Walk in the park

My dog helps me train too!

1/2 Ironman 2012

Its been a while since I've posted. After the last injury, cycling has taken over my life. I have become a stronger and more aggressive cyclist. I find that cycling is a beautiful thing. Riding is a piece of music, go with it. Cycling can come with many obstacles. Flat tires, tubes, glass, poor roads, etc. I ran into that 3 times this summer. Once almost getting hit by a car, and 2 shredded tires from glass. They always say, when your the furthest away from home and the least prepared, the worst can happen. Thank goodness of modern technology: cell phones can do SO much.

Recently started to run again, it makes my body ache. I have been sore ever since I started. My IT bands are tight and my feet are confused. Cycling has been my main sport for the last year, and my feet are fresh. After wearing the minimal shoes for some time now, I finally feel strong enough to run. I hope---

Running, cycling, swimming, its all a journey. Where to start?

"there are really only two types of people, those who say "I can't" and those who say "they can".

In 2012 I will be completing a 1/2 Ironman. I am scared, terrified, anxious, and I haven't even picked a race or registered.

PANIC- is a sudden sensation of fear which is so strong as to dominate or prevent reason and logical thinking, replacing it with overwhelming feelings of anxiety and frantic agitation consistent with an animalistic fight-or-flight reaction. Panic may occur singularly in individuals or manifest suddenly in large groups as mass panic (closely related to herd behavior).

What if I fail? What if I do not make the time cut off, what if I PANIC.

Swim.Bike.Run. Lets see how far I can push myself. What are my limits?

1. Day One: Returned my super support shoes, and tried on the vibram five finger shoes. They were a bit strange, and then I put on the New Balance Minimus. It was a match made in heaven. My feel felt SO content and happy. I walked a bit around Ann arbor, and I knew that this was a great choice. They are flexible, the trail show has a bit of a feel, and cushion, which is a perfect balance.

I was struggling with support, plantar fasciitis, and just overall pain in my ankles. I tried every shoe on the market for motion control and stability. I have had tons of disappoint shoes. Some just were clunky and heavy, and the one shoe I wanted to try was no longer in production! (Curse your Mizuno!) I then began to do some research. Barefoot running? What is it? What are the benefits, what are the disadvantages? I checked out some stories about people with foot pain, switching to barefoot or minimal footwear and have success. So far so good. My feet are a little sore, but my plantar is not flaring up!

2. Day two: Walk in the Arb. I took my dog for a walk with a friend and My plantar started to tighten in the middle of the walk. If I walked a certain way, it was tighten and there was pain! Once I adjusted my walking gate, the pain went away. Anton Krupicka in his New Balance says, “Running barefoot forces you to become a better runner, it doesn’t make you a better runner”.

3. Day Three: Feet are feeling great. After a four mile ride and a walk on some trails, my feet just feel in balance.

Over Pronation.

What is over pronation of the foot?

According to Runners World (UK),

Pronation is the inward (medial) roll of the foot and in particular the heel and arch which occurs naturally at the heel strike as a cushioning mechanism. Overpronation is when the feet roll inward too much. Supination, also known as underpronation, is the opposite to pronation where the feet don't roll inward enough. Wearing the wrong type of shoe will lead to painful shins and joints, or even injury.

How do I find out if I pronate? It is easy to find out if you're a pronator or supinator - look at your trainers! A pronator's outer soles wear down along the inside of the ball of the foot and they tend to have flat feet. The supinator's outer soles wear down along the outer edge and their feet tend to have high arches. Shoes are designed with features to control these problems. (see the Wet Foot Test to find out if you are flat footed or have high arches) I over pronate a lot. My ankles, my legs, hamstrings, quads---everything is affected. I notice my big toes tend to not be straight/aligned with the rest of my foot. Taping can relieve some pain, but for the most part getting the right shoes, inserts, and running gate. No running til Mid-February. THIS.SUCKS. O man.... Patients right? Jan 31st appointment with the doctor, then its orthotic inserts for me. I wanna run :(