Oh My Aching Little Baby Cows!

Run Day
time- 46:27

Minimalist running activates the calves, there's no getting around it. The forefoot strike means more of the load is transfered to that part of the leg, which is better than into the heel/knee/hip, but better doesn't mean that soreness won't occur. After Wednesday's 45 minute run my veal was killing me, since I hadn't been out in a few weeks. And yesterday's adventure did nothing to ease the recovery process. So I started out today sore. And by the time I was turning for home my gastrocnemius were screaming for mercy. But in a good way.
I love this low-pressure running I've been doing recently. I have no interest in a fast pace or pushing hard, I'm simply getting miles in and getting strong. It's a great way to run. Aside from the muscle soreness, I feel like I could be running much further than I am, but I need to be patient and take my time building distance. It will come. 

I was going to post this...

But anyone who knows me knows my calves look more like this.

Running in Cruise

Run Day
time- 48min
distance- 5.16mi

I am not fast right now. I was never fast on foot, but right now I'm really not. I guess I'm not trying to be, because my focus is on the upcoming RoughWater 2.3mi swim and Honolulu Century ride, but it still bothers me. There has been little-to-no suffering during any of my runs so far and that does need to change. Today I kept a very steady pace, but it was 9:20/mi. That sucks for me. I have to run better. So here and now I'm rededicating myself to making it hurt, finding thresholds and breaking through them. My runs won't be as long comparatively as my rides or swims, but they should still burn.
Again, I'm digging the Runtastic app on my phone. I really like the pace/altitude graph. If you're in need of a decent fitness app, I suggest checking it out. Free download. Here's my stats for today. Ain't great, but I can't be too hard on myself. I will, but I shouldn't.

I'm Back, Baby! (and a short BIkila review)

Ride Day
distance- 30.4mi
time- 1:32

Run Day
distance- 6.1mi
time- 57min

First workouts back after my week of sitting on the couch watching TV and playing video games. And I gotta say, I'm pleased with one and not terribly shocked by the other.
After throughly checking the bike over and determining that aside from an out of whack aerobar and bottle cage, both easily fixed, everything was hunky-dorey I hit the road for a ride down in to town. I've done this ride a few times now and I really like it. The first third is downhill, but not in a huge WEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE kind of way. Just enough that I get a small false sense of ability. Then it mostly levels out and there are a few climbs and dips before a straight shot to the finish. Its a good time. And I feel I laid down a good time doing it. Check it out, thats about a 20mph pace. Right off my race pace. Can't complain. And I need to get used to bigger distances so this is a good place to start. There are big future bike plans for Dirtbag Fitness so stay tuned.
As for my run...meh. It was slower than race pace, which frustrates me. But I know exactly why it was slower. This is the last week of school. Lots going on. I have a hard time staying inside my head normally for an hour. So focus was not working out today. My plan for running is to find a track, I think there is one on base, so I can work on getting my Fast going. And to make six miles feel like the short distance. I don't plan on doing any runs less than six if I can help it. This will begin to prepare me for whatever the future of Dirtbag Fitness holds.
Today was also my first run in the Bikilas and so far I like them just fine. There is slightly more underfoot than the KSOs, but that's the point of these shoes since they are the running-specific VFF. And that "slightly more" is only noticeable because of how much time I spent wearing and running in my KSOs. It still is pretty much as minimal as you can get without taking them off completely (or rocking some huraches, which I haven't done yet but am interested in). Right now the toe shoes feel a little tight, but I bought them that way. VFFs tend to stretch slightly and I've found it's better to err on the side of tight. I wish I had them last Sunday during my race.
Distances will build, strength will come, and pain will pass into power. Dirtbag Fitness is on a goal-seeking mission.

Practicing Putting on Shoes, Then Changing Them (Then I Talk About Shoes)

T1 & T2 Day

Today I worked on both T1 and T2. So I grabbed my gear and went outside. I set the bike up and arranged my helmet and glasses on the handlebars, with both pairs of shoes opened as wide as they will go near a small towel laid out on the ground.
Then all I had to do was go. I jogged up to my makeshift transition area, pretended to wipe sand off my feet, slipped said pretend-sandless feet into cycling shoes, popped on my glasses then my helmet, and grabbed the bike and jogged off. Once I was a few feet away I climbed on and clipped my left foot in.I didn't clip in right away because, as I learned after doing a little research on transitions, there is a special transition area at triathlons and those are a No Ride zone. Keeps everything safer and more organized.
Then I turned around, unclipped, and jogged the bike back to my transition area for T2. This, I think, is going to be a more important transition for me. The key is not to rush it, but to use it as recovery time. I've already said that I plan to dial it back some the last half mile of the ride to get my heart rate down, and keeping the transition slowish and unpanicked will also help with that. I put the bike up, took my helmet off and hung it back on the bars, and slipped out of my cycling shoes and into my Vibrams. The toes aren't going to be too much of an issue I don't think. It seems more that I'm trapping the heel of the shoe under my own foot and I have to dig it out, so I need to be aware of that. Like I said though, I'm not going to panic or stress during this transition. I practiced breathing deep and slow and calming myself down so that I'll be ready to take off on the run.
I'm thinking after this race I might experiment with full-on barefoot running. I've been doing a lot of reading on it and the running world is very divided on the issue, as you can imagine. But it seems like a small step to go from FiveFingers to nothing at all. I read a running blog where the guy loves his VFFs but is not a fan of going completely without and I've been on some forums where the people swear by going unshod. The general consensus is, "Just try it. Go on a short run and just see." So I think I might. I have no idea how I'll like it, if at all, and I don't expect it to be a regular thing. But maybe barefoot every few runs will be something I really enjoy. Assuming I keep up with the triathloning (pretty sure I just created a verb there), going without shoes on the run will severely cut down my T2 time. Not like I'll be qualifying for pro races by doing that, but a PR (Personal Record) is a PR. At the very least it'll make other racers look funny at me, and we all know how much I enjoy that. Or I won't like it and stick with the VFFs, which I still love and want another pair or two of. The foot is still a little sore after runs, but it's not nearly as bad as it was and I don't feel it while I'm running. I think I'm a full on convert to the minimalist trend.
We are inside a week now. *starts humming Eye of the Tiger*