Not a ton to recap from my running week… I’m still experiencing a lot of dizziness and brain fog. And yes, I realize I should go to the doctor, but I HATE going to doctors. Here’s where I rant a little…
I once read that the difference between eastern and western medicine* is this:
Eastern: Treating patients with problems.
Western: Treating problems in patients.
I believe this statement, 100%. It is very very very VERY rare when I’ve come away from a doctor’s appointment feeling glad that I went. Most of the time I feel like I wasted my time and money by paying a co-pay and sitting in a waiting room for so long to see a doctor for a few minutes. And most of the time I leave feeling a little guilty, because doctors always seem to act like they’re rushed and like I’m taking time out of their day, like I’m a nuisance. I’m very quick to take blame upon myself, even for things that aren’t my fault. So when the doctor acts this way, I feel like I’ve done something wrong. I usually realize after that I am fully justified to expect a doctor to listen to me when I make an appointment, but post-appointment isn’t the time for that realization.
So anyway, I keep living in a fog. Some days the pressure in my head seems to lift once I start running, only to settle back in later on. Other days that feeling prevents me from having a good run, like yesterday when I could only eek out a little over 4 miles on the treadmill because my head felt like it was stuck in a vice. It’s really a weird sensation, it’s hard to think through new things and I feel like I have to concentrate super-hard to do seemingly simple things… like driving or walking.
I did wrap up another week where I got 6 quarter-mile barefoot runs done. They were all done at 5.0 mph once again. But after 2 weeks of barefooting at that speed, I think I’m going to bump it up a notch… probably 5.2 mph! I’m taking it short and slow so as to avoid injury. The whole point of this is to just build strength in my lower legs & feet, plus raise awareness of my gait. I’ll repeat, I have no dreams of running long distances or races or outside barefoot right now. 
Here are the week’s running iPhone self-portraits.
*In this case, Eastern vs. Western means more in terms of a global perspective, not US coasts, if you were confused. 
PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Marathon 2008 Schwag
(Obviously that was before they started their current ruling of 2 mini-bars per person. I’ll blame the economy on this change.)
When I trained to do the San Antonio Rock ‘n’ Roll marathon with Team In Training, I took a Larabar with me to eat after my long runs. After running umpteen miles, I usually need something in me pretty quickly, was often a good distance from my house and these really hit the spot.
The beauty of the Larabar is in the ingredient list. They never contain more than six items and each item is a REAL FOOD, not something that sounds like a lab experiment. They are uncooked, unprocessed and all the sweetness comes from fruits. If you shy away from health foods, you may think that this doesn’t sound like it would be tasty. But you would be dead wrong, they are truly some of the most delicious bars I’ve ever eaten.
Since I received a wide assortment of the bars at the race in 2008, I got to try most of the flavors. Since that time they’ve released a few other flavors (Coconut Cream Pie, Peanut Butter Cookie, Tropical, etc.) and I’ve made a point to try those as well. I have yet to find a flavor I like!
I kind of got out of the habit of eating these, but a few weeks ago Jillian at Finishing is Winning had a surprise giveaway for people who had commented on one of her posts. So because I left her a few song recommendations, I was the recipient of the surprise – 3 Larabars! Opening that box was a great present!* And that has re-affirmed that I really do like these bars and should eat them more often.
The bars range from 180-220 calories (roughly) and contain good fats/sugars from natural sources (like nuts and dates). Since I’m trying to consume more dietary fat right now, these are a great option.
Amazon.com
I do really like the mini bars they give out at expos and wish they would sell those in stores, they’re a good size.
Do you have a favorite Larabar flavor?
*These would make a great Valentine’s gift for someone!
This review was prompted by my own love for this product.
I can’t flip through an issue of Runner’s World without thinking, “I want to do that race… and that one… and that one…” Even if it’s a race in some podunk town on the other side of the country, most of the time I think to myself, “That would be fun because it’s someplace new!”
Every now and then I hear of a race that sounds like something I would never want to do. Races where you have to consume a lot of donuts at the “aid” stations before continuing sound absolutely miserable to me. Badwater used to sound like an exercise of insanity… until my friend Molly did the race and suddenly it seemed a little more rational. (Let’s emphasize “little” there… I really don’t see myself ever doing that one, but then for some reason I can’t allow myself to discount it entirely either.)
But our local news featured a race as their kicker story the other day and I think I’ve found one I can’t even WANT to do.
This race/competition in England requires participants to:
- run through mud…
- climb over walls…
- crawl under barb wire…
- dive into freezing water…
- run through fire…
FIRE?!
No thanks, I think I can safely say this is one race that will never be on my lists!
What conditions would be a dealbreaker on a race for you?
This has been a rough week for me, again I’ve just felt crummy. Physically I’ve felt like my brain is in a fog, like my head is locked in a vice, my breathing has felt labored and my heart a little fluttery. And at one point I wasn’t even sure if I dared to venture away from my house to attempt a run, simply due to the fear of passing out on the sidewalk. I stuck to the treadmill that day. And emotionally I was feeling down much of the week yet again. Not sure if if the physical symptoms are bringing on the emotional struggles or vice versa.
But it’s also been weird in that once I’ve started running, my head has felt a little clarity. It’s like the running was a brief reprieve to the strain and burden my whole body was feeling. I thought that Tuesday night I felt that simply because I got to see and run with friends. But I felt that same “life” on Thursday’s treadmill run, and usually the treadmill leaves me feeling kind of irritable.
Yesterday I set out for my long run… long run being completely subjective. I still struggle to call it that when compared to marathon training. I was planning on doing 6 miles, but due to the fact that I went out without any set route and was just turning when I felt like turning… I did 7 miles. And they were 7 wonderful miles!
My weekly iPhone self-portraits:
I also ran a cumulative total of 1.5 miles barefoot on the treadmill this week, all just .25 mile at a time going 5mph. I will do that for another week, then make a decision on how I want to change it. I’m only doing this to strengthen my feet and legs as well as be more conscious of my gait. I have no aspirations to run a race with nekkid feet, so I’m not sure if I’m going to increase my distance on these barefooting runs or increase the speed.
I’m traveling for work next week, I always find it difficult to get in my workouts while doing that. I always complain about it, but it seriously feels like all the hours in the day just vanish!
