I have been doing my runs with more ease! I'm not thinking about it as obsessively and am even starting to...enjoy it! YUP! Running is so great -every time I stop doing it it's like I'm mad at it...and once I start again I truly can't believe why I stopped! Ok rain, now please go away so I can start doing outdoor runs :)
In our Yoga practice we can use our bodies to find flexibility...flexibility in our minds,
flexibility in our lives. Our physical practices can help us be freer in
our mental practices.
“To the mind that is still, the whole universe surrenders” Lao Tze
Showing posts with label barefoot running. Show all posts
Showing posts with label barefoot running. Show all posts
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Zen of Running
I am trying to run. Actually I do run. But I am trying to run...well? Meaning I am trying to run and enjoy it and not hate it so much! In the past I have never really run for more than 3 miles so I decided to make a running "schedule" about a month ago and have stuck to it pretty well! Last week I finally got to my 4 miles -breaking 3 was a big deal. Since then I have only done it 2 other times but I'm slowly but surely working on it. Kim Kardashian has been extremely helpful in this as I watch Keeping up with the Kardashians while on the treadmill -Kardashian Dash if you will. My goal is an hour or 6 miles...but to be able to handle it every day at some point.
This whole running thing is a big mental challenge for me. First of all I get mentally obsessed -which was the reason for not being able to break 3 miles -I get bored and then convince myself I'm tired, my ankle feels weird, my legs hurt too much, I might get shin splints, etc. I keep looking at the time on the treadmill and 1 or 2 minutes is just torturous! HOW DO PEOPLE STAY ON A TREADMILL FOR AN HOUR?! Also when do your legs stop feeling so friggin sore? So that is the second part of the mental challenge -I'm not even running but I am thinking about my calves being tight and sore -when does it stop? Should I rest tomorrow or do a short run? If I do too many short runs will that make it hard to do 4 miles again? What is this stupid conversation I am having with myself about running all about? Why don't I just stop the conversation and run instead? Yes -good idea.
OK so besides Kim Kardashian, I also have Yoga -duh. So I can't do alternate nostril breathing while running, but I started using the mantra -Om nama shivaya along with the Chakras and there I am feeling all light, mentally letting go of my weird running conversation that goes no where, and just getting it done instead. Thank you, yoga and thank you, Kim. Stay tuned for progress on my running!
This whole running thing is a big mental challenge for me. First of all I get mentally obsessed -which was the reason for not being able to break 3 miles -I get bored and then convince myself I'm tired, my ankle feels weird, my legs hurt too much, I might get shin splints, etc. I keep looking at the time on the treadmill and 1 or 2 minutes is just torturous! HOW DO PEOPLE STAY ON A TREADMILL FOR AN HOUR?! Also when do your legs stop feeling so friggin sore? So that is the second part of the mental challenge -I'm not even running but I am thinking about my calves being tight and sore -when does it stop? Should I rest tomorrow or do a short run? If I do too many short runs will that make it hard to do 4 miles again? What is this stupid conversation I am having with myself about running all about? Why don't I just stop the conversation and run instead? Yes -good idea.
OK so besides Kim Kardashian, I also have Yoga -duh. So I can't do alternate nostril breathing while running, but I started using the mantra -Om nama shivaya along with the Chakras and there I am feeling all light, mentally letting go of my weird running conversation that goes no where, and just getting it done instead. Thank you, yoga and thank you, Kim. Stay tuned for progress on my running!
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| Kardashian dashing |
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| Y'all need to read this book! |
Monday, December 13, 2010
On the subject of running.
Look, I totally have jet lag but check out my Vibrams! Went running all over Thailand! No, that's such a lie. I ran mostly on treadmills and by the beach in Phuket, but they went a long way and of course the Thai guys in the Muay Thai camps were all..."What is that?!" Totally blew their minds...Vibrams to Thailand!
Speaking of running, a cool book I'm reading right now. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami.
Speaking of running, a cool book I'm reading right now. What I Talk About When I Talk About Running, by Haruki Murakami.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Shin splints and funky toe shoes.
I once got this really annoying injury called plantar fasciitis not from running but from walking around in flat shoes for an entire winter, when I tried to go back to normal shoes, the problem arose. Now this happened to me because I have a bit of an arch and my feet do not like flat shoes, especially ballet flats. My feet really like to either be barefoot or in a good sturdy 2.5-3" heel. I am not a doctor or anything, but I know what my body likes. Something we constantly have to remember in Yoga in order to prevent injury. Well I went to a podiatrist and he told me in order to allow it to heel I was to stay off heels. Well I will tell you the problem did not even begin to get better for 2 weeks. I could barely walk until I finally decided to walk around my house in comfortable heels...fixed in 1 week!
However, when I tried to get back onto the treadmill I started getting shin splints. One of the most annoying injuries ever because it takes forever to heal itself and it feels pretty miserable. I all together gave up running for a long time and though I sort of hate running, I do get runners high and I feel awesome after finishing a run. Lastly running is one of the few exercises where I see immediate results in my weight. After careful examination on the whole running situation I started to see that I was a heel striker. When I'm in running sneakers, I would strike my heel down first, then slap the rest of my foot down. I read all kinds of stuff about it but I also realized how much it applied to me. If I got on a treadmill with running shoes and tried to run for 10min at the speed of 5, I would feel the shin splints. I noticed in Capoeira class they had us warm up by running around on a wood floor barefoot, no pain. I started to realize, when I was barefoot I was no longer landing heel first. Further researching the whole thing I came upon theses weird toe shoes...Vibram 5 fingers. They have totally changed my whole view on running. I LOVE them. I still hate the task of running but once I get going and finish I feel pretty awesome. I don't recommend this for everyone, but it totes works for me! I have 2 pairs.
Above is the pair I use to run outdoors, which I do once in a blue moon. I have a friend who runs outdoors in them regularly, up to 10 miles...and then any more than that she swaps them for running shoes, but ultimately goes back and forth bc the Vibrams trained her to run more properly, thus preventing injuries. This also greatly helped my knee pains. Heel striking was really hard on my joints!
Now 2 great poses for shin splints.
1. Sarvangasana. Shoulder stand. Yeah one of my least favorites but I am pushing myself to do it more and more.
Lie flat on your back with arms by your sides, palms press down to the floor. Swing the hips and legs over head. Try to straighten legs, and flex feet, try to get the feet to touch the floor behind you. Interlace the fingers and walk the shoulders in towards each other. Now bring the hands to the lower back. Make sure you're not on your neck but you are on your shoulders. Bring legs straight up.
2. Viparita Karani. Legs up the wall pose. Sit with one side against the wall, legs extended, with one leg touching the wall. Lie down on your back and swing legs upward, positioning your butt where the floor and wall meet. It also feels really good to put a pillow or bolster under your sacrum.
These poses are both great to stay in for a long time as it allows the blood to flow back to your center, which helps the inflammation from the shin splints. Try it! Legs up the wall is also generally a great alternative to headstand or handstand.
However, when I tried to get back onto the treadmill I started getting shin splints. One of the most annoying injuries ever because it takes forever to heal itself and it feels pretty miserable. I all together gave up running for a long time and though I sort of hate running, I do get runners high and I feel awesome after finishing a run. Lastly running is one of the few exercises where I see immediate results in my weight. After careful examination on the whole running situation I started to see that I was a heel striker. When I'm in running sneakers, I would strike my heel down first, then slap the rest of my foot down. I read all kinds of stuff about it but I also realized how much it applied to me. If I got on a treadmill with running shoes and tried to run for 10min at the speed of 5, I would feel the shin splints. I noticed in Capoeira class they had us warm up by running around on a wood floor barefoot, no pain. I started to realize, when I was barefoot I was no longer landing heel first. Further researching the whole thing I came upon theses weird toe shoes...Vibram 5 fingers. They have totally changed my whole view on running. I LOVE them. I still hate the task of running but once I get going and finish I feel pretty awesome. I don't recommend this for everyone, but it totes works for me! I have 2 pairs.
Above is the pair I use to run outdoors, which I do once in a blue moon. I have a friend who runs outdoors in them regularly, up to 10 miles...and then any more than that she swaps them for running shoes, but ultimately goes back and forth bc the Vibrams trained her to run more properly, thus preventing injuries. This also greatly helped my knee pains. Heel striking was really hard on my joints!
Now 2 great poses for shin splints.
1. Sarvangasana. Shoulder stand. Yeah one of my least favorites but I am pushing myself to do it more and more.
Lie flat on your back with arms by your sides, palms press down to the floor. Swing the hips and legs over head. Try to straighten legs, and flex feet, try to get the feet to touch the floor behind you. Interlace the fingers and walk the shoulders in towards each other. Now bring the hands to the lower back. Make sure you're not on your neck but you are on your shoulders. Bring legs straight up.
2. Viparita Karani. Legs up the wall pose. Sit with one side against the wall, legs extended, with one leg touching the wall. Lie down on your back and swing legs upward, positioning your butt where the floor and wall meet. It also feels really good to put a pillow or bolster under your sacrum.
These poses are both great to stay in for a long time as it allows the blood to flow back to your center, which helps the inflammation from the shin splints. Try it! Legs up the wall is also generally a great alternative to headstand or handstand.
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