Baywatch in Two Parts (Part Two)

For Part One Click Here
Speaking of punking out early, the reason I only swam for 40 minutes this morning was because I had an appointment with a physical therapist to talk about my running injuries. I made the appointment back when I couldn't run and could barely ride, but still had plenty to talk about. We discussed triathlon, my PT is also one of the tribe, and he quickly pinpointed my problem areas with a few questions and tests. Turns out my right leg is weaker than my left. I did a few one-legged squats and there was all kinds of inward wobble. That plus a few "Pull against me" and "Resist this pressure" tests confirmed it. Weak hamstring and gluteus minimus muscles mean a funky stride. Funky stride means greater risk of injury. So he showed me how to do hamstring curls using a balance ball, one-legged wall squats/supported squats, and side steps with a band around my ankles for tension.
Then, being a cool PT, he checked their schedule and lo and behold, a running clinic was starting in two hours and it had an opening! So I signed up, ran home, grabbed workout gear and Bikilas, ate a bagel, and headed back.
This was fun. They did a lot of talking about various stride choices, but pushed POSE Running heavily, focusing on a mid foot stride. I figured I had an in with this since my shoe choices pushed me into that style of running two years ago. Surely that would mean I had an edge.
Well, kind of. We got to do a video analysis of our running, first from the side and then from the front, and then they went through them one by one in slow motion telling us what they saw and how to fix it. My list, while not as big as some, was not exactly small.
The first this they noted from my video was I was still overstriding a little bit. I was the only person in the group with no heal strike and a very minor overstride, but it was there. The foot should contact the ground right under center mass with a lightly bent knee for impact absorption. I was still kicking a little bit forward.

They also noted that I'm wasting a lot of energy running with my elbows high my arms at smaller than 90*, which makes sense. I'm never as relaxed as I want to be. The last thing from that video they pulled was that rather than having a slight lean forward from the ankles to allow gravity to help me move forward I'm running straight up and down. Which is better than leaning back, but not great.
From the front view the PT confirmed that yes, I am dropping my hip on the right side, which would be caused by the hamstring/glute weakness and would cause the problems I'd been complaining of.

 Lastly, we did some drills to help get our feet under us and to strengthen all the muscles we should be using. The one I think will come in the most handy for me is focusing on making a 4 with my legs each stride. So pulling though the hamstring rather than pushing off or bounding. I don't think I push off too much and I know I don't bound because that would ruin my feet and ankles in my ultra-minimal shoes, but I'm also not pulling into a figure 4 like they suggested. You can see the 4 in the blue guy above, but you call also see it in this neat model below.

I'm thrilled I got to do this. It was through the Army hospital, Super Awesome Wife benefits! Being through the military, I was kind of surprised about all the talk of POSE running and mid foot stride and, while they never said we should go buy minimalist shoes, they did say a more minimal shoe is better. AND they suggested doing a few barefoot runs on grass, short 100yd cruises back and forth, to find your form before putting on your shoes to run. The Army is telling soldiers to run barefoot to fix their stride. This feels significant to me.
I haven't been thinking too much about stride recently. Well, not any further than, "I hope my stride isn't going to hurt me." For a long time I was running comfortably. If I was relaxed and comfortable and smooth, it was good. Now I'll be back to thinking a lot about what my body is doing. There are lots of things to work on, so I'll be slowing down and working them one by one. Can't try all of them at once, I'll get lost, confused, and fall down. And on non-run days I'll be working the drills and exercises they gave me. Times will get slower for a while, but that's ok. We think long-term here at Dirtbag Fitness.

Baywatch In Two Parts (Part One)

Swim
time- 40:00
distance- approx. 1,400yds

Why the hell would anyone get up at 5:15am to swim at 6 on a holiday off from work?

Ko'Olina Lagoon 4

That's why. Granted, when I got there it didn't look like that. It was still pre-sun dawn, chilly and brisk. Just bright enough to see across the lagoon, but there wasn't enough sun to warm the water yet. I should back up slightly. Diesel has begun swimming at Ko'Olina Lagoon 4 Friday mornings with a few other guys. This was the second time they went out and, since today is Statehood Day and I had the day off, I went with. Any excuse for quasi-open water swimming. I love swimming in the pool, it's how I grew up, but it is really nice to be able to go straight for 100+ yards without having to turn. And the Ko'Olina Lagoons are great because there is no current, no waves, no break, and if you go early enough, no other people. There is also a rock lane line under the water to follow so you don't have to be spotting.

 The only complaint is the water is freaking cold that early. Which really means that you just have to wade in and start swimming, and you can't take much time between laps to chat because you start to tighten up.
We estimate each lap is about 115 yards or so from end to end, and my times per lap agree with that. I wasn't pushing at all, that's not what this morning's swim was about. It was nice to get out and do some long easy swimming with friends. Yesterday's post has a minor discussion going on about group open-water swimming, the pros and cons, and while I agree that swimming is even more of a solitary pursuit than biking or running since conversation is nearly impossible, it is nice to workout with others. They pace, they push, and at least my ego won't allow me to punk out early unless I absolutely have to if I'm with a group.
Though I did have to punk out a little earlier than I wanted.
For Part Two Click Here

KSOh No!

Swim Day- Recovery Week

1 x 150- Warm-up
4 x 200
1 x 500

total- 1450yds

My biggest problem during recovery weeks is my brain shuts off the hardcore part of itself resulting in underwhelming workouts. I know they should be easy, I know my heart rate should stay down, and I know its important to have workouts like this. But a swim when there is no drive to push is kind of boring. Then it's just laps. So this was an ok, unmotivated, uninspired swim.

Run Day

My Vibram KSOs are wearing out in the toes! Oh no! I love these shoes and I can't believe I've worn through them. This says nothing about the make of the shoe, they are as sturdy as they come. But I've been wearing them a minimal of two times a week for over a year, running, teaching, and just being out and about. These shoes have earned their wear marks. In fact, as soon as I get a good look at the Dirtbag FundBox I'll be heading over to rei.com and grabbing myself a brand new pair. I can't not have my Vibrams.
If you remember, for Christmas I was given a nice new pair of VFF TrekSports. I wear these hiking and to school for the most part. Any trail runs I go on, these will get me through. They were one of the two pairs of shoes that did New Zealand with me, my KSOs being the other. So why not just use these? Because they aren't built for road running and while they would work I don't want to use them for that. It would wear out the tread which makes them trail-worthy and (and this is a minimalist shoe-person gripe) the ground feel isn't as good in them. It's still better than your average pair of, well, anything else, but not as good as the KSOs. I don't think I'll be going with the VFF Bikila either, even though that's the company's "running" shoe. I run just fine in my KSOs, thank you. The Bikila's are on my list, but not at the top.
What about looking outside Vibram, you ask. Excellent question. Normally I am not a whore for one company. But its hard to do better than what I've got. The only thing that looks like it comes close is the Merrell Glove series. Every review I've read has had nothing but positive things to say about these shoes. Unfortunately, Hawaii is just barely part of the United States and as such it takes forever for us to get nifty new shoes. So, while the wife and I have look and looked for a running store that carries them (she's interested too) we have yet to find one. Lame. When I do get to try a pair I see them being on my Christmas list as well.
As for my run today, it was an easy 2.4 mile recovery week run. What made it fun was I did the second half barefoot. I forgot how nice it is to run naked, with nothing between my feet and the ground. Freeing. Can't recommend it enough. If you pay any attention at all to the running scene you plenty of people are doing that for me anyway. ("Running scene?" I'm such a dork.) Right nor my feet are a little tender since I haven't barefooted in a while, but its ok. Barefoot is a form correction mechanism. I feel good.

"I am a Barefoot Runner"

Fading Down the Backstretch

Run Day

time- 50 minutes
distance- 5.27mi

Yesterday's run started out really good. I felt smooth, my stride was nice, and my pace was great.
Yeah, that kind of fell apart at the turn around. Normally on these longer runs (this was supposed to be 45 minutes) I plan on a little fade and make my turn around a minute or so early so even with the fade I get back home inside of my planned time. Not this time. This time I ran right up to 22:30 because I was trying to get to a certain spot and it was soooooo close at my normal turn around time. Plus, I wasn't feeling the eventual fade so bad at that point.
To be clear, the fade wasn't some horrible bonk. I just got slower on the way back than I planned on or wanted to. Contributing to that was going barefoot farther than I have before. BFR slows me down, but its not about speed. It's about form and enjoying a new kind of feeling. Until I get to the end of my run when I'm on the super-stabby asphalt on the street to my house, when its all about thinking about how this is toughening up my feet and trying to maintain good form while hurting.
Gotta get that base solid. I'm worried about not getting quality runs in while in New Zealand (not really worried, but you know) and losing some of what I've built before Honolulu Tri's training starts. Tomorrow might be my last American run for three weeks. Hope its a good one.

Swim at Home, Run in Texas (With a Bonus Note on Texas)

Swim Day

1 x 200- Warm-up
5 x 200 Pull- 3:15
1 x 300- 4:30
1 x 400- 6:00
1 x 500- 7:30

total yards- 2400

All I remember about this swim was I somehow got lost as far as keeping track of my times during the ladder portion (300, 400, 500). So I think I made all the times, I should have made all the times, but I was getting spacey for some reason and I'm not sure I made them. Sometimes when I'm doing longer sets my mind wanders and when I lose focus I swim slower. It wasn't even a morning workout, so its strange that I would have a harder time staying on top of myself. So that was annoying on a personal level. I should be and have been more disciplined. The five 200s pull went well though. Stroke felt long and smooth, which is the goal of these pull sets.

Run Day
time- approx. 20 minutes*
distance- approx. 2.?mi*

*I'm not sure how far this run was, and I can't remember now how long I ran for. It was just about 20 minutes but I didn't write anything down.
This was the coldest run I've ever done. When I got back to my room my phone said it was 54 degrees. Holy frozen nostrils, Batman! I know, I know, that's really not all the cold in the grand scheme of things, but you must remember I live in Hawaii. I train in Hawaii. Where the locals put on sweaters when the temperature drops to 65. 54 is freaking cold. But I came prepared. I ran in a thermal and a workout shirt, keeping my core warm. My hands, those were very cold and I ran with fists the whole time because when I relaxed my fingers the sweat hit the air and made them very cold. Cold weather people, stop laughing.
I did the first 13 minutes or so in my VFFs and then decided to go bare for the run back to the hotel. I know, I'm complaining about the cold and then I'm going to take my shoes off? Yeah. I had to try and see. I was running on clean, smooth sidewalk and if it was too cold I'd put my shoes back on. It actually felt pretty good. Running barefoot always is a unique experience and every time I do it I like it a little more. Like I've said before, it helps my form, it strengthens my feet, and it makes me mentally tougher. All good things.
I should have run again later in the weekend, but the day I was planning on running we ate a gigantic steak dinner. So instead of working out I consumed a delicious week's worth of yummy yummy calories. I was in Texas. On per diem. Duh.

Bonus Side Texas Note: I have long hair and tattoos. Texas, as a rule, does not. Wandering around the sports bar I definitely got a few long, hard looks. Much like riding the motorcycle through southern Idaho. There were a few cowboy-hatted, tight-jeaned, long-sleeve plaid shirted dudes that had a very, "Ya'll aint from 'round here," look to them. Not uncomfortable, but new. So I was sure to keep my hair out of a pony tail and down and to wear my new SAMCRO shirt when I was wandering around. You know, to make friends.
On the other hand, most of the people I met were very nice, the southern accent can be pleasant, and "ya'll" will make me giggle in my head just like a Canadian dropping the "eh"-bomb.

Building the Engine

Run Day

time- 56 minutes
distance- 6.05mi
pace- 9.6mi/min

Today's goal was setting a nice easy pace and letting my legs move. Building base miles isn't about speed as much as it is about strengthening my engine and that's what today was about. And I think I accomplished that goal. I went just as far as I wanted to, I set a strong pace for myself but didn't go anaerobic at all, and my form felt good. I actually turned around at 27:45 because I expected a few minutes of fade on the way back, and that didn't happen. I finished at 56 minutes (my run plan was an hour).
I think I actually would have negative split it even stronger, but I stopped at the start of my block where the sidewalk starts and went barefoot for the end of the run. This slows me down, of course. But its great for my form and strengthens my feet. And its fun and feels good. Can't complain.

Team Dirtbag would also like to congratulate Obi Tri Kenobi, who completed the Sunsmart Ironman Western Australia Triathlon yesterday with a time of 10:33.07! His splits were 1:12.49 for a 2.4mi swim, 5:18.27 for a 112mi bike, and 3:54.22 for a 26.2mi run. The extra time is in T1 and T2. He finished 271st overall, 26th in his division. This is faster than his goal. Way to go, Obi Tri!

Gorilla Feets and Bare Foots

Run Day

time- 46 minutes
distance- eh, probably about five miles.*

*my phone/gps/coffee maker/leash/web browser/text machine/illegal immigrant/SOSMS documenter's battery died.

After Thanksgiving, three airplane rides, and then an all day meeting at school, Dirtbag needed a run. Also, I just bought myself a brand spankin' new pair of Vibram FiveFingers TrekSports and my feet couldn't wait to try them out. The verdict? They are a little bit tight still, which is good and too be expected. They fit better than my other pair I think. The tops have some give and they will stretch into a perfect fit. The grippy on the bottoms will be great for all the off-roading the wife and I will be doing in New Zealand. They aren't as great for plain old road running as my KSOs, but they sure beat the hell out of a fancy pair of Nikes. I wish I'd had them during the Haleiwa Tri earlier this month. Would have been great on the trail run course. I've very happy with them and look forward to many miles.
To close out my run today I decided to continue my bare experiment. I waited until the end of the run instead of starting off bare because the side of the road I run back on has sidewalk and the side I run out on does not. So instead of spending nearly all of the ten minutes going, "Ow. Ow. Eep. Oh. Ow," and dodging pointy, evil rocks I got to run fairly smoothly for most of the eleven minutes with very little ouching. Much the better that way. Hopefully I avoided another blister too.
You'd be shocked how good it feels to run barefoot. Free is a cliche, but only because it's true. I felt like a little kid. Especially on the sidewalk or on grass. Its very neat. Without preaching, I think everyone should do two things. a) go try on a pair of FiveFingers and b) go walk around outside barefoot. Trust me, try it.
Tomorrow will either be a day off or a swim, I haven't decided yet.

Fixing Flats & Running Naked

*Fair Warning: This is long because we are covering two eventful workouts in one blog*

Bike Day

time- 36 minutes
distance- 11.45mi

Today I went in a new direction. You see, this was my last ride on Sandra B., the bike Obi Tri Kenobi lent me oh so many months ago. So I headed left when I normally veer right. This takes me through Wahiawa and down Kam highway. I've never gone this way before. Call it an experiment ride to see how far/long it is to the gym. If it seems easy enough then I will consider taking my talents to 24 Hour Fitness on the bike for swim days sometimes. And it seems easy enough. The gym is only five miles from home, if that, and aside from a smallish climb its an easy ride. The only thing preventing me from riding to swim days now is fear of disappearing bike.
I went straight past the gym and down where I would run early in my tri training all the way to where the road ends at a nice little cul de sac community I could never afford to live in. So I turned around came headed home thinking about how slow I felt and how I need to build a bunch of base miles before I start my next training cycle and wondering how I'm going to do that will all the traveling we have coming up.
Next thing I know the front tire is going woosha woosha wobble and I'm realizing that after many month of riding I finally got a flat. And on a day when I need to be home soon so we can head to the beach for my birthday bbq (Happy birthday to Dirtbag in three days!). So I call in the Dirtbag Pit Crew (aka Stitches aka Team Dirtbag Sexy Wife, Nutritionist, Cheer Team, and Team Photographer) to come get me. I fiddle with the tire on the sidewalk for a while but I've never done this before and I've only seen it done once so I'm not trying all that hard. Plus not only is the front flat but so is the back. WTF, road? W.T.F. Soon Sexy Wife picks me up and home we go.
Later, being of the YouTube generation, I use the internets to find some very helpful videos of people changing a tire, study them, rewatch them, take copious notes, and then fake my way through both. I had a little trouble with the first, I don't think it was seated properly, but got it on. So now I know how to change a flat in a blazing fast really slow but I could get it done. I'm glad it didn't happen during either race. That would have ruined my day.

Run Day

time- 30.40 minutes
distance- 3.31mi

This was an experimental run day. I ran naked.
Not completely naked, obviously. Society isn't ready for that. Plus I might trip myself (hahahahha, get it? hahahahahooooo...anyway).
I've been doing quite a but of reading about barefoot running and I've written about it in this space a few times. Well, being between races and training cycles and building base miles right now I decided now was a good time to give it a go. I tucked my VFFs into my shorts, flexed my bare feet, and set off.
Ouch, ouchie, ooo, ow. The road is literally covered in little sharp rocks. Its practically paved with them! And those bastards kind of hurt. So my feet got tender quickly. But I had decided before I left that I would give it an honest effort for ten minutes and then I would put on my shoes. Those ten minutes went fast, and some of the time was very pleasant. Barefoot running on grass or on a smooth piece of concrete is a new and connecting experience. Your body feeds back to you all the information you miss out on in big Nikes or even my barely there VFFs. My form tightened up and my stride became what I ask it to become when I normally run. Its impossible to over-run or over stride barefoot. Your body won't let you. It hurts too much. I spent some time running along the white line on the side of the road to keep off the sharpest of the sharp and developed an eye for planning ahead.
At the ten minute mark (ok, at 11.40, I was trying to get to the end of the road) I stopped and put on my shoes to finish the run. If there's one thing I've learned from going minimalist its everything in small steps. Do little for a while, let the body adjust and strengthen, then do a little more. Rush it and you'll get hurt. So I stuck to a short time bare.
Putting on the VFFs felt great! My form, which I loved barefoot, stayed strong. I got my cadence up to a good aerobic pace and tried to put in a solid 20 minutes, which I think I did. It took me eleven and a half minutes to get to the end of the road and when I'm running normally it takes about nine, and I made that time up over the rest of the run.
If I've learned anything from the Mythbusters beside, "If it doesn't work, add more explosives," its that one result does not equal a sample size. This will not be my last barefoot run. I think I'll do somewhere between five and ten before I make up my mind about it one way or another. Right now I'm working on a nice blister at the tip of one toe and my soles feel tenderized but those should both work themselves out as my feet get used to this new punishment. We shall see where this takes your favorite Dirtbag.

Runnin' Down a Dream

Run Day
30min (actual time 30:30)
Distance- 3.13mi*
*distance courtesy of JogTracker app on my HTC Hero. Excellent app

Core Workout
3 x 1 minute Plank (one minute rest)
3 x 12 V-Ups (30 seconds rest)
6 x 10 Thread the Needle (30 seconds rest after both sides 1x)
Stretch

Run felt good. Right calf still tightens up some afterwards so I'm drinking plenty of water and eating bananas and stretching lots. Also icing my knees every day, 15 minutes left, 15 minutes right, 15 left, 15 right. Pretty sure the soreness is just what I said before, the knees adjusting to all the newness. Soreness is going away and there is no pain while I'm working out.
Was a beautiful day in Hawaii for a run.

Tri-Inspired

Why did I start this blog, you ask.
I blame the book.
I'm in the middle of reading Born to Run by Christopher McDougall, a very well written book about a tribe of superathletes who live deep in the wilds of Mexico who are somehow able to run amazing distances with none of the fancy-shmancy technology us civilized people bring to the sport. The American main players in the story are nearly all ultramarathoners, people who run 100 mile races through the desert or the mountains or the snow or whatever for fun. Pick it up, it's very cool.
Like I said, this book is all about running. I am not runnings biggest fan. I run, mostly, because I don't want to get fat. Because I'm vain. But more and more, especially since I started running in minimalist shoes known as Vibram Fivefingers I'm enjoying running. Which is strange for me. For my whole running life I've been a slow, plodding, fighting through this and hating it, kind of runner. But now I feel light, I feel different, I feel connected to my body and the world in a whole new way. Barefooting will do that for you. According to tons of research, its also a lot better for you than arch supporting, heel cushioning, shock having, sneaks. Those change the shape of your foot and weaken the muscles that are there specifically to help you run down food. So I'm a minimalist convert. I'm not here to preach. Today.
Today I'm here to state a new fitness goal. I go to the gym on a regular basis, have been for year. Monday, Wednesday, Friday, run, lift, abs, stretch. I love the gym, love working out, love making it hurt. And I'm kind of bored with it. I'm working out without a real purpose beside staying fit. Which is fine. It got me through. But I want more and the book inspired me. But not to go all runner crazy. If I was directly inspired by the book I'd set my sights on a marathon, but that just ain't happening. Not any time soon. That doesn't sound like fun to me. A triathlon, however, now that sounds fun.
A quiet part of my brain has been nagging me about trying a tri for a while now and I've been pretty good at ignoring it. Alas, no longer. It hit me on my ride home from school today that I really wanted a new physical challenge that I knew would hurt and suck and make me stronger in every way. And a triathlon has one leg that's right up my alley. The swim. I've been a swimmer for a hundred years and am pretty confident that if I had to, right now, as I sit here, I could throw down some pretty respectable times for someone who hasn't trained in a pool in at least two years. Which leaves the run, which I've been working on, and the bike, which I've always hated. I never use the bike for cardio. It hurts more than helps as far as I'm concerned. That's right, I'm a big bike baby. And that is going to change...I hope.
The ride is going to be the biggest challenge for more than just that reason, however. You see, I don't actually own a bike. I know, I know, this seems preventative to the whole "I'm going to do a triathlon" thing. I'm working on it. Good competition bikes aren't cheap and I'm a broke teacher, so I'm looking into ways around the price. Until I own a bike I'll just have to use the stationary ones at the gym. These won't be as good, but it'll do for now. And if I can't find or afford a bike by October 24th, the date of the Ko'Olina Sports Festival and Sprint Triathlon...well I don't know. But I'll be trained and ready for it.
This sprint tri, for those of of you wondering, is a 0.9mi swim, a 13.1mi ride, and a 3.1mi run (which you would know if you followed the links. So lazy sometimes.). I may be overly optimistic, but I think this is doable. (Though the ninety dollar entree fee, not so sure.) I'm not starting out flat footed, after all. I'm in decent shape. I've also found a 13 week and a 12 week training program for sprint triathlons which I am looking at and will follow to prepare. When I choose the one I'm using I'll post a link. The astute among you will have noticed I have less than 13 weeks between now and Oct 24th. Well, guess I'll just have to make the best out of it.
I'll be tracking my progress here, posting training reports and other triathlon-related updates. This serves a dual purpose: it will help me track my progress and it will keep me honest. I couldn't back out now. I've told the entire internets what my plan is.
Onward with strength, power, and intensity!