Re: Building A Better Bumblebee

Mark B Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:12 pm

Jim Lentz wrote:That is great life out of those shoes.

Thanks, Jim. I hope to get as good a life out of these new shoes from Vivobarefoot:

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Vibros10

They are thin-soled, foot-shaped, super-flexible and zero-drop. They look good enough for office wear, and they're about as minimalist as you can get without taping a picture of a shoe to your bare foot. Smile

I think back on all the shoes I've owned, and I can't help but notice that my favorites were always the ones that were most like slippers -- even long before I started experimenting with barefooting. I never could stand clunking around.

Mark B Mon Nov 10, 2014 4:16 pm

Low HR Run: 30 minutes

Weather: Partly cloudy, cool. 50 degrees. Gear: Started barefoot, switched to Luna Mono sandals

I felt crud-free enough to try a run this morning. I started off thinking I'd go barefoot, but about 200 meters in I made a sudden decision that I did not want the distraction of bare feet as I try to get moving again. I went back to the house with the intention of getting my shoes, but I grabbed my Lunas instead.

I kept to my laps-around-the-block route for this, so I could made adjustments and decide to bail out if things weren't working for me. That didn't prove to be necessary, though I had to stop and walk quite a bit to get my HR down into the proper range. Not sure if it was the mechanics of the sandals (which is essentially zero drop and limited cushion), the departing illness, the weeks since I've ran -- or all three. (Yeah, okay. It was all three.)

While I was out there, I decided to record my form from a few different angles. Here's how it looked:

Not too bad, actually.

These sandals work much better than the thinner leather ones I have, and I could imagine being able to truly run in these things once I get my coordination adjusted and fitness rebuilt. So who knows?

Given how my body reacted, it looks like I'll be doing 30-minute outings while running for a bit before I start extending the time. That's frustrating, but necessary.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 122

ounce Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:01 pm

"Hey Edgah," says Gladys, "That weirdo's out there again with that Polaroid on a pool cue. Why does he do that?"
"Gladys, will you get AWAY from that WINDOW!" says Edgar.

Mark, I'm concerned about you ramming your toes again. Maybe....
Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Th?&id=HN.608035187554452448&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0&url=http%3A%2F%2Falmostmakessense

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Th?&id=HN.608035187554452448&w=300&h=300&c=0&pid=1.9&rs=0&p=0&url=http%3A%2F%2Falmostmakessense

Mark B Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:18 pm

ounce wrote:"Hey Edgah," says Gladys, "That weirdo's out there again with that Polaroid on a pool cue. Why does he do that?"
"Gladys, will you get AWAY from that WINDOW!" says Edgar.

Mark, I'm concerned about you ramming your toes again. Maybe....

Aw. He cares. flower

ounce Mon Nov 10, 2014 6:43 pm

Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:"Hey Edgah," says Gladys, "That weirdo's out there again with that Polaroid on a pool cue. Why does he do that?"
"Gladys, will you get AWAY from that WINDOW!" says Edgar.

Mark, I'm concerned about you ramming your toes again. Maybe....

Aw. He cares.

Keep on believing that. cat

Mark B Tue Nov 11, 2014 12:14 am

ounce wrote:
Mark B wrote:
ounce wrote:"Hey Edgah," says Gladys, "That weirdo's out there again with that Polaroid on a pool cue. Why does he do that?"
"Gladys, will you get AWAY from that WINDOW!" says Edgar.

Mark, I'm concerned about you ramming your toes again. Maybe....

Aw. He cares.

~~Keep on~~ Don't stop believing ~~that~~.

Thanks for the earworm, buddy.

nkrichards Tue Nov 11, 2014 12:51 am

You never know what will show up on Mark's blog after a couple days away...always interesting.

Glad to hear you're feeling well enough to get out for a run even if it's shorter than you'd like.

Mark B Tue Nov 11, 2014 1:14 am

nkrichards wrote:You never know what will show up on Mark's blog after a couple days away...always interesting.

Glad to hear you're feeling well enough to get out for a run even if it's shorter than you'd like.

He started it. Wink

And thanks about the run, Nancy. It was good. My ego would love it if I could go scampering about for hours on end, as if all these months of minimal (or non-) activity hadn't happened. But the wiser part of my being seems to be in charge at the moment, so scampering will have to wait.

ounce Tue Nov 11, 2014 10:02 am

Mark B wrote:
nkrichards wrote:You never know what will show up on Mark's blog after a couple days away...always interesting.

Glad to hear you're feeling well enough to get out for a run even if it's shorter than you'd like.

He started it.

And thanks about the run, Nancy. It was good. My ego would love it if I could go scampering about for hours on end, as if all these months of minimal (or non-) activity hadn't happened. But the wiser part of my being seems to be in charge at the moment, so scampering will have to wait.

THIS JUST IN TO THE 365RUNNERS.COM NEWSROOM....BREAKING NEWS...FLASH...
MARK HAS FOUND HIS WISER PART.
DETAILS AS THEY BECOME AVAILABLE...WE'RE TRYING TO GET INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION FROM HIS POT SMOKING BUDDIES, WHEN HE WAS THE POT EDITOR AT THE PAPER, BUT THEY'RE TOO STONED TO BE COHERENT OR THEY WERE TOO BUSY CHEWING ON THEIR MORNING LEFTOVER PIZZA.

This is Buck Nekkid reporting to you from the 365runners.com newsroom. We now return you to your regular blogging.

Mark B Tue Nov 11, 2014 5:38 pm

Thanks, Buck. Always can count on you for the latest twist. Wink

---

Walk: 1.2 miles

Weather: Clear, very windy. 46 degrees, felt like 37. Gusts to 37 mph Gear: Brand new Vivobarefoot Ra II shoes.

A short lunchtime walk on a wild and windy day. I wanted to see how these Vivobarefoots handled pavement. They handled it very well, walking and even running briefly earlier today when I was rushing to a downed tree behind our building. They're also good for climbing on big tree trunks. Smile

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Tree_010

All in all, a good first day in the shoes. Very Happy

Julie Tue Nov 11, 2014 7:36 pm

I'm too young, I shouldn't know that song...but I do....thanks. Wink

Glad you found some dress shoes! That's great. I just wear dead running shoes to work but we do so much walking around I think all the therapists do it with no pretending to wear dress shoes.

Mark B Tue Nov 11, 2014 9:05 pm

Julie wrote:I'm too young, I shouldn't know that song...but I do....thanks.

Glad you found some dress shoes! That's great. I just wear dead running shoes to work but we do so much walking around I think all the therapists do it with no pretending to wear dress shoes.

I think you can safely blame "Glee" for your familiarity with that song, Julie. I have no such excuse - I even heard them play it in concert once, way back in the previous century. Smile

Thanks on the shoes. I'm lucky enough to work in a place where I don't need to wear honest-to-goodness business attire. Wearing running shoes works with jeans on Friday, but the rest of the time it's business casual. Ah, Dockers.

Mark B Wed Nov 12, 2014 5:34 pm

Walk: 2.2 miles

Weather: Sunny and chilly, with a decent wind chill. 40 degrees, with wind chill down to 29. Gear: Vivobarefoot work shoes

We've got snow and ice heading our way, they say, so I made a point of going out at lunch today and enjoying the bright sunshine and cold east wind. It's feeling more natural to get out walking again, which is a nice feeling. The shoes are doing great, and I really like how they are about as close to barefoot as I can get underfoot. It was nice having a shoe over my toes, though; the wind chill was as low as 29.

One less than glowing review for the RunForth app for the iPhone: I've tried it a few times but had problems with it dropping GPS or draining the battery. Today, it did both: It dropped the signal, then turned my phone into a dead brick and didn't even save my starting time. It's no longer on my phone.

ounce Wed Nov 12, 2014 6:37 pm

I guess any feeling that the Vivobarefoot shoes makes the human somewhat uncomfortable wearing something so close to nothing is probably a good thing, as long as pain is not the uncomfortable thing?

The yellow canvas pair is quite interesting.

I'm still getting used to the zero drop Mizuno pair I bought as a 'sneaker' for casual, non-running wear.

Mark B Wed Nov 12, 2014 7:58 pm

ounce wrote:I guess any feeling that the Vivobarefoot shoes makes the human somewhat uncomfortable wearing something so close to nothing is probably a good thing, as long as pain is not the uncomfortable thing?

The yellow canvas pair is quite interesting.

I'm still getting used to the zero drop Mizuno pair I bought as a 'sneaker' for casual, non-running wear.

Pretty much. The sole is much thinner than even my Luna sandals, but there is toe protection and enough coverage to prevent finger-pointing and judgmental remarks at the office. I can feel everything under my feet, and I can feel the workout my foot muscles got on my walk today. It makes me concentrate on walking form, which will help my running form. And they're so much more comfy than some big clodhopper.

Just looked at the yellow canvas jobs. Wow. Those are eye-catching!

Michele "1L" Keane Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:24 am

Have you tried Orthoheel shoes??

Tom H Thu Nov 13, 2014 12:53 pm

Just curious. What is your current shoe count. Should Imelda Marcos be concerned?

Penelope Thu Nov 13, 2014 8:53 pm

It's good that your office is chill enough to wear more comfortable shoes. ANd those ones don't look that far off from dress shoes.
Glad to see you've fought the crud and are back out there!
I haven't tried the RunForth, but I won't now. I haven't found any running GPS app for the phone that was worth anything. They're all finicky at best. My favorite one insisted that my pace was 8:xx / mile, which I can assure was grossly wrong. I just use my garmin watch.

Mark B Thu Nov 13, 2014 10:01 pm

Michele \"1L" Keane wrote:Have you tried Orthoheel shoes??

No, never have. I see that they seem to incorporate some enhanced arch support, at least according to the company's website. I've kind of drifted away from that sort of thing over the years, though I did once use hard fiberglass orthotics.

Tom H wrote:Just curious. What is your current shoe count. Should Imelda Marcos be concerned?

Yipes. Now there's a question. Hm.

I assume you only want ones that can be run in, right?

Trail:
Altra Superior
Nike Terra Kiger
Saucony Peregrine (don't actually wear them anymore, but they're in good enough shape to use still)

Road:
Altra Instinct 1.5
Luna Mono sandals
Bare feet Wink

I've got a few pair of dress shoes, including a nice pair fit to wear with a suit, but I don't wear them to work. Those Vivobarefoot shoes are taking that job now.

Also, I have a number of old Free 5.0 v4, Free Run, Free Run 2 and Free 3.0s with worn soles and blow-outs from my big toe that are gathering dust in a box somewhere. Some of them could be used for running in a pinch. I gave one pair of old 5.0 v4s to Alec when his last pair of Free 4.0s wore out. There a little big on him, but not for long -- his feet are growing fast.

Now, finding those shoes might be tricky. We crammed everything into identical boxes during the Fluffpacolypse, so it's been a great way to make things disappear.

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Screen10

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Screen10

From "Raiders of the Lost Ark"

Yeah. Kind of like that.

Penelope wrote:It's good that your office is chill enough to wear more comfortable shoes. ANd those ones don't look that far off from dress shoes.
Glad to see you've fought the crud and are back out there!
I haven't tried the RunForth, but I won't now. I haven't found any running GPS app for the phone that was worth anything. They're all finicky at best. My favorite one insisted that my pace was 8:xx / mile, which I can assure was grossly wrong. I just use my garmin watch.

Hey, Kathy. Yeah, I wouldn't bother with RunForth. It's a good way to see what you have previously saved in the RunningAHEAD website, but as a GPS run tracker it leaves much to be desired. In three attempts to use it, it failed catastrophically every time. And it sucked my battery. If I need to be precise, my trusty old Garmin Forerunner 305 will do nicely.

Hope you're feeling better, too! There are some nasty viruses circulating around this year that don't get the attention of the big name bugs, or even influenza. We've had a bunch of people sick in the office, and there symptoms differ enough to suggest that they didn't all get it from me.

Mark B Fri Nov 14, 2014 4:13 pm

Low HR Run: 30 minutes (2.18 miles)

Weather: Sunny, chilly, slight breeze. 42 degrees. Gear: Luna Monos, tights, T, pullover.

Time to test out my running sandals in cooler conditions. We had snow flurries yesterday and there was still a little sleet in shaded areas when I went out this morning. In the sun, it was several degrees warmer.

I considered wearing toe socks with the sandals but decided against it. I've run barefoot in far colder weather, and the sandal gives total protection for any direct cold from the street. Besides, I had a hole in them and they looked silly.

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Sandal10

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Sandal10

Decisions, decisions...

I think I'll save socks for sub-freezing weather, or maybe cold and rainy conditions -- and maybe get some new wool ones.

I did this as a low HR run, and I was a little faster and went a little farther in 30 minutes than I did on Monday. My body is still adapting to the sandals, as well as the activity, but at least I didn't overrev my max HR like I did last time. It's slow going and a little frustrating, but I know this works, so I'll keep at it.

Walked first and last 5 minutes. Average HR for entire run: 127

ounce Fri Nov 14, 2014 6:18 pm

DARN those socks!!!! I don't mean "Darn, those socks." Stitch them suckers up!

Tom H Fri Nov 14, 2014 8:35 pm

Yeah, save the black toe socks for your Ninja running efforts. And don't tear the rice paper.

Mark B Fri Nov 14, 2014 11:32 pm

ounce wrote:DARN those socks!!!! I don't mean "Darn, those socks." Stitch them suckers up!

Now that's something you don't hear much about anymore, is it? Darning my socks would take forever. I eventually blow out the big toe in every pair of socks I own, but I thought toe socks would help. Ha!

Tom H wrote:Yeah, save the black toe socks for your Ninja running efforts. And don't tear the rice paper.

Ninja works, through I think it had a bit of a Navy frogman look to it, too. Smile

And as it turned out, I totally didn't need the extra warmth on my feet. Maybe when it gets below freezing, or maybe when it's cold and rainy. We'll have to see.

nkrichards Sat Nov 15, 2014 3:55 pm

The toe socks I purchased for the girls last Christmas are much more stylish...multi-colored.

Good to see you are getting out there and improving. Enjoy the warm weather. Low of -3 here this morning. Predicted high of 20.

Mark B Sat Nov 15, 2014 10:25 pm

nkrichards wrote:The toe socks I purchased for the girls last Christmas are much more stylish...multi-colored.

Good to see you are getting out there and improving. Enjoy the warm weather. Low of -3 here this morning. Predicted high of 20.

Brr! Looks like it's going to be about that cold for you Sunday morning, too. Gotta love that polar vortex.

By comparison, it's supposed to be a balmy 21 degrees (with a wind chill of 9 degrees) here when I meet up with my training partner tomorrow for our first run together in many, many months. We picked a cold day for it.

Good thing I got myself these nifty (and hopefully warm) wool toe socks for my sandals!

Building A Better Bumblebee - Page 31 Screen10

This ought to be an interesting experiment. geek

Sponsored content