Cold

When it’s warm outside, it’s easy to run. The contrapositive of this is that it takes extra motivation to run when it’s cold outside!

I live in San Diego so it’s relatively warm compared to most of the rest of America. When I say cold, I mean 45-55 degrees Fahrenheit.

When I wake up early, I linger in my room trying to decide whether or not to go out and run. By the time I decide to go outside and run, I hesitate to take off my shoes and run barefoot. The pavement is cold. My feet will start to get numb.

But by the time my run is half-over, I’m sweating and have forgotten my previous worries. I’m glad to be out running. I’m breathing steadily, sometime panting hard, and generally enjoying being outdoors in sunny San Diego.

Run for the Hungry 10K

What better way to justify gorging your stomach with turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, pie, and more than to run a race the same day? So this morning, I woke up at 5:30AM to run the Run for the Hungry 10K in downtown San Diego.

The race was much better this year than last. By the time it was 7AM, the weather was warm enough to wear a t-shirt.

The race started and I was near the front of the line, racing from the beginning. Propelled by the energy of the group, I ran a 6:35 first mile, and kept racing after that. I gradually slowed down, and by the time I hit 3 miles it was around 21:45. My previous 10K had been more than 49 minutes, but at this point I knew that I would beat my goal of 48 minutes.

During the race, I kept switching between going faster and then falling back to catch my breath. Eventually I found a comfortable pace, and half a mile from the finish I pushed myself. I knew I could go faster, though my lungs were struggling for breath. So I leaned forward and picked up my legs. I made it through the finish in less 43 minutes.

After the Race

I’ve become hungry after that race! As I left the post-race tables filled with food and walked to the parking lot, the 5K race started. With plenty of energy left, I was tempted to join and run again.

My fitness level has increased since my flu more than a month ago, which I would say is a good sign. I have a way to go before I am back in half-marathon or marathon shape, but given that I have two months until the Carlsbad Marathon I am satisfied for the time being. Maybe I’ll try a 10-12 mile run this weekend.

Shoeless

I’ve been running barefoot in the park the past few days, as part of my new training routine. Today I got up to 3.5 miles barefoot! My maximum has been, historically, about 7 miles on sand and 2 miles on concrete.

I’ve been getting a few comments on the barefoot aspect. Most people who greet me just glance at my feet and politely ignore the fact that I’m barefoot. Some people stare at my bare feet and don’t look at me in the eyes. I think people in the morning go for walks expecting privacy — not everyone is equally friendly at the park. Here are two of the comments I’ve gotten today:

“How do those shoes feel?” — referring to my bare feet

Me: “They feel great, they’re my oldest pair of shoes”

“You run slower without shoes!”

Me: “Yeah, I’m still getting adjusted to barefoot running”

Barefoot Hills

On Sunday afternoon, I went for my daily run on the streets and on a trail. I started off knowing the general path, and not really intending to take off my shoes.

I ran down the goat trail, a steep dirt path behind my company. The first time trip, I ran in my Asics Tai Chi, which were comfortable and allowed me to fly downhill at a brisk, barely controlled pace. Upon reaching the top, still panting, I decided to take off my shoes and do the trail again. I hid my shoes behind the brush. This was my first barefoot trail run ever.

The top of the trail had some light brush, and as the path was uneven dirt it was uniquely suited to barefoot running. My feet molded easily to most of the spots they landed on, though there was the occasional heel strike from my right foot, until I adjusted my stride. I ran down the hill less quickly than I had the first time, due to the extra control that was required to avoid pain in my feet.

Going uphill was much better, and felt wonderful. I made my way back to the top, panting, and came back to the parking lot. As I stepped on the asphalt surface, my feet screamed in delight at the smooth surface, so I picked up my shoes from their hiding place and continued running barefoot.

I ran on the concrete sidewalks and eventually down another steep slope. Concrete is less forgiving than dirt, and tiny rocks embedded themselves into my feet and caused miniture bursts of pain. I stopped to brush off my feet, only to pick up more rocks a few feet later. I eventually became used to the sensation over the half-mile downhill, and the uphill was much easier on my feet.

At the first stoplight going uphill, I put my Asics Tai Chi and socks back on. Running in these felt like my feet were floating on a cloud. And yet, as my feet got lost in the cloud sensation, they missed the cold hard concrete which was pain and pleasure at the same time. Even in thin shoes such as the Tai Chi, having the padding still dulled the feelings of the ground and put another layer between me and the earth. I could barely wait to run barefoot again.

Night Runs

The New York Times had this article about running in the dark. Since the sun is setting earlier in the day, depending on one’s schedule running in the dark may be the only option for some people.

Running at night poses new challenges for a daytime runner:

• Safety in sketchy areas
• Safety from vehicles (visibility by cars)
• Visibility of roads/streets (difficult to see the ground)

But also has these additional freedoms:

• Cool night air
• Quiet, less-crowded streets (after dinnertime)
• No need to wear sunscreen/hat/sunglasses
• Different view of the same route
• Can concentrate more on your body with less visual input
• Can hear crickets chirping

I like to switch up the daytime and nighttime running for variety.

Barefoot Ted’s Barefoot Running Clinic

Barefoot Ted came down to San Diego, and I had the opportunity to attend his barefoot running clinic at Point Loma on Saturday. The clinic was two hours, and he stayed an extra hour to show us pictures from his story in the book Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall.

Barefoot Ted was great at connecting and communicating with people, providing background information, stories, and detailed explanations for each of the technical concepts that he was describing. I highly recommend taking his course if you have the chance, to learn the basics and get started on the journey of barefoot running. He took the time to explain each of the concepts in multiple ways, and answered questions from his knowledge and experience.

We met at the parking lot, and walked up, barefoot, over a dirt trail, an asphalt parking lot, and concrete sidewalks to a track nearby. There, we learned the basic technique for barefoot running and practiced running up and down the track. After this intro, we went to a staircase and practiced hopping up the stairs and landing as gently as possible. Then we did the same downhill. Running softly and silently, which you can perceive with both your ears and the forces on your feet, legs, and body, is one of the goals that Barefoot Ted set for us to strive for in barefoot running.

Perception is key to running. That is one aspect about running that I learned both from Barefoot Ted and from the Pose Running Method. Being able to perceive your body position and posture, your breath, your landing, the terrain beneath your feet, your arm position, and more are one key to good running form, which promotes running longevity. Some people have excellent running form from years of practice, and can naturally adapt their running forms so that good form is a subconscious effort.

Barefoot Ted’s philosophy is that barefoot running connects us with nature, and allows us to learn to run better through the use of the sensory information in our feet.

Joggling

What do you get when you cross a runner and a juggler? A Joggler!

Multitasking. Dual entertainment. This requires more concentration than normal, and punishes laps in concentration more than normal.

http://justyouraveragejoggler.com/

Where do these jogglers run? In all my races and runs I haven’t seen one in real life.

Asics Tai Chi Review

This has been one of my two main shoes over the past year, the other being my Saucony Blaze. The Asics Tai Chi were made for martial arts, as a lightweight shoe that has the flexibility for the feet and allows the feet to feel and channel energy from the ground. “Chi” is a Chinese word for “energy.”

The Asics Tai Chi are white leather with a thin rubber sole. There is no heel support and virtually no cushioning from this shoe. That makes this an ideal shoe for conscious forefoot running. The sole of the shoe provides a thin layer between my feet and the ground, which offers protection from glass or sharp rocks but not much more

In addition to no heel support, the shoe also provides plenty of room for the toes, which have become a major part of my transitioning to barefoot recently. I have the “hammer toe” condition from many years of tight shoes, so I have always preferred shoes that offer more toe room.

The durability of these shoes is amazing. The Tai Chi has lasted me through a marathon and several other shorter races for the past year. I also use them as a casual shoe when going out (after cleaning off the dust that accumulates from running, of course).

San Diego AIDS Walk/Run 2009

I attended the San Diego AIDS Walk/Run 2009 on Sunday September 27th, 2009. It was a 10K race for runners, and the weather was perfect for running.

Preparation
I generally train for long distances and wasn’t planning on racing that Sunday. I ran 20 miles the afternoon before the race, so I felt prepared. My muscles were prepared, but my running form was not up to par with my body. Several parts of my body were sore well after the long run, and the soreness was exacerbated by the race.

Race Day
I arrived late and barely made it to the start line in time for my start time to get recorded — just as they were pulling away the start line! I spent most of the race trying to catch up with my friend Ray, whom I had failed to sync up with before the race began. I sweated away several miles and sprinted through the finish… only to find, I had at some point passed him and he finished behind me!

I finished the race in 48:31, about a minute slower than last year. Even having completed a marathon since last year, my body was not up to the stress of a long run before a race. Lesson learned.

Afterthoughts
As I walked along the quilt and photo exhibits that were at the San Diego AIDS walk, I couldn’t help feeling sad. There are so many victims to this illness. The surprising thing was that everyone at the AIDS walk looked so upbeat and happy. I realized that, the way to fight illness is not to mourn over it. You can mourn the victim, but the point of the AIDS Walk is to celebrate their lives, celebrate the present , and also help support new victims through fund raising. It’s amazing what a community can do to help its members cope with the calamities of life.

America's Finest City Half Marathon August 16, 2009

Training
So this time I trained mostly by training for the Long Beach Marathon on October 11th that I am planning on racing. I added more rolling hills and occasionally mountains (iron mountain), and a few long runs. These helped a lot, in terms of my endurance. In addition, the super-long-runs to Del Mar and back (~4 hours including rest break) helped my endurance.

I drastically increased mileage and the overall intensity through some of the harder runs, but I have been slacking on the tempo runs as of late. I prefer running hard uphill or downhill, as tempo runs tend to be boring and flat, but fast. The speed is something I am unused to, and as such my running form tends to deteriorate rapidly as I sustain a fast speed.

Day of the Race
As I have been slacking on the tempo runs and my real goal is to achieve a Boston Marathon qualifying time, I really hadn’t planned on racing this one and trying for a new PR. However, with motivation from my running friends I decided to test myself. This course has the significant feature that it is mostly downhill, with a slight uphill during the last two miles.

I started out at a medium pace, and over the course of the first two miles sped it up. The more time I gain in the beginning, on the downhill, the more slack I would have in the end to meet my goal of 1:35.

The downhill was a piece of cake, and I earned a few minutes of slack towards my goal. The next part was just maintenance. After the initial four miles, it just had to keep my pace to make my goal. I breathed smoothly and realized, I could keep this up!

As I passed the airport and continued running, the view of the downtown San Diego skyline appeared in front of me. It is magnificent. I see it every time I drive to and from the airport, and it’s beautiful. I am at peace and it is a perfect day. I continued running.

Breathing is obviously an important part of running, and I often measure my performance and effort level based on how hard I’m breathing. At this stage of the game, my breathing was steady and not struggling or gasping, so I keep up my pace.

I made it to mile eleven, and then the uphill started. Just two more miles left, I thought to myself, I can push it a bit more. The uphill battle is starting to wear at me. I’m going quickly, and each breath gets harder.

The course turns into Balboa park, and I feel the finish line must be near. I start racing and sprint through the finish.

I surpassed my goal and had a time of 1:30:03. It was a perfect conditions for my new PR, with the cool but cloudy weather and a nice downhill course.