Fifteen, done

I'm feeling so good about this now. I suppose it's always like that when you set a goal to do something you've never done. Something bold, like running a damn marathon.

These last seven days have been some of the most physically demanding days of my life.

I have done a days worth of concrete work.

I have worked in shipping at a factory moving around massive (500+ pound) containers using a pallet jack and brute strength.

I have written many words in the course of training for this marathon, but this makes me the most proud.

I have run fifteen miles.

For me, this is a big deal. More miles will be covered, but I've never run fifteen consecutive miles before.

The trail I used was the Joe Stengel (the long straight railroad bed). And I ran the length, ran back, then ran out  2.5 more miles (and came back). The weather wasn't bad, windy and cool to cold.

Ran with the new pair of Vibrams too. Went with the Treksports. Never-mind the blood in the picture, I'm a dumb-ass and didn't tighten the straps all the way before running. Solid, solid shoes though.

Another Six Miles

Another six miles, gearing up for the big long run. Well, one of the big long runs.

I'll have two. A fifteen mile run coming up, followed by a twenty mile run a week or so later and then marathon time.

It's so close I can taste it.

New shoes came in today. Went with the Treksports. Goddamn they are beefy. Like tank tracks compared to my VFF's. The should be good though. Looking forward to breaking them in with that fifteen mile.

Back to the six though. It was really good. I relaxed sort of. I ran the first three miles hard, then kicked it. I ran on the Joe Stengel, the old railroad bed. So I took a break. Chilled, just really enjoyed the terrain and surroundings.

I even went truly barefoot for about a mile. Not bad. What surprised me the most was despite how minimal my Vibrams are, they still are like wearing a pair of heavy duty work gloves on your feet. Weird concept. I'll have to play with it more.

Six?

Was only going to run five today. Kind of beat from work, factory life M-F, pouring concrete on Saturday. Scoped out a new trail using gmap-pedometer in nearby Lowell Park.

I basically just went for a fun run. It started with a one mile, uphill, trail run. Extended into two miles out, two miles back on a paved trail (with a side excursion down a maintenance road/ offroad trail into the boonies), and ended with me flying down the mile long  trail run.

It felt real good to break out of the usual spots that I traverse, so good that I ran six without thinking about it. I'll have to keep doing this as the marathon creeps ever closer. This spot though, is definitely a keeper. I will return to take some photos and of course, hit another run.

I think that today also is the day that I will order new shoes. My current pair of Vibram KSO's are looking pretty haggard. Faded cloth, two blown out big toes, and a few other rips have left them looking less than classy. I'm torn between the Vibram Bikila or the Vibram Treksport. I'll probably go with the Treksport, they seem a little bit more low key.

Ten With It

Thursday was for ten..

Ten was for Thursday.

It went well, not as sore as I would have expected. The temp and wind was even all right (about 50F, and five to ten mph winds).

The place that I do these long runs is amazing. Despite living in an otherwise backwards area of the country, there are some folks that know the potential of old, seemingly useless things. Like for instance a five mile stretch of former railroad bed that has been converted into a biking/ walking trail.

Prime running territory.

Flat, soft dirt and rock chips that go for miles. Trees that reach over the path forming a tunnel. Enveloped in nature and its sounds for what seems like forever.

There was one real sore spot though.

I ran solo, so I carried my phone with me, just in case. I carried my phone in a Coleman Camelback pack-thing. Really cool device, I should have got one ages ago. However, there is a grommet that attaches the straw bit you drink from to the water bag bit.

If this is not tight, the bag will leak profusely all over your phone.

Oh well, the important part is that I beasted ten miles, and it felt good.

Here's the route.. and some pictures after the jump.

Set

Closer to getting set like the title says.

Booked my hotel today.

F'ing expensive.

But only about one hundred meters from the start line.

Today was a fiver (fiver plusser), after last weeks brutal wind, and paltry two miles, it's a good start to the running week. The layout is pretty much the same as the last run that I put up here with pedometer information. Doing better now that a runs in my system. Sitting still is such a drag.

Music moves the body and mind

This blog needs a little kick in the ass if I do say so myself. What usually kicks my ass is women, and music. I can't put a woman up here, but I sure as hell can drop some dirty tunes and share what muzac that inspires my miles.

1. Bassnectar

          - hours of free mix-tapes by the one and only King Womp diiiiig... Of particular dirtiness is 'Colorstorm Remix Tape', and 'Smashers and Mashers'

             http://www.bassnectar.net/listen/podcasts/

2. Black Keys

           -keeping with the alliteration, pick an album any album and cruise

More after the break..

Story Time Part III

Inertia has set in. A cold streak, high winds (13 mph steady, gusts at 20), and a head cold. It's no good boy.

Oh well.

There's always other adventures to be had, deeds to be done (aka getting a real job). On the bright side, there is Freddie King..

and the third and final part of a piece on what it's like to run in Vibram Fivefingers for the first time. Enjoy. (Part I is here and Part II is here)

Story time part II

Before going into the story, I want to make a distinction about what this blog is truly about, and what the name really means. First, Barefoot 0 is a term that had not already been registered, second it refers to my running form. I'm not actually barefoot, but the minimal shoes-glove things that I wear have changed my running style in a way that has me mimicking a barefoot runners posture, and foot-strike style.

This is where the tag comes in. A minimalist blog for a minimalist runner.

So is it form follows function? Or a case of function following form.

Here's the second part of my opus on running in Vibram Fivefingers minimalist shoes for the first time.The first part starts here.

In an interview with The Times, ultra-marathoner Chris McDougall explains, “When you're running a hundred, you're going to be out there for about 13 hours, no matter what... You have no choice but to take your time, relax and enjoy the landscape.”

While I wasn't going for a 13 hour run, three miles is not insignificant for me, especially with unproven shoes. The first mile goes down easy, as it should because it is mostly downhill. My legs move easily, but in a completely different way than they ever have before. The length of my stride has shortened considerably, and as a result I am taking more, but quicker steps.

More power

Several things today in my marathon world. First, no training today, I am way too hung over. Second, me being way too hung over to run has allowed me to mess around on the computer and find stuff that is cool and useful, as the internet is wont to have.

I am looking into getting a pedometer to track my times and actual miles (I do a fair amount of guessing on both of these). I'm not too concerned with these aspects of my run, mostly because I'm doing it for the joy of running. Knowing exactly how long I've ran won't make me work any harder I believe, but it would be nice to know (and it would feed my gear junkie attitude).

I haven't found one that won't break the bank and still will do what I want, but until then I found a pretty cool mapping tool created by another first time marathon runner. It's called gmap-pedometer, and it works really well for plotting out road runs. It can even do off-road stuff too if you mess around with the buttony things on the control panel.

Here's the link, http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/ and a picture of last Friday's running route.

Schedule

The schedule has gone all to fuck this week, but maybe I need it, maybe exhaustion and un-motivation is my bodies way of telling me to cool it. I still have about two months of training and upkeep to go. No sense in burning it out before June 2, race day. Today was worth six miles, putting my weekly total at about eleven. Nothing spectacular, but miles still got put down. More concrete training this time, with the shoulders of the road helping ease my soles.

Here is a bit of one of my training routes. I will be adding more pictures of the other areas I train at.

Pull Up

No updates for the day, only events from the past.

No running today either.

Today was slow, lagging really. Frustrating in the end. This marathon running is a double edged sword. If I don't accomplish more than just working, or whatever daily bullshit the real world requires, I don't feel as if I've really accomplished anything. Moving myself using only myself through space and time gives me a sense of accomplishment that is otherwise lacking in my day to day grind.

On a positive..

Two nights ago I actually paid my entrance fee for the Sunburst.

I'm in.

Now there are several next steps. Photographing, ordering new shoes, finding a hotel room in the area that won't break the bank, and of course more training.

As an introduction to where I started one and a half years ago with barefoot running, I've posted part one of an article I wrote about my first experience with the method after the jump. 

Temp was nice

Yesterday was the beginning of my new improved, revised, and retooled running schedule. I only train running three day's a week, with a fourth dedicated to cross training (basketball, competitive dodgeball, hiking, really whatever gives the CV system a good workout). My runs went from being Monday, Wednesday, Friday; to Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday. This should make my life a little more running, having a life, and blogging, well, friendly.

Anyway, on to the good bits of the steak.

Monday ended up being cross training, and last night was the running weeks kickoff. Five miles on pavement in about ten mile per hour wind. The temp was nice though. Not too much of a sweat, and I had a buddy ride a bike along with me carrying water. All in all a pretty plush run. I didn't time the run as it was more of a warm up for the week than anything, but my guess is about fifty minutes total, nice and easy.

Today is an off day, probably won't get much cross training in, but that is okay. Tomorrow I shoot for fifteen miles. I still haven't figured out my course yet, but I have several good five mile dirt and gravel courses to base off of. This will put my weekly total at twenty, then on Saturday I plan on finishing out with a sixer. Giving me an even twenty six. Now all I have to do is condense three days of distance into one. Bring it on Sunburst.

Welcome

Welcome to Barefoot 0, a minimalist blog for a minimalist runner. In this blog I will be recording the experience of training for, and running the Sunburst Marathon, located in South Bend, Indiana, all while in Vibram Fivefingers 'barefoot' shoes. While I am a little over halfway through my training 'schedule', I feel that now is as good of time as any to start writing about what has been so far an amazing experience. Join me then as I take myself and my Vibrams to a new level.