Free Running - Day 2

Day 2 of Free Running.  In classic form I pushed the recommendation of how much to actually run in these "barefoot shoes".  Luckily, my friend H shouted at me on Facebook what my pea brain had been whispering to me tonight during a "measly" 6 mile run, "BE CAREFUL, we are not Kenyan and have been in shoes for a very long time.  The 2140 is a structure shoe; the Free has no support".  She went on to suggest something about the possibility of stress fractures in my feet; an area I've never had trouble with before. 

I will say this about day two, I like that more of my leg muscles seem to be showing up to the running party.  But, H is likely correct about pushing the mileage in this new fangled shoe.  I could sense some possible issues in my right ankle, my hams from my glutes down were doing something a little funky (not good funky) and I actually noticed my shins when I was done (not bad, but not in a good way either).  Finally, I noticed that in the second have of the run I had to pay closer attention to my posture/stride so as to not get sloppy and cause additional issues.

Key take-away at this point.....walk in them for 3 weeks, then do a mile the next week.  Not 12. 

Running Free...We'll See

I bought a pair of Nike Free 5.0 shoes the other day. Following our brutal climb in the Sisters, I was actually looking for a trail running version of my ASICS 2140's because the rocks caught me wrong a couple of times wearing my standard issue pair.

I ran in Nike's for years - being from Eugene, this is what we always did. Support the local team, so to speak. But the more air they put in them, the fluffier (and less functional) they got in my humble opinion around the late 90's.

I switched to the ASICS 2140 (aka 2120 or 2130) about 8 years ago and never looked back. Just a good fit for me. The nice thing is they update the technology, but don't totally change it up (like Nike always did); forcing one to go out and find a new shoe.

I'd been considering the Free's for awhile. The story goes that the African (specifically, the Kenyans) runner's essentially run injury-free. While we American's have all sorts of issues. The argument is that the Kenyan's run barefoot from the time they are 6 years old and never look back. They are trying to correct over-pronation or supination with a pair of heavy shoes. They run like they run and let their bodies correct whatever it is they naturally do. Our heavy shoes tend to keep us nice and straight (in theory), but many of the small twitch muscles become lazy because they don't have to come to the party like hams, quads and glutes.

Enter the Nike Free 5.0. They are supposed to in varying levels (3.0, 5.0, 7.0); each a little thicker, be like running barefoot. The 3.0 are as close as you can get. They fit like slippers/gloves, have arch support, but very little for the balls of the feet or heels.

I was instructed not to go out and bust out my usual run in them as I'd be in agony afterwards. Instead, I was to walk around in them for 3 weeks and then run a mile the next week. So, I walked around for a week and ran 5 miles in them yesterday; finishing the final 4 miles in my ASICS. Initial results were good, if not miraculous. I was a little sore in my legs in areas that I'm not normally, but I was slightly sleep deprived and had run lots of miles the prior 5 days which had me slightly beat up anyway.

So, the jury is still out on this. But, I'm going to give it another go tonight and see how I feel over time. I sure like the story though.......

To Lead or To Follow

Our kids were with my folks last week, giving Map Guy and I a rare opportunity to hit the trails together. We haven't gotten to do this since we ran in Marin in June. Map Guy was gracious to do the planning this time; Middle and North Sisters was our destination.

Map Guy had wanted to do Sisters for quite some time. He just loves it up there. I love that he loves it. Click here to see our route.

I was subtly warned that our distance would between 12 and 16 miles and I only vaguely recall a whisper of there being "two peaks". The mileage didn't bug me and I tried not to hear the latter comment. You'll recall that I am a bit of a "Do Now, Deal Later Gal". Not sure it makes for a cool nickname (maybe dndlg? I don't think so.), but it's a fact.

It was nice to have the time in the car to catch up and after the 1 1/2 drive up the McKenzie River (one of our favorites), we arrived at the Obsidian Trailhead.

The weather was perfect and with shoes, water and food on board, we headed out. Or I should say, UP. We started at 4800 feet. The first peak was 6589 feet and 6 miles up. We then dipped down to 6195 feet; a welcome reprieve. I thought we were home free at this point. Not so much. This is where Map Guy tells me that he didn't know how to come right out and tell me that we had two peaks. So, we headed up another 1.75 miles to the second peak at 6882 feet.

A couple of comments/observations about the day:

• I led us out of the starting gate for the first two miles. At about 3 miles in, I started having gastro-intestinal issues that plagued me for the rest of the run. Really just a bummer of a stomach ache that got worse rather than better. Map Guy mentioned something about coming out of the gate to fast and I had to wonder (with a grrr) if he was right, but I also wondered if elevation was a factor.
• I normally like hills - the challenge, the victory of a strong finish even when it's hard, etc. My head was not hill-friendly from the start on this day. The GI issue did not help, but today was hard.
  
• Trail running is typically a single track experience; you normally can't run side by side like you do on pavement. This requires that someone lead and and others follow. Trail running requires you to maintain enough space between you and the guy in front of you so you can keep your eyes on the one to two feet of ground in front of you so you don't trip and knock yourself senseless. I prefer to be in front when trail running because I really like to run unencumbered and having someone right in front of you on the trail feels confining and frustrating.
• When my mojo went south and the climb became a struggle, I eventually took a backseat and did more run/walking than I like to admit.
  

Despite the weather and the company, today was a hard run that I was glad to have behind me. Even going into it, I was dreading the hills that I normally embrace. Many factors went into this...not enough sleep, GI issues, elevation. But, it could have been anything. I found myself wondering, "will it be like this next time"? or "what if it's always like this"? Both possibilities were distressing and I decided that you can't focus on what if. You simply have to make a choice to accept that there will be days like this, find the joy even when there is little to be found look forward to the next round. If you don't then you're done before you've started.

Some pictures from the day:

Mark with Sisters in the background. This is somewhere following the first peak. Then he's heading down into the first valley.













This is looking back at some of the second climb. Really fun switchbacks up a lava field.










This is the last climb and pretty much did me in. This is a hill of lava rocks; big and small. It was steep switchbacks (which you can't even see) with lots of loose rock on the trail so that you'd take a step forward and half a step backward with each step.

At two different points I found myself picking up rocks. Needed to throw something I guess. Luckily Map Guy was already at the top. So, I just threw them at the ground with lots of OOMPH!