Lake Merritt

Yesterday, my friend and I ran around Lake Merritt in Oakland, California.  It's a little over 3 miles around the lake and just a couple of blocks from BART. We're running a 10k trail race at the end of August together and this was our first run together! It was a very pleasant run- sunny but not hot, live music along the path, and a variety of surfaces.  It started off as smooth concrete, but there was also packed dirt with roots and small gravel. Running on a variety of surfaces is great for conditioning bare feet.  Last year, when I was preparing for my half-marathon, I ran 14 miles in training on sidewalks and thought that was plenty to condition myself for the race. Ha! I ended up putting on my Vibrams at mile 9 or so because the sheer variety of surfaces I had run over- packed dirt with pine needles, slab rock, large gravel, roots, and rocks had done a number on my soles.  That combined with an over 1900 ft. elevation gain and hot temperatures made for a tough race. I hope to condition my feet a little better for the upcoming 10k and have a little more fun with the race as a result. Barefoot running is awesome but it is even more awesome when you can run a race pain-free!

Lake Merritt Oakland, CA

HBTune Review

*Review update 7/30/13- Plastic piece broke, rendering product unusable. See blog entry: http://barefootstephanie.blogspot.com/2013/07/you-know-hb-tune-iphone-holder-i.html*


A few months ago, while riding the lovely Bay Area Rapid Transit train, some guy on his way to the airport with a suitcase full of phone holders for running gave me one. It's called the HB Tune and it is strapped onto the hand as opposed to other armbands I have used the are strapped onto the upper arm or forearm. I only recently had a chance to run with it, and these are my thoughts:

Pros:
- The standout feature of this iPhone holder (they also make them for larger phones, for you Samsung Galaxy owners!) is the fact that you don't have to awkwardly twist your arm in order to access the touch screen. This is important for people like me that like to change their music often while they run.
- Light and comfortable
- Easy to get phone in and out of case. This has been and issue for me with other armbands. It's actually loose enough that you could have an iPhone in a super bulky case and it would easily fit in the HB Tune.

Cons:
- Not very breathable. It made my hand sweaty on the first run of only 3 miles and it wasn't that hot outside.
- Materials seem a little cheap- it's neoprene and clear plastic that's either glued or heat bonded together, not stitched like other armbands I've used.
- Slightly awkward to strap on, but it isn't bothersome while running.

Conclusion:
Not a bad device holder and I prefer it to my upper arm band because of the ease of screen access. However, for $24.99, it's priced approximately the same with other forearm bands that provide the same convenience. I probably wouldn't spend the money but I'll definitely use a free one given to me on BART!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...

  Well, I cut my hair. I know, you're like, "This is a barefoot running blog, girl, I don't care about your hair." However, it did take me 4 years to grow it out and going from nearly tailbone-length hair to a pixie is a drastic change.  I was very attached to my hair and it is both freeing and anxiety-inducing to be rid of all of it. It was at the point where it was getting caught in car doors, it was very heavy, and I kept it up most of the time anyway so I wasn't really enjoying the length. I also bleached my dark hair blonde. Then cut it again. I'm mostly sure I'm done changing it for now.

I also started running again. I've had a not-so-great year for running... I ran a 10k and PR'd, but haven't felt as good as I did during the first two years I started running. I haven't maintained nearly the mileage I had hoped to or even had done in the past. Obsessing about mileage and times was what motivated me then but after a certain amount of time you stop progressing as blindingly fast as you did in the beginning. I went from 14 minute miles to 10 minute miles to 8 and even 7:30 minute miles (for short distances like the 5k), so why was it so hard to run 6 minute miles?

 My husband has a maxim that you need to have two motivations or reasons for doing something- because one or both of those will wax and wane with time. I haven't figured out what my other reason for running is besides competition... with myself and others. But I'm thinking about it. I registered for another 10k trail race and am getting back out there.

I ordered some Xero Shoes Huaraches and received them yesterday. I will post a review of them soon but right now I am still playing with the lacing in order to make them comfortable and secure enough to run in.

I have been doing a bootcamp class the past few weeks and it feels like all the squats, lunges and core work I've been doing have improved my running- hills are a little easier, I feel less fatigued at the end of the run.  Yet another vote for cross-training!

A couple of runs

Saturday 5/4- 3.1 miles

Monday 5/6- 3.1 miles

I'm back after the rib injury and being busy with some volunteer work.

Injured

I've taken the last week off because I strained a rib muscle coughing so badly I got an X-ray to make sure I hadn't broken a rib.  Unfortunately, this was the week I was supposed to start training for the SF Half Marathon.  I am going to re-start training this weekend and see how it goes but I may skip that race and plan for a trail Half in July. It hurts to breathe deeply and when I twist my torso but I am hoping that I can keep my bouncing to a minimal while running and be able to continue my training without prolonging whatever I've pulled in my rib cage.

Temporarily grain-free

I'm doing South Beach-ish style eating right now to lose the 12 pounds or so I gained over the holidays and also because I'm gluten intolerant and shouldn't be eating lovely, delicious breads and other gluten-filled things, anyway.  I say South Beach-ish because in the 4 days since I've started, I've broken down and eating half a milk chocolate bar and have had 2 iced lattes from Peet's.  So I haven't stuck to the no-sugar part.  However, I have not had any grains and have been eating a lot of good protein and vegetables.

I don't buy fully into the restriction of "healthy" fats in the South Beach diet... I have no problem with full-fat cheeses and dairy or olive oil and even some butter.  I also prefer limited real sugar rather than fake sugar-free sweeteners.  One thing the South Beach diet does get right is LOTS of vegetables and eating low-glycemic foods in general.  So, I have been having vegetables with breakfast. As snacks. As sides. It's a much better way of eating than what I have been doing the past few months at least, which involved a lot of convenience food full of gluten.

Example of what I'm eating lately-
Breakfast: Asparagus and goat cheese omelette
Lunch: Baked cod and roasted cauliflower
Dinner: Chicken fajitas with onion and bell peppers
Snacks: Pistachios, celery with peanut butter (no salt, no sugar, just nuts peanut butter)

I feel pretty good physically eating this way and while I won't be grain-free for more than a couple of weeks, I will add back in whole gluten-free grains and fruit eventually, it is helping me to break habits of excessive sugar intake and promote eating more vegetables.

Barefoot in a Port-a-potty / 10k Race Report

I ran the Go Green St. Patrick's Day 10k in Los Gatos, California yesterday.

It was a slightly chilly  morning and my feet felt a little numb as I walked up the road to the packet pickup area. I picked up my race number and shirt and walked around to warm up my feet.  The line for the bathrooms was long, so I jogged up the hill adjacent to the starting line and looked for... a bush of some kind.  I didn't find any that were suitably secluded so I jogged back down the hill and waited in line.  I considered getting my flip-flops out of my car to enter the Port-a-Potty but reasoned that: 1) I didn't have enough time to go back to my car and 2) Really, is a Port-a-Potty floor that had just been placed there that morning that much potentially hazardous than the sidewalks and streets I have run on before? Probably not. So yes... I was barefoot in a Port-a-Potty.

Anyway, on to the race. I lined up and waited for the race to start. There was a sea of green shirts, tutus, hats, and even a guy wearing the Irish flag as a cape. We started off slightly crowded but that was completely a non-issue by the 1/2 mile mark. We were running on the paved roads of Vasona Lake Park and soon were on the surrounding streets, which were relatively smooth and not a problem at all for my soles.  A few people commented amongst themselves at my bare feet but no one came up to ask me about it. The first four miles were mostly a gently downhill and the last 2.2 were a slight uphill. Not a tough course from a hill standpoint, which is probably why I was able to pull a personal best time of 56:54.  I was elated to find that out after crossing the line with a time of 1:07:15, not realizing that the clock was from the start of the Half that was running the same day and had started 10 minutes before the 10k.

A woman taking the timing chip ankle straps at the finish line asked if my feet were Ok. I gave her an enthusiastic "Yep!" and picked up my awesome medal and headed home.

I don't have any race pictures to share because I look like I am having a serious, possibly heart-attack inducing time and not a fun time, which it was.