Day 26 - Freaking Awesome

Alright. Sorry that my post was brief and sort of curt last night. I was really tired after opening at work, running in the afternoon, and then having to do a lot of building and such for a church in the area that was being remodeled. Needless to say, I was pretty pooped. But I wanted to at least let you guys know that I had gotten out there on the new shoes, and that I was enjoying them.

Now, to really give them the post they deserve.

These shoes I bought, I consider to be one of my greatest purchases. They are amazing in nearly every way, shape, and form. The first time I went running in them, I trekked out two miles like it was nothing. Yeah it made me feel it in muscles I wasn't used to because of a completely different type of stride when running, but it was a good burn in the muscles, not a pain indicating something was wrong.

I woke up the next day, and my legs weren't nearly as sore as they have been after some of my other runs. So I hopped  back out there and ran 2 more miles in them. It was a little tougher, cause once I got going I could really start to feel it in the calves. But still, virtually no knee pain, my ankles weren't rolling weird anymore, and my run was infinitely more enjoyable.

I have also been wearing them when I go out walking with my aunt, and when I am doing my P90X workouts. I have taken to doing 1 of the lifts every other day, as well as my normal running. For one, I feel actually better doing it, cause its making me feel really buff and leaner looking, as well as making me really feel some good results. So I have done the Shoulders and Arms day, and the Back and Biceps this week, as well as the X Stretch routine. Its pretty killer.

For those wanting some info on the shoes. They are from the "Fila" brand. The model is called "Skele-toes" and they are designed for barefoot/minimalism lifestyles. They aren't marketed specifically as a running shoe. Which actually is apparent when I am using them for running. They are built to accommodate a walking and running stride, which are two different things. But for the most part they are fantastic to run in.

Heres a few pictures of them to give you guys a visual.

The shoes themselves.

Top down view.

Side view.

Bottom view

They are pretty nifty looking, and draw a lot of attention from people out on the paths. That makes running in them a lot more fun, cause peoples reactions are generally pretty funny, making the workouts more light hearted and easier to get through.

So today. I slipped these bad boys on, and headed out to the path for the first longer distance on them. 4 miles. I warmed up my first mile pretty easily, just easing my way into the workout. Then as I neared the turn about at the end of the mile, I was like. Lets really open up, and give these babies a whirl. So I set myself up, and started out mile two, while timing myself. I raced down that path faster than I had ever run in a long distance training before. I reached the end of the path at the mile marker in 7 minutes and 3 seconds. That my friends is a personal best. Three days in these shoes, on top of my half of a month of training, and I shave nearly a full minute off of my fastest mile time previously.

My stopwatch time at the end of my mile.

The progress and results I am seeing from my training are really encouraging me, and I am starting to finally feel really good about this half marathon in just a little more than a month. Its on September 24th, so I have a month and 11 days to get in the best shape that I can.

As for the last two miles of my run today, I took it pretty easy after racing out that mile. But I finished 4 today, which was my training schedule. Tomorrow is a rest day, so maybe some light walking. I also plan on doing the Yoga X routine in P90X. Its a lot of stretching and core work. Looking forward to it. Sunday is my long run, but also my day off work. I will give an educational update on the logistics and science behind barefoot/minimalism running and lifestyle. Looking forward to sharing what I've learned and how I'm applying it!

Day 11 - Recovery

Today is a recovery day for me. Seeing as how I am under the weather, and feeling pretty crappy, I figured I would do some research and pass along to you guys info on recovery in athletics.

There are a lot of helpful ways to get your body back into proper shape when you are feeling down, or just in general after a workout. The best way to stay fit and healthy is to create a healthy and proper lifestyle both within, and outside of your workout routines.

Nutrition is a major part of health. It relates to all aspects of our well-being. Eating improperly can cause your body a lot of problems. Especially in those with an active lifestyle. For athletes, foods high in protein content, such as meats, beans, and cheeses, are essential. Carbohydrates are especially good the day before and, the day of big workouts. They are also good post workout to help your body have some reserve energy to aid in recovery.
In general, its always a good idea to try and get proper nutrition, even if you aren't on a diet or trying to lose or gain weight. Vitamins, and minerals found in a lot of healthy foods are essential to overall well being and good health.

Water is another big aspect of health and recovery. Staying properly hydrated helps an athlete perform better during intense workouts. It replenishes sweat stores, and its keeps your body breaking down enzymes so that you can produce energy at an cellular level, which is where a lot of your energy stores come from. Without water, your body can't perform ATP conversions in the cells to produce energy. It can't properly process waste out of the body. There are several uses for water in the bodies processes. There is no definitive rule on how much water you should be drinking every day. A lot of people say a lot of different things. But in general athletes need more water in a day that a sedentary person. Keep a water bottle with you throughout the day, and you will drink more water throughout. Cut out sugary sodas as much as possible, the carbonation and the sodium content in them actually depletes your waters stores more than it adds to them. All in all, its not hard to make sure you are properly hydrated throughout the day, and its one of the best benefits to your body to be hydrated.

One thing overlooked a lot by athletes is stretching. During off days, and even pre- and post-workout its important to stretch out the body, especially those muscles used during the workout.
During workouts, the muscles used contract and shorten, and without stretching, will remain sore and painful longer following a workout. By stretching after a workout, you elongate those muscles, and give them their full range of motion back, thus eliminating a lot of the time it takes to recover. There are a lot of right ways to stretch certain muscles, but there are also a lot of dangerous and wrong ways to stretch muscles, so when you look to get into stretches, read up about them first, and make sure you are taking care of your body. Injuries are debilitating to athletes, and one should take caution in avoiding them any way they can. Listen to your body, and don't overdo yourself. It kills...believe me.

So that's about it for now. I am gonna dive into some more depth later and elaborate on these and other topics in their own posts throughout the week or so. But today, I am gonna focus on my nutrition and water intake, as well as do some light stretching and exercise to help boost my recovery.