Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Keep up the good work, Mark.  Interesting stuff, but I like your podiatrist and her viewpoint.

Hi, Michele! Yeah, I liked her, too. Very pragmatic. That's a good quality in a doctor. (Or other mechanic.)

Speaking of which, I sent a slightly whiny message to my PT about how difficult it was to do single-leg heel raises with my knee locked. She replied back that doing them with some assistance (taking some weight off on a chair or counter) is not only fine, but it's also pretty much what everybody has to do. Single-leg heel raises are difficult. (Whew! That's a relief. The difference between two- and one-legged lifts was so astounding I thought there was something wrong with me! Well, more than usual, anyway.)

Overachiever!!!

Hey! She didn't tell me they were hard for everybody when she had me try them at the office... I just figured I was weak and uncoordinated! Which, of course, may well be the case. But still...

I meant that as a compliment

I like to go above and beyond, too...

Oh! Uh, er, um. Cough. Cough.

Well, carry on, then. And thanks.

  

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Keep up the good work, Mark.  Interesting stuff, but I like your podiatrist and her viewpoint.

Hi, Michele! Yeah, I liked her, too. Very pragmatic. That's a good quality in a doctor. (Or other mechanic.)

Speaking of which, I sent a slightly whiny message to my PT about how difficult it was to do single-leg heel raises with my knee locked. She replied back that doing them with some assistance (taking some weight off on a chair or counter) is not only fine, but it's also pretty much what everybody has to do. Single-leg heel raises are difficult. (Whew! That's a relief. The difference between two- and one-legged lifts was so astounding I thought there was something wrong with me! Well, more than usual, anyway.)

Overachiever!!!

Hey! She didn't tell me they were hard for everybody when she had me try them at the office... I just figured I was weak and uncoordinated! Which, of course, may well be the case. But still...

I meant that as a compliment

I like to go above and beyond, too...

Oh! Uh, er, um. Cough. Cough.

Well, carry on, then. And thanks.

  

Just hug each other and get it over with.   

Barefoot Rehab Run/Walk: 2.1 miles

Weather: Partly cloudy, mild. 56 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

I made it through the first three weeks of my rehab run/walks unscathed, so I get to boost it up a bit.

This week, I'm allowed to do a 0.1 walk, 0.4 run, alternating up to 2 miles total. That's long enough to actually feel like I'm warming up in the run, so that's great. Also, my mandatory rest days have been reduced from two after each run to one. Woot!

I'm sticking with barefoot for this run, and keeping it in the neighborhood. It's working well. I can feel some tension in the peroneus longus muscle up in my leg, but my foot and ankle are okay. I will need to remember to land properly, though I think the tension is more from the other exercises I've been doing.

Speaking of which, I did 10 single-leg heel lifts on each side with an assist. I still feel very uncoordinated with one leg - I must recruit a lot more muscles when I'm two-legging it. And I did the static one-legged stand, knee locked, for three times on each side. It was easier on the right than the left (at least as far as my foot muscles are concerned). I noticed that the angle of my hips seems to have a big impact on stability, so I'm trying to remember that, too.

Average HR on run: 124

What type of effort/pace are you allowed to run at? Is it by feel or are you given restrictions?

Nick Morris wrote:What type of effort/pace are you allowed to run at?  Is it by feel or are you given restrictions?

Mostly by feel, though the term used on my instruction sheet is "jog" rather than "run until you puke."

Today, that meant my running sections were done at about a 10/mi pace. So right around my usual barefoot pace. My heart rate crept up past 140 several times, but since I was stopping to walk every .4 mile, I didn't worry about it.

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:What type of effort/pace are you allowed to run at?  Is it by feel or are you given restrictions?

Mostly by feel, though the term used on my instruction sheet is "jog" rather than "run until you puke."

Today, that meant my running sections were done at about a 10/mi pace. So right around my usual barefoot pace. My heart rate crept up past 140 several times, but since I was stopping to walk every .4 mile, I didn't worry about it.

Ok, that's what I was thinking since you were in recovery mode.

Nick Morris wrote:

Mark B wrote:

Nick Morris wrote:What type of effort/pace are you allowed to run at?  Is it by feel or are you given restrictions?

Mostly by feel, though the term used on my instruction sheet is "jog" rather than "run until you puke."

Today, that meant my running sections were done at about a 10/mi pace. So right around my usual barefoot pace. My heart rate crept up past 140 several times, but since I was stopping to walk every .4 mile, I didn't worry about it.

Ok, that's what I was thinking since you were in recovery mode.

Yup. Saving the pain 'n' suffering for the one-legged work. Amazing how challenging that can be.

Hey! A non-running related post!

Well, not directly, anyway. My computer died. Craziest thing. One moment, it was fine. I used it in the morning, put it in sleep mode when I went to work... and it stayed asleep, forever. I hauled it down to the shop and was told that it needed a new logic board for a mere $852. For a computer we bought in 2010? Uh, no, I don't think so.

First off, a mild rant. It's almost certainly one part of the logic board that went bad, like a capacitor or something. But they don't just find and resolve the actual problem -- they just pull them out and throw them away. Sort of like replacing your car's engine when it just needs new spark plugs. Bah.

Anyway, that was a pretty annoying development. Not a disaster, though, because we had his-n-hers computers in our office, and we can just go back to cohabitation. We use iPads and iPhones for a lot of the things we used the computers for, anyway. Also, I had dutifully backed up my machine, so I didn't lose any data.

The only headache so far is thatI can't seem to find the data file for my Garmin Training Center application. It's kept in a hidden Library folder on the computer, and I haven't figured out how to find hidden folders in the backup file. Yet. Still, even losing that wouldn't be the end of the world. Sure, it's a record of every run and race I've done since 2008 or so... but really, am I going to go back and reminisce about the numbers from some run in February of 2011? Probably not.

The lesson? Remember to back up your files! I'm lucky I did.

Happened to me back in early April.  Came in after a run and connected my Garmin and downloaded the data.  Came back after showering and the hard drive had died.  I, too, back everything up so nothing was lost, and I had already transferred all of my Training Center data to Garmin Connect - sooooo I have my files back to my first Garmin 201.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Happened to me back in early April.  Came in after a run and connected my Garmin and downloaded the data.  Came back after showering and the hard drive had died.  I, too, back everything up so nothing was lost, and I had already transferred all of my Training Center data to Garmin Connect - sooooo I have my files back to my first Garmin 201.

I saw that Garmin isn't supporting GTC anymore as they try to get people to migrate to Garmin Connect. Do you like it? And perhaps more importantly, once I find my original data file, is it possible to upload the whole thing to the site without blowing everything up? I saw they suggest uploading one at a time. Uh, not gonna happen.

Mark B wrote:
I saw that Garmin isn't supporting GTC anymore as they try to get people to migrate to Garmin Connect. Do you like it? And perhaps more importantly, once I find my original data file, is it possible to upload the whole thing to the site without blowing everything up? I saw they suggest uploading one at a time. Uh, not gonna happen.

I don't mind Garmin Connect, it has actually improved a lot since they first developed it. Like anything in this world there is always things from the old you like better than the new and things from the new you like better than the old. I also use Strava because i like some of the the things they do on their site too. The only done side to Strava is that I can't remember if all the features I'm getting are because I became a premium member (than again the cost is not bad for a year. 

So, I guess I can't complain about GC since it's free, plus now that I think of it I do like it.  

I didn't like it at the beginning, but I do now.  Like Schuey said, it is free which is of course a plus, but I do like the data and how it is reported.  I've gotten used to using it so I really have no complaints and it is better than the old TC (which I used forever) in terms of the data it collects.  As for uploading all at once, not sure.  That is how I originally did it as there is no way I loaded all those files individually as I would have been too lazy for that - so I'll have to say it worked.

Schuey wrote:

Mark B wrote:
I saw that Garmin isn't supporting GTC anymore as they try to get people to migrate to Garmin Connect. Do you like it? And perhaps more importantly, once I find my original data file, is it possible to upload the whole thing to the site without blowing everything up? I saw they suggest uploading one at a time. Uh, not gonna happen.

I don't mind Garmin Connect, it has actually improved a lot since they first developed it. Like anything in this world there is always things from the old you like better than the new and things from the new you like better than the old. I also use Strava because i like some of the the things they do on their site too. The only done side to Strava is that I can't remember if all the features I'm getting are because I became a premium member (than again the cost is not bad for a year. 

So, I guess I can't complain about GC since it's free, plus now that I think of it I do like it.  

Free is always good! I've been using the RunningAHEAD tool for my online data storage/reporting, and it's worked well for me. It lets you save a little more data (type of shoe worn, for example) and play with the numbers. Maybe Garmin Connect does that, too, but I haven't found that feature yet.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I didn't like it at the beginning, but I do now.  Like Schuey said, it is free which is of course a plus, but I do like the data and how it is reported.  I've gotten used to using it so I really have no complaints and it is better than the old TC (which I used forever) in terms of the data it collects.  As for uploading all at once, not sure.  That is how I originally did it as there is no way I loaded all those files individually as I would have been too lazy for that - so I'll have to say it worked.

Cool! I'm happy to report that, thanks to some user boards out there, I finally figured out how to find my hidden GTC data file on my backup. I had to do a little Terminal mode hacking to get there, but I got in and copied the file over to our other computer.   

To experiment, I uploaded my GTC files to Garmin Connect (which was quite easy), but I was a bit disappointed to see that the notes I wrote on each run did NOT follow the other data. Drat. Well, at least I have the data stashed in a third location, should I ever need to access it.

You could build a pretty sweet set up for way less than $850, if you're electronics savvy (I'm assuming you are). Look into barebones computers, build them up, salvage what you can (RAM, old hard drive, all cables and other hardware), etc. All you'd need is an OS. Still, looking at $400 max

Mike MacLellan wrote:You could build a pretty sweet set up for way less than $850, if you're electronics savvy (I'm assuming you are). Look into barebones computers, build them up, salvage what you can (RAM, old hard drive, all cables and other hardware), etc. All you'd need is an OS. Still, looking at $400 max

I might be able to cobble something together, Radio Shack style, but we're hopeless Macheads, so that's not really an option.

Oh, it was a Mac? No wonder it costs $850 to fix. (Just imagine the stirring the pot emoti since I'm on my phone and can't see them all)

Mark B wrote:

Schuey wrote:

Mark B wrote:
I saw that Garmin isn't supporting GTC anymore as they try to get people to migrate to Garmin Connect. Do you like it? And perhaps more importantly, once I find my original data file, is it possible to upload the whole thing to the site without blowing everything up? I saw they suggest uploading one at a time. Uh, not gonna happen.

I don't mind Garmin Connect, it has actually improved a lot since they first developed it. Like anything in this world there is always things from the old you like better than the new and things from the new you like better than the old. I also use Strava because i like some of the the things they do on their site too. The only done side to Strava is that I can't remember if all the features I'm getting are because I became a premium member (than again the cost is not bad for a year. 

So, I guess I can't complain about GC since it's free, plus now that I think of it I do like it.  

Free is always good! I've been using the RunningAHEAD tool for my online data storage/reporting, and it's worked well for me. It lets you save a little more data (type of shoe worn, for example) and play with the numbers. Maybe Garmin Connect does that, too, but I haven't found that feature yet.

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:I didn't like it at the beginning, but I do now.  Like Schuey said, it is free which is of course a plus, but I do like the data and how it is reported.  I've gotten used to using it so I really have no complaints and it is better than the old TC (which I used forever) in terms of the data it collects.  As for uploading all at once, not sure.  That is how I originally did it as there is no way I loaded all those files individually as I would have been too lazy for that - so I'll have to say it worked.

Cool! I'm happy to report that, thanks to some user boards out there, I finally figured out how to find my hidden GTC data file on my backup. I had to do a little Terminal mode hacking to get there, but I got in and copied the file over to our other computer.   

To experiment, I uploaded my GTC files to Garmin Connect (which was quite easy), but I was a bit disappointed to see that the notes I wrote on each run did NOT follow the other data. Drat. Well, at least I have the data stashed in a third location, should I ever need to access it.

So far, I like Garmin Connect, but I wish I could change the Y axis ranges and move the columns around.  I DO like that I can download it to Excel as a CSV file.  I'll have to try and upload my FR305 runs into it.

Looks like you got lucky in that you backed up all of your data. There is definitely no way that you should pay $800 for a part when you can get a good replacement for that price or less. Also glad that you found your GTC file...That data is precious

Mike MacLellan wrote:Oh, it was a Mac? No wonder it costs $850 to fix. (Just imagine the stirring the pot emoti since I'm on my phone and can't see them all)

Stir away, WinBlows boy. It'll give you something to do while your virus/malware/spyware scan is processing.  

ounce wrote:So far, I like Garmin Connect, but I wish I could change the Y axis ranges and move the columns around.  I DO like that I can download it to Excel as a CSV file.  I'll have to try and upload my FR305 runs into it.

Interesting. I'll have to fool around with it when I have time to see if there's any tweaks I can make to it. It certainly has a slick interface. RunningAHEAD works well for me, though it's not nearly as polished looking.

Nick Morris wrote:Looks like you got lucky in that you backed up all of your data.  There is definitely no way that you should pay $800 for a part when you can get a good replacement for that price or less.  Also glad that you found your GTC file...That data is precious

I'm very glad I got that 2TB hard drive a while back and started running Apple's TimeMachine automatic backup software. It saved us a LOT of grief. Now I just need to set aside some time to burn all our photos on to some truly permanent storage medium. I just wish DVDs held more than 4.7GB of data. I have a LOT of photos.

Very happy I found the data. I do have packrat tendencies.

Barefoot Rehab Run/Walk: 2.1 miles

Weather: Mostly cloudy, muggy but mild. 61 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

Woot! This morning's run marks my 400th mile of barefoot running! (Yes, I do record "Bare feet" as a type of shoe in my RunningAHEAD log.)

I'm still at the 0.1 walk and 0.4 running stage. It went well. I am trying to remember to activate the proper muscles in my right leg and not stress my peroneals. It's a little tricky, but I think I'm getting there. There were some times where the running felt simply fabulous. That's a great feeling.

My pace during my running sections got a little faster -- I noticed the mid 9s at one point -- though this time I made a point to not let my HR get too high. This isn't the time to push it.

Average HR for entire run: 124

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Did my PT work after my run, and I'm seeing a little progress there, too.

I did about 10 knee-locked dual heel lifts as a warm up, then managed to do 20 knee-locked single heel lifts on each side, with an assist from a chair. I could really feel the support muscles in my hips working, but the gastroc actually seemed to enjoy the work. I followed up with three minutes of knee-locked single-leg stands on each side, which still feels like somebody's giving me a hotfoot, but I suspect that'll change in time.

Congratulations on your 400th barefoot mile!! Although, I still think you guys are crazy   

Nick Morris wrote:Congratulations on your 400th barefoot mile!!  Although, I still think you guys are crazy   

Thanks! And who said we're not?   

Barefoot Rehab Run/Walk: 2.1 miles

Weather: Overcast, mild, muggy 60 degrees. Gear: Bare feet, shorts, T.

Out for the last 0.1/0.4 interval session this morning with Alita, who's trying to build back after toe surgery last fall. We took it very easy on the running part to keep the effort level consistent throughout, and it worked well.

The run felt very good. My bare feet appreciated the ground, and my ankle and foot didn't complain a bit. Nice.

Average HR for entire run: 122

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Note: I managed 25 assisted single-leg, locked out heel lifts per side yesterday, and 4 minutes single leg locked out standing. Hope to repeat that later today.

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Update: At work, I did 10 dual-leg locked-out heel lifts to warm up, unsupported, then 25 single-leg supported locked out lifts on each side, then another 15 on each side. Easier when using a chair for support than a cubicle wall. Either way, I can really feel these single-leggers in the lateral aspect of my gastroc. Even better, I can see something starting to develop there! I also did 4 minutes of single-legged standing on each leg. It was easier on the right than the left, which surprises me somehow, but I guess I really am entering new territory here. I'm fascinated to see what comes of this.

Nice to see you are slowly coming back. Keep at it.