I purposely am entering this before New Years. It may be a mental thing, but I do not want this to simply be a New Year’s resolution. My brother recently gave me Hal Higdon’s book (Marathon – Ultimate Training Guide) and I am going to give the novice plan a shot (Which truth be told still seems like I am going to be way in over my head, but every journey begins with a single step….right?)
December 31, 2011
Starting Weight - 224.5
Total mileage for the week - 3 mi
% of body fat - 24.5%
(Damn, that was depressing)
I got my first run in in about a month and between taking a month off and getting over a cold I lost about 7 minutes off my time for a three mile run. No good. Hopefully I'll be back on track in a few weeks.
I have armed myself with what I will now refer to as the “Tools of Ignorance” (simply because any sane person would not chose to prepare to run 26.2 miles unless they were nuts)
Vibram Five Fingers Bikila – Yep I’m going to go at this in a pair of minimalist shoes. I set out on this same quest last year but was halted every few weeks by shin splints. I went to running stores and was fit by experts over and over again (Fleet Feet has a mileage policy that actually lets you go out and test the shoes for a few weeks and if they aren’t thrashed you can bring them back and exchange them.) I was fit with Asics, New Balance, Brooks and Saucony (I still own this pair – Pro Grid Guide 3, but use them sparingly). By the second week of very light training, and I use that term loosely, I had shin splints. Over and over and over again, I could not get rid of them.
Then my brother talked me in to looking at VFF. I did my research and picked the Bikila as I plan to do most of my running on the road (as Roseville is pretty much as suburb as you can get). Yes they look ridiculous, but they are awesome (and every stranger in the grocery store, Target, or the airport wants to talk to you about them). Vibram warns you not to go out and run in them and take your time and build up your muscles. Since they weigh nothing and you feel so good running in them I followed directions for about a week, and then pulled a calf. Lesson learned.
I slowly started easing into them in early October of 2011 and by Thanksgiving I ran my first 10k in them. No back pain, no shin splints, no blackened toenail from hitting the toe box over and over again. I am a believer. (And they also make me feel like a ninja – bonus points)
Garmin FR60 with foot pod and heart monitor – I wanted a light watch that provided solid data collection. This does the basics without weighing a ton and taking up your whole wrist. The foot pod was almost perfectly calibrated right out of the box and the online data management tool is great. Getting the data to upload is a pain from time to time, but overall I can’t complain.
Injinji running socks – I ran in these even before I switched to the VFF’s, now I can’t imagine running without them.
Camelback – I used this during the 10k and it was great. I am hoping that I can get away from it because it is a little bulky, but I have learned my lesson that hydration is far too important to mess with.
Compression sleeves and shin wraps – It may be a placebo thing, but I like to think that they are keeping my pain at bay.
iPod – I only run with one ear phone in and turn the volume way down when I hit the back trails, but I need the music to pass the time.
BOB Running Stroller – we had this before I took up running but now that I have been doing it off and on for the last year I am glad that I have it. Nothing like having a 3 year old tell you to “go faster” or “pass that guy up there” to keep you moving forward.
Let the journey begin.
