WOD# 24 Fight Gone Bad! (or almost bad)

Today's WOD was the infamous "fight gone bad" with 3 rounds of 1minute rounds of Wall Ball (15# no throw), Sumo DeadLift high Pull (45#) , Boxjump (15inch?) , Push press (25#?), Row (calory) and 1min rest. My watch forces a 10sec break between each set which is technically not allowed but was godsent just to get set up. I did 25-26-15-15-13...20-15-15-15-13...15-15-20-16-13.

Quite a workout despite the scale down and extra 10sec break. I forgot my HR this time but wish I could see how high the HR stayed the whole time. I could feel it elevated the whole time. Amazing howmuch workout I got in mare 20minutes.

BF in NY for 816mi

WOD#24 Fight Gone Bad approx 15 each (score 245 scaled)

WOD#23 SP/PP/PJ 5x(1/3/5)

WOD #23 was purely weightlifting with successive progression from Shoulder Press to Push Press and then Push Jerk. I decided to use the barebell at Gym after having some trouble doing DB version couple of days. I had to work on the form quite a bit. I was having trouble keeping the back straight till I realized that I was not pushing the bar behind my head at upright position.  

I did

Shoulder Press 1-1-1-1-1 at 45#

Push Press 1-1-1-1-1-3-3-3-3-3 at 65#

Push Jerk 5-5-5-5-5 at 45#

BF in NY for 816mi

WOD#23 SP/PP/PJ 5x(1/3/5)

WOD#22 Michael 30:09 3 x (800m/50BackExt/50situps)

Today's WOD "Michael" sounded easier than it really was. The 50 situps in each round really add up. Also the elevated HR before starting the run in second and third round made the runs pretty hard. 

* My run split paces steadily deteriorated at 6:34, 7:12 and 7:20 even as avg HR increased with each. The last run was close to 188 most of 800m despite the natural break I get while getting out of apartment after situps. 

* On the other hand, situp times steadily improved with last round at 2:27 for 50. US Airforce minimum requirement includes 49 situps in two minutes so 2:27 is at least within respectable range for third round of Michael. I should try the 49 as a standalone one of these days. Marine situp requirement is 35 in a minute. On related topic, pullups requirements are 3-4 with average at 10. Pushups requirement in 2min is at 24min/41avg.

* I have no easy way to do back extensions at home so I just did mini version on a slanted wooden board. It did the job but was way too easy. However, I got a feeling that my back muscles were not 100% after yesterday's weight lifting fiasco so I didnt mind taking it easy. 

BF in NY for 816mi

WOD#22 Michael 30:09 3 x (800m/50BackExt/50situps)

WOD#21 20min 7x(5Thrust/7HPC/10SDLHP)

Finally, an unnamed WOD! The workout also does NOT have pullups. Lucky me. After incredibly heavy Annie yesterday, my shoulder and arms are still heavy and aching but I took the opportunity to catchup with my one-day lag finally by doing the Saturday workout on time. 

I attempted 7 rounds (1min each set) using 2x25#DB for Thrusters/HPC (Hang Power Clean) and the brand new 44# KB for SDLHP (Sumo Deadlift High Pull). The Rxed version asks for 95# so this is barely 50% of Rxed. However, halfway through fourth round while doing thrusters with the two dumbells, I had muscle failure. I quickly did damage control and scaled down to 20# instead to keep going but it was kindda hard after that. The DB version needs these tiny muscles in shoulder to support the weight, especially after I started loosing straight line form. One of them must have gave up. Good lesson though. I need to stick to barbell as much as possible till I strengthen my shoulders. 

The Sumo Deadlift High Pullup was a new exercise for me. It involves holding the KB in front in squat position and then pull it up vertically hard so it makes it all the way up to chin. Its sort of opposite of pumping air into bicycle pump. I bought a 44# KB for this and had to carry it home almost 0.5miles. Funny how 

that can easily qualify as a crossfit workout.

Hang power cleans were not as hard as thruster, probably because I had done them couple of times before. I did start to loose form pretty badly towards the end. In fact, I have no idea if I did HPCs or HCs. Anyway, the wod is over. Tomorrow's wod involves running 400m, situps and back extensions (no pullups!). So that should be easy.

On barefoot front, I bought $2 toe warmers which might come in hany next time I have to run in cold.

BF in NY for 814mi

WOD#21 20min 7x(50# or 20#5Thrusters /50#7HPC/44#10SDLHP)

WOD#19 Eva and WOD#20 Angie (almost hour each)

The named wod's are quite something. I attempted "Eva" yesterday on Christmas day and "Angie" today after "Cindy" on Monday. The Rxed Eva involves 5 rounds of (800m sprint + 30x72#kettlebell swing+ 30 pullups). It took me well over 2 hours to get my #%$% together just to get started. I scaled down to 5x(800m + 20x25# DB + 15pullups). In other words, only sprints were as Rxed. Rest was substantially scaled down. Even then it took all the life out of me by the end.

Weather was chilly but good enough and east river walkaway was icy to run on. Fortunately, its almost 400m just to get to the riverfront so I didnt have to risk running too much on icy portions. The sprints were okay but not great. This is partly due to hilly run and partly due to exertion related to rest of the Eva. I ran in Vibram and my toes would freeze every time I would be back from the quick 800m sprint. 

* My running splits were at 8:08 (uphill), 7:00, 7:22, 7:46, 6:44 (downhill)....avg 7:24. It wasn't particularly exhausting effort with HR around 175bpm. I tried to run fast but the rest of WOD sucked life out of motivation and I just wanted to get it over with. 

* Kettlebell swing were by far the easiest of the three routines. I just dont have anything heavier than 25# to do this workout. Also I kept it at 20reps per set instead of 30 because it seemed to strain muscles which were already sore from filthy fifty (which included swings).

* Pullups still continue to haunt me. I did the 15 (3x5) pullups each round by jumping up and then negatives. I didnt push too much since I knew that nextday's wod involved 100 pullups and I wanted to keep some reserves. Total time for the wod was 58:52min which is longest wod to date.

___________________________________________________________________

Today's wod was Angie: 100 pullups/pushups/situps/squats. I did everything as Rxed except pullups (no surprise there) except, I broke it down in 6 rounds (15/15/15/15 - 15/15/15/15 - 5/15/15/15 - 5/20/20/20 - 5/20/20/20 - 5/15/15/15)

* I did just 50pullups (kippings pullups). To be fair, I attempted 100 initially but had to revise after 30. Also by 40th pullup, I noticed tiny blister under the right ring finger. I had go finish atleast 50. Blister timing was perfect since, by 40th pullups, I could barely do 2pullups in one go and dropped down to 1 per go. There was no way I could have made it to 100. 

* Pushups turned out to be much harder than I thought. This is partly due to me correcting the form by moving arms back and bending them along the body instead of at an angle. The pushup felt different and more powerful but I was exhausted by 60th pushups. Most of the pushups were in a mini-set of 5. The few sets of 10 I attempted were quite difficult. So strictly speaking pushups were not as Rxed as I had to break it in so many mini-sets instead of 100 in one go (which is just insane).

* Situps were fun. Form was pretty good this time and I was getting pretty sore by last few rounds but manageable. Squats were also the easy. I need to work on form for squats a bit.

Total time 54:34 min, second longest. Each of the 6 rounds took about 10 min.

BF in NY for 814mi

WOD#19 Eva 5x(800m + 20x25# DB + 15pullups) at 58:52min HR (153/184)

WOD#20 Angie 50 pullups, 100 pushups/situps/squats 54:34min HR (131/158)

WOD#18 5-5-5-5-5 backsquat@65#

I jump ahead and did today's workout instead of Eva as planned. The wod involved 5-5-5-5-5 of backsquats.  I did 5 rounds with just the barbell (45#) just to get the form right. Then I did 5 rounds of 65#. It wasnt really that hard but given that this was my very first backsquat, I decided to keep it under full control. Its amazing how much easier it is to do workout with barbell instead of dumbbell. 

I also practiced kipping pullups a bit but its harder than I thought but its doable. Also when I pulled it off, it was so much fun. Separately, I practiced double-under. This also needs some coordination practice and I could only do one at a time. HR shot up to 160+ even with just one doubleunder reps so double-unders have potential to push into anaerobic zone pretty quickly.

BF in NY for 809mi

WOD#18 5-5-5-5-5@65# backsquat

WOD#17 Cindy! (5rounds) + 800m@6:20

I skipped the rest day to do the Cindy wod yesterday. I kept it pretty intense along the line with more recent WODs in Gym. The workout involved max rounds of 5 pullups/10 pushups/15 squats in 20 minutes. I managed to squeeze in 5 rounds with very good form in pushups and squats though pullups continues to haunt me. I did do 5 pullups in each round though my form deteriorated steadily each round and most pullups were in set of 2 with last few basically jumping negative pullups. I also squeezed in a sprint at the end for 800m pushing HR to 191max (first half 6:40 second half 6:00). Sprint was fun but it interferes with Eva wod coming up which has 5x800m.

It is amazing how heavily the recent wods are skewed toward pullups (15 on Thursday, 20 on Friday, 25 on Monday and 50-150 coming up on Wednesday) and I need to do something about it. Next wod, called Eva, involves 5 rounds of 30 pullups (thats 150 pull ups). I think kipping pullups are legitimate pullups and I plan to learn to do them. At the very least, I might be able to alternate between two and kipping pullups sounds lot more fun if I can manage them. Anyway, after 5x5=25 pullup attempts yesterday, I am in no shape to do Eva and took the rest day today and hence continue to be late by a day (which is fine with me). While the upper body muscles are pretty tight today and aching, I dont see any injury so I should be back in the saddle tomorrow. I just hope Eva is followed by some kind of lower body workout (no more pullups pl!) I will find soon enough.

Except for the form, technically, Cindy workout was as Rxed. Of course, 5 round is nothing compared to 15-20 typically reported on crossfit community but its something. Squats were easy (the marathon training paid off) but push ups were getting harder with each round. I worked really hard to keep the form good by fully lowering the body but I had to take break in last three rounds to do all 10.

On barefoot front, the 4x800 interval training on Sunday in slushy snow turned out to be worse than I had anticipated. The 4 small toes in each feet were semi-numb next day as well and only after 48hours I find them to be about 90% original sensation. No blister or discoloration but still a bit disturbing. I still think its the last one mile home which caused most of the damage. However, there is no way to be sure if I had run that 5th mile in central park on dry road, it would have been the same or it was the stopping and stepping in icy water puddle at stoplight caused the real damage. Depending on answer to this, I have to figure out how I am going to tackle the half marathons in Late Jan, early Feb. (Bzzzzz!) In any case, if I indeed end up keeping up with crossfit wod, I doubt if I will have cycles left to do the halfs but we will see (already signed up!).

BF in NY for 809mi

WOD#17 Cindy 20min=5x(5PULL+10PUSH+15SQAT) + 800m@6:20

Wod#16 4x800@3:24

The wod for saturday was 4x800m interval training. My first wod which is as Rxed with respectable perfomance! (this is a BIG deal)

After the brutal filthy fifty on Friday, I had to take a day break just to get out of bed, especially with snow storm out there. I bailed out on the 15k race which was converted into fun race anyway. But it wasn't the snow but the crossfit workout which made me bail out.

Anyway, I did the workout today instead as temperature reached above freezing and ice started melting giving some grip. Of course (? See last paragraph?) barefoot running was out of question but I ran in vibrams. Vibrams are not waterproof at all and my feet were wet within a minute into the 50minute workout. It was also pretty slippery since the vibrams are smooth at the bottom. So getting to the park, especially walkways in the park was pretty tricky. Even walk back was tough as my feet turned into almost like block of ice. But more on this later.

The actual workout was mostly uneventful. I ran 3:16, 3:29, 3:31, 3:20 (average 3:24) with hrs at 186, 183 184, 187. First and last lap were quite fast. There no way to be sure but cold wet conditions didn't affect the fast runs much. I think the bigger limiting factor was lack of mental training to "push through" anarobic exertion. Marathon training has hardcoded these slow-down reflexes. Perhaps i should sneak in a few sprints after regular wod I do in gym just till I touch HR 200.

While I am lagging by a day, next workout is 20min max rounds of 5 pullups(ouch!), 10 pushups and 15 squats. I can sneak in a sprint. I thinking of doing this "cindy" workout tommorow and can't wait.

Final passing comment on barefoot aspect. While the vibrams protect from unnecessary pricking into the numb soles, they are absolutely no protection to cold whatsoever in wet cold conditions. If anything the whole foot is covered by cold wet surface exacerbating the cooling. I hope the situation is different in cold and dry conditions. I don't see myself doing anything more run a few miles in wet conditions at freezing conditions and much less, if any, at below freezing wet conditions. I am assuming that barefoot will be worse run vibrams but I won't know till I try. Perhaps a good balance might be alternating. To be continued on this topic.

In the mean time, I was fully aware of conditions of my feet today and they never really went numb till my way back. I had to wait at stop lights a lot and step in deep slushy water both contributing to very quick chilling of feet. By the time I got home, I had lost more than 75% sensations in sole. I have smartened up now and know NOT to take warm shower right away and warmed up the feet with hand and air heater till I started getting tingling sensation. Then I took a shower moving from lukewarm to hotish water. Even 4hours later I can feel tinglish in left feet fingers. But unlike the 10k race couple of weeks back when I had a tiny amount of skin damage, nothing of the sort today. I think the trick is to keep the workout within an hour. I need to find a warm pitstop in central park.

BF in NY for 809mi

WOD#16 4x800m@6:48 interval (1min break) AvgHR185/max201

Getting serious with the WODs

I upgraded my WODs by attempting couple of them in the gym. Since lack is equipment is not really an excuse in gym, the WODs had been brutal. 

WOD #14 involved 5 rounds of 3pullups and all of the 15 pullups were mostly unassisted. I was pretty surprised that I could do pull ups since I was struggling to do ONE in the morning on the door-pullup bar. Also for the first time, a WOD involved running and I had to give it my best shot. Its been 8months since I ran in comfy shoes so it felt weird but I ran 5 rounds of 400 yards at 6:40pace. Piece of cake.

While wod #14 felt heavy, it was nothing compared to wod #15, the filthy fifty. This wod involved 50 reps of various routine starting with box jumps (my favorite) and then pullups (my nightmare). While I am no shape to do the complete routine as Rxed, I tried to break most of the routines and alternate between. Particularly, I would do 5 pullups between some of the routine. The whole thing took over 45minutes. Absolutely brutal. My arms are in pain today. Knees to elbow was also very hard and I lost count but must have done just 20-25 and mostly incomplete. I also did 50burpees with at least 10 break. I couldnt even do 5 burpees in one set by the time I finished. This one is a classic routine for getting heart pumped up and getting whole body strength training. Finally, I havent learnt how to do double under but I did 80 single under instead.

On running front, I am absolutely spent after last night's wod to do the 15K, especially with snow storm yesterday and windchills in teens today. Fortunately (i.e. no more pullups), todays WOD involves 4 rounds of 800meters so I will have to run one way or the other.

WOD #13 3:25 HR119/127 (UI!)

Split Jerk 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 reps 50#

WOD#14 23min PUL/Sprint/BkExtension HR?

20min 5 rounds of 3pullups + 0.3mi at 6:40pace + 10 back extensions.

WOD #15 FILTHY FIFTIES 47:32 HR154/180

50 (25+25) Box jump, 15 inch box

20 (5+5+5+5) Jumping pull-ups

50 (30+20) Kettlebell swings, 30#

Walking Lunge, 50 steps

20 Knees to elbows

30 (20 + 10) Push press, 25 pounds

50 (10+10+10+10+10) Back extensions

50 (10+10+10+10+10) ball crunchs, 20 pound ball

50 (10 breaks) Burpees

100 (80+20) Single unders

4mi RACE in vibrams/WOD 9,10 and 11

Three WODs in three days including a 4miler race which work out as a substitute for a 10K WOD run. How convenient!  The race was great just not super fast. I barely managed to squeeze in 8min/mi in Vibrams compared to PR of 7:21 barefoot a month back. It was relatively cold (barely above freezing) and running barefoot was out of question. I ran to and from startline as well making the whole run close to fast 8mi. The run was fine. Toes froze again though it wasnt too bad like last time as I didnt take shoes off at all. The first mile was hard as legs felt really heavy. It may have something to do with 3x50 squats for Nasty girls? But the last mile was perfect at about 7min/mi pace and average HR of 189bpm. It didnt feel too hard a pace despite high HR. It was tempting to take shoes off given a dry surface (at 33degrees) compared to wet surface last weekend (however at warmer 37degrees). Its worth noting that with all the WODs taking life out of me, I had had no running done at all besides races lately. Thats kind of a shame. At least two runs a week are a must to keep up the training.

Other WODs were fun as well. WOD10 involved three rounds of 50 2ft box jumps, which scaled down to 5in box jumps and that was bad enough (btw, I did these barefoot potentially cutting out any spring loading in shoes. The box jumps were hard work out. The three rounds included 21 185 hang power cleans which I scaled down to 10x50pound HPCs (heaviest weights I have) and also 30 (!) pull-ups which I scaled down to highly assisted 15pullups each round. Multiple pull-ups are really a non-starter.

WOD11 was the run (reverse the order between WOD11 and WOD10). WOD 12 seemed simple with 5 rounds of 5 x deadlift of 27pounds which I had to substitute with 5 x (10 x 50pounds). The more fun part was the 5 sets of 10 burpees. I did it as Rxed. This might have been the first Rxed routine for me. It was quite brutal and technically I have been keeping the pushups half elevated some times. I had no idea that small thing like burpee can get my heart pumping. This would be a good warmup routine if needed.

BF in NY for 805mi/overall 983mi

WOD#10 3 x (5in box jump x 50 + 21HPCs x 50 + 15 x A-pullups) 154/171bpm 15:01min

WOD#11 4mi race 8min/mi 179/193bpm vibrams 32:13min

WOD#12 5 x (10 x 50pount deadlifts + 10 burpees) 148/167bpm 11:12min

 

WOD#9 Nasty girls and no run

Chilly rain keeping me away from running this week. I also have a quick 4miler this Saturday. In the meantime, I continue with my modified WODs. Today's WOD is called Nasty Girls (three rounds of 50squats, 7muscle pull-ups and 10 135pounds hang power clean. I did 3 rounds of 50squats, 7 assisted pull-ups/assisted dips, 10 50pound dumbbell hang power clean. The routine took 12:29min. The squat portion of the wod was same as Rxed which might be a first for me. Average HR at solid 149 and max touched 182bpm in last round. I had a hard time believing that the weights portion will spike HR so much more than the 50 squats. Except for the pull-ups, rest of the routine felt good.'

BF in NY for 797mi and WOD9: 3x(50squats, 7pull/dip, 10x50# hang power clean12:29min, 149/182bpm)

WOD#7 and #8 (no run)

After freezing cold yesterday, today warmed up to almost 50 degrees. But I didnt go for run today as I decided to do two light WODs in row. WOD#7 was a clean and jerk using dumbbell. I had to use just 2x25=50 pounds but I worked on form a bit given that this is the first time I had done clean and jerk. It felt easy but the HR remained elevated at 150bpm most of the time. Also with right hand being the stronger hand, the imbalance in strength caused issues doing jerks using dumbbell instead of barbell. I may need to get a barbell set.

Then I did a moderated version of Annie (situp+doubleunderx50-40-30-20-10). I basically did full situps 25-20-15-10-5 with correct form and high jumps 50-40-30-20-10. High jumps were too easy but I dont have space or tools to do doubleunder. Sittups were hard, especially while keeping good form. It became harder to get jerk momentum past 10+sit ups. But 75 situps with few breaks isnt too shabby. With two WODs, I am back on track. Tomorrow also happens to be a rest day so perhaps I can squeeze in a run. Still got 4miler race this Saturday.

BF in NY for 796mi

WOD#7 (1x7 clean-jerk 50pounds 3:10 min) and WOD#8 half-Annie 25-20-15-10-5sittups and 50-40-30-20-10jumps 8:47min)

WOD#6 and yes run (10K race in vibrams...mostly)

I ran the 10K race today at somewhere between 53-54min (PR 52:08) incl a 2min+ standing break (more later). It was just above freezing temperature with wet and icy cold surface temperature. I was almost frozen by the time I biked to the startline. I was late, as usual. I was so late that they had already removed the mats and I couldnt time my stop watch properly at right startline. In fact, I ran from my bike to start and also back so it was more like 6.35mi race for me in 54:43min. 

Even though I raced in Vibrams most of the race, I took them off at the 3mi mark till Columbus circle (3.6mi). The surface was too cold and I could tell that I could not run like that all the way to finish-line. This is by far the coldest I have run barefoot. It felt nice to be able to wiggle my toes to warm them up unlike in shoes but the fingers do get cold pretty fast. I was having trouble putting vibrams back on when they got cold. This affair took solid 2min of standstill at 3.6mi mark. Then I took my shoes off again at 6mi mark to finish really strong barefoot. All in all, despite the freezing conditions and wet cold surface, I ran the race at PR pace if adjusted for 2min standstill. It wasnt even a hard effort with avg HR at 175. I didnt shoot for PR since I was too late to get make it to startline mat and would not be getting "net chip timing". Oh well. I got another 4mi race next week to make up for it. 

The freezing temperatures were not too bad for training barefoot but definitely slowed me down. If nothing else, the vibram on and off business is a bit time consuming for racing purposes. Also 3mi might have been a bit early. The second barefoot run past 6mi was very nice and was no problem at all. The feet were quite warmed up by then. Also I had no trouble putting vibrams back on right after finishline. However, I had to fix my bike and them ride into the wind on windy day and that again froze me and my toes in particular. Biking seems so much worse than even barefoot running as far as freezing extremities are concerned. Next time if I will just jog to the startline. (I would have done that today if I wasnt late).

Now for the fun part. The wod on Saturday doing 150squats etc didnt go unnoticed in the race but it just made me a bit jumpy (quite literally). Every few minutes, I would get sick of running same pace and would jump or sprint a bit. The WOD was pretty heavy and I expected it to affect my race but to be perfectly honest, it didnt affect the race, especially since I didnt push hard in the race. However, my legs are quite sore today and they will get worse tomorrow. Moreover, I did today's WOD as well. Fortunately, the wod#6 was all upper body so sore legs didnt make a difference. WOD#6 was originally doing as many sets of 15pullups/ringpushups/BackExtension/GHsitups in 20min. I lightened the routine to 5 assisted pullups/plain pushups/25degree back extension/regular full situps. I did 8 rounds (8x5=40count each). Pullups continue to be hardest but I tried to do as many pure negatives as possible. Also 5x8 are quite a few assisted pullups. Also, I invented simple way to do back extension. I put one of the hexa-dumbbell and put wooden plank on it to create bit of space to do mini-back extension. I think it would help if I get a heavy ball to do some of these exercises.

BF in NY for 797mi

WOD#5. No run yet

I just did yesterday's wod today morning instead (today is meant to be a rest day). The original wod called for squats and ring (muscle) pull ups at 100-2-80-4-70-6-60-8-50-10. I tones it down to squats and assisted regular pullups at 50-1-40-2-30-3-20-4-10-5 that is about half the effort on squats and nominal effort on pullups while I get in shape to get pullups with right form. The multiple pullup sets were mostly one at a time as well. Total time 9:04min. The modified workout didn't seem too hard so I am still planning on running the 10k tomorrow. I would have thought 150squats will kill my quads. Perhaps they will be sore tomorrow. I was definitely sore after 80squats last week. Also I worked on improving form for the squats by mdking sure that thighs become horizontal before I stand up. I am sure I wasn't doing the squats complete last time. Today I used a box to give me "feedback" when I need to stand up again.

I have really done any running today partly due to relatively new physical load due to these wod and partly due to general work load. I might run 3-4miles today to pick up the race number and to taste running in subzero temperature in vibrams. It would be nice if I can figure out a routine of running in vibram for couple of miles and the move to barefoot running once blood circulation peaks.

BF in NY for 791mi
WOD#5 SQT x PUL 50-1-40-2-30-3-20-4-10-5

WOD#4 (no run)

I am starting to like these indoor workouts though its leaving me a bit spent to venture a run outside. Today's workout included 5 sets of 10 lunge with 10 pounds held above head alternating with 5x10 pounds swings. Quite a workout lasting 10:21 with avg HR at solid 156 and max at 173. The lunges were relatively easy but the lunges are new to me and I can tell that I will be hurting tomorrow. I must say the "functional" workouts are so much more fun than training on machine. There no one single muscles which hurts but whole arms and legs are heavy with dull ache. 

Also I was having trouble keeping balance while weaving though turns while doing lunge in my home. I can barely make 10 from one end to the other. To be fair, the lunge steps were bit short with knee bending at 90degrees in the back. Ideally, the knee would just barely bend while touching the ground and also just barely touch ground before pulling up. I will have to find larger space area next time around. Swings were a lot more fun. I needed some work to keep my form upright but hard to do swings wrong given how simple it is.

BF in NY for 791mi

WOD#4 5x(10step 10pound LNG/10x25pound swing) 10:21/156avg/173max

WOD#3 (no run!)

I just cant find motivation to get out in cold and dark conditions even though its not that cold. I did some research and found water/snow-proof socks called sealskinz. Apparently, it is designed for outdoor rough activities such as military training/snow boating etc and can handle running in even without shoes. The way I see it, its just a matter of time before I wont be able to keep the barefoot streak any more.

On the bright side, cross training is going great. I did toned down version of WOD#3 timed at 3:07. This version of  "Fran" routine was a 21-15-9 thruster (20pounds) + 7-5-3 pull-ups (assisted). The 20 pounds were easy but 50 would have been too much. I got decent work at out in any case. Average HR was solid 144 with max at 159. The pull-ups were assisted with a initial jump. Original Fran requires 21-15-9 pull-ups which is quite a workout it seems. 

There is a 10K race coming up this weekend. The race is at 8:30am and the low for the day is 27degrees with snow showers so I am absolutely TERRIFIED. I may finally have to suck it up and run this one in vibram (or worse: shoes!)

BF in NY for 791mi

WOD#3 21-15-9THR/7-5-3PUL (3:07)

No Run today and WOD#2

Still a bit sore in thighs from squats yesterday and a bit tender on sole from abrasion from running. So no running today despite beautiful 50+ degree temperature. I even ventured out in just a t-shirt to pick up food getting funny looks from people. One girl said "its not THAT warm". Somehow, it didn't bother me much after running barefoot for few months now. 

As for WOD#2, I did 1-1-1-1-1-1-1 Shoulder Press with 50pounds, with one set a minute (HR peak  105, low 85). Wasn't that hard but we will find out tomorrow if i get sore. Lifting the weight was easy but maintaining balance and keeping the back straight didnt feel right. The main difference between regular shoulder press and dumbbell shoulder press is precisely this issue. Dumbbell SP requires extra work by muscles in back to keep individual dumbbell in balance. So while 50pound is pretty light for SP, given lack of conditioning of delicate back muscles, its probably not such a bad idea to start light. Eventually, I will have to consider moving the weightlifting exercises to the gym.

On barefoot front, tomorrow is predicated to be warmish as well. So I will probably go for a run, preferably in the morning. Technically its a rest day for WOD so probably no other workouts.

BF in NY for 791mi

WOD#2 7x1x50SPin7min

First WOD and a 4mi run in chilly 42degree rain

Running routine has slowed down a lot since the marathon. I ventured a run out in chilly rain at 42degrees.  The run was exact repetition of a similar run about a month back. The first two miles were pretty uncomfortable but then the leg warmed up and it was smooth sailing after that.  I need to find solution to the discomfort for first two miles as it feels pretty dangerous running in such state. On related note, the nice thick soles are degrading quickly. I am not sure if it is the sudden drop in running milage or abrasion in these chilly conditions. If the sole develop cracks that could be a problem. On the bright side, even the thin fresh skin on the blister area is holding up remarkably well so abrasion might be such a bad thing.

I did some strength workouts just before the run and decided to keep the run short. In particular, I did 40 air squats which I am not accustomed to and was hurting in thigh muscles. It was first of, hopefully, series of indoor workouts I plan to introduce as it gets too cold to run outside. This particular workout was part of a, so called, CrossFit, routine. CrossFit is workout routine which does NOT believe in routine. The basic idea is to do variety of strength training routines in tight timeframe so all body muscles are worked out, especially using routines which mimic real-life strength motions such as pullups, weightlifting, jumping etc. Interestingly enough, cross-fit is as opposite of marathon training as it is possible as it purely focuses on strength training. However, its workout do include 400meter sprints. 

Also open ended nature of the workout should make it possible for me to combine them during my runs. For example, on my short 4mi run today, I discovered the pullup bars in Arthur Ross Pinetum section of the part and did one (yes just one) pull up. There are no lights in that section and the whole part is damp with 3inches of muddy water.  It was bit crazy but I had to try at least one. I will have to keep an eye out for other such places in central park I can do CrossFit workouts such as rock/rope climbing, weightlifting, balancing, parallel beams, rings etc.

BF in NY for 791mi

WOD#1,  8PUL/24PSH/40SIT/80SQT

8mi in 45degrees dry conditions at 10min/mi

Weather finally improved and was about 45 degrees today so I ventured a run in the evening. Its been a week since my last run which was the PR 4mi race. Without marathon training it is hard to be motivated to get out in the cold but once I am out it was a lot of fun. Tavern on the Green has set up fantastic lighting on its tree which feels like illuminated gigantic snowflakes dropping. Quite fascinating. Once the Christmas season starts, I should try few runs through the city to see all the christmas decorations. If not running, at least I have to choice to pick my route on my bike ride back.

On barefoot front, the first couple of miles were a bit uncomfortable then the run felt pretty nice. I shouldn't really complain about 45 degrees as that will feel like a walk on a sunny beach after it gets cold. I am considering running in vibrams for couple of miles before taking them off as the feet warm up. I could probably do this whenever its dry. Not sure how to deal with wet or snow conditions yet. I just hope that the feet somehow adapt. 

While the cold issue continues to be top priority, I did discover a somewhat new technique for running downhill. I ran down the Harlem hills at about 7:30 pace. The trick is not to push forward while reducing impact by bending knees and also keeping the stride smaller than usual. The result was  a noticeably smooth run down. Calfs are hurting bit but I am convinced that that is the most efficient way to run downhill. None of the old injuries are showing any signs and legs still feel fresh which is nice. 

Another interesting observation which I cant really explain is that the legs are very clean when I scrub them after a run in cold. Also the soles seem to getting thinner. Perhaps the cold runs are causing abrasion to the sole but with nice smooth soles after shower, its hard to believe that there was any abrasion. 

BF in NY for 787mi

4mi race PR at 7:21 pace!

Mission accomplished! I broke probably the hardest shod PR I had left. I ran the 4mi race today at 7:21min/mi beating my previous PR of 7:29min/mi. Percentile at 57.3%

Shod PRs Broken by running barefoot: 

1mi (5:52min/mi), 

4mi (7:21min/mi)

PRs yet to be broken:

2.5mi (7:10mi/min)

5mi (8:34min/mi)

10K (8:24mi/min)

Half Marathon (8:35min/mi)

Marathon (9:27min/mi)

I didnt run very hard first three miles and just pushed in the last mile making it a very exhilarating last mile sprint. Plan was to run first two miles at 7:50 so I can be sure that I improve my corral standing. So I ran relatively conservative first three miles at 7:34 (184bpm), 7:27(187bpm), 7:43(188bpm) and then ran all out in the last mile which also happens to be all downhill. The last mile must have been close to 6:50 with average HR reaching 194bpm. 

Overall average HR was 188bpm, significantly lower than 191bpm in the previous PR 4mi race. Those  few bpms make a huge difference since jumping from 188bpm to 194bpm improved my last mile by almost 1mi/min. I did damage the NYC marathon related blister area by too much brushing on rough wet surface but no puncture. Either my form deteriorates at fast speeds or it is inherently hard to run fast without brushing toes and ball of the feet. Something to train for I guess. No other injury or aches of any kind yet. I am glad I decided to do this race. I am clearly not ready for ultras yet till I can finish a marathon strong. But in the meantime, its fun to compete barefoot against myself by breaking shod PRs.

A side note on the race statistics. Looks like out of 6000 racers, more than half (3200) were women. I dont think I have seen women majority before. Interesting! Next big race is three weeks from now. Its a 10K on Dec 7th. My 10K PR is an easy 52:08 (8:24min/mi). I will try to make it sub-8min/mi if I am in okay shape.

BF in NY for 779mi.

4mi race tomorrow

I had a nice 8mi run on Friday morning in wet conditions. I couldnt help but do a few sprint spoiling any chance of attempting a long run today in the 60K race today. So I will be running the 4mi race tomorrow morning.

The 8mi run was fun since the fall is at peak and the central park loop is coated with lots of leave turning the coarse surface into soft and smooth bed of leaves. It was so nice that I didnt have to jump on to grass I typically do usually. But the wet conditions made it a little scary running fast downhill and it almost felt like skiing down. I would think it would be just as slippery, if not more, in shoes but shoes just dont have the luxury to provide the runners with "scary" feedback till its too late! The run, however, did make the marathon blister areas a bit messy as I still havent taken off old skin. I am still reluctant to peel off old skin even though there new shiny skin has already formed underneath. I am thinking I will just let it scrap off while running. If barefoot running in wet conditions for 8miles doesn't scrap skin off then perhaps I have no business forcing it out either.

Anyway, I am having second thoughts about running tomorrows race at 100% as I think I over-did my sprints yesterday. I will try to upgrade my current "nyrr" official pace of 7:50 (the 7:30 pace race was technically older than 1yr now so doesn't count) and then push harder in secondhalf.

BF in NY for 773mi

Which race to run this weekend?

I have two options this weekend with two possible targets. First is 60k race on Saturday. With the blister disaster in marathon, my soles are not smoothened yet as the old dead skin peels off. So trying anything long distance could be disasterous, especially on wet coarse central park loop this weekend. However, it would be nice to beat just the marathon distance by running 27miles or something. I had thought about this before but now that the race is coming close, it feels like wishful thinking. The only evidence that I can do something ultra is really the back to back two 20mi runs I did in past. But that was a while back. Even though legs feel fresh they are not that fresh two weeks after the marathon. Moreover, I have never DNFed a race before and it would suck to start now, however crazy the race.

The other option is really basically "giving in" to temptation to race the way I had succumbed to doing a PR in the miler in September. After the two miler races, the fastest percentile PR race I have done is a 4miler at 7:29 pace all the way back in 2006. It would be fun to start post-marathon races with a bang and break the PR. Looking back at the logs, my average HR for that race over 30min was solid 191bpm which is insane. Barefoot running is nothing compared to the kind if toture that must have been. Funny how I don't remember it at all! Anyway, sometimes mile PRs do not translate to faster spped at longer distances. If beat this 4mi PR, I would know for sure that I can in fact translate the barefoot training to beat all shod PRs upto marathon distance. Marathon will have to wait for now.

Second option is tempting but not very smart. However, after the slow marathon, I could use a fast and stupid race. May be I will take it easy till weekend and see if 60k race makes sense for some kind of modified objective. If not then I will run the 4miler on Sunday.

BF in ny for 764mi

Getting back to normacy

I ran only couple of times this week. 5mi on thursday and 8mi today both at about 11min/mi pace. Legs are in great shape and the blisters are a history. Good that I didn't puncture them as that would have created unnessesary risk of infection on the runs.

However I can feel a bit of pain on the part behind the big toe on the foot with blisters. I wonder if symmetry of my stride is compromised somehow. I don't remember this part having any pain after the marathon. So it must be on the recent runs.

But in big scheme of things, I will probably take another week of break and then concentrate on speed for a while. It will be fun to pick one distance at a time and break my shod PR. Despite all this racing and barefoot training, the only race I beat shod PR was the miler. I can't wait to beat 4mi, 6mi and 13.1mi PRs. Also with overall mileage at 943mi and barefoot mileage at 764mi,1000mi for the year looks very feasible overall if not barefoot.

Finally on research front, I need to work on understanding exact mechanism of frost bite and other cold related skin/extremity conditions. Original plan was to let the foot adapt as weather gets colder. But thanks to marathon, I won't be training too much before it gets too cold so just for this season I need a compromise. It would be best if I can work out some way to warm up my foot before stepping out.

Of course the first priority is still to keep training through winter. I haven't been able to do that last three years but this year is going to be different. If it comes to it I will go back to shoes. Now I have options to run in vibrams, Nike frees, Adidas Supernovas or the snow shoes I bought last year. Thanks to barefoot conditioning, I don't think I will have a problem readapting to them as necessary.

BF in NY for 764mi

HR chart for NYC marathon

Here are my two marathon HR charts for this year's barefoot marathon compared to last year's shod marathon.

Note the steady and controlled HR till about mile 19 and then all the stops and slow downs this year!

BF in NY for 750mi

NYC marathon Barefoot!

I ran the NYC marathon barefoot! It felt as magical as my first marathon three years back. The support and encouragement from fellow marathoners for running barefoor was absolutely amazing... never mind the crazy nyc crowd. Ironically, running barefoot was so shocking to many in the crowd that they would *stop* shouting because they would be speechless about what to shout for me. I intentionally kept it low profile as I didnt want to get over excited but still had some moments. At mile 24, there was this young woman behind me who shouted "Oh my god" at least 20 times till I realized that she was referring to me and was repeating the same thing like a broken record. I just smiled at her. I cant believe I forgot how much fun it is to run NYC. 

The barefoot part of the race was picture perfect till about mile 18 and then it was pure meltdown. I finished the race in 4:15. I was on pace to finish below 3:50 with enough reserves to even speed up in last 6mi. But something happened at mile 18 which I had never even thought about training for. Mile 18 has a "Power gel" zone with thousands of runners ahead of me throwing half empty gel packs over next couple of miles. I didnt really felt very gross about it because I was careful not to step on any pack but by mile 19 I noticed that every step I took felt like step on a sticky tape. It, in fact, felt good and strange for a while. But by mile 20 it was clear that there was something wrong. The outer skin attachment was becoming weaker and it was becoming prone to blister. The best analogy would be skin of a bruised banana compared to fresh banana. To make things worse the "soft" carpet covering harsh metal mesh on the 1st/125th bridge caused a lot of overall bruising. To add salt to the injury (so to speak), the bridge back from Bronx to manhattan was like a torture maze designed specifically for barefoot runners (it was so bad, I remember thinking of the needle scene in Saw movie). 

I have run on rough surfaces before but already susceptible skin quickly deteriorated into multiple blisters within span 1.5mi after running a near perfect 19mi made me rethink the racing strategy. Despite being at 20mi, i did NOT hit the wall. I was in very good spirit just felt like car full of gas with flat tires. Since I never had a serious blister problem before, I didnt know how to deal with it. It feels idiotic now but given that I developed 4 deteriorating blisteres within 1.5mi and 5 more miles to go seemed like a hopeless situation... no matter how good rest of my body felt. In fact, typically such injuries quickly deteriorate into bigger issues including other damages caused by compensating movement legs made to minimize pain instead of maintaining right form.

By mile 21, I put a bandaid but with gatorade and water and more gels all over course, it wouldn't stick. I put a mega-bandaid on top of it but it still wouldnt stick. I ran out of bandaids after that. All this ultra-conservative steps slowed me down from 8:30min/mi pace to 13+min/mi pace (thats extra 5min per mile). Finally, I spotted a medical station and decided to tape up the worst of the 4 blisters on the ball of the right foot. For better or for worse, I didn't feel right occupying the station tapping up (never mind treating them) all the blisters. I thought there are probably other runners around at this distance who may have more serious needs. I guess, I also didnt want to gamble them noticing that I was running barefoot (they never did) in case they discourage me from finishing barefoot. I wasted another 4min in the station and then took off. 

Amazingly, the following 4miles were quite uneventful. I think the insanely loud crowd on fifth avenue had something to do with it. It is next to impossible to stop running with so much cheering and pressure not to quit from this crowd. The last 4miles since the aid station were 10:39, 10:21, 9:36 and 7:46 where 7:46 reflects the full realization that blister crisis is over and was the second fastest mile in whole race (fastest being run down queens borrow bridge into manhattan).

Punchline, however, is that I was carrying my vibram shoes and I never gave into temptation to put them on. I almost gave in before I saw the aid station but now I am sure I would have regretted it if I had put them on. All in the all, with three of the 4 blister well on way to heal, I don't expect any damage and good to go by the weekend. The forth is a blood blister on heel of the right foot. Ironically, barefoot running has strengthened the skin so much that the blister is well covered naturally and is less likely to puncture. 

On a more subtle point, all this barefoot running has made it possible to compensate for FOUR localized pain points and still run efficiently. This part would be hard to explain to non-barefoot runners but perhap a good analogy would be shopping cart with uneven wheel and alternating between two misaligned weels to minimize damage to those wheels. Its amazing to see the hyper-complex architecture of foot in *real* action for a change. I guess there is good reason why more than one in four bones in our body are in the foot. Perhaps next time (yes there will definitely be one) they will take me to the finishline in less than 4hrs.

BF in NY for 750mi

Two days before the day after marathon

Tomorrow is the big marathon day. I have been eating whole day today and already added 4pounds since yesterday.

I am also so relaxed that it's almost 11pm and I just googles checklist for marathon while I should be sleeping. HR is healthy 75-80 despiting all the digesting that's going on. May be I will keep the monitor on while sleepng just for fun.

If I am still relaxed tommorrow morning, I can take a nice nap in the bus an the pop open the sleeping bag at staten island and get some more comfy sleep/rest. I am thinking I probably don't need a lot of attention to my shoes (or there of) before the race and sleeping bag will take care of that.

As for the race itself, weather is perfect 45-50degrees. I all be running second wave front coral right behind the elites. The slowest pace group in the coral is 3:40 so I will have to let faster runners go ahead. I am still shooting for 2hr first half.

Also did I mention that Zola Budd is running tomorrow? She is multiple world record holding famous Olympian runner who ran all races barefoot on track. She won't be barefoot tomorrow but looking for her would be an excellent excuse to get out of the sleeping bag tomorrow.

I did a few experimental thing today which I may even regret tomorrow. No pasta today but only my favorite Khao Pahd Supparot (fried rice). Also lots of fruits, carrots, watermelon for water and complex carbs. Also eating extra salt whenever possible to improve water retention by raising salinity. But enough of the scientific training.

I went out today and checked out the first avenue and it already has the fresh crisp blue paint on it. The sidewalks also lined up with barricades. So very exciting. Rain few days back cleaned up the road so it will be nice. Ironically, city fills in all potholes on the route before the. Race which creates fine stone on streets which I will have to look out for.

BF in NY for 724mi

NYC marathon Expo and morning run today

I picked up my bib for the NYC marathon yesterday. Making the deadline was a race in itself as I made it just 3minutes before close. It was a lot of fun. I always found it fascinating to see so many ultra-fit people in their causal dresses (as opposed to running dresses in races). The expo almost feels like a mall in some alternate world where everybody is in tiptop shape all the time. 

Anyway, I picked up my 4hr pace ribbon just like the last two times. Its become a tradition now. Perhaps third time is the charm and its finally time to make it into the 3hr club. I was pretty sure I will break 4hr till today morning. I had the most painful barefoot moment today though it didn't last long and no damage done.

I ran in relatively chilly morning feeling good about it after the nice run I had couple of days back in similar temperatures in wet conditions. All went okay till the last mile when I decided to do a small stretch of hill run up really fast. But by the time I finished the quarter mile cat hill stretch, the whole sole of the feet started hurting really badly. It really felt like they were on fire. Interestingly enough, the pain started pretty abruptly and well AFTER I had slowed down at top. 

I am guessing that the fast run pumped in warm blood into desensitized neural receptors in the soles and got confused and started screaming in pain. Moving to soft grass surface opposite the MET museum didn't really help the situation so it wasn't the surface. I had never felt anything like this before. I was forced to take it easy and stop running for couple of minutes for the pain to dissipate which has never happened before. The rest of the run back was fine.

I am pretty sure this was an extreme case of needle-like pain we experience if we wash very cold hands in hot water. The blood rushes to skin which has been devoid of blood for a while and every "breakthrough" causes sharp pain. The foot just happens to have substantially higher density of such pain receptors than normal skin. So when I ran fast, the circulation suddenly got a jump start. 

Good news is I am positive that there was no injury associated with this issue and within about 5minutes, everything was back to normal. Just like cramps, it was painful while it lasted but soon you cant feel anything but dull pain. But lesson learnt is

* Need to do lots of research on human skin's response to cold and how compatible is it to running related blood circulation.

* Expect the unexpected even after 700mi+ barefoot training miles. 

* Brand new type of pain which I had never experienced before. There are theories out there the first interpretation of any "sensation" not recognized by brain is pain and/or tickle. eg. if a blind person gets sight, he feels pain even if the light is not bright.

 

I am now concerned about my negative spilt strategy. I am tempted to run fast initially to get circulation going and keeping it up for rest of the race. This would be disastrous for the "glycogen reserves" but it may be worth the shot. Besides, it is always fun to enjoy manhattan crowd going slow in second half if I do end up slowing down. Here are my racing strategies:

Scientific strategy: Run first half in 2hrs evenly and depending on HR averages, speed up progressively in second half.

Evil alternative (aka "&$%# it" alternative): Just like staten island half, start at 8:30 pace and hang in there as long as possible. Then once in manhattan, slow down/take a breaks/wear shoes/sneak into subways/take nap at my apartment on the course and jump back after couple of beers...feels good to just think about it.

BF in NY for 724mi

Getting cold feet (feet cold) ahead of the marathon

Yesterday, I ventured a short 4mi run in freezing rain. The ambient temperature was 39 degrees but with windchill at 29  degrees. On top, it was raining with chilly wet sidewalk. Probably not the smartest thing I have done in my training especially just days ahead of the marathon. First few minutes felt good because feet were still warmish. But about half mile into the run, the foot started to get the familiar feeling of incremental pain we get when taking ice-bath. From that point onward, I was highly conscious that every step I take only takes me one step away from home and without money on me, one more step I have to take to get back home. 

Also slowly as the feet got chilly, they lost sensation making them more prone to injury. By the time I reached central park, I thought I was better off running on softish reservoir instead of road to avoid any sharp rocks etc. The feet still felt pretty bad while I was on reservoir, especially since the whole path was full of deep puddles full of ice cold water. I tried my best to avoid getting top of my feet wet but realized that that was a hopeless exercise and started running straight through puddless. Ironically, that helped somehow. The legs slowly recovered and I started getting sensation back in the feet. By the time I finished the reservoir loop, I was speeding up to sub 10mpm speed and faster speed only made the feet warmer. So the run back to home was very pleasant. 

I feel so much better now that I can handle temperatures in 30s. I was concerned about getting feet wet and cold on marathon morning at water stops and somehow freezing them. Since I will be running the race much faster, I am pretty sure I will be fine. I just have the challenge of keeping feet warm till I cross the start line. I am thinking two layers of socks. I had been wondering what I was going to do with the multiple family size sock packs I had bought in pre-barefoot days:-)

Its also comforting to know that if I get my feet warmed up in time, I can run in sub-40 degree temperature, even in wet conditions. This opens up at least two months of each side of winter for barefoot training. Awesome. Also hopefully the legs will develop to cope with low temperatures by building mini-capillaries carrying warm 97 degree blood to the extremities. But that remain to be seen.  In the meantime, I think I will keep my runs short with an exit strategy if I get too cold or get injured somehow. 

On marathon end, I have been biking to work through central park and its amazing to see all the finish line architecture getting built over last couple of days. As a runner I never noticed all the setups around finish line. I will try to bike around to get a feel for the first ave and fifth ave sometime before marathon but my schedule is kindda busy. Visiting the start line will have to wait for Sunday morning. The temperature forecast is sub-40 on Staten Island so it will be freezing to wait up for hours down there.

BF in NY for 719mi

I am not really into nudity per se but I came across this video which sparks some questions about nudity in social framework which somehow seems related to 

Tapering to the extreme and running in cold weather.

Since the Staten Island half marathon, I have just ran three 8mi runs. For better or for worse the Nov2 marathon tapering started couple of weeks too early. Part of the reason for cooling the training a bit has been the dull pain in right foot metatarsal. After seeing Denna Kaster dropping out due to fracture in metatarsal, not keeping high mileage seemed like common sense. To be fair, thats just an excuse but really i have been to busy to run.

The three runs included one run couple of days back in cold 45 degree weather. I had learnt from past that running in grass freezes the leg faster so I avoided running on grass for the most part. The run was fine at about 9:45 pace but the feet were less sensitive than usual and it took a couple of extra steps to notice stones digging into the sole. It is a little concerning because less sensitive sole can result in more risk of puncture injury. But it should not be a show stopper. THe previous run was also in relatively cold weather and I ventured into dark bridal path. Inevitably I stepped on a sharp gravel stone and it was too late by the time I senses it causing excruciating pain. BUt the pain was gone in few minutes and after inspecting the area after coming back home, I couldnt see anything. Sounds like lack of sensitivity is somehow offset by stronger pain in cold.

I cant really do a long run this weekend as its just one more week to the marathon but may be I will do 10-12mi run this weekend.  Since its raining, I will probably just do a quick 4miler now on Saturday morning and the "last 10-miler run" tomorrow. Tomorrow's run basically is on the last 10-miles of the NYC marathon route but on the sidewalk/bike lane (1st ave has a bike lane) instead on main street. I am a bit skeptical about running on sidewalks so much barefoot a week before marathon so I may do this in vibrams. Undecided.

BF in NY for 710.7mi (with shoes 888.8mi on target for 1000mi)

Since the Staten Island half marathon, I have just ran three 8mi runs. For better or for worse the Nov2 marathon tapering started couple of weeks too early. Part of the reason for cooling the training a bit has been the 

Some good news, lots of bad news

I ran the Staten Island half marathon today as planned. I started with couple of miles at 8:45 pace. Legs didn't feel as fresh as I had hoped despite a week long break. Also as incredible as it may sound, the road and the sun felt pretty hot. But otherwise the conditions were good to run a relatively fast half marathon barefoot. 

During the third mile, the race moved into a barren industrial waste land road. The road was battered with tiny glass and other sharp particles. I was fumbling with my fanny pack to put my vibram FFs in the belt and (ouch!) a splinter got into my left foot. I immediately stopped to inspect the damage and realized that splinter was deep enough to reach blood vessels. I considered taking it out with the medical kit I was carrying but it didn't look easy. I literally stood still deciding whether to turn back or keep running risking more damage. I even considered possibility of messing up the marathon coming up in three weeks. The whole deciding phase took over 4minutes! I decided to put my vibrams on and push for a mile and see how it feels. Loss of 4minutes blew any chance of breaking PRs but I didnt want to DNF unless I must. 

I started running pretty fast. Splinter hurts but I figured running slow or fast shouldn't make a difference. I was running pretty fast and it felt good so I thought why not finish the whole thing. After all, I had never DNFed a race before. I also thought I will run fast as long as I can and I can just walk later if necessary. Rest of the race was pretty uneventful. The splinter didn't hurt as long as I stepped on even surface. The final race time was 1:58:20 (1:54 after adjusting for 4min break).  At 1:54 I was still off couple of minutes from the PR but, despite splinter, I definitely finished very strong.  Average HR at 175 was good as well though I touched 202 at very end running sub 7min pace at finish line. 

One annoying issue came up was blister from the vibrams. Its been a while since I ran long distance in them and I developed a blister about 10mi into the race. I am not sure if it slowed me down but it was quite annoying. It just tells me that I cannot really rely on falling back on shoes or vibrams for the marathon if I cant run it barefoot. At least, I will have to rotate between barefoot, vibram and shoes or something.

But for better or for worse, my three weeks of tapering has now started. With just 20miles, last week was as good as tapering as well. I wish the half marathon had gone better than it did but it could also have been worse. Looking at today's race, here are few pointers for the marathon

* Getting a splinter in early race can ruin a race and FFs may work for long run. 

* 4hr marathon is very doable but much faster than that is not likely

* Good marathon racing strategy would be to run first half in 2hrs then run second half as fast as possible. Key HR threshold is 175bpm.

BF in NY for 687mi

No running this week and racing strategy for half tomorrow.

What a week! I ran just once this week so far. I have been glued to Bloomberg machine at work watching markets for most of my waking hours and couldn't sneak out for run. Even today, I am just catching up on sleep and don't plan to run despite it being a Saturday...yawn.

Just like last time when I took few days off, new minor aches are popping all over legs after almost a week of no running. How can NOT running cause injuries? There must be a mild "flight or fight pain killer" effect perpetually ON when continuously training hard. It just tells me that continuous strenuous training may take more out of your legs than it makes you believe and unless you taper on regular basis, its just not sustainable.

Good news is that all this break from heavy training should bode well for the Staten Island half marathon tomorrow. I haven't really ran a longish race with fast pace so the race should be fun. Perhaps I should shoot for my half marathon PR 1:52 i.e. 8:30 pace. 

As a side note, since my very first marathon, I have run ALL races with significant negative split. Two potential exceptions include the 1 miler last month which was almost dead even split.  Also the 18mi race the following weekend (the one with two 20milers) was definitely not a negative split but it was training run the day after a 20miler run. I do want to continue running negative split and I may have to risk it tomorrow if I start fast. Last weekend's half marathon had a split of 1:04:30 (9:30mpm) and 55:30min (mpm). All I have to do it run both halfs with splits similar to second half split last week. Here are few racing strategies

* I will start with couple of miles at 8:30mpm and see how heart rate responds. 

* Alternative, I could run first half at 9mpm pace and hope to run second at 8mpm which sounds tough. 

* The third even crazier option is to forget about PR and run to the ferry 8mi to make this a 21mi run just like last weekend. Frankly I am getting tired of running 20milers and would love to run a proper half marathon distance with some speed.

I am pretty sure I will end up doing a combination of first and second option. It also depends on whether any of the aches I feel are real injuries. No point risking an injury three weeks before the marathon.

BF in NY for 673mi

4-day break from marathon training at its peak???

No running this week so far. The crazy half marathon after the 8mi warm up on Saturday was more strenuous than I thought.  There are minor strains in my right foot muscles.  I must have been compensating for the splinter causing strains in other parts of the right foot.

Perhaps a mini-break before another heavy week might not be such a bad idea. It just feels that if I run , I may make the strains worse. This weekend is my last weekend with a long run so it not worth the risk. 

There are couple of options for this weekend. There is another half marathon this weekend in Staten Island. Its a fun race with the commute on Staten Island ferry which is always fun. Also the race pass close to the NYC marathon start area. Other option is, so called, three bridge run by Flyers. This run starts in Central Park down to south tip of manhattan, over the Brooklyn Bridge and back over the 59th St bridge back. It sounds like a lot of fun but I don't think I should risk running on all these urban paths after the splinter I got last week.

In the meantime, I miss running. I cant imagine not being able to run barefoot anymore once it gets too cold. I have already started doing research on what is possible and what I can do now to help adapt my feet to cold. I got the first taste of cold weather today while biking to work. Bzzzz...

BF in NY for 665mi

1:59 GGG half marathon...

I ran one of my favorite half marathons.. GGG half in central park. The weather was near perfect. I woke up early, quickly checked the race details saying that it starts at 7:30. Soon I headed to the park with a slow run at around 7:15am. Everything was going according to plan till I realized that I forgot the racing chip home and had to run back home and get back to the park. Since I was getting late, I was running fast and reached the startline 15min late. The whole area was deserted. But I crossed the starting chipmats and started racing hoping to capture tailend of runners within mile or two. I figured with chip timing, no real damage done.

I never caught up with any tailend runners but did bump into a lot of runners with bibs on running in opposite direction. It took me a while to realize that the race hasn't started yet and 7:30 was time to start picking up bibs and not start of the race. Race was to start at 9am. I had little choice but to finish the central park loop adding total 8mi to half marathon distance (including run from home to park).

I did finish the half marathon. So today was another 20miler! The "warm up" 8mi was at 11mpm. I managed to run the half barely faster than 2hrs so about 9mpm. It felt good to finish the race with last 2miles at close to 8mpm. It was certainly good boost to confidence since I will most likely run the NYC marathon with negative split.

On barefoot front, 4 20milers in three weekends are probably not very smart and the feet are more sore than last few runs. But it is also possible than my feet are not adapted to colder weather. 45degrees is not really freezing but feet took some time to warmup and hurt during first half an hour. Somehow the abrasion seems more damaging in colder weather. Also I managed to get a real splinter just half a mile from finishline. Since I really wanted to break 2hrs, I didn't really stop for long except for a quick inspection. The splinter didn't really bother me but when I got home, I took it out and it hurt a bit. I will just take it easy tomorrow and perhaps skip running altogether just to be safe. I already have 41mi done this week so I am on schedule even if I don't run tomorrow.

While on topic, it's interesting that I got two splinters in 4long runs and both came into 20th milei. Something to think about as only one more 20miler left before tapering.

BF in NY for 665mi.

TWO 20milers in one weekend! Barefoot!!!

I finished last blog with a note that it's time to start taking chances. I surprised myself by finishing the 18miler race in central park this Sunday. The commute added another 3mi. 

21mi today came on top of 20mi run on palisades on Saturday. Both runs were slow but the race was especially slow since I made it a point to walk cat-hill and Harlem hill at least partially. This worked great and the whole run was fairly pleasant. In fact, I had enough energy to speed up a bit in last three miles and finish with a solid sub-7mpm pace quarter mile. 

Again I am still amazed how good the run felt. In fact it's possible that today's run felt easier than very hilly run in palisades. With these two 20mi runs my weekly mileage smashed my weekly mileage PR of 44mi to solid 55mi. I don't see any injuries coming either.

On barefoot front, the conditions were pretty bad. The central park loop was wet and coarse with sand and debris all over which was annoying at times. It probably didn't help that the soles were still recovering from similar conditions. However, the central park loop has few portions of grass lawn giving brief respite from barefoot running on the road.

Despite two back-to-back 20milers, I havent noticed ANY DOMS on Monday or Tuesday. In fact, I ran another 8mi barefoot early in the morning and it was great. It was an easy run but I squeezed in a few stretches of fast bursts. It feels pretty good to run injury free. I did walk up the hills since I was experimenting with new barefoot walking technic. The technic essentially does opposite of barefoot running by keeping the legs stiff and locked at knees and roll the foot while walking. This is not right form for running but walking uphill like that forces muscles in soles to do extra work to push body up the slope and it feels like a strength workout. 

All in all the run was easy run. I averaged the HR at 139bpm/11:22mpm which is pretty low for running. This way I can keep my legs fresh for the half marathon Saturday morning. I don't know what schedule do I have to keep up to do 55mi. I think I will end up running 40-45mi this week.

BF in NY for 630mi

Palisade 20mi run...600mi mark barefoot

I had a fun long run today with the flyers mtp (marathon training program). I was planning to run 15mi since the weather forecast was rainy and I didn't want to get stuck in rain barefoot middle of nowhere. But the rain held off pretty well and the palisades route was just too pretty not to do the whole 20mi run.

The run started on Manhattan side of GWB into New Jersey. Yes, this is the first time I ran barefoot outside State of New York. Technically, as barefootinNY, today's run shouldn't count:-). I did notice that fellow people in the park were more chatty than anywhere in NYC. It's really is like being in a different country once you step outside the island. The run turned around at the main park office almost exactly 10mi from start. It also happens to be on top of a very long hill:)

Interestingly enough, the motorway on which we ran is not the only running route along the river. The road is somewhat elevated from the river with big rolling hills. There also an actual trail along the river parallel to this road which, I assume, is all flat. I am thinking that perhaps I will try out that trail once fall colors hit palisades.

Anyway, the run was slow but nice. It was a bit foggy, especially on higher elevations. There were plenty of waterfalls along the route which is always pleasant. It was very good to have some company on the run and to see familiar runners. The turnout wasn't too shabby considering the rainy forecast. The road seems to be brand new so very nice to run barefoot on despite being wet. I did put on Vibram five fingers for about 3miles when footing was uneven and I needed a break from barefoot running.

I also managed to make it to 600mi mark in total with this run. The 20mi runs, though very slow, are getting easier. I didn't drink too much Gatorade or take GU etc but definitely did not bonk or was not "feeling it" even after finishing the run. As of evening I am fine. I am even considering running 8-12mi tomorrow. 10mi will take me to the weekly mileage PR of 44mi.

Next two weekends are two half marathons so not sure which one I an going to do at race effort. I have been doing a lot of long but painfully slow runs. I could afford to do run speed workouts and fastish long races I guess. As I had mentioned in my note, breaking a shod PR now gives me ticket to take a few chances before the nyc marathon tapering which will start in just couple of weeks.

BF in NY for 601mi

More pics: crossing a creek and tired me at station

Very tired me at the train station after longer than expected 18.5mi run on Saturday

This log across a creek was the only sign of any maintainance on the unmaintained 1mi portion of the trail. It looks like its been a while since anyone has stepped on it....with or without shoes.

Trainstation converted and Tarrotown snapshots

Sweet finishline at Tarrytown with gorgeous Hudson river backdrop.

The trail is converted from railroad into bike path. You can see the train station in the picture now converted into motel.

Trail run this Saturday

5:52 Mile run smashing shod PR for the first time.

I ran the Fifth Avenue mile race today in surprisingly fast 5:52min...after a 18.5mi long run yesterday!

As I had mentioned before, I had decided to remain a sceptic of barefoot running till either I break a shod PR running barefoot or get injured enough to keep me out of running for a week. Since the mile run of 6:02mpm last year in shoes was my best "percentile" perfomance at 61% (percentile adjusts was age and distance to make all race perfomances roughly equivalent), it was the one I had been eyeing to beat. I really didn't think I could run that fast this year barefoot. But here it is. I had been ultra conservative this season given the possibility that I may get injured before breaking a PR. Now I can finally say I am a convert and start taking bit more chances. How exciting!

Funny thing is the schedule for the race was messed up with the race on Sunday this year instead of Saturday last year. So I had to do a long run of 18.75mi (later about this run) on Saturday....barefoot. Long run was a slow but difficult run and I could barely walk in the evening. I had to force myself to walk couple of block around midnight to get some circulation going to have any hope of running the miler race in the morning. But amazingly I was fine by morning and ran a progressive run of 2mi before the race warming up the tight muscles. I really don't think I would have run much faster with fresher legs but who knows. Perhaps I could run fast using "fast twitching" muscles which were not even used in the long run. Or perhaps the very stressful week and lack of sleep all of last week somehow pumped up the legs to run fast.

About the long run again, the Sunday race meant I had to do a longish run on Saturday before the race to keep up with my marathon training. With weekday runs limited to one 6mi run, I had to get something solid in. So I decided to do a very easy pace 13mi run. After reading a lot about trail running lately, I really wanted to try a trail run as well which was safe enough to be done barefoot. I dug up a trail just north of Manhattan starting in Van Cortland park going all the way up to Tarrytown along an old railroad track which is now converted into bike path.

Unfortunately, the trail is not continuous and does not end exactly at train stations on either end and I had to add 1mi to start and 3mi to end making the whole run 18.75mi. Also portions of the trail are not maintained with about a mile long portion probably not really a trail making it VERY challenging to walk (never mind run) barefoot. Also trail running is harder on tiny muscles in feet during long run and I was hurting in last few miles. The fact that the paved portion of the trail was very coarse also made it tough. So my average pace ended up being 13:48mpm (!). Intersting how my fastest race ever was preceeded by one of the slowest runs. Also I carried the hydration pack on this run which was really a non-issue but perhaps slowed me down a bit.

On barefoot front, I got chance to run on few lawns which are never been touch by anyone except lawnmowers which was a lot of fun. The last three miles to train station in Tarrytown was on a street without sidewalk which was a bit scary. I also I got couple of scratches, one due to a stub sticking out which brushed against soft side skin and other was stepping on a rose plantbranch with thrones. Both were non-issue as I jumped as soon as sensed them pentrating and managed not to have actual puncture. But I am now thinking its good that I had the hydration pack with water, medicine and twizer just in case.

One thing I realized is that it is hard to run in cold weather on trail or coarse surface. I could run 22.5mi fine last weekend in central park but was hurting with cold feet. Running through grass gives a nice break but only make the feet colder. I dont know what is the solution but I am sure I will get plenty of opportunities to explore this challenge in less than a month.

Last week was a crazy week with total mileage of just 28.5mi but I came out of it with breaking a PR and no injuries. Perhaps three more weeks of training before tapering and couple of half marathons in between so it should be fun.

BF in NY for 567mi

First run chilly weather didn't go so well

I did a slow 5mi run at 6 in the morning today and it was chilly at 55 degrees. I never thought 55 would feel chilly. That's supposed to be perfect weather. But running barefoot on cold hard and coarse roads didn't feel too good. It's not so much that it was painful but I couldn't feel the surface as well with cold feet and it just didn't feel right. Perhaps I will get used to it with time. It did make me wonder about taking a chance on not training at all for the marathon in shoes if I need to run NYC in shoes.

I have the 1mi race tomorrow and it could get chilly again. I will try to warm up a bit before with few miles running. Also I felt faint pain in knee so will have to test the water before running the race.

BF in NY for 544mi

No running this week...barefoot or not

Most of my time awake is spent working or watching news all of this week as wall street is hit head on by a Tsunami. Really..no time to run. I had to get to work at 5am couple of days and I watched runners running that early in central park as I biked through and got jealous. I was also a bit amazed to see so many runners running so early when its still dark. I should try it one of these days. I bet once the day gets shorter, I will get plenty of chances. Its also getting noticably chilly when I was cruising on bike early in the morning. I havent tested water (snow?) for barefoot running in cold so I am not sure how long I can continue running barefoot till it gets too cold. There is always a chance that it will be too cold or snowy wet during marathon and I will be forced to run in shoes. I have no idea how I will do that since I will die of blisters if I run in shoes or even vibram before reaching finishline.

Anyway, the wallstreet crisis came at perfect time, namely after my 22.5mi run and 44mi week and before the premium 1miler race of the season. 5-days of rest should (hopefully) help me recover enough to take a chance on the miler. I think I will just race it all out.

BF in NY for 539mi

43.6mi Weekly milage PR

I ran 6 more miles to get finish the week strong at 44mi. At this rate I may tickle the 50mi mark before marathon. I am also tempted to consider the 60K (37mi) race two weeks from marathon. Since this will be my first marathon barefoot, I will not be racing it hard so the 26mi should work out to be a perfect long run for the race. Even if I dont finish, it will be fun to try an ultra in safe neighborhood with my comfy bed just a few blocks. Anyway.

Did I mention that during the long run, a girl asked me if I was marathon medalist. She remembered someone running around barefoot after winning a medal. Who could that be???

BF in NY for 539mi

22.5mi Barefoot Run and 500mi mark total

I ran 22.5mi as part of the NYRR long training run in central park. Barefoot! This is the longest barefoot run to date. The weather was okay but not exactly ideal for barefoot running. It rained overnight making the central park loop wet and that made the soles softish for such a long run. No wonder I got my second splinter of the barefoot running experiment...first since the first couple of weeks of barefoot running. Of course the difference from last time was that the sole is now almost a centimeter thick and I can "feel" the splinter well before it even reaches the actual sensitive part of the sole. I considered stepping out and using my twizzer in my fanny pack (good thinking huh...) but since I was at 20mi mark with only two mile to home, I decided to continue running carefully and slowed down to 12min/mi pace.

In retrospect, after 20mi I lost form (three drinks last night didnt help I am sure) and more likely to get a splinter, especially if the 20mi have been on coarse and wet surface. I am pretty sure dry surface would not have caused this issue. Its also interesting that a splinter does not necessary mean end of the world. But enough about the splinter. On the bright side, no blisters despite 22miles on wet coarse surface.

This long run of 22.5mi follows 20.4mi, 19mi, 16mi, 15mi. So far so good. Also if I do a run tomorrow, I just need to run 5mi to make it a weekly mileage PR of 43mi. Earlier this week also cross the 500mi mark. So now that long run and mileage has settled at high level, I have to plan a strategy for the 1mi race next weekend. In particular, its important to decide if its going to be an all-out run. I noticed that my ITB starts acting up if I run fast for small stretches. Besides these stretches, I have done no speed training this season at all. The fastest barefoot mile in the races I have done so far is 7:36mpm compared to 7:10mpm with shoes. Not sure how I pulled off 6:02min last year. I remember I took the week before very light and had raced the queens half FAST the week before. Hmmm. I would be happy if I break 7min this year.

I heard from someone on the run today that she saw another barefoot runner in a half marathon. I am curious who that was and good to hear that there are other barefoot runners running longer distances. But, as usual it was a torture first few miles of run when I was running very slow but with everybody passing me and then so much fun passing other in later half when I sped up for the most part. I found it fun to tag along a few minutes with the faster runners a loop ahead when they came around passing me.

BF in NY for 532mi

Closing in on 500mi (5mi left)

I just finished my forth 40mi week today. Every 40mi week has been tough with some kind of nagging little pain following it. I had to make last week light at 15mi to recover from these mini-injuries. Perhaps the fact that I was on vacation last week may also have something to do with the light week. Its been a while since I blogged, partly due to lack of access to blogging during vacation. But here are new and exciting things on barefooting front over last few weeks (never a dull run since going barefoot!).

Couple of weeks back I did another 20miler which went very well despite heat. Last four miles of the run were about 9min mile pace so I know I could have easily extended the run if I had to despite running on rough central park surface. So I now feel much better about running marathon distance barefoot on road if the weather is dry and even hot. Not so much about cold and/or wet weather.

Also, with a 8mi run on following Sunday, the 28mi was the longest weekend mileage I have run. This second run must have been a mistake, especially the sprint at the end as I pulled an ITB muscle during this sprint. This was on injury which had nothing to do with barefooting as the injury as near hip joint. Anyway, the joint kindda had a minor aches while running during the following week and I thought it was best to cut short these runs to avoid this getting into a full blown injury. Also I canceled running the nike human race, partly due to my vacation plans.

All in all, I registered 15.5mi for the week but to be fair, this includes a 8.5mi hike which was VFF going up and barefoot going down. I know this is not a run but it was definitely more difficult that 8mi run so I added in anyway. Barefoot hiking has definitely expanded my plans for barefoot running. Firstly, now I know that natural hiking trails are barefootable, albeit very very slow. More interestingly, the soles have excellent grip on rocks and other surfaces where I probably wouldnt venture in hiking shoes. In particular, while stepping on surface, the sole flattens ever so slightly and this mechanism is enough to give signal to nerve ending about coefficient of friction allowing me to know if I should step there on not. Its a bit unnerving how I could walk on steep rocks. But to be fair they were bone dry and once when I did step on wetish rock, it was a bit slippery.

I also saw few other "runners" zipping past me while I was huffing and puffing. It was intruiging. I kind of felt like an native american looking at european explorers for the first time. I will be exploring more of this side of running (barefoot or not) after this marathon. Luckily I just discovered that there are so many hiking trails very easily accessible without a car by train or bus. The Bear mountain hike I did, didnt even require a bike for me. I could walk couple of miles from station to the begining on trail. If I choose to run that will be a nice warm up:) I must say that my soles were hurting so much by the time I made it down that I had hard time making it back those 2miles barefoot. I put on my vibrams for last mile but that didnt really help. Perhaps this hiking barefoot business extending limits of barefooting and brand new set of muscles somewhere in foot must have been overused.

This week was another 40mi week but had couple of interesting runs. Firstly I did a 4mi race which I did kind of took seriously but just managed to run at 8:20 pace, no where close to the 7:30PR. It was hot and humid but I am no longer sure if I am at the stage where I can breaks shod PRs barefoot. Then there was the Hurricane Hanna which was really just a storm dumping rain. I HAD to go for run. It was fun running through newly formed streams barefoot splashing water all over. Also once you get wet enough you cant get any wetter so you can run quite freely. I didnt run a whole lot partly due to an open cut I had on leg unrelated to running (coffee table).

Finally, I was hurting a bit with the race and then another run in rain yesterday but decided to attempt a long run anyway and ran 14mi. But the high point was me bumping into Hillary Clinton..yes thats right. She was in central park, probably for Shakesphere in the Park show. Bunch of large black vehicles pull over right in front of me in the middle of the running path (how annoying!). I stopped looking for a way around but there wasnt any. I had to run through the vehicles. As I was passing some people were crossing the street without looking my way and I almost bumped into few people trying to cross.

After a while a cute girl also running in the park told me that it was Hillary. Ah, I wonder if Hillary noticed me running barefoot. Since I was planning to do another loop, I was a bit sceptical how they will greet me next time around. They didnt really bother me. I think a cops car zipped past me only to reverse back a bit next to me. I am curious if they were concerned about me for barefoot running or just following up on anything "unusual" they seen. The girl who mentioned about Hillary also mentioned about her team and I may check that out soon.

I guess, the big picture is that I seem to be peaking at 40mi which is not that bad. Also no real speed works or Hill training so far unless the hike counts. I think I should keep my goal for marathon to finish and not focus too much on time. Also I am a bit tempted to consider the 60KM race in central park following mara

BF in NY for 495mi

Another weekly mileage PR at 42mi

Last week I ran 42mi with my first 20mi long run

Another weekly mileage PR at 42mi

Last week I ran 42mi with my first 20mi long run.

400mi mark and couple of fastish longish runs

I ran a solid 7+mi run today at an average of 9:30mpm pace. This was quite fast training run for me but I was feeling pretty strong despite a longish 15mi run yesterday. Today's run also included couple of really fast routines. One was on flat nice grass very short stretch at about 6:30mpm pace. Other was the cat hill going up at 7-8mpm pace. Both efforts took me past 190bpm which hasnt really happened outside races for me. I am sure the 85 degree humid weather didnt hurt(!). After not doing ANY speed work or real hill work for quite a while, I am easing into it by sneaking very short stretches of speed/hill works in regular training runs as long as they do not interfere with long runs. Depending on how these routines proceed, I will have to plan for formal speed/hill sessions soon. If all goes well, I need few weeks of speed training ahead of the fifth avenue one miler about a month from now. I have exactly one race before that which I may skip if it actually helps my preparation for the miler. I want to break 7min in the one miler but we will see how training pans out.

The 15mi long run yesterday was interesting as well. I ran with the flyer group and ran most of it in vibram. As usual, vibrams continue to attract a lot of attention, especially with an article in Runners world this month. I needed 15mi to keep my weekly mileage above shod PR of 39mi which I did. 40mi is still smaller than 41mi I did couple of weeks back but the fact that I survived the 40mi with legs fresh enough to do a 9:30mpm seven miler today is the big difference. Even the 15mi run was relatively fast at 10mpm including the last couple of miles at strong sub-10mpm. In contrast, the 41mi week was followed by early signs of ankle sprain and an very easy 32mi week and the 19mi long run ended with slow couple of miles of 11-12mpm.

I also extended the depth of my barefoot running on bridal path into northern as well as southern end by basically completing the whole stretch. The portion of bridal path outside the reservoir loop is not as nice and has a stretches of sharp industrial gravel which really sucks. Despite developing reasonably strong soles and good form I just have to stop and walk on this gravel. I dont know how I can ever run on this gravel without pain or worse.. damage to sole. I am not convinced that training on this gravel is actually beneficial and I wouldnt run on it just for the sake if it unless it actually helps me. After all is to MINIMIZE the pain while maximizing the benefit not otherway round. That would be just plain nuts:-)

BF in NY for 404mi