It's official. They stink!

It's official, there is something about the Vibrams that promote the stank. I washed mine for the first time on Friday night because something about the smell was bugging me,  and left them in the sun to dry on Saturday. One shouldn't take off shoes at the end of the day and get a light whiff of foot. That's just wrong.

Sunday comes along and for my afternoon in the park, I grab my Vibrams and put my nose to the shoe. Hmm, ok, mild something something, but maybe I'm imagining it. Monday comes along and I whip them on and spend a day at school. 7:30 I'm home, peel them off and decide to give them another whiff. Eww, now something's just not right, I just washed these!

I immediately hopped onto the computer and found this thread. A must read for Vibram owners. Seems like the most effective (and luckily chemical free) way of eliminating the smell is to soak them in vinegar! So, they're sitting in a pot of vinegar & water (1-3 cup ratio) right now. I'll rinse them out and dry them in the sun tomorrow. Will keep you posted. 

Meanwhile, my shoes continue to be the topic of conversation both at school and public places. It's kinda fun. And other than the smell, they really are super comfortable. 

KSO Vibrams - Week 1

Rating: Pretty Awesome

Pros: very comfortable, conversation starter

Cons: feet feel cold and clammy, maybe smells easily

After what seemed like a 2 month wait (it was probably less), I finally got the call from Zombierunners that my KSO's were in! I was so excited to try them out. Curious to see how they felt and hopeful that, in the end, they will be what I need to really strengthen up my perpetually sprained ankles.

The plan was just to wear them as much as possible at school and out doing whatever errands I had outside. One thing that concerned me from the time I tried them on at the store was how difficult it was to slip them on. It wasn't maneuvering the toes into the right sockets so much as trying to pull the heel out to fit the rest of my foot in. It seemed to take a lot of effort and strain to drag the back of the shoe back and out to allow you to squish the heel in. There is a tab at the back of the shoe that helps with this, but it took me a better part of a week to get a rhythm down. I found with the KSO's that it helps to make sure that the mesh on top is smoothly pulled over the dorsum of the foot first before you try putting the heel part back, and I found that by the end of the week, there was a tiny bit more stretch in the shoe, so it's not too bad now. And getting my toes in the right place has become a lot simpler. They just seem to know where to go now.

Comfort-wise, I was in heaven. I am not an avid barefoot walker so I was wondering how I would feel very flat to the ground with no heel support. Mentally, it almost makes you feel like a kid again. It's an oddly freeing sensation to feel as if you're walking barefoot everywhere. I also found it easier to manage my comfort when sitting in chairs. I'm short. Rarely do I spend much time with my feet dangling from a chair. I tend to tuck them to my side or sit cross legged. With the Vibrams I didn't have to take off my shoes to do it. Nice.

I have not tested the Vibram's comfort level on any type of rough terrain. The roughest I got was some broken up pavement in a parking lot just yesterday. The rest of the time has been on smooth pavement, rug, linoleum, sidewalk and the like. I am curious to see how my feet will feel on a trail hike. Maybe next weekend. This weekend is just trail running for which I still wear trail shoes and ankle braces.

My only 3 concerns were the cold, the clammy-ness, and the possibly/maybe smell.
I sit in a lot of cold classrooms with linoleum floors. It doesn't take too long before my feet feel very cold. I don't think my foot will fit in the shoe if I wore Injinji's so I'm a bit concerned about what to do when the colder weather comes along. Tucking them underneath me only helps a tiny bit.

The other issue I had was the feeling that my feet were wet and sweaty in the shoe. When I stuck my finger along the edge to check and when I have taken the shoe off, I have never found them to be "wet". Just a bit clammy. The bottom of the shoe just doesn't breath at all which I suppose is a big duh since the foot is pretty much encased in rubber. It's an odd sensation, but something I can probably get used to.

I read somewhere online that there was a smell concern with some people. To be honest, I didn't think I would have a problem. My shoes and my feet have just never gotten that smelly. Well, except maybe 20 years ago when I was wearing Keds with no socks. During this past week, I would check the shoe every now and then . It pretty much smelled like strong rubber to me. But just in case, I threw them in the wash this morning. Love this feature by the way. Upon coming back from my run, I took them out and gave them a good sniff. I can't deny it, I think I smell feet. They're sitting in the sun right now to dry. I hope this doesn't become a bigger problem. Maybe I should start powdering my feet? Really don't want to do that though.

But all in all, I am loving how they feel. I have experienced no pain or jarring. The grip on the ground is awesome. I do have to remind myself that they are, in fact, shoes and shouldn't really be put on tabletops, couches, and other places where maybe feet are allowed but shoes are gross. It's hard to remember though since they feel so feet-like. :)

Quicksilver 1/2 Marathon

Just a quick recap of my "comeback" run of the year. Have I actually completed anything this year? I think I finished a 25K at Angel Island in June (yup, just checked), so it's not really like I haven't done anything this year; but after spraining my ankle again in July, it sure feels like it. 

More than anything, I was scared to death of re-spraining one of my ankles. Which, in another sense is rather an accomplishment since I wasn't scared to death of injuring my back. And more than anything, I was afraid of the complete mortification I would feel should I injury myself again and everyone were to find out. My ankle sprains have actually become extremely embarrassing for me. I mean, come on, how many times does it have to happen before somebody feels compelled to set up an intervention. I was actually very happy it was a non PCTR race so I wouldn't know as many people. Crazy eh. 

I am not going to recap every great moment. Just suffice to say that I did my best. Todd (best friend galore) was my lead. I did everything I could to just to try to keep him in sight and he was gracious enough to wait for me at every aid station before he would take off again. And the sheer number of runners who just DIDN'T STOP RUNNING on the insane uphills were enough make me dig in deep and keep a nonstop forward motion plod. Todd and I ended up with a nice little posse in the last 5 miles or so. All in sync and all pushing each other to finish those last miles. I loved that. It's part of what I miss at races. 

Anyways, it was a great day. I have done practice runs longer than this, but have never ended up as sore as I am today. Goes to show what pushing yourself will do. The weather was blissfully cool on those Quicksilver hills, but about 15 feet from the finish I ended up with what would be my first small muscle cramp in my right calf. I'm sure it has something to do with my nutrition. I am avoiding all the processed sports drinks and gels and am trying to rely just on homemade stuff, but I need to make sure that I am doing it right. But hey, first calf cramp! Exciting! 

Thanks Adam Blum for RD'ing a great race and a thank you to all the enthusiastic volunteers. It was a gooooood day. 

Injury. Recover. Run. Repeat.

Due to the monotony of constantly writing about health issues, I have stopped blogging for a while. Not quite sure why I'm writing anything now except that I feel compelled to avoid studying for my finals for as long as possible today. I've been doing a pretty good job at it actually. 

So, really, it's been a great year. The low back has been, except for a bad bout early this year, pretty darn stable. Running has been ramping up. Not so much in weekly mileage, but my muscle memory was sure starting to kick back in with long runs up to 16 miles with little wear and tear. So I sprained an ankle again 3 weeks ago. So what!! All par for the course. A little embarrassing, yes. Okay, a lot embarrassing actually, but hey, been there done that. Ran twice this past week with a hike on the trails today. Feeling pretty good. Both ankles are now and forever lashed into ankle supports. I hate wearing them. They get really hot and itchy, but hopefully they'll stop me from rolling them as often as I do. Felt good to smell the dirt again today at Hidden Villa. 

Vibram Five Fingers are on order. I hate being so trendy, but if they can help strenghthen my feet and structure, maybe it's worth a shot. I will probably write a bit about that when I get them.

So, off she goes. It's the "Run" part now. Maybe I should start a betting pool for when "Repeat" might happen. (sigh)

Runner Food of the Month :: Pho Ngon

New pho place in Mountain View that I loooove. Granted, all I ever get are spring rolls and Pho Tai, but what else does one need! This place didn't get great reviews in yelp which I usually think are pretty helpful, but for the items that I get, I think they are outstanding. The broth is clear, clean, and incredibly flavorful. You get real-looking slices of non fatty beef and the spring rolls actually seem and taste freshly made with fresh ingredients instead of the mishmash of mystery ingredients you usually get (sorry about the run on sentence).

They're a little pricey compared to the typical Pho Hoa type places, but since I don't eat out a lot, it's worth it to me. As a new little shop, the service is very eager and helpful. I love them, so help me keep them in business. 

Pho Ngon
2500B El Camino Real
Mountain View, CA 94040

Quote of the Day

"They are not as alarming as they used to be"

 In response to my question of whether I had lost a lot of muscle tone in my calves. 

OMG! Edit! Edit! Delete and check mental thesaurus for god's sake!

2 days!

Yesterday was my 2nd day of "practice" jogging on the trails. My purpose was to hike and get myself a much needed outdoor fix, but come on, when you're in your trail shoes on a trail, it's hard to not run. Maybe next time I wear heels.

Both trips were to Arastradero which like other parks around here right now is so beautiful and green and pristine it looked like a photoshopped image, animals included. Both times, I have come away with a lot of tightness and today in particular, a sore spot on my left hip. But, no nerve pain, it just feels like a bad knot. I can deal with that.
Hopefully I can keep this up and start training already. Meanwhile, it's yoga day.