RiverRun 5K 2014

Cannot express how much I enjoyed running next to my son for 5K. He is a very good swimmer, but not sure what kind of endurance runner he can be. I decided to let him do his own race, and my job was just to encourage him to keep going. He gave me a few excuses about why he needed to walk, but I encouraged him to just keep going and gave him a few tips while running. Although we did not run as fast as I wanted to, I was impressed with his energy and his will to do a good job. I hope we can run many other races together as a team. It was a great day for running. We ran at a 11:52 MM pace. I am very proud of him!

RiverRun 2014

Garmin Link

La bicicleta

The sport medicine doctor suggested me to stop running for four weeks and maybe bicycle instead. Weather has not been cooperative until this morning. Grabbed some clothes to bundle up and got on the bike. It felt so heavy, but that must be a better exercise. Rode to the end of the clear creek trail, which totaled almost nine miles. Cycling should be helping my legs get stronger, and hopefully, will allow me to stay away from injuries.

MRI on April 17

Talked to the sports medicine doctor and told him I still have some pain on the foot when I run.  He suggested me to get an MRI, which I got the next day.

This is what the doctor observed on the MRI:
Indication: Stress fracture of second metatarsal seen on the plain film.
Findings: There is heterogeneous cortical thickening of the second metatarsal bone that extends from the base of the metatarsal to the midshaft. There is mild marrow edema with mild surrounding periosteal edema. Lisfranc's ligament is intact. The remaining bony structures are intact. Otherwise, the signal within the musculature of the foot is unremarkable.

Recommendation: stop running for about four weeks. I am allowed to bike if biking does not cause any pain. Swimming is another option. 

It is so hard for me to stop running, but I will have to do it for the next four weeks. I will re-evaluate things by the last week of May. 

Boston Marathon 2014

I just cannot comprehend how Mark Bennett (bib: 390), 53 years old, finished the marathon in the amazing time of 2 hrs 34 minutes. On the other hand, Tyler Sullivan (bib: 339), one of the best young marathoners in Iowa City, 26 years old, finished the marathon seven minutes later! Long distance running is the only sport where something like this can happen! 

There are many sports, but definitely there is something very special about long distance running. This is one endurance sport where all ages can compete and have a chance to win.

Ashton Cross Country

Put on my Tarahumara huaraches and rode the bike to Ashton Cross Country field. I just ran one lap in the perimeter of the field. Distance: 1.85 miles around the perimeter. My legs felt fine and feet had no problem.  I just had a problem with the leather in between my toes on the right foot. Not sure why it was chafing, but the left foot was perfectly fine. I will try some body glide, or maybe my other running sandals next time. Saw another guy running barefoot. Also, early this morning we saw a woman running barefoot when we went for a walk with the kids. I am glad to see I am not the only crazy guy in Iowa City who believes in barefoot running.

Rest Day

Just went walking for a couple of miles this morning. Thinking about all the people I know who will be running Boston this Monday. My foot feels stronger, but not a 100% recovered. RiverRun 10K is coming in about 10 days. Plan to run with Karen this weekend and see how I feel. 

Motivation

We need to have goals. Short term goals and long term goals. We live by goals. Right now, my goal is to stay in shape and recover from injuries. I am looking forward to run the RiverRun 10K on Sunday April 27th. That will be my test to see if I can run the Ronald MacDonald Half Marathon on May 4th.
I had an MRI this morning to check on my stress fracture.  Can't wait to hear what the doctor has to say.Boston Marathon is coming.  I hope I can watch it on TV. I'll love to see Desiree Linden and Shalane Flanagan fight for the first place.
Last night I ran six 800's. Time was about sub 3:30 each. Speed was not bad, but I felt I could not do one more interval. Felt totally exhausted. 

Garmin Vivofit

Garmin has come with a new fitness wrist band. The band has a watch, it gives you your heart rate (as long as you are wearing a heart rate monitor around your chest), number of steps you've done during that day, and number of steps you need to reach your goal. 

I've had my VivoFit for about a week. It also lets you know when you have had an hour or more of inactivity. Being sedentary slows down your metabolism. I have been wearing my VivoFit most of the day (except when I shower). 

I have decided to watch more closely what I eat. This past week, I indulged myself with high fat food. I realize this is not good. It is not going to help my foot injury. Today, I started improving my nutrition. I hope to continue this way as much as I have increased my daily physical activity. 

I have also continued barefoot running. I try to hit the treadmill and do my barefoot workout there, walk and run barefoot. My goal for this month will be to be able to run barefoot for 10 minutes, at a very slow pace (15 MM). Slow pace will allow me to pay more attention to running form. 

RiverRun will be on Sunday April 27th. Haven't decided if I should run the 5K or the 10K. This weekend I ran a couple of five milers with my wife (at a slow pace). 

Barefoot Running

Have been running barefoot on the treadmill for up to five minutes. I have also walked barefoot for longer periods of time.  Almost no pain when running barefoot. I will keep running barefoot for a few minutes every other day, and will try to increase the time each week or so. Maybe one day I can run a 5K barefoot. 

Indoor Track Yasso's 800's

Although foot still hurts, I was able to complete six 800 m intervals (with the ladies).  These ladies really surprised me with their incredible endurance. When is my foot going to stop hurting?  I am trying to do some foot exercises to strengthen those tendons and muscles in the foot. I hope they work.

1	2	3	4	5	6
800	800	800	800	800	800
3:24	3:28	3:23	3:32	3:26	3:26

I believe my times are not that bad. Maybe I am getting better without noticing it. I doubt I was able to do more than six intervals though.