Now with VFF's!

It's been a couple of weeks since I've posted so here's a quick update:

I've kept up running during the week for about a total of 20 miles and another 7.5 miles on top of that for my long run on Sunday.  I was going to do the long run with my NB Minimus Trails, but I've had this nagging bruise under one of my toes.  So I tried using my Merrell Trail Gloves.  For some reason the MTG's didn't push on that part of my foot, therefore no nagging pain on that spot.  My guess is the rock plate that is just under that spot that keeps the front of my foot from touching down helps.

If you've read reviews on the MTG's you'll have heard that they have a sort of negative drop.  In other words they are not true zero-drop shoes.  The fore-foot is raised higher than the heel.  Not by much (1mm) but if you're not mid/fore-foot striking, you will definitely feel it.  I've been building up since January, and on that long run with the MTG's definitely gave my calf and achilles a work-out!  I've been feeling it for the last week.  But it was a fun run.

But this last week I finally bit the bullet and popped for the Vibram Fivefingers Speed.  If you recall from a while back, they were the toe shoes that actually looked cool.  I ordered them through REI online.  Unfortunately the sizing that is listed on the Vibram site is wrong.  According to the site I should have been wearing size 41 Speeds.  They were wayyyyy to small! I took them back to the local REI in Marina and got a refund.  I had received a call the week before the same day I ordered the Speeds.  I ended up driving up to San Jose during my lunch to pick them up.  They had 42's.  Again they were too small.  I asked if they could get them in 43's.  They said their store in Palo Alto had them in several sizes.  I left expecting their call in a couple of days.  Along the way to the highway I decided to call up the store and let the sales-clerk know I was heading the Palo Alto store.  It was only 20 more miles away.  Screw it.

I get there and tried on the 42's which were still too small.  I asked if I could try the 43's and 44's.  The 43's were snug, but wearable. The 44's were too big I thought.  So I walked out with the 43's.  Now I'm thinking that they are too small.  I did go for a run in them though and they were FANTASTIC!

But it was my first time running that long with toe-shoes so the inevitable happened.  I worked different muscles which were hardly used which lead to soreness.  I'm still feeling it today a several days later.  I don't care though, it just soreness.  Massage and ice are miracle workers to that problem.

Since I did buy the shoes at Footwear Ect, and they have a wonderful return policy (refund unworn within 30 days or exchange if worn) I asked them to order size 44's for me.  They'll be giving me a call soon.  But in the meantime, I decided to buy the VFF's I had originally intended buying before I found out about the Speeds.

The Vibram Fivefingers Bikila LS (LS = Lacing System)


As you can see they have a speed lacing system.  They feel alright but I won't know how they do in a run until I go for a run tonight.  I can already say that they do feel different.  They're not as light as the Speeds, but then again the Speeds are more for fashion (though they are used for running by several barefooters).  The Bikilas were made specifically for running.  They have reflective areas around the shoe so you can get spotted a bit more easily if you run in the dark.  I'm looking forward to that run.  I'll post my impressions ASAP once I've got a couple of runs in.  I'd like to try them for my long run on Sunday morning (~9 miles).

Andy by-the-by, I'm down 18 pounds from when I started my lifestyle change.  I was at 251 pounds when I started and this morning I weighed in at 233 pounds.  I've been floating around the lower 230's for a while now, but I think that is because of more muscle being built up.  I've definitely felt my clothes be much looser than before.  So much so that I had to buy new pants.  I was wearing size 44 pant size.  I went out and bought size 42 Levi's.  I'm happy about that.

God willing, things will keep going this well.  I'm still excited about running.  Compared to last year, I'm doing much better motivation-wise.  No shin splints, more energy because of the change in diet and running.  This barefooting/4-Hour Body thing is the perfect match!

GD

p.s.
this is what this part of the alphabet would look like if Q and R were missing - Mitch Hedberg
and I'm too lazy to check grammar.

Latest run was better than last week!

Clicking the title link will take you to my last run I had.  It's a change from what I'd normally would've done.  I ran around town!

I had planned to go run West Cliff in Santa Cruz again last week with my friend . . . but he forgot that he had a previous engagement with his girlfriend to go watch a show in The City.  So seeing that it was gonna be in SF, they had decided to make a day of it . . . which left me with a decision.

Do I make the effort to wake up REAL early to make it to West Cliff and run it by my lonesome?  Or do I go run in Marina and finally do the route I've been wanting to do for a while?

Well  . . . it turns out that I did neither.  I wanted to sleep in a bit.  I woke up at 7:30, threw on my running shoes and out the door I went  . . . and kept going.  I ran almost 7.5 miles in a but under 90 minutes.  Not bad considering last week I did 8 miles in OVER 2 FRICKEN HOURS!

Sorry . . . that still gets me.

Next week I shall attempt the ten miles I wanted to do this week.  I've got the route partially planned out already.  I just gotta tweak it.  This week is all intervals.  I gotta get the legs and lungs hurtin so that when the real run in a few weeks time comes, they don't.

The feet are still buggin me a bit, but not as much as before.  I still have that funky knot under the second toe of my left foot which can become a bother on these longer runs.  But this time I recovered fairly quickly!  I definitely think what helped this time was the cold water dip.  Once I got home from the run, I turned on the cold water and filled the tub.  I tossed back a Kirkland chocolate milk carton, too.  Once the tube was full, I eased in.  Boy!  Was that difficult, especially when I got to the boys!  Whew, talk about shrinkage!

Sorry, it's not that I want you to imagine a relatively short fat guy completely naked with the twig and berries all tucked in.  ;)

Shortly after the dip though, I got real comfortable.  It felt real good.  The aches were going away quicker than usual and I just sat there and let it all happen.  I think I was in there a good 10 to 15 minutes.  After that, I drained the tub and took a cool shower.  It felt weird, though.  My upper body was almost cold because of the coolish shower (quite refreshing), but from the waist down the water felt almost uncomfortably hot!

Aside from that strange after run experience, I felt better after the run that what I had felt like last week.  I'm running Salinas again next Sunday.  Hopefully for the full 10 miles!

GD

p.s.
too lazy

Day after, after

Today I'm a bit sorer (is that a word).  I went with my cuz on her half-hour intervals and I felt ok.  I felt a bit of a twinge, but nothing major.  My foot was still buggin me on that funky bruise, but again workable.  I did enjoy the run tremendously.  I wanted to go for another mile or two after we finished but I figured I shouldn't push it.

Today, I'm gonna rest.  Gonna take my godson to go watch the new Transformers tonight when I get out of work.  I may even fall asleep in the theater . . . maybe.

As far as the 4 hour body thing . . . it had been going ok except for last night and right now.  I was too lazy to cook anything last night so I ate what was left over from Zacharys.  And right now, I found some graham crackers in my desk and they are nice and crispy!  Reminds me of kindergarten.  All I need is my carton of milk.  I'm just extending the cheat day for a bit.  I don't even want to look at a scale yet to see if I've plateaued(sp).

GD

It was nice when I started . . .

A quick update . . .

When last I posted, my cousin began running.  She's been keeping up with it and logged in 3 runs for a total of almost 8 miles.  We'll be going again tonight . . .

Last week I also ran pretty much every day.  On the days I've run solo, I've gone for 3 or 4 miles.

Last week I had also agreed to go on an 8 mile run in Santa Cruz with a friend.  A couple of years ago he ran his first marathon.  After that, he didn't do much.  Just ran to not lose it.  A mile here, another there.  When he heard I enrolled in the SVHM, he and his girlfriend signed up also.  His girlfriend was a cross-country runner in high school.  She's a twig and an over-strider.  She's having knee issues.  I promised her a book (Born to Run).

So anyway, if you click the title of this post it'll show you the route we took for the run.  I made a mistake though.  When we started our run, he started reeeeeal slowwwww.  A good power-walk.    And I kept with him for the whole run.  While we were running and talking, I'd be looking at other runners and checking out their form (or if they were hotties, really check out their form ;p), and checking out their shoes.  There were a lot of Fivefingers out and about.

At about mile three I saw one couple with Fivefingers.  The guy had the pair I've been looking for locally for a while now (Fivefingers Speed).  About a minute after they passed, I decided to go back and chase them down to find out where he had bought them.  I ran pretty hard to catch them.  I asked them where they had got them and was told REI.  I was thinkin to myself where in Santa Cruz is the REI.  Then his girlfriend says they picked them up at REI in COLORADO . . . crap.

So I said thanks and ran to catch up to Ern.  I finally caught up to him at the end of the Boardwalk and I was beat.  crap.  I struggled from that point on to keep going.  I finally had to stop at about mile six and ran/walked the rest of the way.  I've had this bruise buggin my left foot for a while now.  It's at the first joint of the second toe.  It gets me limping.  For some reason, it only bugs me this bad on longer runs or when I have my shoes on too tight by the toes.  This time it was combination of both.  On the last mile to the car, I took off my shoes.  That felt a bit better, thought it still had me limping.

Ern finished the run about 8 minutes before I did and he had time to take a dip in the ocean.  He left me a banana on my windshield.  I needed it.  I changed my shoes to my Merrell Trail Gloves to help stretch out he calf and achilles.  That felt real good.  I was runing in the NB Minimus Trail.  I walked a bit towards the beach on Natural Bridges and met Ern putting on his shoes at the visitors center.

After getting back to the cars, we headed over to Zachary's in Downtown SC on Pacific Avenue.  Must go to this if you've never been!  I've tried everything there and it's all incredible food, but the one thing I order all the time there now is Mikes Mess: bacon, mushrooms, eggs, potatoes, topped with cheddar cheese, sour cream, tomatoes, green onions and I always opt for some avocado.  From what I understand the potatoes are a bit special.  They're made with onions, tumeric and some other spices that are kept secret.  Trust me when I say they are worth it.  AND . . . it's a LOT!  I can go through most of it but end up with enough for lunch the next day.  And the coffee they have is fantastic!  It's from the Santa Cruz Roasting Company.  And being that it was a Sunday, I lucked out.  It's my cheat day for the 4-Hour Body.

I dropped 11 pounds the first two weeks and I've been floating a bit since then.  My clothes definitely feel much looser and I've had to punch a few holes in my belt every week.  The weight isn't dropping because I've been building more muscle with the extra running and the kettlebell workouts, but I'm sure seeing it with the way the clothes sit.

I've got a run with my cousin again tonight.  She's supposed to do 2 minute run, 1 minute walk.  She doesn't feel ready for it yet so we're going to try 1 and 1.  I'll let you know how it goes.

GD

p.s.
still didn't check

Let's see how long this lasts . . .

So . . . my cousin calls me up Wednesday and tells me she wants to start running.  She says, "If you can do it, I can do it"!

I don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not . . .

Anyway, as I'd previously posted, I gave her the training guide.  I needed to start slow anyway to see if my foot would cause me problems so I went with her.  We did about a 30 minute run (1 minute run, 2 minute walk, 10X).  I think it may have been a bit more.  We did a little over two miles.

I never got to the point where I was sloggin' through the run.  It was barely a warm-up.  And you know, that was actually perfect.  I'm going to do that again tonight before I start my real run.  I'll probably cut it down some or maybe do 3/1 instead of 1/2 for 30 minutes.  I'll see how I feel when I start.

I know when the time comes for the SVHM, at least I know I'll be able to finish it with no pain.  I won't be exhausted and I'll be able to finish it fine.  I still have a hope that I'll be able to finish in 2:30.  If not, no biggie.  I'll definitely be enjoying the run more than last year!

GD

p.s.
too lazy

Haven't Run Yet and Micheal Sandler . . .

I still haven't gone running since the 18th.  Crap.  At this rate, I'm gonna be sloggin' through the SVHM.  I still have my goal of two and a half hours for the run.  I can probably do it, too.  But I'm gonna have to start running again. It's not because I'm lazy, I just don't want to hurt my foot any more than it is.  It hasn't really been bothering me much the last few days, so I'm taking that as a sign of good times on the trail.

Also, my cousin called me last night.  She told me that she wants to start running with me.  She hasn't run . . . ever.  I've downloaded and printed the SVMH Beginner Pre-Training sheets.  That's what I used last year to get me started on the endeavor.  I'll be giving her tips to make her running more comfortable so she doesn't go the the pain I did last year.  She wouldn't be considered fat anywhere.  But she does have a bit of padding she'd like to reduce.  And I believe it'll give her the energy she wants.  Though the way she runs her kids and her life, I don't ever see that problem.  She's a firecracker and one of the few people I know that I truly admire.  She has her shit together.  Single mom and all.

Also, last night, the local REI in Marina had a guest speaker, Mr. Michael Sandler.  I've read about him before.  I'm pretty sure he wrote about it in his book (which I bought and had signed), but his method of transitioning into true barefoot running is not recommended.  Before he started, he was an avid cyclist and rollerblader.  A professional in both sports.  He couldn't run because he had plantar fasciitis.  He even calls himself Mr. Plantar Fasciitis.

So in I think he said in '06, he was training for a Rollerblade sponsored trek across the US . . . in rollerblades.  Because of the pf, he was concerned about how to go about it without the debilitating pain.  He was saying that he had so much cushioning, arch support and stability control in his shoes that he was wearing very tiny shoes to prevent the arch from causing him the excruciating pain he was so used to having.  And they STILL hurt.

So . . . he's out rollerblading one day and he stops to contemplate somewhere and he comes up with the idea that'll it'll all work itself out.  Unfortunately it did.  As he begins haulin' ass on the bike path he was on, he comes upon a blind curve.  As he turns into it, he spots a father teaching his daughter to walk, but the father had stepped onto the bike path.  He had a choice of either nailin' the father and kid or try to get safely off the bike path.  He thought to himself, nobody hits a baby.  So he goes flying off the bike path . . . and ends up shatttering his leg.

I can't remember all that went wrong, but the femur missed the femoral artery by millimeters and he lost the ACL in his knee.  He pretty much has a titanium hip and leg now.  He was told he'd never be able to run again.  He was, as he said, broken.

Anyway, the point is that he did some learning and discovered for himself that he could run barefoot.  It took him about three months because he did it truly barefoot.

And boy, I'll tell you something . . . I'm not gay or anything (not that there's anything wrong with that) and I don't really check out other guys legs . . . but holy crap!  I took another cousin of mine because my brother (who I'd signed up) flaked on me, said what I was thinking . . . "Goddamn! Check out those guys quads!"

I mean seriously, he was a skinny guy!  Check out his pics online, but this guys legs were ripped man!  Not muscle man ripped but incredibly toned and defined.  You can even see where his ACL is missing on his left leg.

And he is one of the biggest hippies you'll ever meet.  And I don't mean it in a derogatory way either.  I mean this man is very spiritual and he truly believes that things happen for a reason.  I guess he believes in destiny and all that bunk.  I can't fall for that shit, but I respect the man because his faith makes him a rock!  And anyone that has that much faith is a man to be feared and/or admired.

He's a man to be admired.

GD

Tomorrow

Tomorrow I'm going for a run.  I probably shouldn't, but I'm gonna.  I'm also going to try something another runner recommended.  I'm gonna smoke a joint before the run.  I was told it allows you to focus and enjoy the run more.  Seeing as that it'll be my first hit, it'll be interesting . . .

Bummed

So I've been out of commission in running for a week or so because of my foot.  I gone to see my chiropractor a couple of times and he's given me some advice on treating it.  I have a mild case of plantar fasciitis and he treated it with this tongue depressor looking metal thing-a-mabob and it didn't hurt too much.  Afterwards, after icing at home it felt much better.

I was going to go for a run this morning, but I had a bit too much red wine and a restless night.  I gotta cut back on the beans as well.  I have to help out at my moms restaurant in a bit.

Tomorrow is my cheat day (eat what I want), but I'll be going for a run early in the morning.  Then I'll be hitting the bad food.

p.s.
lazy again . . .

Crap run!

The post title link is another example of a HORRIBLE run. I was supposed to go to a group run this morning, but I partook of a bit too much red wine and I ended up a tad dehydrated. I was sweating heavily and earlier than I was accustomed to. I guess I'll have to learn from it.

p.s.
too lazy to check spelling or grammar. blame it on the iPhone.

Another Fort Ord BLM run.

Click the title of the post and it'll take you to my latest run at the Fort Ord BLM. I did much better this time around. Completed almost 4 miles in under 50 minutes. Got at least 6 miles to do tomorrow morning at the group run. It's gonna be fun!

Barefooter guru Jason Robillard's Free eBook

One of the gurus of barefoot running is giving away his book on his website.  If you click the title of this post, it'll send you to the post on his website where you can download it via Mediafire.  It's a PDF.

I've already requested that he post it on Scribd so it can be available to everyone and not have to worry about download limits.  Once I get home tonight, I'll post it on there and make a link available here.  He wants people to read it and have it posted anywhere it can be posted as long as no changes are made to the document which is pretty freakin cool of him.

This is one of the guys that inspired me to just run really.  He made running sound fun and sort of gave advice on how to get yourself to enjoy running.  He just happens to also push the idea of running barefoot or at least learning the barefoot form.  As I've said, it took a while but I can run several miles on my midfoot and enjoy every bit of it (except when I fuck up my own foot by not paying attention to where I'm stepping).

Get the book and read it.  It may change the way you look at your shoes.

GD

p.s.
again, lazy. not checking grammar.

My first iMapMyRun: got a bit lost

My hour long "run"

So . . . the above link will show where I ran and for how long.  For some reason, I got a different time on my phone (59:27 for 4.03 miles).  The website shows 1:07 for the same 4 miles, so I don't know which is quite correct.  But the point is, IT TOOK ME AN HOUR!!!!

That really is frustrating.  If I hadn't screwed up my foot, I'd have completed it in about 40 to 45 minutes easy, even with all the hills and shit!  After about two miles, my foot had finally loosened up enough so I could run in good barefoot-form.  I wasn't barefoot though.  Not there.  The road was really rough and then it turned really gravelly then it went off trail.  A really rough trail.  Just read the previous post.  It was the same trail.

After I'd manage to loosen up, I pretty much ran the whole 2 miles.  Even with the climbs.  And boy, were there some climbs.  I actually enjoyed myself out there, though.  I was able to shut out the burn of the muscles and just move.  It wasn't too hot and there was a breeze.

If you look at the map, you'll notice there were some squiggly parts.  Those were the parts where I doubled back a couple of times because I got a bit lost and had to look for the right trail.  But that was alright.  I was laughing at myself for not paying attention.  I guess the endorphins kicked in and were making the run fun.

I'm probably gonna take the next couple of days off to let my foot get a bit better before I go on a run again.  It was a little difficult getting around this morning.  I hope I don't go apeshit crazy during these next couple of days.  I've actually gotten used to running every other day and itchin' to go on the days I don't.  I never thought I'd get the running bug.

But I guess that's not a bad thing, is it?

I think it may be time to begin doing some upper body stuff.  I haven't yet.  Maybe some pushups and crunches.  My only concern about pushups is that I get to the point where I can do a bunch in a row, like 50, and then begin to push harder than I should and end up screwing up my shoulder.  Always the left shoulder.  Hopefully I remember this time to just keep a schedule.  I think it's time for the Hundred Pushups.  I've been looking at this site for the last few months already.  But the shoulder injury always mocks me.  Maybe if I follow this plan, I won't hurt myself.

I'm gonna start this tonight.  I think the first day is just finding out your baseline.  How many "good-form pushups" you can do at once.  Good-form is key.  Don't cheat. That can lead to injury.  I gotta remember that.

Wish me luck.

GD

p.s.
didn't check grammar

New trail . . . oh boy.

So this last Saturday I was supposed to meet up with our group for a long run at 7:45.

Ummmm . . . I didn't make it.  A little too much drinky-drinky the night before.  I did go for a light two mile run around 11am, though.  It was a good fun run.  I still had to go for a long run this weekend though.

I usually help out my cousin by taking care of her kids on Saturday nights.  She doesn't get out of work until about 2am though.  So I usually stay up and read or watch a little TV.  Or have a little beer.  So she gets out of work and we drink and talk and drink . . . and I didn't leave until after 4am.

Mind you, I've was pissin' like a race horse because I was drinking two glasses of water for every beer I had.  Just my way of ensuring I don't drink too much and don't get fubar (for those who haven't watched Tango & Cash: FUBAR = Fucked Up Beyond All Recognition).

Later that morning, I was awake a little after 9am.  I couldn't sleep anymore.  I got up, showered and went to where my group was supposed to meet up for our run yesterday.  Unfortunately I don't think I did the "run" the group did.  The climb up was horrendous and really tore up.  I was wearing my NBMT's and even though well padded, I was feeling the bigger pieces of gravel.  My ankles really got worked, too.  So basically, I did a loop of about a mile and a half and I am feeling it.  Below is the link the the run I did:

My Demise

When I got home, I did the google maps thing and I think I found where they might have run.  It's mainly a paved road which goes to a gravel road.  Lot's of rolling hills so it'll be a pretty good workout.  Below is the link the the new and improved run:

The Fun Run

Now that I know it's not a "trail".  I may actually enjoy the run tonight.  I hope to complete it within an hour.  If not, no biggie.  It's a new path to enjoy.

Also, yesterday after that crippling run I went to Borders to pick up a book one of my friends recommended I read.  The 4-Hour Body by Timothy Ferriss.  He had it in PDF form and if it was a normal type of book, I probably may have read it.  But seeing that it's a reference type of book, I'd need a physical copy of it.  I didn't feel like going to Santa Cruz to one of my favorite book stores (Logos) which may have had a used copy.  But I did have a 40% off coupon for Borders.  So I went there to purchase it.

I'm glad I did get a physical copy.  I've read through the first few chapters and depending on what your goals are, you'll be jumping all over the book.  So far it sounds promising.  Hopefully I can incorporate my weight loss goals with my running goals using the book.

GD

A couple of things . . .

First is that I've gotta change my profile picture soon because I no longer have the goat.

The other is I've never really posted what my problems are as far as my footwear is concerned.

When I first started this whole barefoot-form thing I began with doing the whole 3-steps-a-second pace forcing me to take smaller steps and making me land more mid-foot than heel-toe.  I then was waiting for the Merrell Barefoot Trail Gloves to be released after reading the awesome reviews all over the net, especially Jason Robillard on his Barefoot Running University website.

When I got them I really enjoyed using them.  I was taking them on my runs all the time.  I didn't go back to "normal" shoes and still haven't.  After about a month or so, I began noticing that my two bigger toes began bumping up against the front of the shoes.  It was annoying enough to give them to my brother who wears a US size 8.  The Trail Gloves are true to size so I thought the 8.5 would be ok for me.  I had tried them on and they had felt great at time.  I had plenty of room in the toe-box for all my little piggies. Not any more.  I didn't want to travel all the way to San Jose to pick up a new pair of TG's so I figured this might be an opportunity to try another pair of minimal trail shoes.


I went out to my local mom and pop shoe store (Joy-pers) because I knew they carried a TON of shoes and they also carried the Vibram Fivefinger shoes.  I'd also heard news that New Balance had released a new minimal shoe line, the Minimus.  A couple of the reviews out there suggested the Minimus Trail to be a better shoe than the Minimus Road.  And considering I like running dirt trails, I figured that was a good thing.  I hoped that Joy-pers would have them in stock.

And they did!

I wanted to get the garish looking neon-orange ones but they only carried the black ones.  That was cool I guess so I asked for a pair of size 9's.

Too small!

The salesperson broke out the foot-sizer thing and he ended up fitting me in size 10's!  What the heck!  My foot got bigger!  I finally understood that the shape of the foot would change.  I didn't think it'd get bigger though.  I just thought I'd have more pronounced arch or something, which I now do.  Nothing crazy looking, just that I didn't have an arch before and now I do.

So I began using the NBMT's.  At first I didn't like them.  I thought the lacing on them wasn't as good as the MTG's.  They were harder to pin down as far as lacing them comfortably.  After a month or so of wearing them, I started calling around to find out if any shoe store carried them yet.  I finally found them in late April.  I got sized and ended up walking out with size 9.5's.

I was so excited, when I got home I changed into my running clothes put on my MTG's and went for a run at my favorite trail loop.  I had a blast in them.  I'd be sprinting the last couple-hundred yards which included a small steep dip (about 20 feet deep) and had fun.

Until I didn't.

On my last run with my MTG's, I was doing the ending sprint.  I had rained a few days prior so some parts of the trail were still a bit muddy and covered with crap.  On that last small steep downhill, I placed my foot wrong and on correcting for the slip, I pulled something on my foot.  It was a twinge of pain but I was able to run through it without being too much of a problem.

Unfortunately it was.

I had accidently injured my foot and now I had plantar-fasciitis (or however it's spelt).  I went running the same route a couple of days later because I didn't know any better about it and ran it ok.  But as soon as I cooled down and relaxed, my heel of my foot would hurt.  Not horribly, but it would take me a few minutes of walking around before it was ok again.

I looked up remedies and some of the stuff out there to fix it was too horrifying to even consider.  One of the fixes though involved a couple of simple tools you probably have at home. A small can of vegetables (like peas or corn) and a rolling pin.  You use the can after you've had it in the freezer on the bottom of your foot for a while, then you take the rolling pin and roll it on the calf all the way from behind the knee to the achilles.  And make sure you work the achilles!  Do that a couple of times a day and the eventually your foot will get fixed.

I stayed away from running for a week or so and tried it again.  No go.  Though it wasn't as bad, it would give me twinges.  I did my therapy that night, and the next day I tried the NBMT's.  After the run, things were a little tight but I had no pain.  Sonovabitch!  I couldn't use the MTG's until my foot was completely healed!

I've continued running with the NBMT's and they are now my everyday shoes.  I use them at work and my runs.  I love them now!  Here we are in June and I still use them.  Lately, I've been using the MTG's for my warm-ups before doing my harder runs and little by little foot is giving me less problems.

Also for my little therapy sessions, I purchased a sprint-stick (roller-massager) and a Foot Log from ebay.  About $40 with shipping from ebay.  The stick was about $17 and the Foot Log I think $24.  Great tools.  Just ice after.

Well, that's two relatively long post for today.  FYI, I love both my shoes.  The Merrells are great because they are helping in stretching my calf and achilles and the New Balance because they really are a great running shoe!  Look up the reviews on both shoes.  See what'cha think!

GD

p.s.

too lazy.  no grammar check.

Group training 06/08/2011

Every other Wednesday our training group gets together for some group training.  And every other Wednesday is lecture night . . . hopefully that makes sense.  One Wednesday training, the other lecture.

About a month or so ago our group went through a warm-up of a couple of easy laps around the track and then we started with something I was somewhat familiar with.  We were doing skips and high kicks and bird-drinkers (I call them that because that's what it reminds me of, you tip forward with one leg straight back until you touch the ground with your hands . . .)

And a some other ones.  And I was ok with that, but I wasn't focusing any more because I felt like crap from my previous run which I overdid because it felt so good.  Like a run hangover.  Great at the moment, but you pay for it later.

This week was different though.  I'd started doing fartleks that same week of run-hangover.  The ones I was doing went like this:
I would begin my warm-up by doing a nice easy mile of 10 to 11 minutes.  Then begin the fartleks by walking 45 seconds and sprint 45 seconds.  I did that for rest of the run as much as I could.  Usually about another mile or two and run back to the car.  By the way, I don't like doing tracks because it gives me more of a reason to end the session early.  If I'm on a trail, I gotta turn back around at my checkpoints.

Suffice to say by the time of our group training this last Wednesday I was completing six miles in an hour.  Imagine a 5 foot 6 inch guy of 250 pounds running six miles in an HOUR!

I did that at the SVMH last year and that was at the end of my training.  It took me three and a half hours to complete the SVMH last year because after that hour of non-stop running, I hurt way too much.  Feet, hips, SHINS. . . but I enjoyed it because I was able to turn my mind away from it by talking to other people and walk/running the rest of it.  I couldn't walk much after the race for a couple of days which put me off running for a couple of months.  After that, I tried to keep up to running a few times a month just so I wouldn't lose it too bad.

Right now, in the condition I'm in, I can complete the half-marathon in under three hours.  Maybe even two and a half!  And I won't be suffering too bad afterward, just maybe a little soreness.

So back to the reason of this post.  Our warm-up again consisted of running a couple of laps around the track.  But our warm-ups after were longer and little more intense.  Let me see if I can remember all of them.  I've already placed a request for the coach to make a list of the warm-ups for us because after doing those, I felt really good on the fartleks we were doing.  Those, by the way, were 90 second fartleks.

Warm-ups (I may make my own names for them)
Forward Arm Roll (20 WIDE circles)
Backward Arm Roll (20 WIDE circles)
Forward Lunge (20 lunges)
Backstep Lunge (20 lunges: these are more difficult because your balance isn't as good when you step backward that deep)
Skip (20 yards and back)
Side skips (20 yards and back)
Quick knee-highs (20 yards and back)
Quick butt-kicks (20 yards and back)
Quick forward-kick (20 yards and back, and make you look like a prancing horse the way your foot kicks forward)
Drinking bird (20 yards and back): take long step, drink. Take another step, drink . . .
Left rocket kick: like a quick knee-high, but only the left foot kicks up on every third step.  And you kind of kick it in a circular motion.  It rolls from the back to the front over the right knee.
Right rocket-kick (20 yards and back): like the left except with the right foot.
Ankle jumps (20 seconds): these you do from the ankles only as quick as you can!
Power jump (20 seconds): these you do like a squat. You drop til your thighs are parallel to the ground, your knees should NOT pass your feet and you jump as high and as quick as you can.


There may have been more, but that up there is enough to get you plenty tired and you still have to do the fartleks.  I didn't think I'd be able to do it, but I didn't do too bad.  I wasn't running the sprints I usually do for my fartleks, but I did keep up a steady 8 minute mile pace which had me breathing pretty heavily for those 90 seconds.  The other 90 seconds I didn't walk.  I couldn't.  My feet were real tight from the warm-ups and it felt better to keep the 3-steps-a-second pace (which had me on the balls of my feet) while taking those in small steps which was a bit faster than walking.  It was a jog.  But a quick jog I guess.  I did that for about 30 minutes.

I  . . . was . . . EXHAUSTED.  But curiously invigorated.  It was a weird feeling.  By the end of the 30, everything felt nice and loose.  No tightness or cramping.  I was very surprised.  My feet felt great, my legs buzzing.  I had a nice chocolate milk after the run and a nice chicken enchilada meal with whole beans and mexican-style brown rice, some lettuce with a spoon of guacamole and salsa when I got home( It took me a while to figure out how to do the brown rice, but I finally nailed it).

Yesterday, I should have gone at least for a light run but I figured I should use the sprint stick and the foot log to get rid of some minor kinks I got after the training.  I'm feeling great today, if a little sore which is expected.  I'll be doing those warm-ups again today before my run this evening and attempting the 90 second fartleks on that trail run.  I'm getting excited just thinking about it!

GD

p.s.
again, forgive the grammar.  too lazy to check my writing.

I'm gonna feel it tomorrow!

So, training for me began back in January.  I took it REEEEEEAL slow!  Like going out maybe (maybe) once a week for a mile or two.  Back in January I was still struggling with using some Nike's that I used last year (2010) for the SVHM.  They worked great, but I was still getting shin splints no matter what stretches and excersizes I did to try to strengthen that muscle and tendon group.

I'm a bit slow on the uptake at times so I never had that "a HA" moment whenever I took off my shoes and my feet felt better.  It didn't click until I began looking up alternative remedies for preventing/minimizing shin splints.

There was calf stretches and excersizes, taping (which was too much work for what I was doing), getting properly fitted shoes (which is a whole other rant) and a few other things.  But a few pages hidden amongst the all other ones having to do with getting proper shoes and such would pop up.  One caught my eye though, Barefoot Running University.

It's been so long, I can't remember what post I read that gave me the "a HA" moment of realizing that I had no excruciating pain whenever I took off my shoes.  I started reading the posts randomly.  What really tripped me out was that this guy, Jason Robillard, was an Ultra Runner.  I'd never even heard of an ultra-runner.

These bastards are futher muckin crazy.

Ultra runners run multiple marathons consecutively all within 24 hours or so!  The ultras go from 50 miles to 100.  At least that's what I got out of it.  I haven't researched it enough to be able give you complete facts.  But if ultra running wasn't crazy enough, Jason sometimes runs most of the race BAREFOOT!!!!

Oh, he has some alternatives as far as footwear.  From what I understand, he's used Vibram Fivefingers (as you may already know if you've been reading this blog, I'm waiting for the Speeds).  And he was tapped last year at some point by Merrell to help develop a barefoot (minimalist) shoe and educational website.  And I guess he's been using those for his ultras.

But I've come off track a bit . . .

The point is, I was intrigued by this whole barefoot thing.  I read the book that was mentioned by several barefoot sites, Born To Run (check out the reviews) and it really got me thinking.

I changed my running form of the lumbering fat bastard to the recommended 3 steps a second.  It took me a while to get it right (bought a small cc sized metronome at a music store), but I got it down.  Your calves really come into play more when you do that.  It forces you to take smaller steps, therefore making you land on or near the balls of your feet (midfoot). No more foot slapping, not that I really did that too much.  But you get the idea, you lose the heel-to-toe motion of the run and develop a softer landing by making the whole leg come into play.

I bet you're thinking to yourself, my whole leg already comes into play, right?  I'm not going to say you're wrong, but what I've noticed is that the toes really come into play by spreading out and stabilizing your landing.  The arch softens the landing by taking your weight and stretching out.  The achilles and calf work together for a better rebound.  And your hamstring is called into play more than the quads do when you run.

There's an great example that you can find on the Crossfit website under the Exercises & Demos page HERE and HERE.  What the video shows and one style of barefoot form running called the Pose technique.  There are others like Chi-running and stuff but, I don't want to get too much into that.  They all have the same basic concept from what I can see.  But in the Crossfit example, the presenter demonstrates something about energy conservation when running.  If you stand up, try jumping up and down  What's easier, taking a jump a second or taking quick jumps?  By taking the quicker jumps, you're allowing your tendons to really come into play and help with the long run.

I didn't mean to get too much into this whole barefoot-running-is-better-for-you rant.  It just turned out that way.  You can find better information than what I've posted on some of the sites I've linked to.  I initially intended to post about my training yesterday which was done with the Y's training for the SVMH.  I'll have to post that later, maybe today.

I know very few (if any people) are reading this, but I'll be glad to answer any questions that come my way.

GD

p.s.
please excuse the grammar.  i haven't really checked for mistakes :p

Test

This is a test. I'll be posting full report soon of the latest happenings.

Let us live so that when we come to die, even the undertaker will be sorry. -Mark Twain

My latest update and what I've learned on my recent run . . .

Just a quick heads up.  On the last post I had said my brother was wanted to ride back on the meatwagon.  True, but he did finish the race and got his medal.  Right now, it's one of his most prized possessions.  And his eight mile runs are with his beat up Sauconys.  But he's running with good barefoot-syle form (quick short steps with center-of-gravity-over-foot-landing).

I've been keeping up with my runs fairly well.  I've not completed less than three miles for the last two weeks per run and I'm running at least three times a week (four days last week).

I went for a run yesterday later in the day and I found out what not to do before a run (boy, did I find out).

My brother wanted to join me, but he obviously went off at a faster run.  He was also going to begin using his Merrells again (half-marathon-disaster-shoes).  He made a huge point to himself to bring his other shoes as well so he'd run three miles in the Merrells and three in his Sauconys.  He doesn't want to go through the SCHM experience again.

I myself wasn't feeling too well.  I figured once I began the run, the nausea would go away.  It didn't, it got worse.  Two miles into the run, I had to stop because I was gonna heave.  I probably should have but forced myself to hold it.  I walked a couple of minutes and tried again.  I got maybe a mile before having to stop.  I pretty much kept that cycle going until I got to the car.

Once I stopped, I was ok.  I went to my cousins house to give my godson his birthday present and I watched him play frustratingly (Portal 2, online with a friend.  Neither had ever played).  I guess that was enough to cause the nausea again.  I had to lie down and breath slowly to relax.  I eventually split went home and went to sleep early (11pm.  I usually crash sometime before 1am).

After the run yesterday and all this morning, I've been banging my head trying to figure out what went wrong.  I'd had some pizza and beer the night before the run, but not enough to have caused the problem.  Breakfast consisted of eggs, cheese, tomatoes and corn tortillas with coffee (more like lunch.  I woke up real late).  I wasn't hungry when I went for the run and after the run I had some leftover chinese food (white rice, beef-broccoli, SSPork).

What I figured out though is that I think the coffee killed me.  I love my coffee STRONG.  I don't drink it with anything in it, just black.  I have a 4 cup french press that I usually share with my brother (he loads his with crap).  That day he didn't want any coffee, so I finished the whole carafe myself.  Did I mention I like my coffee STRONG.

Yeah, I think that did it.  It upset my stomach enough to cause the nausea.  Next time I'm stickin' to my 2 cups and no more.

I have to run today to make up for yesterdays dismal performance.  I'm hoping to do the 45 second fartleks today.  I'm feeling ok right now and I don't expect to do too bad.  I should be able to do six miles today.

My legs feel good and so do my legs.  Groovy.


VFF Speed

The above link is one of the sites I visit regularly.  It's to a contest they had but is now over.  I posted the link because of the VFF Speeds they were giving away.

I really want the black ones.  Photo credit goes to BirthdayShoes.com.  I've already pre-ordered my from my local family owned shoe store.  They're expecting them in July.  Can't wait!!!!

Heyyyyy . . . . how YOU doin?!

True to my USUAL form, I haven't been keeping up with this blog like I keep promising myself.

So . . . I'll just do my best and use this as a log of my experiences of my continuing transition to barefoot-style running.

So far I'll say it been painful, but fun. It is something I've not done since my youth (the whole being mobile and bettering myself bit). I'd originally purchased the Merrell Trail Gloves and really got a kick out of them. I had gone for a regular run then finished with the Gloves for a 5 minute run.

OW! Not immediately, but I definitely felt the calf soreness the next day! But it kinda motivated me push further. I did start slow. Increasing the time in the Gloves a bit every time I went out for a run until I took them to my favorite 2 mile trail loop.

I wanted to ignore it, but my feet wouldn't let me. I'd bought a half size up knowing that the shoes were sized correctly, but when you begin this style of running your foot can begin splaying. And my toes began bumping against the front of the shoe.

Shit.

I tried a couple more runs with them, but it was really beginning to bother me. I gave the shoes to my brother. He loved them. He's 21, five foot six, compact and muscular. And his natural running form is on the balls of his feet. He started using them for his lite runs before working out with his weights (I should say MY weights. I bought'em).

I signed up for the Santa Cruz Half Marathon and he wanted to try it out. We had a good four months to train up. I didn't do much more than three miles a week so when it came time for the half, I ended up opting for the 10K.

My dumbass brother on the other hand . . .

I'd purchased the New Balance Minimus Trails about a month before and had been getting used to them. I knew I wasn't ready for a half. I knew I could finish a 10K in about an hour (finished in 1:10). I KNEW my brother had not logged enough time in the Merrells to complete a half comfortably and I told him so.

He didn't believe me.

His race started about 10 minutes before my 10K and he looked good. Great form and everything. Then my race began. I completed three miles before I had to stop and walk. I expected as much and I did those three in a bit over half an hour. Not as well as I'd hoped. But I finished the 10K in 1:10. But I finished and got my shirt.

So I waited for my brother.

And waited.

And waited some more.

Let's just say he wanted the meat wagon to show up. The meat wagon for those unfamiliar with the term is what they call the ambulance when a runner gets injured or has a problem in a race and cannot complete.

He could barely made it back to the car, his calves cramping all the way. He had to sit in the car with his legs fully extended so they wouldn't cramp even worse.

I was giggling the WHOLE way home. He finally realized why I told him to do the 10K.

Since then, he's been taking it slow. He's now up to eight miles and I'm still at three, but a fast three (fast for me). Average of a nine minute mile. Go for a 6 mile run with walking and I can finish in under 70 minutes.

My brother and I have the Salinas Valley Half Marathon coming in August. I want to finish in two and a half hours. If I keep up my training and the improvements keep coming, I believe it'll be closer to two hours.

That's it for now. I'll explain a bit more of my experiences of being a short(ish) fat runner in training tomorrow. With some luck, I'll actually do it!

Frank Herbert was a barefooter!

Here's is proof. In the book Dune when Paul at 15 is challenged by Jamis. Jamis is one of Stilgar's men and apparently a bit of a hot-head. Paul is getting ready for the duel and he's just in trunks and barefoot. It was one of Duncan Idaho's training tips:

When in doubt of your surface, bare feet are best.

Flea is a Barefoot runner!

The post title is the link to the Runners World article. There's a video showing Flea in his VFF's.

Go Flea!!!

(\_/)
(o.o)
(___)o

GD

p.s.
There's a QR code now on the blog for those of you who may want to copy it.  I'm just having fun with it.  For shitz'n'giggles I may be posting hidden messages in the QR code.  But those will be in the regular post.

Here I go again!

If you can see the previous post, you'll notice that I haven't done anything since 2008 on this blog. No reason for it, just didn't.

If you're curious as to how my Dell Ubuntu experiment went, well let's just say that I've recently upgraded to Lucid Lynx (Ubuntu 10.04). That's a Long Term Support version and that puppy is going strong. It's become my primary pc. I'll jump onto my newer Win7 box when I need to get on iTunes or something proprietary like that.

But we're not here for that . . .

A couple of years ago, I had a bit of a scare. For several weeks I had been feeling pressure in my chest. It got so bad that I actually thought I may have some sort of heart problem. After one night of terror, I went to see a doctor. He gave me a physical, drew some blood and installed a portable EKG on me to monitor my heart for 24 hours.

I went back the next day and found absolutely nothing on the EKG. The blood work was done wrong because I hadn't been told to fast. So I didn't eat anything that day and the morning after I had my blood drawn once more . . .

Let me go back a bit . . .

My diet before all this hadn't been all that great. I was still eating like I was some sort of high school athlete. I wasn't really an athlete because my grades were never that great. But I loved to go on training runs with the wrestling team and the coaches would have me spar with the team because I was good. Not bragging, I just was.  The coaches were pissed that I would put the effort to train HARD, but not the effort to get my grades up. I was 5' 6" and probably 170 lbs of hard muscle.

Like every kid in high school, I had problems that couldn't be resolved. Thinking back now, I was just lazy. Yeah, I did have problems. But I could've focused that energy into schoolwork. But as I've heard it said, hindsight is 20/20.

Whenever the wrestling team was done for the season, I kept training.  From junior high to high school.  15 mile runs were warm-ups before the sprints and hill runs. Uncountable push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups . . . and all the variations of those. I made up my own workouts just to keep moving.  I think I was doing Cross-fit before there was Cross-Fit.

I never watched what I ate because I couldn't afford tot. I just threw shit together at home and wolfed it down. Which back then, was pretty frickin smart. We could only afford shopping for groceries at the flea market. Which meant lots of fruit, veggies, and cheap meat, poultry or fish. All the basics a growing boy needs, along with all the other mexican staples of beans, rice, tortillas . . .

The whole point of this is that I kept on keeping on even after high school. But the training tapered off. Slowly a first, then full stop when I got to Phoenix.  It's was too fucken hot there to do anything physical for too long.  But I went to live on my own (with roomates) and study.

17 years later, I'm still 5 foot 6. But I'm tipping the scales at over 290 lbs. I know how I got here, I just didn't realize it until it was almost too late.

When I went to see my doc for the results, he wasn't there but another was doc was there. She asked if I was fine with a female doctor. Nervous as I was, I said only if she was qualified. That broke the ice some and we both had a chuckle. What she told me was that my blood work showed that I was at near diabetic levels. She told me that if I wanted to begin taking meds and eventually start using insulin, to keep doing what I was doing.

I was like, uuuuuum. No. What do I have to change?

No sugar.
No fruit juice (fruit was better)
Stay away from processed foods. . .

Wait, this is all starting to sound like the way I used to eat when I was a kid! I also had to start moving. That pretty much came as no surprise.

I walked out completely sobered. I was going to have to change my life DRAMATICALLY. I had one last binge and another restless night.

And then one more with my friends. Because I wasn't just gonna stop hanging out with them just because of a little diabetes. That night was the worst. And then I got to work.

I took all the crap in my cupboards and fridge and asked people if they wanted any of it before going in the trash.

You wanna know what I had left? A gallon of milk, kraft singles, some lettuce, eggs, bacon (she didn't say anything about greasy foods!), corn tortillas and I think that was it.

I went to the flea market that weekend and I learned another thing that day. I couldn't walk for SHIT! I was winded after 10 minutes of wandering around the flea market! I got a bunch of veggies and some fruit and went home.

The next day at work, I began walking during our lunch hour. That first month was an experience I never want to go through again. Too embarrassing to have gotten so winded on such short walks there.

I work in an ag lab that has it's facilities on a farm that used to be part of a county park. As such, the fire trails are always kept clear and people use them for walks and runs. All nice and hilly. A little over a mile and a half on one of the trails (good walks, awesome runs).

I think the hardest part for me to change was the coffee. Not the pain of atrophied muscles being used again, but the coffee. I used to load up that cup with 8 packs of sugar and and so much cream, you'd ask if I wanted some coffee with that.  But there was someone who helped me transition from crappy store bought coffees, to better local roasted ones. Unfortunately, it also twisted my tastes in beer. I couldn't drink the fizzy yellow stuff anymore. So I started experimenting with different beers. Now I'm a die hard Arrogant Bastard / Stone Brewery fan!

So I was eating healthier and taking walks. I wanted to elevate it some more. I wanted to run again. I tried it during a lunch hour once and tore a muscle in my calf. I still don't remember how I got back to the lab.  I had to stop walking for a while so it could heal. A bit depressing.

I still wanted to do more, be faster so I researched and bought a Surly CrossCheck. It's a cromoly steel cyclocross bicycle. A cross of road and mountain bike. Steel for strength and flexibility. Won't pound you like aluminum or titanium.  It's much heavier, but a much more comfortable ride.  Also much cheaper than carbon fiber which would give a similar ride.

I wanted a comfortable bike. And she still is! Love that bike.

But it wasn't running.

I would ride for hours and I dropped weight. I'm at 240 lbs now and have been floating around there for a while. People tell me I should be proud of that.  I am. Sorta.  But I wanted to RUN!

Last year around early spring, I was working at my moms taqueria when I read in The Californian (local Salinas paper) that the YMCA was going to have a free training program for anyone who signed up for the inaugural Salinas Valley Half Marathon.

I signed up and began the program. It was a great program! Once a week, you'd meet up for either a track session or class sessions where we'd get training tips or guest speakers. I highly recommend attending if you're near. The informational meeting for this year is March 30th, 2011.

With the program, I got up to four miles non-stop. But always ended in pain by the time I stopped. Horrible shin splints. They felt like I was going to break something if I kept going. Walking hurt. I was told they'd go away. To through them.  My muscles would strengthen.

During one of the class sessions, we had someone from Fleet Feet come in. It's a great little shop.  We were told that we needed to get properly fitted to maximize our running efficiency and comfort.  They were talking about pronation, stabalization, motion control . . . whoa.  Also not to buy running shoes at Big 5 because those shoes they sold were old stock from the manufacturers and the cushioning was aged and brittle. So that weekend I visited Fleet Feet.

I was made to walk and got checked out by a hottie.  Unfortunately it was just to find out what my strut was like to get fitted.  After saying some stuff about pronating and motion control and more cushioning because I was a big boy, I was fitted into a pair of Saucony Progrid Omni 8's. A huge, heavy shoe that stabilized my foot. I needed the cushioning because I was a "big boy". 36 years old here.

They felt great in store. My first run was good.

Then the run got BAD. My shin splints would get worse. My feet felt as if I was standing on a ball. You know, like I was balancing on a ball and my feet were tilted oddly. I think I used them for about 30 miles.  I never used them again.

I went to a local shoe store and bought some Nikes. They were lighter and what could be considered a neutral shoe (no arch support). My feet are relatively flat. I ran my half marathon in those.  I completed 6 miles non-stop.  I ran/walked the rest for a 3:30 time.  Too. Damn. Long.

But I still hurt.

I kept running for a while after just so I wouldn't lose it.

But I still hurt.

Winter came around and my running tapered off so that I would run about once every couple of weeks. Usually for about two miles (20minutes).

But I still Hurt.

During this time I was looking for things that could be causing my shin splints. All I kept finding was explanations as to what was happening and remedies like taping, different shoes, deep tissue massage and some other shit I can't remember.

Until I clicked on a Running World forum about barefoot running.

There was a bunch of info there about why people did it.  But one member had posted something that came up in my search and had similar experiences as I did. And then there was mention of a book that possibly explained and had a good argument for barefoot running. A book by Christopher McDougall called Born To Run.

I went in search of it and found nothing locally. No one had it in stock. I wanted a physical copy, but ended up purchasing an ebook for my Sony Reader. Not to sound like nutcase, but that book literally changed my life. Only one other book has done that to me, but another story for another time.

I did a lot more reading online and started using the tips mentioned in the book and forums. Now I'm completely convinced I'm doing the right thing.

I haven't gone full monty yet, but I believe I may get there. What I have done is pick up some minimal shoes (Merrell Trail Glove and NB Minimus Trail) and used the techniques described everywhere on the Internet.  And I'm running more.

But I don't hurt.

Not one bit. I mean other than typical soreness you'd expect from using muscles you are using for the first time.  And I'm having fun running again. Can you imagine a 5'6" 240 lbs fat guy running by you on a dirt trail with a smile on his face?

I can't.

And I'm the one doing it!

(\_/)
(0.o)
(___)0

GD

They Finally Here! Unboxing PICS!!!!!!!! (56K UNFRIENDLY)

As promised (though late), here are the unboxing pics:

Here's the box. They really do put A LOT of information on that label. It even had my phone number on it!



Hm, Malaysia . . .



The whole top . . .



Beginning the incision:



If the leaves were cubes, it'd be a 4th dimensional cube.



Opening the first inner box. That's allll you get.



Here's the all important second box containing the laptop proper:



Dell really makes sure it's yours!!!!



. . . and here are all the inner boxes and their stuff . . .



Pretty, ain't she?



Here's the bios load screen. It's a bit too glossy for my liking, but easy to work around it I guess.



And here's Dells' EULA:



. . . loading Ubuntu 8.04 / Hardy Heron.



The setup is pretty self-explanatory, even this part:



. . . and that's better!



Word of warning: If you order a Dell laptop, I think this cord is standard. I think I remember hearing that you can get a longer cord though.



Here we are at the login screen. After this is the password screen.



And here's the standard Dell/Ubuntu desktop.



And the homepage when you open Firefox.



And that's pretty much it! There were a few more photos, but I didn't think they were needed. I believe I may have bogged down enough of your system with this set.

GD

Leave me ALONE!!!

I know, I know . . .

I promised unboxing pics and I've still to do it.

Here's my excuse: I recently decided to change the theme of my setup to Ubuntu: Satanic Edition. I'm not some crazy evil bastard or anything, I just like the whole look of the thing. Click on the link. The front page is NSFW for the nekkid lady on there. It's the only page she is displayed prominently.

Well anyway, the problem occurred when I finally finished setting up the theme. For some reason I had lost both the restart and the shut down options. After a day or so, I finally quit and went to Ubuntuforums.org.

I posted my problem, some misunderstandings occurred and all hell broke loose (pun intended). If you read through the post, it was a fairly simple problem with a simple fix But being that I'm a n00b and even some more experienced users didn't quite understand what was going on, it took a while to fix.

Now that THAT problem is fixed, I have another problem before I had even installed Ubuntu:SE. I have DSL through AT&T. I've had it a few years and it's good enough for what I do. The problem now is that the DSL package that I opted for came with a 2Wire modem/wireless router. Every time I try to connect to the router, the router crashes, knocking everyone off, including the wired connection.Now, apparently after googling Ubuntu, 2Wire and 1000HW (2wire model) , I found that a lot of people have a problem hooking up to the router. I've found a fix for it, but I have to find a couple of drivers to use ndiswrapper with. I've never used that before, so I don't even know if I can use that fix. And to add to aggravation, I don't have the original disk that came with the DSL package which happens to contain the drivers for the router!

Anywhere else I go, I have wireless access. The only other option I have (and I don't know if it'll work) is to buy a separate wireless router/switch and plug that in to the 2Wire. It sounds logical to me, but I'll try it out and hope it works.

In the meantime, I use the wireless at work or at Rollicks Internet Coffee Shop (decent coffee). I hope some Uber-Ubuntu wizard figures it out soon before I drop some more cash on the problem.

GD

p.s.
I WILL have the unboxing pics up tomorrow evening . . . promise.

Summa ma bitch!!!!

Ok. Sorry for the kiddie cursin'. But, summa ma bitch, my router don't like my new 1525n!

I also want to apologize for not havin' the unboxing pics up yet. They're done, but I've got to resize them to make them viewable on a typical screen. As they are now, they are HUGE and wouldn't fit on my 19" moniter.

I may have them up late tonight, but most likely not until tomorrow afternoon. I've gotta hit up a coffee shop and download a whole mess of updates for the 1525.

FYI, the first night I had it I was completely frustrated with Ubuntu. But that was the n00b in me. After about four or five hours messin' with it yesterday, I must say I'm very much surprised. I know I'll rankle a few hides with this next comment, but it's very windoze'ish. Well, not too very. But very enough for a tech-geek to work his way around.

AND, when you have a compatible router that'll actually cooperate, it's very much plug'n'play. Ubuntu found the wireless, I entered it's WEP-hex key and I was up'n'runnin'! That's when I found out I have a "whole mess of updates" that I have to download. Where I work the connection is comparable to my DSL connection at home, which is to say not very fast . . . or less than 600kbps down and 300kbps up.

That's why I've gotta hit up a good coffee shop to download about 700mb of Ubuntu updates to my new Dell 1525n! Hopefully with those updates I'll be able to hook up to my home router so I can edit and update my unboxing pics so I can post them up and ALL you billions of readers can see what pulling a laptop out of a box looks like . . .

Wish me luck!

GD

Wedge "Ubuntu" Antilles: "Almost there . . ."

I apologize for the Star Wars trivia quote, but that's what I thought when I saw that Dell had shipped my lappy yesterday and will be arriving sometime today. It's almost a full week early, which is AWESOME! I can't wait to get my hands on that thing.

I'll post again later this evening when I get home.

You know what? Seeing as how popular unboxing posts are, that's what I'll do!

Keep your feelers on this blog folks. I'm calling the next post . . .

Dell / Ubuntu 1525N: THE UNBOXING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

By gosh golly! What's that?!

I'll be keeping my old posts up for now, just for laziness sake.

Just want to give a quick update for ANYONE who may have read the previous post on some type of regular basis. This blog will change. Read the title all the way at the top and you'll see what it'll be about.

Anyway . . .

So last weekend, I got home after a bit of alcoholic binge-ing (i.e. heavily buzzed) and I logged on to check out my mail. I wandered the interwebs for a bit and decided to do a bit of a search on Ubuntu. Earlier in the week I had become obsessively curious about Dell's and Linux. The obsession really kick in that night!

Back in '02 or '03, I had graduated from Heald (hey, stop laughing I actually got something out of it!) with an AS in Computer tech. During the program we had a to do a senior project with a group. I really pushed my group into making a bombproof server. In other words, a linux box. I busted my ass on that project and swore to myself "Never AGAIN!!!". But hey, that was the young me and now I'm bored at work and need to play with something that I can learn all over again.

By the way, I'm gonna be 35 come August.

Back to Saturday night:

So there I was, reading up on the latest stuff about Hardy Heron and I remember that Dell was only pre-loading Gutsy Gibbon. But I Googled Dell and 8.04 and lo-and-behold! Do my eyes deceive me? Dell was now offering a few select pc's and laptops with Hardy Heron!!!

I hit the link and there were three options available: A tower, an Inspiron lappy and an XPS lappy.

Since I hadn't touched Linux since I was in school, I decided to pick the Inspiron lappy. Below are the specs

Inspiron 1525
Intel Core 2 Duo T7250, 2GHz, 800MHz FSB, 2MB L2 Cache
fancy, dancy, black shell
4GB, DDR2, 667MHz, 2 Dimm
15.4" Widescreen WXGA LCDTrueLife
Intel Graphics Media Accelerator X3100
120GB 7200 RPM SATA with Free Fall Sensor (better to have it and not need it, than need it and not have it)
Ubuntu 8.04 with DVD Playback
Integrated 10/100 NIC
8X DVD+/-RW Dual Layer
Integrated High Def Audio (2.0)
Intel 3945 WLAN (802.11 a/g) Mini-card
Six cell battery

There weren't that many upgrade options available, but I upgraded what I could. Except the webcam and Harddrive. Don't need the webcam, and I plan to use external storage anyway.

Backup all the time and backup your backup. You can NEVER backup enough.

Oh, and for those of you considering this or any Dell pc (or HP, Gateway . . .), search for coupon codes. Needless to say, in my inebriated state I purchased the damn thing. This set up would've run me about $1100, but using one of the Dell codes available with a quick search saved me 25%. It came out to about $870, shipped!

Keep and eye on here, I plan to post up my experiences. Constructive comments and suggestions will be appreciated. This is a whole new game for me. I'll need the help.

GD

p.s.
Don't expect anything here for a bit about the laptop. I have an estimated delivery for the first week of August.

Motorcycles

It's time for my yearly update!!!

As I once posted before, I appear to have some type of OCD (comics, recumbent bikes, razors . . .). Now I appear to have moved on to motorcycles.

The first weekend of January, I took the MSF (motorcycle safety . . .something-or-other) course. Highly recommended if you are considering motorcycling! With the type of commute I have now, I'm pretty sure I would've killed myself by now without the training I had in the class.

Since then, I've accomplished getting my Class C/M1 drivers license and getting insured. My dads Boulevard C50 has been sitting for a couple of months because it's been too cold for him to ride. Not for me!

I've been using his bike to ride to work and have had some pretty good "oh-sh!t" moments. I've learned from them and have been reading the forums to absorb more information to think about for my conditions. I've also been researching what type of bike I want in the long run. I think I've decided on the 2006 Kawasaki 650R.

If anyone reads this and has an opinion, let me know what you think.

GD

p.s.
i'm just posting. not checking on grammar or spelling right now. maybe later . . .

Now for something a bit different

It's been over a year since I last posted here. The whole bike thing never really worked out. I do have the plans, the equipment and most of the materials, but I just don't seemt to have the skill. I need a LOT more practice before I even consider trying my hand on using my welder on the cromo tubing.

What I have done is order a brand spanking new bike for me to use. It's a Surly Cross Check. I picked that one for several reasons. One, I'm a big boy (now at 250 lbs down from 285 back in January). Two, it seemed to be the bike to get according to the folks at Bike Forums. Specifically in the Clydesdale and the Commuting sections.

I'll be posting pics up as soon as I have in under my feet. I juset need to decide what type of pedals to get on it. I think I've already decided on the Crank Bros. Mallet pedals. They'll allow me to use the bike as normal without having to clip in. I've never used clips, but I've always wanted to try. This'll be my chance.

More soon . . .