Run a Mile in My … Bare Feet?
I woke up at an ungoshly hour this morning — a time when most college kids are going to bed, not getting up. After following my normal morning routine, I decided to get my workout in for the day. I ran to our apartment’s little gym in the DARK and COLD. According to our thermometer, it was 2 degrees outside. 2!!
Look how dark the windows are. Night be a time for sleepin’, not runnin’. 😛
I’m trying to incorporate more strength-training into my workout routines. Besides strengthening my muscles and boosting my metabolism, strength-training should help build muscle in my weak little T-Rex arms.
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So, I worked almost every muscle in my arms, shoulders, and back. I wore out my arms so much that by the time I was done, my arms couldn’t support any weight without shaking. I couldn’t lift my mp3 player without trembling. I know what’s going to be sore tomorrow.
I don’t like running on treadmills (outside is better), but in 2 degree weather, the treadmill is a nice way to get a good interval workout. Read article for a nice summary of interval training and its benefits.
I walked/ran for 45 minutes with the following breakdown:
2 min at 3.5 (2:00)
8 min at 6.0 (10:00)
1 min at 7.5 (11:00)
4 min at 6.5 (15:00)
1 min at 8.0 (16:00)
4 min at 6.5 (20:00)
1 min at 8.5 (21:00)
4 min at 6.5 (25:00)
1 min at 9.0 (26:00)
4 min at 6.5 (30:00)
1 min at 8.5 (31:00)
4 min at 6.5 (35:00)
1 min at 8.0 (36:00)
4 min at 6.0 (40:00)
1 min at 7.5 (41:00)
2 min at 6.0 (43:00)
2 min at 3.5 (45:00)
GREAT exercise. I felt like I gave my heart a good workout, and with all the changing speeds, I wasn’t bored at all.
Has anyone read about barefoot running? The premise behind this new movement is the idea that humans have evolved to run barefoot and that the modern running shoe has literally crippled runners in the last 40 years. I can understand what they are saying — that (many) humans ran long-distance without shoes for thousands of years and didn’t have a problem. I’ve read some of the small amount of research out there about barefoot running, but I find that the research doesn’t really address the following:
(1) Humans now move mostly on non-shock-absorbing surfaces, rather than forgiving grass. “Pounding the pavement” is not just an expression.
(2) More importantly, human lifespan has increased significantly in the last 50 – 100 years, which is a tiny portion of the span of human existence. Our joints now need to last 70 – 80 years and beyond. We already know that old-age diseases, such as cancers, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s, are becoming more common as a result of this increased lifespan. In addition, more people develop osteoarthritis in later years, especially women. This risk increases GREATLY for overweight and obese individuals.
So is running barefoot putting extra pressure on joints?
Because this topic is so new, I am very interested to see if additional research will be done on barefoot running and joint disorders.
The sun rose while I was pounding the treadmill. It’s not so bad to be out in the cold when you get to see this:
The rest of the day was filled with errands, school assignments, and a very looong nap.
Peter was in charge of dinner, so he made tuna-tomato pasta.
The sauce included:
* tomatoes
* tuna
* anchovies
* capers
* garlic
* pine nuts
* raisins
I served mine over whole-wheat pasta, with cruciferously-delicious cauliflower and Parmesan.
Look at those scrumptious cheese curls. Sorry, Dave! 😛
I think it’s time for a little dark choco to finish off the evening. Happy Saturday, everyone!
Thank you for your kind comments. Yeah…I’m going to be pretty sporadic…I have alot to figure out…but I’ll just “go with it”…hopefully someone will still be around to read it…or not , whatever ;).
It is COLD here too…great workout girl!
I would love to try barefoot running… I used to go barefoot all the time when I was younger (grew up in a very clean area). But living in NYC I don’t think it’s a good idea anymore!!
I love your workout – I’ve been into classes recently, but I do always enjoy the treadmill.
Yikes! I can’t imagine running down Broadway in bare feet! :O Thanks for stopping by!
I’m skeptical of claims that certain ways of doing things are better because we’ve “evolved” to do them. We’re “evolved” to sleep on rocks, kill each other in tribal melee warfare, and die at 30.
I think the barefoot running fad will end when a marathoner runs over a rusted nail.
Oh Dice, how I’ve missed your words of wisdom 🙂
Yes! A guy at my gym wears these everywhere:
http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/
I think the concern over shock is a little overdone — when you run barefoot you use the natural spring in your foot instead of crashing down on your heel.
Happy running : )
“I think the barefoot running fad will end when a marathoner runs over a rusted nail.”
Really? Just like playing tennis ended when the first person sprained their ankle. Just like football ended when the first player was severely injured or even died. And of course, the first time a carpenter cut himself with a saw, he just gave up the profession…
All kidding aside, it’s funny how today’s young people who grew up in our current corporate shoe-obsessed society think this is new. I guess you don’t know that it was normal for kids to go barefoot all summer long up until the middle of the 20th century, many could not wait for school to end so they can stop wearing shoes. And they all knew that gradually walking barefoot more and more early in the spring would toughen their feet so they could walk and run on almost anything by summer. And I guess you do not know that walking barefoot everywhere, including shopping and in cities in the US was a fad for rebellious teenagers and young people in their twenties during the late 1960s and early 1970s. And the sky did not fall…..