Off day 06 Aug 2009

I had one of the dreaded "off" days. I still wanted to work through it a little and get the legs moving some so I jogged 2 miles on the dirt/gravel perimeter roads on Base with my little one in his jogging stroller.
It felt good to put in some mileage even though it was not much. I am planning on a longer run tomorrow, so it will be all good.

Run on Aug 4th

I did 2 miles on the Base perimeter gravel road in my Vibram Five Fingers. I felt great, the VFF were awesome! I hit a couple of rocks in such a way that they hurt, but over all I did not really notice the rocks. I actually like running on gravel in the VFF due to the massaging motion of the rocks on my feet.

I only ran 2 miles because I had our 17 month old baby in his jogging stroller and my wife does not like him to be too far from her, it is a mommy thing (a good instinct if you ask me).

I need to find a way to run with my son that I can pull him along behind me so I can use my arms for running. I hate running with a jogging stroller. I guess that is why it is called a "jogging" stroller not a "running" stroller. I did some looking online last night and I cannot find any pull behind. I have found ones for bicycles, but not for runners. Maybe I need to invent one and sell it? lol

Dailymile.com

I found a new site that is a lot of fun, it is called dailymile.com, here is a link to my profile there: http://www.dailymile.com/people/Skypher

Come to the site and join, you can participate in challenges that you can compete against other runners for how much mileage you can run in certain amounts of time, you can make freinds and all kinds of cool things, as well as track your own mileage.

Running in my Vibram Five Fingers

I went for a 30 minute run on Friday on gravel roads and felt great. The only thing I have noticed so far from switching to running like this is that the balls of my feet are sore, and very tired. I know it will take a while to build up my muscles.

I also went for about a 2 mile run on Saturday pushing my 17 month old boy in his jogging stroller, he loves to go for walks and runs.

My wife and I went for a 7 mile hike on Sunday with about half on gravel and the other half on pavement. By the end of it we were both in pain. It is definitely going to take some time to get used to walking/running/hiking in these shoes.

Even though it is taking some time to get used to them and I am in some pain due to my foot not being used to using all those muscles it is definitely worth it. I love the way they feel, the way my feet are able to move and how they feel as if they are part of my feet when I am wearing them.

My Minimalist Running Forum: http://forum.minimalistrunner.com

Running

I went for my second run in my Vibram Five Fingers yesterday. I ran on the base perimeter roads again, which are gravel and dirt. I ran at a pretty good pace for 30 minutes. I did hit a couple of rocks that hurt, but overall it was a good experience again.

I feel SO good to be running again! My feet are very tired and wore out though due to using muscles I have not used in a long time. I know they will get stronger the more I go barefoot, and run in the Five Fingers.

I plan on doing my first 5K sometime in September or October. I hope to be doing it with my wife and 3 kids, we will see if they will be ready by then.

On a side note, I am vegetarian and I eat 6 small meals a day. Actually my wife and I are going to start a Body for Life Challenge on Monday 03 August 2009. I love the program, I eat 6 times a day with a meal being a portion of protein, a portion of carbs, and a portion of veggies (I do not really portion my veggies).

I usually eat a veggie burger, a baked potato, and a green salad. I also eat tofu, egg whites, beans, and Tempe for protein.

I will post more about my diet during this process soon.

My Minimalist Running Forum: http://forum.minimalistrunner.com

My first run in Five Fingers

Yesterday I went for my first run in my Vibram Five Fingers. I went for about 30 minutes on a gravel and dirt perimeter road on the Navy base where I live. The shoes were great they protected me from the sharp rocks very well. I hit a couple of rocks that hurt, but all in all it was a very enjoyable run.

I wore them around the house the day they came in for a couple of hours like they tell you, you should do. They are comfortable and really hug your feet.

I did notice during the run that it really makes you use your calves more, and the balls of my feet were sore and tired near the end. I guess that is because my feet are used to being in foot coffins (shoes) and need to build themselves up. I know that as I am running and increasing my distance that my feet will get stronger and stronger.

Here is a picture of the KSOs in black like I have: