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