Road to Nowhere

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 3.5 miles (asphalt)

Weather: Mostly cloudy, breezy, cool and muggy, a little rain.

It was a little blustery

Looking at my splits, I'm rather pleased with how consistent they were. 11:07, 10:48, 11:08. The last half mile was at about an 11:05 pace. All at about my low HR target.

You just wait until it really heats up, bucko.

Don't hold your breath! We hardly got any summer over the past two years, thanks to La Niña. I think the whole season got shipped to the Gulf Coast.

Well, we're above on rainfall for the year and only a couple of spots in Texas are in a drought. Shouldn't be as hot.

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 3.5 miles (asphalt)

Weather: Mostly cloudy, breezy, cool and muggy, a little rain.

It was a little blustery

Looking at my splits, I'm rather pleased with how consistent they were. 11:07, 10:48, 11:08. The last half mile was at about an 11:05 pace. All at about my low HR target.

You just wait until it really heats up, bucko.

Don't hold your breath! We hardly got any summer over the past two years, thanks to La Niña. I think the whole season got shipped to the Gulf Coast.

Can we ship it back this year? Last year was BRUTAL!

Nice job barefoot running Mark, I don't think I could ever do that down here, my feet would melt.

Joel H wrote:

Mark B wrote:

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:Barefoot Run: 3.5 miles (asphalt)

Weather: Mostly cloudy, breezy, cool and muggy, a little rain.

It was a little blustery

Looking at my splits, I'm rather pleased with how consistent they were. 11:07, 10:48, 11:08. The last half mile was at about an 11:05 pace. All at about my low HR target.

You just wait until it really heats up, bucko.

Don't hold your breath! We hardly got any summer over the past two years, thanks to La Niña. I think the whole season got shipped to the Gulf Coast.

Can we ship it back this year? Last year was BRUTAL!

Nice job barefoot running Mark, I don't think I could ever do that down here, my feet would melt.

Ship it back? You bet! I set up the pool last year one week when it got up into the 80s, but then it cooled down immediately afterwards. It did that all summer, so when the air temperature was warm enough for swimming, the water temperature was And before the water could warm up, it would cool down again. Pretty frustrating.

Still, being that we don't have a/c, it doesn't need to get too hot for too long.

I bet you could hit the pavement, as long as you did it before the sun had baked it. But, if you were really interested in trying the barefoot thing, you could always get some protection like VFFs, Invisible Shoes, or my favorites, Luna Sandals (mine should be arriving this week).

Walk: 2 miles

Weather: Ill-timed rain shower (glad I had my umbrella!); 54 degrees.

It looked like it might rain when I went out for a lunchtime walk, but I *almost* decided against taking an umbrella. Glad I erred on the side of caution, because a heavy rain shower came through just as I was at the turnaround point, and I walked the rest of the way back to work in the rain. At least the top half of my body isn't damp right now!

Walk: 2.5 miles

Weather: Mostly cloudy, cool. 52 degrees.

Took a lunchtime walk over the Interstate Bridge, crossing from Vancouver to Portland and back. I didn't really have time to work in a run this morning, and I want to keep doing a little bit as many days a week as I can as I try to keep shedding pounds, so a walk seemed right. It also kept me from the Cinco de Dos potluck in the advertising department. Everybody around me was eating tacos, and it smelled sooo good! I had to flee.

If all goes well, I'll run on both Thursday and Friday, see what happens on Saturday and then go out for a slightly longer run on Sunday.

Woot!

I'm happy to report that my new Luna sandals arrived in the mail today, complete with a bonus T-shirt:



They're the Catamount sandal, with a 4 mm Vibram sole topped with 2-3 mm of leather, fastened with a leather-elastic lace.

The first thing that struck me was how thin they are. The second was the shape. Considering how I've had to cram my feet in somebody else's last all these years, it's amazing to see something that was custom-made to the shape of my foot. They looked a little weird to me at first, but as soon as I slipped them on, they sort of blend in with my feet. I'm wearing them right now, and my toes are happily splaying on the leather, which feels really good underfoot.

I can tell I'll need to get accustomed to the strap between the toes, but I've worn flip-flops for years, so that shouldn't be a problem. The heel strap does an exceptionally good job of sticking the back of the sandal to my heel. We'll see how they work for running other than jogging around the kitchen. But I think I'll wear them around casually at first, just to get my feet used to them. My barefoot sessions will remain truly barefoot for a while longer.

No need to rush at this point. These seem very well-made, so I hope they'll last pretty much forever.

Fancy flip-flops there, Mark. Are you known around the office as "that guy" yet? Y'know, the one who wears those "weird gorilla shoes" or "Mexican Indian sandals"?

Mike MacLellan wrote:Fancy flip-flops there, Mark. Are you known around the office as "that guy" yet? Y'know, the one who wears those "weird gorilla shoes" or "Mexican Indian sandals"?

Oh, Mike, Mike, Mike... I've been "that guy" at the office pretty much since the day I showed up!

Low HR Run: 30 minutes (2.15 miles)

Weather: Wet and windy and cool (49) outside, dry and 68 inside on the treadmill. Gear: Free 3.0 v4s, shorts, T.

It looked fairly nasty outside, so I decided to do my run on the treadmill today. I resisted the urge to try out my new running sandals and used my Free 3.0s instead. I couldn't decide how far to run, so I decided to go at a 12/mi pace until my HR started bumping up above my target HR of 138. I was thinking it'd be longer than it was, but apparently my body was done by 25 minutes in, so I started my 5 minute walking cool down.

I plan to go out tomorrow for longer. Hopefully, the weather cooperates.

Walked first and last 5 minutes, as usual for these sorts of runs.

Average HR for run. 121

Do they tie in the front? I can't tell with that extra leather hanging out one side. I am very interested to see how these sandals work for running.

Joel H wrote:Do they tie in the front? I can't tell with that extra leather hanging out one side. I am very interested to see how these sandals work for running.

They tie on the top, sort of. The strap comes around from the part that secures the heel and ties around the first part of the strap that goes up between the toes. That pulls that initial toe-anchoring strap more along the top of the foot. That knot can slip up and down that toe-anchoring strap, customizing the feel a bit more.

Once I actually run in them, I'll give you a report.

Mark B wrote:

Joel H wrote:Do they tie in the front? I can't tell with that extra leather hanging out one side. I am very interested to see how these sandals work for running.

They tie on the top, sort of. The strap comes around from the part that secures the heel and ties around the first part of the strap that goes up between the toes. That pulls that initial toe-anchoring strap more along the top of the foot. That knot can slip up and down that toe-anchoring strap, customizing the feel a bit more.

Once I actually run in them, I'll give you a report.

Enquiring minds want to know.

ounce wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Joel H wrote:Do they tie in the front? I can't tell with that extra leather hanging out one side. I am very interested to see how these sandals work for running.

They tie on the top, sort of. The strap comes around from the part that secures the heel and ties around the first part of the strap that goes up between the toes. That pulls that initial toe-anchoring strap more along the top of the foot. That knot can slip up and down that toe-anchoring strap, customizing the feel a bit more.

Once I actually run in them, I'll give you a report.

Enquiring minds want to know.

Sir, yes sir. I'll get right on it. Soon.

Low HR Run: 90 minutes (7.47 miles)

Weather: Mostly cloudy, cool, breezy with a shower. 48 degrees. Gear: Free 3.0 v4s, shorts, T, windbreaker, hat. Fluid: Carried water in handheld.

I headed out to Llama Ridge this morning, working on building my low HR endurance and continuing my adaptation to the Free 3.0. It was a pretty morning, with a wind out of the west that felt like it came straight off the Pacific Ocean. I was glad I grabbed my windbreaker before I started.

The run went pretty well. I had a harder time keeping the HR close to 138 in the last few miles, so I'll have to remember to not start cheating the HR up so I can go "faster." I made it past where the llamas and alpacas live and part way down Llama Ridge, then I turned and headed back up the ridge and headed home. I saw Larry the llama, but not Moe. There's been a population explosion over at the alpaca field - there's five of them now - so I may have to give up on the whole naming concept.

Here's the terrain map, with elevation chart.



It doesn't show up on the terrain map, but Llama Ridge (where Larry, Moe, Curly, Shemp, et al. live) crests 3.5 miles from my house. I made it about halfway down the hill. As my low HR skills return, I'll get down to the bottom of the hill (NW 61st St.) and beyond. I'm looking forward to that. This route gets prettier the farther I go.

Average HR for the entire run: 134

Luna Sandals Test Run! 1 mile on dry asphalt

Weather: Overcast, cool. 51. Gear: Luna sandals

A first test run with Alec (who was barefoot) wearing my new Luna Catamount sandals. I don't know whether to classify this as a barefoot run or a sandal run or what... but I guess I'll figure it out as time goes on.

The sandals fit great, and my feet stayed locked down on the footbed. What I noticed at first was how much louder they are than when I run totally barefoot. Clack! Clack! Clack! It's sort of a reminder for me to strike on the ball of my foot and not be fooled into a mid foot strike. After 100 yards or so, I was able to get the Clack! down to more of a Tap! Tap! Tap! I think that's a good thing.

I could feel the strap between my toes, but I think it's something I'll be able to get used to. My foot moved slightly on the footbed, but in a good way, I think. And when I *aimed* for gravel that would normally make me yelp, I was able to go over it without difficulty. I could feel it, but it took the edge off. I even tried walking on some cobble-sized rocks, and while the footing was tricky, it was quite doable. Fun!

I think I need to stick to pure bare footing for now, to continue the adaptation process, but I can see these being a go-to option for longer runs or maybe even some trails.

Here's what they look like on:




It seems like there's excess room beyond the toes, but that's not really the case. My toes slip forward a bit while running and walking, and it's nice to have something that gives a little protection against accidental obstacle bumps.

(And yes, I'm quite pale. Can you tell I live in the cloudy Pacific Northwest? I think Edward has a better tan than I do right now. )

and freshly shaved legs, too!

Remember to use Body glide or similar product between those toes in the beginning. Just like digging out sandals for summer. I think they look pretty cool, but not for me. I still have memories of running 8 miles home/back from the town beach to get car keys (sister lost the others in the sand - long story) in flip-flops. I think my feet are still cringing and that was in the late 1970s!

ounce wrote:and freshly shaved legs, too!

Um... yeah. Right.

Truth is, my brother got all the body hair in the family. I was bummed about it, until he started going bald at 25.

Michele "1L" Keane wrote:Remember to use Body glide or similar product between those toes in the beginning. Just like digging out sandals for summer. I think they look pretty cool, but not for me. I still have memories of running 8 miles home/back from the town beach to get car keys (sister lost the others in the sand - long story) in flip-flops. I think my feet are still cringing and that was in the late 1970s!

Good suggestion, Michele. I've worn flip-flops for years, including the super-thin ones they wear in Southeast Asia, so I know how tough it is to run in them. But the way the strap wraps around the heel glues the sandal to your foot, so flapping is not an issue. Neither, as far as I can tell so far, is pushing too hard against the strap between the toes.

As for the key incident... siblings. What can you do?

Hilly Low HR Run: 120 minutes (9.16 miles)

Weather: Partly cloudy with some fog, chilly and damp. 37 degrees, 97% humidity. Gear: Free 3.0 v4s, shorts, long-sleeved T, jacket. Fuel: Coffee and oatmeal before. Carried water in handheld.

I decided to mix it up this morning and see what happens when I try to follow HR discipline on a very hilly route. My training partner and I went up through a devilishly hilly area near my house - not mountains, just up-and-down and up-and-down. I decided to let my HR go up as high as 143 while climbing before slowing to a walk. I was pleased to notice that my HR dropped very quickly even while walking uphill. Almost too much, actually. I'll need to practice that.

Here's the map and the elevation chart. I got some nice climbing in today.



We toyed with making it a pure out-and-back, doubling the hills, but we decided to make it into a loop route and hit a flatter stretch where we could cruise at a more steady rate. All in all, a very good route! And good practice for learning how to maintain a steady, sustainable effort in hilly terrain. That will come in handy eventually, if everything works out.

Average HR for the entire run: 130

Putting in some big runs lately, Mark. Looks like a fun course today. Now you just have to learn to "ultra-walk" to keep that HR up.

Mike MacLellan wrote:Putting in some big runs lately, Mark. Looks like a fun course today. Now you just have to learn to "ultra-walk" to keep that HR up.

Ultra? Moi?

And yep! You're absolutely right. I expect that in time I'll simply be able to chug up the hills running and still not crack my target HR, but I need to learn ways to optimize speed and efficiency on the uphills. In some (many?) cases, it's going to mean "ultra-walking."

Walk: 2.18 miles

Weather: GORGEOUS!! 71 and sunny.

Normally, this is my day off, but I was pressed into service at work. So the best I could do on a warm and sunny spring day was a couple of miles recovery/activity walking at lunch. I walked down to and then along the Columbia River. It was difficult coming back into the office.

(It's probably just as well. It's so nice outside, I probably would have overdone it if I'd had the day off and had time to run for hours on end, especially after my hilly long run yesterday. )

Wow, where are my sunglasses? Seriously though, I can't wait to get a review on those shoes/sandals/whatever you want to call them.

Nice looking run on that hilly route.

Joel H wrote:Wow, where are my sunglasses? Seriously though, I can't wait to get a review on those shoes/sandals/whatever you want to call them.

Nice looking run on that hilly route.

They're definitely sandals, though my training partner notes they are the thinnest sandals he's seen in his life (6-7 mm). But what I still can't figure out is whether to classify runs in them "barefoot" runs.

As for the lack of tan... well, time will take care of that this summer. Provided the sun stays out a bit.