard or my body was just more relaxed so the breathing was easier.  I still did the tummy breathing as always, it just felt more comfortable.

There is a quote from Caballo Blanco in Born to Run that crossed my mind right at that point:

Think Easy, Light, Smooth and Fast.  You start with easy, because if that’s all you get, that’s not so bad.  Then work on light.  Make it effortless, like you don’t give a shit how high the hill is or how far you’ve got to go.  When you’ve practiced that so long that you forget your practicing, you work on making it smooooooth.  You won’t have to worry about the last one—you get those three, and you’ll be fast.

I had finally gotten to smooth.  Fast was never my goal in transitioning to minimalist running.  For me it is all about longevity and distance.  I want to run a long time, in both senses of that phrase.  That moment in a ten mile run I realized I could run much longer than I ever imagined.  Yes.  There was a smile.

The Feat of Feet

The transition has not been without frustration and some pain.  As I said in the first entry of this journal, I’ve been running in modern shoes for more than 40 years.  That is a long time for muscles to slack off and get out of shape.  Those initial runs killed my calves because I ran too far too soon in minimal fashion.   That was when I was still trying to figure out what to run in and what the right form felt like.  I’ve tried a number of shoes and sandals as well as barefoot.  Here are my weapons of choice.

Running weapons of choice

My Luna Sandals and Lemming Footwear are my weapons of choice.  There are other sandals and minimal footwear out there.  I have learned that no two pairs of feet are the same, so what works for me may not be right for you.  It is a bit expensive, but try some options if you can and let your feet be the judge.

Keep in mind that the transition takes time and no footwear is going to change that.

The transition will go through stages, which will also vary by individual.  For me, the pain of conditioning seemed migratorial.  Every stage of progress led to a different group of muscles protesting.

There was the top of foot pain that came early on.  I thought it was because I had my sandals tied too tight.

Then came the arch muscle pain.  You could expect that one, but it confused me that it didn’t come until I started to run in the 4-6 mile range on a regular basis.

For a short time I had some sensitivity on the ball of my right foot where the strap came between my toes.  I’m a guy and don’t really pay much attention to my feet.  What I discovered was a small callous from the strap that had grown to the point where it rubbed on the sole of the sandal.  I do play guitar and my fingertips have small callouses, so this made sense to me.  Nothing painful, but I did discover that sanding the callous off made it much more comfortable.  That is now part of my routine every week or so.

Then came the ankle pain.  I think it might have started from a slight twisting I had while working in the yard, but there it was on both ankles.  It came when my mileage moved up to the 7-9 mile range.

With each of these pain points I listened to my body and didn’t push it.  I didn’t shy away from the pain as long as it was not debilitating, but I didn’t ignore it.  What encouraged me was that the pain would go away a short time after the run.   I’m used to other muscle groups going through workout pain, but I’ve never exercised my feet or ankles.  This was new territory for me.

The Recovery

I also learned to pace myself on my journey.  It is not usual for me to rest multiple days between runs when I was moving to the next mileage plateau.  I didn’t baby the muscles in pain, I just didn’t run as long or as often while the adjustment was going on.  I found alternate exercise (riding my bike or doing P90 or whatever) for those non-running days.  Walking around barefoot or in socks often and I tried to work my feet as I walked.  Soar muscles are part of strength development.  I hate that “no pain, no gain” macho shit, but there is truth to it.  Just keep going.

Here’s the interesting thing.  As I took extra days off, it didn’t effect my mileage ramp up.  I’m now at the half-marathon length runs about a month ahead of when I had planned to be there, but I am in now way following a half-marathon training schedule.  Which is kind of wonderful because I am running at a competitive pace to my shod self.

Eye on Ultra

Breaking with my superstition of not talking about something I am going to do, I am now targeting some ultra length runs.  Along with marathon distance runs, I am looking at 50K and 50M runs later this year. It is something that I have never dreamed of doing in my heel strike mode.  It was painful at the end of the marathons I’ve run before.  I don’t just mean muscle soarness, which is expected, but my body just felt beat up.

The idea of ultra became real for me at the end of that ten miler.  The last three miles I listened to my body.  It was my longest run after transition.  My form was good and it was something I seldom thought about.  My breathing was smooth and even, much easier than ever before in running.  My pace was right where I wanted it to be for that distance at that point in training.  The hills came at me and I just moved up them with a smooth step.  Yes, I had to breath harder as I worked the hills, but it felt like I was running them, not fighting them.  Shorter steps at the same cadence.

As I pulled into the last mile I felt an ease in my run.  I always try to finish faster then when I start out.  My stride was comfortable, easy and natural.  In that moment, when ten miles were nearly expired, I felt I could go on.  In that moment, I knew that I was born to run.  There, on a street in New England, I felt a common line of heritage to my ancestors who first wondered out on to the plains of Africa.  They could run all day.  I am built of the same stuff.  Why couldn’t I?

Transition – Again

I am a minimalist runner now.  This journal will follow me to the next step.  Becoming a runner of long distance.  I may never get to the intensity of century runs across Death Valley, but in the back of my mind I feel I can run a century and I plan to.

Running, for me, is a time of personal reflection.  That does not mean that running is a solo sport.  I draw on a large community of runners, shod and barefoot, at #running on Twitter and elsewhere.  We share a passion and spirit.  When I read of someone killing a race or running a mile for the first time I smile, send a congratulatory note and think of them when I am on the road.  The one thing that we have in common as a species is that we ran together to survive.  Before language or tools, we ran.

This week I watched “The Perfect Runner”, a film written and directed by anthropologist Niobi Thompson.  In that film he said something that was almost a direct quote of my high school wrestling coach.  “Your body can take a lot more than you can give it.”  If you’ve watched The Biggest Loser, you know that that is absolutely true.  Don’t be foolish in ramping up, but don’t be afraid of pushing yourself.   You’ll be amazed at the places you can go (thank you Dr.Seuss!).