Two oh one one

I checked in with my RSS feed reader today and wow! a lot of people are doing year-in-review posts. I enjoy reading them, but every time I try reflecting back on the year, I instead find myself getting excited about 2012. It's been a wonderful year and I'm looking forward to keeping the momentum going as we move into two oh one two.

I did get an unexpected little pat on the back this past week that I'll share, though. It came to me on Christmas Day (a little gift to myself, from over the course of the year!), but I didn't open it until yesterday when I spent a bit of time trying to get my inbox caught up. Here is what I found:

I started using runkeeper in March, and have since been recording miles walked, run, biked and logged on the elliptical and treadmill machines. I had no idea I'd gone that far, though! It was an especially nice pat on the back to get yesterday, after I ran outside for the first time in a few weeks (I've been hobbled by the cold weather and a sore knee). My pace was good for the 2 mile run, but the last half mile was rough -- my legs did not want to keep going! But I got out there and did it, and finished, which is a great feeling. And taking in the fact that I have covered 1,000 miles is a really great feeling. Wow. Here's the breakdown (all of the walking was from epic Sunday hikes with the dog):

Walking: 153.5 miles

Running: 227.2 miles

Elliptical: 284.9 miles

Biking: 345.6 miles

And that doesn't count today! I've still got one more workout to log for 2011! Happy New Year, everyone!

There's never enough garlic!

Ohmygosh! Has it really been Friday since I posted last?!? I'm so sorry. I've been very busy, and the weather has been so gorgeous that I just can't sit at the computer for a moment longer than necessary! Nonnie and I got out for a run again today (our second two-miler together). She is awesome at pacing and I can't wait to head out again together (which will hopefully be on Thursday -- tomorrow I'll be biking to the farmers market).

Anyway, to tide you over, here's a picture of some roasted garlic. If you ever stop in here at Chez 10K, you'd best have a bite on your way in the door -- otherwise, you're going to think everyone here has some awful breath, because we can't seem to get enough garlic. It's good and good for you!!! ;-)

Back!

I'm back in Chattanooga, as of late yesterday afternoon. It's been a warm day here, but it's about to get wintry cold for the next week or so (at least). So far, this has winter has found me in a strange mood. For the first time in years, I've been yearning to be up where the snow is flying.

And further, I want to be in a place where heating systems make some sense. Now that it's getting cold here, I am suffering through my annual annoyance with the way Southerners heat their homes. The beauty of warm, still, radiant heat is eschewed in these parts. We instead favor the much cheaper forced-air systems, which blow cool, drafty, allergen-filled air through our homes, drying our skin and chilling our bones. It's just not possible to get warm when there's a breeze blowing through the house.

The good news, though, is that we spent a very warm, cozy Christmas in Ohio, in a house full of family and associated animals. And there was snow on the ground when we arrived, which lasted for a bit, so I got to enjoy some lovely winter scenery. G-Dog and I got out for a run in it for a couple of miles on both the Eve and on Christmas Day and it was lovely to pass snowmen and frozen ponds along our route. I didn't quite get the snow lust out of my system, but it was a satisfying dose of winter!

If you're in a similar mood, you might enjoy these winter scenes from Boston.com's Big Picture! And Happy Nebulous Week, everyone! It's the happiest week of the year!! :-D

Five Fingers On My Feet!

They're not in the house yet. They came up in another post and yesterday was the first chance I've had to pop over to the North Shore and try some on. The folks at the Rock/Creek store were kind enough to let me give them a whirl, though unfortunately they didn't have many in stock, so I while I was able to take a picture, but had to leave without any vibram fivefingers of my own (I did get Emmie some new chacos, though!).

I was a little apprehensive about putting these shoes on. I didn't want to be disappointed and the only other thing I've ever worn that separated my toes were those socks from the 70s -- and I definitely was not a fan of those! Putting the fivefingers on freaked me out a bit because the process made my feet feel a bit catastrophic, but once I had them on, it was a huge relief! I have never worn such comfortable shoes! I took a jog around the store and am pretty sure these will make really good running shoes. They allowed me to fall into the natural gait that I use when I'm barefooting on the treadmill.

I liked the Classics better than the Sprints, which is what I tried on (they are so snug that the strap feels unnecessary), and they didn't have any Classics in my size in stock. Plus, these things cost $75.00, which for me is a lot to spend on a pair of shoes! And having running shoes is not really going to be an issue until I want to run outside. Given the recent weather here in Tennessee, that is not likely to be for a while, so there's no big hurry... maybe this can even wait for xmas...

But in the meantime, here're my feet -- perhaps properly swaddled for the first time in my life. The guy in the store probably thought I was insane for taking a photo of my feet, but as Emmie pointed out, most people probably think I'm insane anyway... And if by some freakish coincidence you have a size 37 women's classic fivefingers pair of shoes you don't want, I'd be glad to take them off your hands -- or feet, as it were (if they're the black ones, even better!)!

Oh, my naked feet

I've brought this up before, but the evidence continues to trickle in. Those space age sneakers are not, perforce, a good thing.

Recent research suggests that for all their high-tech features, modern running shoes may not actually do much to improve a runner’s performance or prevent injuries. Some runners are convinced that they are better off with shoes that are little more than thin gloves for the feet — or with no shoes at all.

And statistics do not necessarily favor the shoe.

But for all the technological advances promoted by the industry — the roll bars, the computer chips and the memory foam — experts say the injury rate among runners is virtually unchanged since the 1970s, when the modern running shoe was introduced. Some ailments, like those involving the knee and Achilles’ tendon, have increased.

I've been running barefoot on a treadmill for years, but for outdoors, I've been considering the fivefingers since they came out (at the time I was a member of an online barefoot runner's group and the cool new shoes caused quite the buzz*). What's been stopping me so far is the fact that anything on my feet makes. them. so. HOT. Plus, I've pretty much been ok with just sticking to the treadmill.

But this summer, I really wanted to do a bit of running while I was on vacation and had to run outside. The ground was either too hot or the terrain too rocky to go barefoot. I tried wearing running shoes and it was awful (like trying to run on a mattress and my feet were suffocating the whole time). I couldn't wait to tear those shoes off! I also tried running in sandals and that was just sort of clunky. Next year, I'll be prepared with something better.

---
*the buzz was both positive and negative. There were barefoot runners who were tired of cuts and bruises on their feet who excitedly embraced the idea, but also some purists who did not approve at all -- "but, that's not being barefoot!" For all I know, the debate is still raging (I left the group after a controversy erupted over one member's proselytizing).

(this is a repeat photo)

Bolt, again!

OK, so this will get me off of health care. I can't get enough of this guy! And Tyson Gay and Asafa Powell are right up there with Usain. Sunday was a fun-filled day in Berlin! The records are falling, and nobody can blame anything like the technology of a swimsuit...

Lots of links you might have missed!

It's been a while and these things do pile up...

• How The Average U.S. Consumer Spends Their Paycheck -- this is an interesting chart. We're by no means average (we've never carried a car loan, for one thing, and we probably spend more on food and alcohol, even though we don't eat out much), but the proportions seem to be generally true.

• Have you tried goofram yet? It's a combination of google and wolfram|alpha.

• Think you're a geek? Have you mastered the essential skills?

• The Young Republicans have elected an Aryan as their leader.

• Barney Frank visited the Daily Show last week.

• Just how rich is Fitzwilliam Darcy? (Here's an interesting bit of trivia: Pride and Prejudice is not only my favorite novel, it's also the first book I ever read aloud to Emmie -- starting when she was about a week old.) And speaking of Jane Austen, today is the anniversary of her death.

• How's your sense of pitch? (I scored a 26 out of 26 -- which, if you've ever heard me sing, you know must mean that I hear pitch perfectly -- I just can't produce it that way.)

• White Men Can't Judge.

• Local coverage of Zach Wamp's psooper psekret christian adultery cult (read about yet another C Street philanderer here -- and here!).

• You Suck at Craig's List is pretty funny (via Joe. My. God.).

• Badass of the Week, featuring Blenda, the Viking Heroine!

• Rick Perry is apparently rethinking that whole Texas-as-a-country thing (seriously -- who voted for this guy?).

• If you want to see the Great Barrier Reef, you better go soon.

• Can someone find Glenn Beck a nice small room with soft walls and a good therapist?

• ... and speaking of health care (that's what set Beck off)... Glenn doesn't have it quite right when it comes to France's system. The current American system is fine until you get sick, but will the next one be any better?

• This can't be said enough times: the only thing abstinence-only "education" produces is unbelievably stupid kids.

• I loves me some Usain Bolt footage. He makes all the other best runners in the world look like my grandma.

• Understanding our economy.

• Drunk people doing yoga.

• And finally, Pat Buchanan: he really stepped in it this week -- even more than usual!

Amazing!

(On a wet track?) And he's not even sucking wind at the end...

I'm so running tomorrow...   :-)

Eschewing the Shoe

Heh! Is barefooting going mainstream?

Two significant events today...

It's been a while since I've had a day when I could just putter about. And putter I did, with two big accomplishments:

1) I burned a home movie to DVD. The analog ==> digital conversion project has finally begun. It'll probably last all fall, but that's ok, because it sure is fun to see video I haven't looked at in 10-20 years...

...and 2) I ran 5K. It was just on the treadmill, because it's too freakin' hot and humid to do anything outside. But I'm thinking about running a 5K at the end of September* and I wanted to see if I could do it. I'm pretty new to running -- I've only recently discovered the secret to running without pain and injury (one of these days I'll do a post about the benefits of barefoot running!) -- so I've never run that far before.

For the record and the curious, a 5K = 3.1 miles, and it took me less than 45 minutes.

*If anyone has a pacing device/HRM/Garmin thing that I could borrow for the run, I'd be ever so grateful! I mostly use the treadmill, so I haven't invested in that sort of tech. Yet...

Living Tarahumarically

Those of you who have met me in person might have noticed that I don't really like shoes. And I really, really hate socks (with the burning hot passion of a thousand suns), so if I'm wearing anything on my feet at all, it's probably something that consists of nothing more than a footbed with some straps attached -- I'm a minimalist when it comes to footwear.

I'm also currently in the process of learning to run. My daily workouts on the treadmill have, until recently, involved walking up a hill, but no running. Previous attempts to run regularly have always resulted in some discouraging excuse to stop -- pseudo ailments like shin splints or sore knees. But this winter, I took another stab at running, only this time, I didn't bother with the dreaded shoes -- I'm running inside and on my own treadmill, so who's gonna make me wear them?

Well, lo and behold, it turns out that running shod can be a bad thing, because shoes can force a person to land on the heel, sending the force of every landing up the leg, where the bones and joints have to absorb the impact. Ouch. Running barefoot, however, allows for a ball-heel-ball landing that's much easier on the body. At least that's what I've been reading lately, since I've discovered that I can run just fine as long as I skip the shoes. So far, a couple of months into running up to 3 or 4 times a week, I haven't found an excuse to stop. The legs and knees are feeling fine (if a bit stiff or sore at times).

Then I ran across this article from Men's Health Magazine, "The Men Who Live Forever," and discovered that I might be onto something with this barefoot running thing, and am part of a movement, even:

Orton is part of a growing movement of Free Your Feet rebels, who believe it's not running that causes injuries, but running form and economy of training. One of the more vocal -- and surprising -- members of this group is Gerard Hartmann, Ph.D., an exercise physiologist who works with the world's greatest marathoners and also consults for Nike. According to Hartmann, the vast majority of running-related foot injuries are a result of too much foam-injected pampering. Running shoes have become so supercushioned and motion-controlling, they allow our foot muscles to atrophy and our tendons to shorten and stiffen. Without strength and flexibility, injuries are inevitable.

The article speaks to those with higher aspirations than mine -- I doubt I'll be running a marathon any time soon -- but it offers some good tips on technique. Even if you're not ready to throw away your shoes, it's an interesting read, with some thoughts on diet as well as workouts. And you might find yourself tempted to try a breakfast salad...