stress, recover, rinse, repeat

Ran for the last tine in Providence L Was pleasantly surprised when Alan and Diana joined me for a length of Blackstone. I realized how much faster I run when I’m running with other people! I was dragging along at an unknown pace and when they popped up, we must have been going between a 7 and 7:30 pace and it felt fine! Actually it felt much easier than what I was doing before. It shows that I really need others to push me / keep me focused.

I’ll miss it here so much. Had an unbelievably longgggg day of moving, going up and down flights of stairs an uncanny amount of times (quad work!) but I should have stayed hydrated a lot better than I did. It was 95-100 degrees. Also ate nothing all day until about 9 pm..I guess I was fueling on pure adrenaline. It was a lot of stress trying to pack the cars and work with the parents but we made it through alive. Looking forward to the new life change. My roommates (3 guys) seem great, and I feel really comfortable in the Brookline neighborhood. Can’t bear unpacking and setting up everything tonight so I’ll head home and return in the AM.

Ran the ‘home loop.’ Surprisingly I slept pretty well and had dreams that I remembered (I haven’t remembered my dreams for months!) The run was easier than I imagined considering my day yesterday. Headed to Brookline (still a sweltering 95 degrees) and unpacked and hung out with my roommates, which was fun. Biked around Brookline a bit - will be getting to know these hills pretty well!

Ran for the first time in Brookline – an hour and 25 minutes because I wasn’t sure where I was going and went too far. It took me a while to find the Carles River and I ran to the Esplanade where the Pops play which was really nice. It’s a little “easier” of a run than I prefer. Bike path running isn’t my favorite because it’s pretty monotonous and I get bored (and slow down) without much change in scenery. Had dreams again last night, that is a new thing... wonder of it means I’m getting better rest or worse? I’ve been looking into the Greater Boston Track Club. I know a girl on the team and she’s encouraging me to join or at least visit a workout but I’m a bit intimidated. I’d really like to get ‘professional’ coaching though, and running with people is something that I really need to do to improve my speed I realize.

Everyone on Cape / in MA is in a tizzy over this hurricane that is supposed to blow through and do damage. I predict it won’t be nearly as bad as they think.

Ran a bit different route than yesterday – I wanted to avoid the main busy roads a bit more. It takes a bit too long to actually get to the River (about 25 minutes) so if I wanted to run my usual 7.5 miles or so, I’d need to turn around as soon as I get there. I love running along it so I couldn’t help but continue. I turned around at 40 minutes. On the way back, I made a wrong turn and ended up in Brighton/Allston and added a lot on which was unintended. I just can’t be doing this when I have somewhere to be! Time was about 1:25 for 9.75 miles. I got tired towards the end.

Biked over 10 miles afterwards. I wanted to see how long it would take to get to work (45 minutes - too long) especially if I’m commuting it right after my morning run! I think I will be taking the bus so I won’t be exercising for 2+ hours before even getting to work. Hoping it won’t be yet another weekend without racing- I’m hoping to make it to a race on Monday. It will be a challenge navigating public transportation to get there in time (and factor in walking and finding my way) but I think I can do it, I’ll just leave a lot of extra time and probably arrive absurdly early!

Great news – I think I’ve broken the night eating (I hope). I still wake up 5 or 6 times a night but I don’t eat. I tell myself to drink water and go back to bed and I do. Having roommates helps I think (I don’t want to disturb anyone). It poured late at night and broke the heat, which felt great. We went up to the roof of our apartment and stood in the rain and had a great view of the entire city at night :)

Racing 5k tomorrow, just an easy jog today.

Terrible run today. I still don’t really have my bearings so I ended up running on the highway…it was awful. It was a full-out freeway with me trotting along side! I tried to make it to the river again but ended up not quite…instead, I ended up in Allston/Brighton area and had to make it back home for my first day of work!

Boy is there a LOT to learn about running shoes and all the factors that play into how someone is correctly ‘fit’ for the right pair. I had no idea! It's very interesting for me though – it’s like I'm taking classes all over again. I have a binder about gait analysis and biomechanics, running-related injuries and their treatment and prevention, minimal running (the Newtons, Vibrams, barefoot running theories), and a lot of literature on running shoe technology. I really do like the challenge. We sell over a hundred running shoes (not including tech apparel, gadgets, gear, etc) and each brand and each style has a different cushioning system, tortional flexibility, medial post durometer, and individual support technology (Nike Air vs. Mizuno Wave vs. Asics Gel vs. Adidas AdiPreme, etc!!) 

My job is to analyze each customer’s foot, gait, and exercise / injury history and use my shoe knowledge to fit them to the ‘perfect’ shoe that provides adequate support (not too much or too little, just enough to neutralize their gait), while fitting the shoe shape to the shape of their foot (taking into account width, arch height, bunions, etc.) I'm being trained in gait analysis and how to analyze bone structure of the legs and feet so that I can effectively recommend sneakers to correct any overpronation, suppination, external or internal rotation. It's kind of like being a personal shoe consultant for each customer. Right now the sheer amount of information is a bit overwhelming but I’m realy eager to learn it. The people I work with are awesome too – kind, funny, unique, and active.

I attempted to run to the river to run along the bike path but yet again I got lost and ended up in Allston / Brighton except it was worse today because I literally ran along the highway, along overpasses and ridiculously awful freeways. Then tried to add on some residential roads at the end. It was a really frustrating run. I just want to find a route I like and am comfortable with! Just over an hour, not sure the mileage though - too many unknown roads.

Work was overwhelming - I'm trying to learn SO many running shoes and styles. We sell over a hundred and each one is different in some subtle way (cushioning, shock absorption, pronation/suppination support, narrow vs wide, tortional flexibility, medial post density and size, etc!!) It will take me a long time. I took lots of notes. I really want to learn it all now though! It's exciting but at the same time daunting. Gait analysis is also really tricky. It is so hard to watch someone walk and run a short distance and be able to successfully analyze their degree of pronation, neutrality, or suppination, as well as their foot shape and bone structure. Let alone suggest a handful of shoes to try and explain why I recommend those shoes.

Ran 4ish miles in the evening after work - real slow though, down Beacon St. to the Chestnut Hill Reservoir (a flat dirt path around a water body) which was nice, but I wish the loop was longer; it's 1.56 miles. I will try running down in this area more now, especially after the nightmare run this morning.

Finally found a running route that I am comfortable with. I ran through residential Brookline which was so much nicer than the awful highway / stop-go running that I’ve been doing lately. There’s a lovely dirt path around a reservoir (short though - .93 miles) and then I ran along tree-lined streets which felt so wonderful to have so much space. It reminded me of Providence running J It offers some hills (nothing severe but good for training) and also the dirt path was a nice break from the pavement. I enjoy these natural areas much more since it allows me to zone out whereas running along busy streets takes so much energy up just to make sure you don’t get hit or run into someone/thing!

Found a jewel of a run – Jamaica Pond. It’s great – a paved 1.47 mile path around a pond with a smaller dirt path beside the paved path in many sections. There are a lot of walkers and joggers all the time and it’s so peaceful! I just have to do some mileage tweaking and I think I’ll have my usual every-day route!

Had a rough day at work…it’s hard to try to learn so much so fast and I often felt rather stupid! There are so many shoes to memorize and so many subtle details but I hope it’ll sink in in due time.

The run this morning was a short 3ish miles to rest up for a 5k I’m racing tomorrow. Work was insanely busy – we had a big ‘sidewalk sale’ and sold a ton of shoes and apparel. I like the hectic pace though. I go-go-go and don’t stop and I like the adrenaline – it gives me energy!

Raced the EMARC 5k in Melrose today. Took a while to get there because of the Commuter Rail and Ts but it was sponsored by Marathon Sports so I wanted to do it. Ran basically what I did last week – 19:09. The course was a bit more challenging though – there were some hills unlike last week which was basically plat, so I may have run a bit better even though my time was a few seconds slower. Felt fine after wards so I really wish I pushed myself a bit more. Had way too much energy when I finished. My goal this fall is to race a 5k in sun 19…wonder if I’ll make it? Glad I came all the way here to race (public transportation is a nuisance) – got a gift certificate to Marathon Sports – kind of funny since I work there, but I’ll definitely use it! - as well as some other food freebees.

Ran a lot when I got home too – still had energy, perhaps more because I ate a meal and went out for a nice jog around Jamaica Pond.

Enjoyed the run, not too tired from yesterday.

Worked in the Boston location for the first time – long day because we had a BAA half marathon clinic in the evening sponsored by Adidas and it got pretty hectic. I was running around grabbing shoes and trying to fit/ help people with the little knowledge I have.

Some people are just too much. When we fit a shoe, it’s all about how it feels on the foot and whether it provides adequate support for the customer’s biomechanics. It’s frustrating when we get someone who looks at EVERY shoe we bring out and says “OMG ewww! That’s the ugliest thing! I absolutely cannot put it on my foot. I can’t believe you actually sell shoes this UGLY! I want to look good when I run and I’d be so embarrassed if I wore that.”

Seriously?? These are completely normal sneakers and we sell them, hundreds of them, daily to happy runners everywhere…she said this for every shoe she was presented with. I didn’t get upset though, she was really amusing.

Didn’t run in the morning because I went to a workout with the Greater Boston Track Club in the evening. It was really tough to forego my AM run but I did. The whole day I was super anxious about the workout – was dreading it actually. The ‘professional’ running atmosphere, if that’s what you’d call it, intimidates me! I was also super hungry during the day – not sure if it was anxiety-related? It wasn’t bad though! We went for a 23 minute warm-up run which was very fast! People were huffing and puffing afterwards but I was fine (it’s the power speed I lack, not the endurance). We warmed up around a pond but we didn’t start until after 7pm and it was so dark that I couldn’t see a thing by the time we finished. After some drills we did 1200s.

It seemed pretty unorganized. Everyone broke off into groups but I didn’t know what to do so I just hopped in with a group that ended up running too slow for me because I led the whole time and always finished a fair stretch ahead of the others but wasn’t out of breath at all. There were no lights on at the track which made everything hard! I didn’t time a single interval because I couldn’t see my watch but someone else said we ran them in about 4:25-4:30. I think if I come next time I’d like to run with the faster group. I know I’d be at the back of the pack because they were going pretty fast (maybe early 4:20s?) but I think (or hope) that this would help me improve. I definitely felt like I could go faster in this situation because running with all these girls made me feel not necessarily competitive, but more of a pressure/motivation to perform well.

Ran 5x1200 with 400 rest but I felt like I could do a couple more easily L when will I ever run and feel like I gave a full 110%??

Felt ok on the run this morning considering the speedworkout was less than 12 hours prior. Right ankle is really hurting though - painful to point the toe outward/downward. Pain is ‘inside’ the ankle, more an achy all-over pain. It’s more on the outside toward the heel but generally throughout the whole thing. It actually started hurting before the workout yesterday – I started getting all of these odd pains in my body because I was so anxious before the workout. The ankle felt worse this morning. It helped when the ground was at a slight angle/slope so that my weight fell more on the outside of my right foot. Maybe the ‘injury’ has something to do with overpronation?

Had a good day at work – learned a bit more about shoes and feet. Slowly but surely. Jane came to visit briefly after work which was great to see her since it’s been eons. 

Felt pretty good – surprisingly the speed workout 2 days ago never hit me. I thought I’d feel it today since I didn’t feel it yesterday but nope. I didn’t push hard enough.

I focused on ‘form’ today. Yesterday at work a few of us were talking about chi running / minimalist running and the whole idea of forefoot-striking as opposed to the heel-strike. I am naturally a heel-striker (my feet are flatter than pancakes) so I tried to run and land on my forefoot which was hard. My ankle has been acting up so it hurt a bit here and there but after I got going, it was actually really easy! It felt kind of like I was pounding (perhaps scuffing?) more than I usually do though, which is ironic considering it is supposed to lighten up one’s stride. I also tried to keep my body upright and be conscious about striking when my body was directly over my foot. Ran about 8 or so miles; I need to get better about tracking exact mileage though.

Easy couple miles - race tomorrow

BUSY busy day at work! Absolutely exhausted from being on my feel alllll day. I never sit down (or stop running around for that matter) at work. 

Same old same old. Thinking more and more about my lack of strength training though…I really wish I could join a gym!!! That is no excuse though – I could do core and lifting at home with free weights but I really need to be in another setting to actually get up the motivation do it. It’s nearly impossible for me to do it at home… L ugghh!

Run was normal in the morning, and afterwards I interviewed for a second job to make some extra money part-time (Trader Joe’s). I was amped all day because I had a sample of coffee (sad, but I have no caffeine tolerance) and also because I believe there's a full moon soon and I usually have a ridiculous amount of energy a few days prior. After work I went on a second run with a co-worker which was great. I never run in the evening but had a ton of energy despite hardly eating anything all day :/ We went about 5 or 6 miles.

I’m in a very bad yet hard to break pattern of going literally the entire day with eating nothing, or nearly nothing, and then absolutely stuffing myself for about 2 or 3 hours straight until I am ready to go to bed…I don’t get hungry at work because I stay so busy and can just go-go-go but then when I get home at night my blood sugar is absolutely rock bottom which isn’t good. I should try to eat more during the day L

Ran on my forefoot for my entire run today. My ankle has been hurting a lot recently so I thought that forefoot running would be pretty painful. It hurt when I first started the run but once I got going, it hurt less than it would’ve if I were running with my normal heel-strike form. The constant ankle aching is really stressing me though (mainly mentally) because my biggest fear is an injury!! Especially since I don’t have a gym to cross-train…I don’t even want to think about it.

Ate a big 2am meal – the first in a long time, so I’m not too upset since I have been good since I moved here at the beginning of the month. I think it had to do with the double run and not eating enough during the day.

Felt like absolute sh*t this morning. Could be the full moon (two days ago I was AMPED with an unbelievable amount of energy, which always happenes to me 2 days before a full moon), could be just everything is catching up with me (running, working, life), or a combination of both. I made it only about 4 miles and it was a sloww 4 miles. The ankle is getting worse. It really hurts to sit, walk, or do virtually anything. It’s probably due to the fact that I do not sit down at all from about 7am until midnight. After running an hour in the AM, I’m on my feel allll day and I think that is exacerbating the ankle L

Stomach is out of whack too. Ate another enormous 2:30 am meal (ugghhh 2 days in a row, and I was doing SO well!)

Tried on Newtons today at work – they are definitely pretty cool. I like the whole theory behind the ‘minimalist running’ craze; it’s interesting. The goal is to improve overall form and be more conscious about form in general. The entire time I forefoot strike, I do feel like I have good form (or at least better form than when I heel strike).

Got a fair amount of sleep last night so I felt good on the run (later than usual).

My ankle felt fine during the run but afterwards it hurt.

I vowed to never wear another pair of VERY crappy sneakers. Now that I’m working at a running store and realizing the importance of having adequate cushioning I think I’m noticing the effects on my feet/body more and more (or maybe it’s a mental thing that I’m inventing yet it is still manifesting itself physically?) Either way, the cushioning on my shoes that I’ve run in for over 3 years and thousands of miles is pretty shot to the point where I can’t even walk around in them because it hurts my ankles (the shoes are ‘supportive’ shoes which means that they have a medial post for arch support. This medial post – a.k.a. the grey foam in the inner arch of the midsole- is firmer than all the surrounding white foam. Over time, the cushion, which acts like a sponge, doesn’t bounce back as well after it compresses during runs. Because the cushions are different densities (grey=firmer and white=less firm), as soon as I put the shoes on, I can feel my ankles being situated at an angle, which is actually painful! Right now, I’m only running in one pair (Mizuno Inspires) which I love – they’re lightweight and have a firm feel (I don’t like soft cushiony shoes). Before, I was alternating between a few pairs, all of which (except the Mizunos) were at least 2 or 3 years old, have virtually NO cushion left, and were completely worn away on thee sole to the point of my toe was nearly through to the pavement… bad I know. Looks like I’ll be taking advantage of my running store discount and treating my feet a little better!

Day off today…I don’t like having days off. When/if I start working a second job that’ll change. Workaholic! Maybe I’ll even be able to join a gym…will see how September expenses look when they’re all tallied.

Just a few to shake out. Race tomorrow (5 miles, so I'm excited. Tired of these fast 5ks).