Jogging is bad for you -- the new theory of Dr. Al Sears debunked

Dr. Al Sears has set forth a revolutionary theory that aerobic exercise such as long distance running is bad for you (linked to at the George Noory Coast to Coast website http://www.coasttocoastam.com/). This theory has apparently not yet been refuted by anyone or reconciled to and compared with the traditional theory adhered to by almost everyone even now, that aerobic exercise such as long distance running is good for you.

Dr. Sears in making his arguments combines: assertions not backed by evidence or citations of scientific literature; evidence that he says is backed by scientific literature without providing a footnote linking to the study; evidence supposedly backed by scientific literature that is footnoted and linked to a study.

Thus a mere assertion takes on the color of a hypothesis strongly supported by data.

His argument that long distance running is bad for you is combined with: arguments that long distance running does not improve the health and arguments that anaerobic type interval training boosts the health more than aerobic-type nonstop training like long distance running. These arguments are presented jumbled up together as if proving that long distance running is useless or not as good for you as intervals or wind-sprints, proves that long distance running is bad for you.

With regards to the idea that long distance running is bad for you, Sears presents two pieces of evidence:

A 1995 study by Sanchez-Queseda showing that long distance running increases the level of LdL (low density lipoprotein) and TG (triglyceride)in the blood and increases their oxidation (it is a commonly held belief that high levels of LDL and TG lead to blood clots and heart attacks)

A study showing that aerobic exercise disrupts blood thinner vs thickener level and elevates clotting level and inflammation

Also Dr. Sears asserts without providing any evidence that I can see, that: long distance type aerobic exercise shrinks the heart and the lungs; and, aerobic exercise results in the harm of the body producing fat for use as a fuel.

In this post I take up the argument re the long distance running type aerobic exercise increasing the LDL and TG levels and the level of their oxidization in the blood of the long distance runner during and after the long-distance aerobic exercise.

Sears' book that presents his theory that aerobic exercise is bad for you, was written in 2004; yet one of his main three evidential arguments against long distance running is based on a 1995 study.

Even an amateur such as myself could easily find in one evening, several studies that came out between 1995 and 2004 that contradict Dr. Sears' argument.

Several studies that have been done since 1995 have shown that persons who engage in aerobic long distance running type exercise have in their blood, both before they exercise and during and after the exercise relatively high (compared to less exercised individuals) levels of substances that counteract balance and neutralize increased levels of LDL and TG and increased oxidization of LDL and TG.

Even person who do not regularly exercise, produce during and after exercise elevated levels of substances that counteract balance and neutralize high levels of LDL and oxidization of LDL in the blood.

Dr. Randolph Howes has produced a lengthy and impressive pdf that challenges the whole taken for granted notion that high levels of LDL and high levels of LDL oxidization have anything to do with heart disease in the first place.

Although Dr. Sears enunciates the principle that wisdom is to realize that what is important is what happens to the body after exercise and that this is not the same thing as what happens to the body during exercise, Dr. Sears is focused on the elevated levels of LDL and TG in the blood during long distance exercise.

the consensus opinion as of 2009 as reflected by a review of the literature regarding the subject of elevated levels of oxidants caused by exercise: such elevated levels of oxidants may be healthy in that they trigger and promote reactions in the body which produce anti-oxidants or other beneficial chemicals. Meaning, these chemicals signal the body that the body has exercised, and prompt the body to react to the exercise by producing wonderful natural wholesome chemicals.

sears ignores that even the exercise that he adores and pushes, anaerobic exercise, releases into the body the same substances that he loathes, which are released into the body by the aerobic exercise that he despises.

Even Sanchez-Quesada himself, in a 1998 article coming out three years after the 1995 article Sears bases his argument on, argues that ascorbic acid as found in orange juice counteracts the increased susceptibility to oxidation of LDL that is caused by intense aerobic exercise.

I personally know from having studied training from the point of view of performance improvement, that it is a myth that interval training of the type enthused over by Dr. Sears, is 100% anaerobic and 0% aerobic.

Actually to some extent interval wind sprint type training is aerobic. Thus aerobic training of the type Dr. Sears despises, improves performance and results when it comes to the anaerobic training that Dr. Sears adores.

Anaerobic improvement promotes aerobic improvement and aerobic improvement promotes anaerobic improvement so one could say they are like two sides of a coin. I suspect that aerobics prepares the mind and the body for anaerobics.

Everybody know that if if you give a person a physical work level that outstrips his nutrient intake you can work him to death. Such a worker would be better off limiting his activities to correspond with his limited nutritional intake.

It is common sense that since healthy nutrients enhance athletic performance, this means that athletic performance uses up, depletes, the beneficial chemicals in the healthy nutrients.

Therefore with regards to point number one, the alleged harm caused to the body by long distance running type aerobic exercise due specifically to the increase in production and oxidization of LDL and TG, the logic and the evidence is overwhelmingly against Dr. Sears.

As of now I am convinced that the rest of Dr Sears' arguments alleging that aerobic exercise is harmful will likewise collapse.

My natural tendency is to sometimes feel like going out and running say 9 miles slowly non-stop. This is my way of recovering from the interval training of the type advocated by Dr. Sears.

Sometimes if the choice is between interval training and not doing anything, I will choose to not do anything whereas it would have been better if I had followed the alternative of doing slow nonstop long distance running.

Sometimes if I have not been exercising for a few days, long slow non-stop running comes naturally to me as the first thing to do when I start exercising again. The slow running loosens me up and prepares me mentally and physically for the challenge of the interval type running. Similarly the general consensus: increase in free radicals produced by exercise promotes healthy reactions that neutralize the supposedly harmful substances that instigate these reactions and also accomplish other beneficial effects.

Long distance nonstop running sometimes improves my sense of physical and mental well-being more than interval training. Quite possibly the optimal course of action for me is following my own natural inclinations, mixing wind-sprint interval type training with long distance non-stop runs.

I am an individual, different from all other individuals on earth. What is good for my mind might be different from what is good for the minds of others. What is good for my mind could be good for my body.

I've heard that successful men rest from one type of activity by performing another type of activity. Likewise, one could rest from aerobics through anaerobics and vice versa.

I say this all as someone who is not good at long distance running and would prefer to have to do it as little as necessary to maintain mental health.

I simply find that sometimes long distance running is the superior course of action; I and millions of others resent (or would resent if we knew about Dr. Sears) the implication that by going out and running a few miles nonstop slowly we are damaging our bodies.

We resent the idea of facing disrespect in society, unemployment and even high insurance payments simply because sometimes we like to go on long slow runs.

See:

http://books.google.com/books?id=AbmXeprR82sC&pg=PT23&lpg=PT23&dq=%22al+sears%22+study+aerobic+studies&source=bl&ots=Tn40ukn9Ks&sig=FFyJjdwjxFPam55Uo2bwctTo5Bw&hl=en&ei=8UgvSpXvE-GMtge9wsH8Cw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=4#PPT27,M1

http://ajpendo.physiology.org/cgi/content/full/276/6/E1083

http://avmajournals.avma.org/doi/abs/10.2460/ajvr.2000.61.886?journalCode=ajvr

http://www.acsm-msse.org/pt/re/msse/abstract.00005768-200702000-00010.htm;jsessionid=KvyGvZJZ6yy4L18K0LJvZblKJvcZXybn1bS0X79yl9G1cws39KD2!-1260103914!181195628!8091!-1?nav=reference

http://jcem.endojournals.org/cgi/reprint/86/7/3243.pdf

http://74.125.47.132/search?q=cache:eV91zk85Dt0J:perweb.firat.edu.tr/personel/yayinlar/fua_3/3_6141.doc+sanchez-quesada+%22increase+of+ldl%22&cd=23&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

http://www.dynamic-med.com/content/8/1/1

http://bjsm.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/38/5/e22

http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=2642810

http://www.thepundit.com/downloads/cardiovascular.pdf

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

47 second eigth-of-a-mile run, April 22, using long paces style on outdoors track

For the first time since returning to long-distance running in November '08, I ran eigth-of-a-mile (220 yard) distances, taking approx 5 minute breaks between quarter-miles. Like yesterday I ran on the outdoors track at Leary Field, the 'J. Lee Gould' track.

I left the footwear as it was the previous run; last time I gave myself footwear advice was after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: No complaints with regards to track at Leary Field; some slight pain in balls of feet and toes on sidewalk.

Right foot/leg: No complaints with regards to track at Leary Field; some slight pain in balls of feet and toes on sidewalk.

Seems I got used to the softer outdoors track, so when I returned to the sidewalk, there was some pain in the balls of the feet and the toes.

Makes me feel as if I doubt whether I will ever be able to run faster than say ten minute miles on the road/side-walks without experiencing pain. The feet seem to hit the ground faster at higher speeds.

Wednesday April 22:

I ran half a lap, 220 yard segments on the Leary Field track. I stopped for usually approx five minutes after each 220 yd run. I used style B/E, emphasis on long paces.

Time after 5th mile: 90:02 (four 1/8 mile runs + 1/2 mile run + 1 mile walk + 1 mile run + 1 mile walk): The breaks were the usual format: time at end of run or walk segment rounded up to next minute, plus five minutes, equals start of next segment.

I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue) during the 1/8th mile runs:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Great is our distance per unit of time

(NEW) Doing...just an eighth of a mile
in that long-paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

I stretched before starting the run; had coffee, cod liver oil, c-boost drink.
Times recorded today April 22, using style B/E, long paces, running 220 yard segments; times recorded yesterday April 21 using style A/D, quick short paces, running 440 yard segments (totals show mile-times unless noted):

1st, run: 0:47+0:51+0:55+0:58=3:31 for 1/2 mile+ 1/2 mile run at leisurely pace; 2:27+3:22+4:01+3:16=13:06,

2nd, walked: walked at leisurely pace; 3:41+3:45+3:41+3:45=14:52,

3rd,run: 19:15 (leisurely pace); 3:58(ST)+3:56(FL)+3:52(HB)+3:55(HB)=15:41,

4th, walked: 19:47 (leisurely pace); 3:41+3:41+3:51+3:43=14:56,

5th, run: 19:43 (lesiurely pace); 3:00(QS,ST)+3:15(FL,ST)+3:03(QS,HB)+4:01=13:19

The 0:47 time on the first 220 yd segment was a big relief for me, like avoiding hell on judgement day, despite being thoroughly worthy of being damned.

Because, if I am unable to run the 1/8th mile in 45 seconds, I do not stand much chance of being able to run the mile in 8x45=360 seconds = 6 minutes.

But if I can run the mile in six minutes, I can be at the basic aerobic type fitness level I need to be at in order to be a big-shot athlete. It's common knowledge that my weakness is this kind of endurance, and that aside from this weakness I am a super-star.

I realize that modern conditioning for sports increasingly emphasizes anaerobic endurance, the repeated wind-sprints type of thing; such anaerobic endurance drills require an aerobic fitness foundation.

The speed during the 0:47 run was 56% faster than my fastest quarter-mile of 147 seconds yesterday.

The world record eigth-of-a-mile speed is 12% faster than the world record quarter-mile speed (http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/records/records.jsp?listId=1 ).

My 56% speed improvement running eigth-of-a-mile distances (compared to quarter-mile speed) the first time running the eigth-of-a-mile (220 yard) distances shows how: at the present time, my weakness lies in slowing down from a speed which is approximately equal to my target speed of 45 seconds per 1/8th of a mile, after having run about an 1/8th of a mile; repeatedly running 220 yard segments is what will get me used to running at the speed I need to run at in order to run a mile in six minutes.

The rain interrupted the workout after four 1/8th mile runs. After this I felt tired; I decided to for the remainder of the day, add just 0.5 miles jogged + 1 mile walked + 1 mile jogged + 1 mile walked + 1 mile jogged, at a leisurely pace, bringing the total miles done on a wet rainy day to five.

I felt sick of pressure, trying hard to score a fast time. I think the new stuff, running half-miles, quarter-miles, 1/8th miles, tired me out and got me sick of pressure.

The running and walking at a leisurely pace was such that the time if the first 0.5 miles had also been run at a leisurely pace, for all 5 miles, would have been 96:13.

I can remember how just a couple of months ago, 96 minutes on the outdoors sidewalks course would have been the result of maximum effort and a new personal record (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/02/running-shoes-1-layer-gel-heel-to-toe.html).

Today the speed at a leisurely pace, 96 minutes for five miles, was 71% of the speed on the course when making a maximum effort (current personal best 68 minutes for the five miles) (68/96=0.71).

This tells me something significant. It tells me that when I feel tired, too tired to work out, I can still go out and do a workout at a leisurely pace that causes me no discomfort whatsoever, at a speed that is 71% of my maximum speed.

This implies that persons such as myself, are liable to skip a workout which we could easily perform at 71% of max effort, on the grounds that we are too tired to work out.

It would be nice at thus juncture to be able to snap a finger and have a humble underling, who has a Phd in statistics, and a Masters in exercise science, to promptly and obediently supply the info as to whether the smartest coaches and physicians think that a workout at 71% of maximum effort, is worth anything in terms of improvement in conditioning and health.

Off the bat, I would estimate that a workout at 71% of maximum effort accomplishes more for conditioning and health than idleness along the grounds that a weightlifter whose maximum for the bench press is 10 repetitions of 200 lbs, would consider 10 reps of 145 lbs to be a worthwhile activity, better than inactivity, so long as the 10 reps of 145 lbs did not result in the body being overworked due to too much weightlifting being done.

In the weightlifting world you often hear it said, especially with regards to weightlifting for the purpose of building up sprinting speed and jumping ability, that it is wise to lift at about 67% of maximum personal capacity and that lifting at a heavier than 67% level can be dangerous or counterproductive.

I think people underestimate the similarity between weightlifting and track. People under-estimated the contribution weightlifting can make to track performance.

The way people used to insist that to train for a mile one must run distances longer than a mile as opposed to distances shorter than a mile, was related to their failure to appreciate the role of simple muscular strength of the right type in the right places when it comes to running, which was related to a failure to see similarities between track and weightlifting (over-specialization of labor again?).

In general a long slow minimally-interrupted five mile run at 71% maximum effort, when one is used to almost daily long but faster minimally-interrupted five-mile runs at 95% or more of maximum effort, can be better than inactivity because the body gets used to the almost-daily 95% efforts on five mile runs, and suddenly switching to just half-mile runs with a break every half-mile, and quarter-mile runs with a break after every quarter-mile, and eighth-of-a-mile runs with a break after every eighth of a mile, hits the body the way withdrawal from an addictive drug hits the body; seems such withdrawal should be gradualized, especially since a five-mile run does not damage the body/mind via side-effects the way an addictive drug does.

I find the five-mile runs promote my general sense of mental and physical well-being. This in turn can result in an improvement in track performance. There is more to life than track performance, and certain types of exercise can improve life in these non-track areas. Improvements in areas of life outside of track, can result in improvement in track performance.

The footwear today was the same as the previous run. This footwear setup is described at http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/68-minute-5-mile-run-march-29-new.html .

'Twas a day-time run, and then a night-time run.

The black heavy sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, shorts, & headband were a little too warm during the first four 1/8 mile runs.

The weather during the workout (2:33-2:57 PM) was: avg 55 degrees, 1 mph wind, avg 0.25 in/hr rain (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=22&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ).

The workout started at 2:33 PM; the fourth 1/8 mile run was completed at 2:57 PM. At this point I had to take a break because the rainfall level changed from tolerable (0.2 inches per hour) to intolerable (0.5 inches per hour). The evening portion of the workout lasted from 9:32 PM to 11:11 (109 minutes including breaks).

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ); no need to do anything.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style C/F, the syle that combines length of pace with quickness of paces, pausing five minutes after each quarter-mile to rest/take-notes.

Running Tactics Slash Strategy

Yesterday, I estimated that when I ran the 147 second quarter-mile, my fastest of the day, I ran the first 220 yds in 49 seconds (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/04/25-minute-quarter-mile-run-april-21.html ).

Today I managed to run 220 yards in 47 seconds.

Just goes to show my competence in applied math.

Incidentally, Tom Wolf was on my high school soccer team; he later became an applied math big-shot...once I dreamt that everyone around was a monkey but he was a human...which means that, I am capable of thinking that he is less monkey-like than the people around here).

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

2.5 minute quarter-mile run, April 21, using quick paces style on outdoors track

For the first time since returning to long-distance running in November '08, I ran quarter-miles, taking approx 5 minute breaks between quarter-miles. For the first time in months I ran on the outdoors track at Leary Field, the 'J. Lee Gould' track.

I left the footwear as it was the previous run; last time I gave myself footwear advice was after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: No complaints

Right foot/leg: No complaints

Foot-comfort result backs my theory that if I can devise footwear that is comfortable running on the sidewalk, what is comfortable on the sidewalk will be comfortable anywhere.

The track at Leary Field is a pebbly-rubber type track. It is not trampoline-like like the track at Gordon Track at Harvard University. The shoes I wore on the track contained lots of heavy padding, the padding was not lightened up to accomodate the Leary Field track being relatively gentle on the feet.

Tuesday April 21:

I ran or walked one lap, 440 yds, on the Leary Field track. I stopped for usually approx five minutes every quarter-mile. I used style A, short quick paces.

Time after 5th mile: 71:21 (12 1/4 mile runs and 8 1/4 mile walks): The breaks were the usual format: time at end of run or walk segment rounded up to next minute, plus five minutes, equals start of next segment.

For the first 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time

(NEW) Doing...just a quarter mile
in the short paced quick paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

For the styles involving torso straight, torso straight and lean forwards, and torso humpbacked, I used stanzas such as:

Doing...just a quarter mile
in the quick-paced humpbacked style

I stretched before starting the run; had coffee, cod liver oil, blueberry juice.

Split times recorded last five times out using style A/D, featuring emphasis on short quick paces: April 21 style A (4 quarter-mile times summed), March 31 style A (2 half-mile times), March 25 style A (miles), March 21 style A (miles), March 18 style D (miles):

1st, run: 2:27+3:22+4:01+3:16=13:06, 7:07+7:02=14:09, 15:23, 15:15, 15:05

2nd, walked:3:41+3:45+3:41+3:45=14:52, 6:37+6:30=13:07, 14:12, 14:50, 14:15

3rd,run: 3:58(ST)+3:56(FL)+3:52(HB)+3:55(HB)=15:41, 7:02+6:00=13:02, 15:23, 15:26, 15:47

4th, walked: 3:41+3:41+3:51+3:43=14:56, 6:39+6:36=13:15, 14:00, 14:05, 14:23

5th, run: 3:00(QS,ST)+3:15(FL,ST)+3:03(QS,HB)+4:01=13:19,5:52+6:48=12:40, 15:02, 15:12, 15:40

Acronyms: ST=the quarter-mile was run with the upper body held basically vertical; FL=the quarter-mile was run with the upper body basically straight leaning forward somewhat; HB=quarter-mile was run with the upper body in a sort of hunchbacked position, leaning slightly forward with the upper body curved; QS=quick-start, means first half of run was faster than second half.

It seemed today April 21 that my quarter-mile speed seems to be improved by: running fast at the beginning until I get exhausyed and slow down; running with the upper body in a slightly hunchbacked positiion.

The 2:27 run on the first half mile was a big achievement; the speed was 16% faster than my fastest half-mile March 31.

The world record quarter-mile speed is about 17% faster than the world record half-mile speed (http://www.trackandfieldnews.com/tfn/records/records.jsp?listId=1 ). The 20% speed improvement (compared to half-mile speed) the first time running the quarter-mile is respectable.

But for some reason, the walked speed in the 2nd mile, on the outdoor track at Leary Field, was 12% slower than the walked speed in the second and fourth miles March 31 when the mile was split into two half-miles on the round-the-block course.

This could mean: regression in walk speed due to three weeks without practice; slowdown in walk speed due to exhaustion from fast first quarter-mile; round the block course is shorter than outdoor track; car odometer used to measure round the block distance overestimates distance traveled because it is not accurate; car odometer measurement of round the block course was on road but round-the-block course on sidewalk is shorter.

The footwear today was the same as the previous run.

'Twas a day and evening run.

The black heavy sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, shorts, & headband were too warm after the first two quarter-miles.

After the first two quarter-miles, I removed the sweatshirt. I ran/walked quarter-miles 3 to 11 without the sweatshirt, wearing the visibility vest. This felt about right in the 51 degree, windless, cloudy, wet but not raining conditions (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=1&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ).
The workout started at 12:22 PM; the eleventh quarter-mile was concluded at 1:56 PM. At this point I had to take a break due to the rain. Resumed workout, quarter-miles 12 through 16, 5:28 - 6:07 PM. Rain break. Quarter-miles 17-20, 6:39 - 7:09 PM. Total workout time: 2:43, not counting rain breaks.

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ); no need to do anything.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style B/E, the long-paced style, pausing five minutes after each quarter-mile to rest/take-notes.

Experiment with the different ways of positioning the upper body while running; remember that with this kind of running at this time, starting out at a speed that is faster than one can maintain for the entire run and then slowing down seels to produce the fastest speed.

Walk the walked miles without breaks. The five minute breaks between segments are beginning to lengthen the workouts out to the point where they are very time consuming.

I estimate that if five minute breaks are taken after each 220 yd run, and the walked miles are walked without breaks, the workout will take 4 hours, which is still alot of time.

Running Tactics Slash Strategy

It became evident today during the last four quarter-miles run, that for me as of now, the tactic of starting out the first half of the quarter-mile fast and then slowing down for the second half of the quarter-mile, results in a speed that is 33% faster in terms of distance covered per unit of time, compared to pacing myself, trying to avoid ending at a speed slower than I start with.

On the 17th, 18th, and 19th quarter-miles, the last half of the quarter-mile took me about two minutes while the first half of the quarter-mile took me about one minute.

Looking at the 1st quarter-mile run in 2:27, for this quarter-mile, the estimate if the second half took me twice as long as the first half would be, 1:38 for the second half of the quarter mile, and 0:49 seconds for the first half of the quarter mile.

If I was running a six minute mile, the pace would be 45 seconds per each eighth of a mile.

Thus since 49 seconds is almost the same as 45 seconds, today I demonstrated that I can run an eigth of a a mile at the speed I need to run an entire mile at to run the mile in six minutes.

(tech note): Insert here audio of angels singing Hallelujah chorus, video of sun majestically and dramatically appearing from behind the clouds.

Therefore my strategy or tactic for now is, to run one eighth of a mile distances, or 220 yds, taking a break after each 220 yd run, with the goal being to consistently run 220 yds in 45 seconds.

When I get to the point where I can consistently run 220 yds in 45 seconds, I plan on moving on to running 440 yd segments trying to get to the point where I can run the 440 yd segment in 90 seconds. After this: trying to get to the point where I can run 880 yds in 3 minutes, running 880 yd segments separated by breaks. Then: trying to run miles in six minutes. Then: trying to run a mile in six followed by a mile walked followed by another mile in six. Then: Running a mile in six, walking a mile, running a second mile in six, walking a mile, and running a third mile in six all without a break.

This follows the theory that I postulated about 15 years ago, when I was shouted down because at that time most people disagreed with me.

The theory is that to be able to build up to a fast speed in the mile, one should practice running in the style which one will be running in when one is finally able to run the mile at fast speed; this means doing short distances at the speed one aims to finally be able to achieve when running the mile.

When I was shouted down because I was in the minority the spokesman for the majority opinion declared that to train for the mile one should run distances of a mile or longer non-stop without breaks to build aerobic capacity.

The thinking behind my maverick original opinion was: running is a muscular activity; running slowly in a slow style builds muscles in a certain way, running fast in a fast style builds muscles in a different way; running short segments in a fast style will build aerobic endurance and also at the same time build muscle appropriately; running long distances in a slow style will build aerobic endurance but will not build the muscles appropriately.

The military places a strong emphasis on the ability to run two miles at a high speed as a condition of entry into the military.

I noticed at the military website that the military now advocates that those training to develop speed in the two mile run should use the approach that I advocated a long time ago, running shorter distances with breaks in between at the speed one must run the two-miles at in order to qualify for the military.

Digression re proper GMAT style math

Where: SLT= the amount of time taken to run the distance at the slower speed, FST= the amount of time taken to run the distance at the faster speed:

((SLT minus FST) times 100) divided by FST = RESULT

And, the correct answer is that the speed at the faster speed was RESULT percent faster than the speed at the slower speed.

Note that strictly speaking, it would be incorrect to say that the statement in the above paragraph is true if RESULT is computed as being ((STL minus FST) times 100) divided by SLT.

Similarly, ((SLT minus FST) times 100) divided by SLT = SECONDRESULT

And, the correct statement is: the speed at the slower speed was SECONDRESULT slower than the speed at the faster speed.

Note that RESULT does not equal SECONDRESULT; in the first equation the divisor is FST, whereas in the second it is SLT.

Such wisdom gets me to the 93rd percentile on the Graduate Management Aptitude Test (GMAT).

I heard on the internet that if I could get to the 99th percentile, I could get paid lots of money training students preparing to take the GMAT (I myself did not get any tutoring or training to prepare me for the GMAT before I took the GMAT).

Funny, practicing GMAT skills so as to be able to teach people how to get a high score on the GMAT never occurred to me as a profession, until I read about it on the internet.

Even now, sharpening up my GMAT skills so as to be able to get a score in the 99th percentile so as to be able to teach people how to get a high score, strikes me as a weird way to spend time.

Seems weird that society should highly reward time spent in such fashion, while treating time spent in better ways, as wasted time.

End Digression re proper GMAT style mathematics

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

7 minute half-mile runs, April 20, using long & quick paces style

Monday April 20 (afternoon workout):

For the 3rd time since returning to long-distance running in Nov 08, for the 3rd workout in a row, I ran half-miles, taking approx 5 minute breaks between half-miles.

I left the footwear as it was during the previous runs of April 18, March 31, 29, 26, 25, & 24. The last footwear advice I gave to myself was after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: pain in sole of foot towards end of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th half-miles.

Right foot/leg: pain in sole of foot towards end of 2nd, 3rd, 4th, & 5th half-miles.

Monday April 20:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). I stopped for approx five minutes every half-mile. I used style C/F, long & quick paces.

Time after 5th mile: 66:38 (six 1/2 mile runs and 4 1/2 mile walks).

The break times were as follows: time at end of 1/2 mile run or walked, rounded up to next minute (example 11:54:21 rounded up to 11:55:00) plus five minutes = resume running time (in example run would be resumed at 12:00:00). Thus breaks were always between 5 and 6 minutes, on average 5.5 minutes. 9 breaks were taken, one after each half-mile.

For the first 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time
The greatness of our speed is famed in rhyme

Going...just half a mile
in that long paced quick paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

Prior to this run I stretched my legs, had a little c-boost drink, a tablespoon of cod liver oil, couple pieces toast, coffee, little blueberry juice.

Times recorded using long & quick paced style (styles C/F): today April 20 for half-miles, and previous time such style used (miles), March 29 (current personal record set for breaks every mile):

1st, run: 6:52 + 6:48=13:40, 13:58,
2nd, walked: 6:30+6:24=12:54, 13:03,
3rd, run: 6:51+6:52=13:43, 13:57,
4th, walked: 6:19+6:14=12:33, 12:57,
5th, run: 6:54+6:54=13:48, 14:00,

To repeat, my goal in pausing after every half-mile on the recent runs, has been to shake off the slow style of running which I suspected had become habitual.

Looking at the times April 20 today, my speed was faster than it was the previous time using this style when I took the breaks every mile instead of every half-mile; but the speed improvement was not what one would expect changing from miles to half-miles, this probably due to the taking a break from end of March to April 18.

The footwear was the same as the previous run

'Twas a day-time run, cloudy.

The sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, shorts, headband & hat were too warm after three half-miles, so I removed the sweatshirt.This felt right for the surprisingly chilly, 45 degree wind avg 3 mph with gusts at avg 9 mph conditions (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=20&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ). 5th mile ended at 5:45 PM.

Felt too tired after run for clever comments in blog report re run.

Advice to myself for the next run

footwear-wise: No new advice; latest advice: http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html )

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style A/D, the style that emphasizes high level of paces per minute.

7 minute half-mile runs, April 18, using long paces style

Seemed run/walking or jog-walking six miles a day almost every day, tired me out to the point where when it came to things like blogging, I did not have mental energy, for more than just typing up a log entry describing a six mile run workout.

From April 1 to April 18 I took a break from running. As a result, I had mental energy for things more mentally tiring than merely typing up an entry describing a track workout (see blog entries April 1-18).

I feel the jog-walking the six miles almost every day, and then resting and skipping the run/walk workout for a few days, produced an improvement in mental energy during the resting phase; my mental energy level in the resting phase after the many weeks of several run-walk workouts per week, exceeded my mental energy during the days when I was run-walking, and also exceeded my mental energy level before I started run-walking several days per week.

After a couple of weeks of resting, I began to feel my mental energy level would improve if I went back to the running and walking workout.

Saturday April 18 (noon-time workout):

For the 2nd time since returning to long-distance running in Nov 08, I ran half-miles, taking approx 5 minute breaks between half-miles.

I left the footwear as it was during the previous runs of March 31, 29, 26, 25, & 24.
Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run, was that the advice is the same as described after the March 25 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: Some pain in arches of feet and lower leg after first two or three half-mile segments.

Right foot/leg: Some pain in arches of feet and lower leg after first two or three half-mile segments.

Saturday April 18:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). I stopped for usually approx five minutes every half-mile. I used style B/E, long paces.

Time after 5th mile: 69:30 (six 1/2 mile runs and 4 1/2 mile walks); this was 4.7% slower than the 1/2 mile runs March 31 using short quick paces.

The break times were as follows: time at end of 1/2 mile run or walked, rounded up to next minute (example 11:54:21 rounded up to 11:55:00) plus five minutes = resume running time (in example run would be resumed at 12:00:00). Thus breaks were always between 5 and 6 minutes, on average 5.5 minutes. 9 breaks were taken, one after each half-mile.

For the first 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Great is our distance per unit of time

Doing...just half a mile
in that long paced style

Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

The three stanzas were chanted in various orders.

During half-miles run with only the left foot or only the right foot taking long paces, the chant was adjusted to:

Doing...just half a mile
in that long left paces style

or,

Doing...just half a mile
in that long right paces style

Prior to this run I stretched my legs.

Times recorded using long paced style (styles B and E): today April 18 half-miles, and previous time such style used (miles)-- March 26 (in rain), and March 22 (in pain):

1st, run: 7:06+7:36=14:42, 16:00, 15:15
2nd, walked: 6:28+6:30=12:58, 13:41 mild pain, 13:22 IN PAIN
3rd, run: 7:05+7:12=14:17; 16:02, 15:05
4th, walked: 6:36+6:32=13:08, 14:05, 13:40 pain
5th, run: 7:20+7:05=14:25, 15:12, 14:54

Again, my goal in pausing after every half-mile April 18, was to shake off the slow style of running which I suspected had become habitual.

Looking at the times April 18, I achieved my goal of shaking off the habit of running at a slow pace by speeding up and taking breaks every half-mile.

The footwear was the same as the previous run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/68-minute-5-mile-run-march-29-new.html ).

'Twas a day-time run mostly cloudy.

The long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, shorts, & headband were too warm after a while.

Starting with after the 1st half-mile with every half-mile I discarded a piece of clothing; most of the workout I wore only a visibility vest on my upper body.

Just the visibility vest on the upper body felt about right in the 61 degree avg 3 mph day (http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=18&year=2009&month=4&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ). 5th mile ended at 12:44:05.

Advice to myself for the next run
fotwear-wise: Same as that listed in the March 25 post (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html )

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run the next run, using style C/F, the moderate style that combines length of pace with high number of paces per minute, pausing five minutes after each half-mile to rest/take-notes.

Chant to use:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Many are our steps per unit of time,

Doing...just half a mile
in the long-paced quick paced style

Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

There was a problem in that during the first two half -miles run, I felt clumsy in my attempt to run using long paces.

If the paces are too long, the speed becomes slow and fatigue develops. If the paces are too short, the purpose of the drill, which is to develop speed by practicing using long paces, is defeated. I felt confused and this produced clumsiness.

The 3rd half-mile run, I took long paces only with my left foot, and normal paces with my right. The 4th half-mile run, I took long paces only with my right foot, and normal paces with my left. Both half-miles, I mentally concentrated hard on what I was doing.

I realized that I can strike the correct balance of lengthening my stride, but not lengthening it excessively, by mentally concentrating on: keeping my front leg straight when my front foot hits the ground; pointing the toe of my front foot forward as it hits the ground; keeping up the long-strides variant of the chant, and making an effort to take long strides.

Link to Outdoors Run Checklist:

http://coolname001.angelfire.com/outdoors_run_checklist.htm

You can print out this checklist and use it to prepare for an outdoors run.

Since the we page containing the checklist has ads on it you might have to copy and paste the checklist table and text, leaving out the ads, into a simple HTML editor like Outlook Express and create a web-page and then print it.

When you print the page you may have to reduce the vertical margins used by the printer, to get the checklist to fit, by using file-page setup in the menu.

Getting prepared to go outdoors to do some running or jogging, can be a drain on mental energy, stressful, and time consuming. The costs in terms of mental energy stress and time can make the difference between going out for a run and not bothering with it.

The costs in terms of energy stress and time can seem insignificant, but they become significant when life is: filled with expenditure of mental energy during activities that involve the use of the mind; filled with stress; and very limited in terms of free time available for activities such as puttering about getting oneself ready for an outdoors run.

I find the checklist helps me to reduce the amount of mental energy time and stress associated with getting myself ready for an outdoors run.

If the checklist were to save one minute per day by reducing time used to prepare to go outdoors and jog, that would be six hours per year. If one billion people were saved six hours per year, this would be a saving of 3 million work years; 3 million people working 2000 hours per year, 40 hours per week, work for a total of six billion hours.

Amazing how useful a blog-post that helps the reader to save one minute per day, can be.

Brilliant Classical-economics type digression quantitatively establishing the time value and money value of the reduction in stress produced by products such as a pre-practice checklist

Then you have the concept of determining the value of the stress reduction qualities of something like a checklist that reduces the stress involved in an activity.

Suppose stress can be at a level between zero, the minimum level of stress humans can experience while awake, and 10, the maximum level of stress humans can experience; suppose 5 is the average level of stress.

People will on average, gladly take X the pay from one hour of work, and spend it on Y, if Y provides them with 2 hours of 0 stress level waking time, when Y has no negative side-effects (using a checklist is not like a drug that has side-effects).

Therefore a reduction in stress from the average level of 5 to the level of 0 for 120 minutes, is worth (at least) 60 minutes of work-time.

Therefore, since 5 (the stress in the example is reduced from 5 to 0) times 120 (the number of minutes for which the stress reduction is in effect) = 600 (stress units), a reduction of 600 stress-units is worth 60 minutes of work time.

Meaning, a reduction of of stress by 10 units is worth 1 minute of work-time.

Meaning, if the checklist reduces stress from level 6 for 20 minutes of preparing for practice, to level 4 for 20 minutes of preparing or practice, the stress level has been reduced by 40 stress-units.

Meaning, this 40 stress-units stress reduction is worth 4 minutes of work-time.

4 minutes of work-time per day for one year coes to 24 hours. For a billion people this is 24 billion hours, which is 12 million man-years, assuming a man works 2000 hours per year. 12 million man years valued at ten dollars per hour, is 240 billion dollars!

The preceding paragraphs have been yet another example of me, David Virgil producing new original inventive creative economic-theory type thinking that for some inexplicable reason has not been produced by someone else previously.

Here we have a clever, classics-like, original, unplagiarized, competent, concise, comprehensible theoretical quantification relating level of stress reduction to minutes of work-time.

Beyond belief how much positive impact my essays, which are like classics-of-economics, potentially have on the world as insight piles upon insight upon insight, a new valuable insight sometimes almost every day.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

75 minute 5-mile run in rain, March 26, using long paces style

Thursday March 26:

I left the footwear as it was during the previous run March 25 and March 24. Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: some relatively mild pain in arch of foot 2nd half of 2nd mile; some relatively mild pain in right lower front outside leg muscle, in last quarter of 4th mile (walked mile)

Right foot/leg: some relatively mild pain in arch of foot 2nd half of 2nd mile;

Yet again the pattern wherein if the footwear is left the same as it was the previous run, there is significant improvement in terms of pain in arch of foot and lower leg.

Thursday March 26:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). Style used: E, long-paces, stopping to record split-times

Time after 5th mile: 75:00 (111:02 - 36:02 subtracted for break-times = 75:00).

Pauses were due to: having to retreat indoors to change clothing due to rain & lack of preparedness for rain; recording split-times in car due to rain; tying shoes (on last mile, shoelaces in left foot came completely undone twice); taking notes re pains, clothes, rain etc.

For the entire 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Far is our distance per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

No walk/stretch before run.

Mile split times recorded: March 26 style E (long paces pauses to rec split times), March 22 style B (long paces no pauses to rec split times),

1st, run: 16:00, 15:15
2nd, walked: 13:41 mild pain, 13:22 IN PAIN
3rd, run: 16:02, 15:05
4th, walked: 14:05, 13:40 pain
5th, run: 15:12, 14:54

Footwear in Left shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Footwear in Right shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 40 degrees with wind at avg 1 mph, rain at avg 0.1 inches per hour during the run (5th mile completed at 1:06 AM 3/27):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=26&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 )

'Twas a night-time run.

Started wearing brown waist length spring/fall-weather-type jacket, long sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility vest, sweatpants, shorts, underwear, gloves, wool winter-type hat, in light rain conditions.

This was too warm and inappropriate for rain conditions. After the first mile I returned indoors. I removed the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material, the sleeveless t-shirt, the wool hat. I put on a baseball hat. I took off the gloves. I found a towel and my car key and took them outdoors. Rest of the run I took the notes between miles in the car, kept pens note-card discarded clothes etc in the car.

I ran/walked miles 2 to 5 wearing only the brown fall/spring-type-jacket, a t-shirt, baseball cap, visibility vest, sweatpants, shorts, underpants. This was about right for the 0.10 inches-per-hour rainfall rate in the 40 degrees 1 mph wind in the night-time; except, in the 5th mile my hands felt cold. I skipped the walked sixth mile because of the rain.

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise: Same as that listed previous run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-5-mile-run-march-25-using.html )

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run using style "F Double-emphasis on long-length-paces AND paces-per-minute, no pauses to note split times".

Chant to use:

'Maxed/long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Many are our steps per unit of time,
(NEW LINE) the greatness of our speed is famed in rhyme
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

The new line in the chant is based on the realization that the chants for the other styles of running contain lines asserting a high speed, whereas the chant for this style of running up till now has not contained this line.

Running tactics/strategy

The performance was my biggest step backwards in a long time.

Compared to March 22 run in a similar style, March 26 in the rain was 4% slower. This tells me that a run in the rain is a good workout even if it is slower than a run in dry conditions. Similarly a run in pain produces a workout only about 5% slower than a normal workout. Rain rhymes with pain.

Reminds me of a rhyme my mom taught me when I was a child, when the rain would pour down on our little bungalow:

Rain, rain, go to spain
come again another day

Those were carefree days featuring long relaxing rains and an OK relationship with a mother, days I'd get sentimental about if given to sentimentalism. I modify the rhyme into a new one:

Rain, rain and pain, pain
Can't wreck my running day

Possible culprits for the slow speed: rainfall, water-logged baseball hat, water-logged brown jacket, limeade I drank before starting; drinking less coffee than usual before starting; not eating before starting; length of pace becoming so long as to slow down speed.

The brown-jacket is much heavier than: sweatshirts, & the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material. It has two layers an insulation layer and an outer layer, I expected it to do a better job than sweatshirts of keeping out the rain and it did.

The rain sort of put me to sleep (I find rain to be relaxing).

I have never consumed my home-made limeade (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/david-virgils-lime-sports-drink-1.html ) prior to running up till today when I had 20 oz before starting the run. Before the run I had an unusual version: 4 small organic limes; the fruit of the lime cut out & put in the blender (the limes created little juice), 5 magnesium pills (magnesium emphasis this time), 6 potassium pills, 4 coral calcium pills. This limeade was bitter tasting, too bitter tasting for my taste. The little pieces of the lime's outer skin, and the little pieces of the white connective tissue inside the lime, produce a bitter taste.

Prior to this I tried a calcium emphasis limeade: 40 oz water, 3 'normal' limes, 8 coral calcium pills, 3 magnesium pills, 6 potassium pills. When I first drank this limeade, I had a nightmare when I fell asleep after drinking it. But after a day or two in the frig, this limeade tasted great.

The first version of the limeade was: 40 oz water, 3 'normal' limes, 6 coral calcium pills, 3 magnesium pills. After I drank this limeade, I had a pleasant dream, opposite of a nightmare.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

74 minute 5-mile run, March 25, using quick paces style

Wednesday March 25:

I left the footwear as it was during the previous run March 24. Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run:

To allow for flexibility in padding, build 4 m-wrap layer pads for: both heels, both balls of feet, and left big toe. Adjust padding so that the heels are not so high that the result is pain in the lower legs; adjust padding so that the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding on top of the molding lightweight insole under the balls of the feet, do not exceed the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding under the heels on top of the same insole, by more than 12 m-wrap layers (because: when the difference between m-wrap-layer-thickness under ball of the foot & m-wrap-layer-thickness under the heel is 16 m-wrap layers, there is pain in the arch of the foot; when the difference is 8 m-wrap-layers there is not pain in the arch of the foot). Or make no change wait to see if there is a natural adjustment, and 'tough it out' (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/74-minute-painful-5-mile-run-using-long.html ).

Results foot-comfort wise:

Left foot/leg: mile 1, some pain in heel; mile 2 some pain in calf, not as bad as March 24.

Right foot/leg: mile 2, some pain in right lower leg front-outside muscle, not as bad as March 24; mile 3, some pain in right big toe; mile 4 some pain in right lower leg front-outside muscle during last 50 yds of mile, better than March 24; mile 5, some pain in right big toe.

There appear to still be impact-pain problems using certain styles of running. As a result I now tend to see the wise course to be just patiently wait for the feet/legs to get used to increased padding, as opposed to reductions in padding.

Again I see the pattern wherein if the footwear is left the same as it was the previous run, there is significant improvement in terms of pain in arch of foot and lower leg. Yet these pains do not completely vanish simply because the footwear has been left the same for two days in a row.

Wednesday March 25:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked). My intent was to use style D, which is short quick paces not stopping to record split times, but for a few reasons, in reality I ended up not minimizing the breaks between miles.

Time after 5th mile: 74:00 (96:02 - 22:02 subtracted for break-times = 74:00).

Pauses were due to: having to return indoors to apply hydrocortisone cream to thighs (8 mins) (rubbing against shorts/underwear problem), recuperation from pain, recording of pain-problems, removing excess layers clothing, tying shoes, tightening sweatpants, talking with, yet again, police (7 mins).

The two cops in the two cop cars came by as I ended the fourth mile and was about to start the fifth mile, because some nervous resident had called them, because they had seen me walking around. The cop said that there was nervousness in the area due to break-ins into cars.

Both policemen were white, about six feet tall, clean-shaven, black haired. One of them reminded me of Roger Moore, the actor who used to play James Bond in the movies. The other one looked like you could cast him in a movie as a Mafia hit-man.

I was thinking to myself: how did this Roger Moore type end up being a Waltham Policeman?...there are these cool-looking people, the type you'd like to become acquainted with; problem is that as it turns out they are cops and it is hard to be friends with cops.

Aside from the stress of the fear of getting into trouble, I estimate that I tend to like being around cops because their infectious good cheer and energy seems to sort of rub off on me.

Cops have advantages over people. There is camaraderie to their work. Their work is not filled with as much mental stress and drudgery as alot of people's work. They are relatively well paid. They avoid drugs and alcoholism. They are physically fit.

And so to me it seems they have this infectious energetic good cheer which is a result of the advantages they enjoy over us mere mortals; I suspect their energetic good cheer infects me.

I ran the mile after talking with the cops in only 15:02, a good time, maybe my best time ever for running a mile using the short quick steps style, outdoors on the hilly uneven concrete-type-surface.

At the same time there is the problem that friendship with police, frightens the population, because unfortunately (cops may not be to blame for this who knows), the laws are such that unreasonably cruel and unusual punishments are being inflicted on persons for minor offenses.

For the entire 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

I did not walk or stretch before starting the run.

Mile split times recorded: March 25 style A, March 21 style A, March 18 style D (style A & D both use shorter, quick paces)

1st, run: 15:23, 15:15, 15:05
2nd, walked: 14:12, 14:50, 14:15
3rd, run: 15:23, 15:26 15:47
4th, walked: 14:00, 14:05, 14:23
5th, run: 15:02, 15:12, 15:40

Notice the pattern & get a point on your IQ test score.

The pattern is, that for miles two to five, the times were better March 25 compared to March 21 or March 18.

Footwear in Left shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

NEW 8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Footwear in Right shoe:
SAME AS PREVIOUS RUN

NEW 8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 35 degrees with wind at avg 0 mph during the run (5th mile completed at 12:11 AM 3/26):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=25&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 )

'Twas a night-time run.

The gray lightweight sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, sweatpants, shorts, gloves, and wool winter hat were too warm.

After the first mile I removed the sweatshirt, gloves, & wool winter hat, replacing the winter hat with a headband.

I ran/walked miles 2 to 5 wearing only the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt-type cloth, a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, and the visibility vest on my upper body, shorts and sweatpants on my lower body. This felt about right in the 35 degree night. For the sixth mile walked at leisurely pace I added two sweatshirts to what I was wearing and replaced the headband with the winter hat.

Advice to myself for the next run fotwear-wise:

To allow for flexibility in padding, build 4 m-wrap layer pads for: both heels, both balls of feet, and left big toe, and (NEW today) right big toe. Adjust padding so that the heels are not so high that the result is pain in the lower legs; adjust padding so that the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding on top of the molding lightweight insole under the balls of the feet, do not exceed the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding under the heels on top of the same insole, by more than 12 m-wrap layers (because: when the difference between m-wrap-layer-thickness under ball of the foot & m-wrap-layer-thickness under the heel is 16 m-wrap layers, there is pain in the arch of the foot; when the difference is 8 m-wrap-layers there is not pain in the arch of the foot). Or make no change wait to see if there is a natural adjustment, and 'tough it out'..

The padding under the left big toe is 8 m-wrap layers greater than the padding under the right big toe; I have not been experiencing impact-pain the left big toe but I have been in the right big toe.

8 m-wrap layers is equal to approx just one millimeter. A millimeter too much padding can be a painful disaster; so also a millimeter too little padding can be a painful disaster. I am proud of the fact that I am developing a precise understanding of footwear padding, because I need to have this kind of precise understanding in order to succeed in this aerobic endurance development project.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run using style "E Long-length-paced, emphasis on long paces, pauses to note split-times
".

Chant to use:

'Maxed/long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Far is our distance per unit of time,
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

Various reasons result in a run that was supposed to be done using minimized break-time becoming like a run in which break-times are not minimized: the need for info re pain during various segments of the run; having to return indoors; being stopped by police; feeling that there should be emphasis on increased speed combined with increased break-times.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

74 minute painful 5-mile run using long & quick paces style

Monday March 23 I did not run due to: things to do, fatigue, weather. Again after six days running every day a day without a run, as in the Biblical sabbath.

Tuesday March 24:

Prior to the run footwear-wise I attempted to deal with the pain in the arches of the foot problem experienced during the previous two runs, by departing from the advice I gave myself after the March 22 run, and instead increasing the padding under both heels by 8 m-wrap layers. The idea behind this was that the pain in the arches of the feet had been caused by excess difference between the vertical level of the heel and the vertical level of the ball of the foot, due to the increased padding under the ball of the foot (in both feet).

Prior to the run I put on the shoes with the added padding, and felt some pain behind the toenail of the big toe, caused by pressure rubbing against the shoe. My novel solution: I took an oval shaped bar of sandalwood soap, and wedge it into the shoe inside the shoe, to expand the shoe in the area where the irritation to the toe occurred. I left the bar of soap inside the shoe for at least an hour. Then I removed the bar of soap and put the shoe on. The result was complete lack of irritation in the affected area. I expected a good result because: sandalwood is fab subtance with a fab smell; the sandalwood soap rubbing off on the shoe provides some lubrication; the piece of soap was shaped almost perfectly for wedging into the big-toe area of the shoe.

Footwear advice I gave to myself after the previous run: "Left foot: maybe reduce padding under big toe by 4 m-wrap layers; maybe reduce padding under ball of foot by 4 m-wrap layers...Right foot: maybe reduce padding under big toe by 4 m-wrap layers; maybe reduce padding under ball of foot by 4 m-wrap layers (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/72-minute-5-mile-long-paced-run.html ).

Tuesday March 24:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked), using for the first five miles, style C, featuring an emphasis on BOTH long-length-paces AND ALSO a high number of steps per minute , taking breaks to record split-times.

Time after 5th mile: 73:54 (91:24 - 17:30 subtracted for break-times = 73:54).

Pauses were due to: recuperation from pain, removing excess layer clothing, tying shoes, recording split-times; the unusually high amount of break-time was due to pain experienced in the first and second miles;

For the entire 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

This is the original chant, the first chant that I stuck with for any length of time; it emphasizes BOTH long-paces and quick paces.

Aside from pain-caused-impairment, the time was unimpressive, which leads me to wonder if a weakness in this chant used for styles C/F, might be that it contains no line asserting that I, the runner, am moving at a high speed. By way of contrast, the chants used for styles A/D (short, quick steps), & B/E (long steps), have evolved to both contain lines asserting speed:

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky, Many are our steps per unit of time" for A/D (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/75-minute-5-mile-quick-paced-using.html ); "'Long/Maxed are our strides as we streamline the sky, Far is our distance per unit of time" for B/E (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/72-minute-5-mile-long-paced-run.html ).

Mile split times recorded (split-times of previous style-C run March 17 in parentheses):

I walked slowly for about 150 yards before starting the run.

1st, run: 15:34 (14:57) pain in left calf
2nd, walked: 13:30 (13:40) pain (worse than 1st mile) in left calf and especially in right outside-of-lower-front-leg muscle
3rd, run: 15:30 (15:20)
4th, walked: 13:54 (13:50)
5th, run: 15:24 (15:15)

Footwear in Left shoe:

NEW 8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Footwear in Right shoe:

NEW 8 m-wrap layers pad under heel +
Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 40 degrees with wind at avg 1 mph during the run (5th mile completed at 9:05 PM):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=24&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 )

'Twas a night-time run.

The gray lightweight sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt-type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, sweatpants, shorts, and wool winter hat were too warm.

After the first half-mile I removed the wool winter hat. I continued to feel too warm. After one mile had been run, I removed the sweatshirt.

I ran/walked miles 3 to 6 wearing only the long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt-type cloth, a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, and the visibility vest on my upper body, shorts and sweatpants on my lower body; and felt about right in the 40 degree night.

Advice to myself for the next run:

To allow for flexibility in padding, build 4 m-wrap layer pads for: both heels, both balls of feet, and left big toe. Adjust padding so that the heels are not so high that the result is pain in the lower legs; adjust padding so that the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding on top of the molding lightweight insole under the balls of the feet, do not exceed the m-wrap layer-thickness of padding under the heels on top of the same insole, by more than 12 m-wrap layers (because: when the difference between m-wrap-layer-thickness under ball of the foot & m-wrap-layer-thickness under the heel is 16 m-wrap layers, there is pain in the arch of the foot; when the difference is 8 m-wrap-layers there is not pain in the arch of the foot). Or make no change wait to see if there is a natural adjustment, and 'tough it out'..

Interesting thing is that an 8 m-wrap-layer-thick pad when compressed with the fingers is only about 1 millimeter thick.

Apparently the padding has been pushed to the max, to the point where an additional 1 millimeter of padding under the ball of the foot produces pain in the arch of the foot, to the point where an additional 1 millimeter of padding under the heel produces pain the muscles of the lower leg.

Go ahead and scoff at the laborious pedantry of blog entries such as this--just remember how easy it is to end up a tortured loser, completely lost with regards to differences of a millimeter here and a millimeter there that can mean, so to speak, the difference between heaven and hell--if careful records are not kept.

Today's experience in footwear showed that I was correct in estimating that reducing the difference in elevation between the ball of the foot and the heel by increasing the elevation of the heel by just 1 millimeter, would eliminate the pain in the arch of the foot. Problem was that the added padding under the heel caused pains in the muscles of the lower legs, especially in the right leg.

This reminds me that it appears that doctors these days, have a weakness: they under-emphasize the phenomenon wherein an intervention that reduces the risk of impairment or death due to a given disease X, increases the risk of impairment or death to another disease Y.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run using style "D Medium-length-paced, emphasis on paces-per-minute, no pauses to note split-times".

Chant to use:

'Many are our steps per unit of time
Great is our speed as we streamline the sky
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

Today I felt that I could feel how pain in one mile tires one out for the next mile even if the next mile is painless; I felt I could feel how pain in a previous day tires one out for a subsequent day.

In the second mile which was walked, the pain in the muscle located at the outside-of-lower-front-right-leg, was very significant. This is the muscle on the front outside of the shin that connects the ankle to the knee. Yet still the mile was ten seconds faster than the second mile, which was walked, on March 17 when I last used the style C that I used today.

Seems running at a 15 minute mile pace has become habitual for me. I wonder whether I should try an alternative: walking the second and fourth miles at a leisurely pace instead of at a competitive pace, combined with running the first third and fifth miles, at a more competitive faster pace.

Best I can recall when, a few years ago, I had the dream about going six miles alternating between a mile run and a mile walked, the idea was to combine leisurely walked miles with competitively run run miles. But what this has morphed into, is three miles run at what for me is a competitive brisk pace, combined with two miles walked at a very brisk competitive pace, plus at the end, one mile walked at a leisurely pace.

@2009 David Virgil Hobbs

72 minute 5-mile long-paced run

Sunday March 22:

Prior to the run footwear-wise I left everything the same as during the run the previous evening March 21. This is the advice I gave myself after the March 21 run (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/75-minute-5-mile-quick-paced-using.html )

Results foot-comfort wise:

(feet subjected to exaggerated length of stride style of running, style B/E)

Left foot: good during run miles. Pain in arch of foot & rear muscle of left lower leg, during second half of second mile which was walked. Pain again but less pain in fourth mile which was walked. During 6th mile which was walked, top of right toe felt sore.

Right foot: good during run miles. Pain in arch of foot & front muscle of right lower leg during second half of 2nd mile which was walked. Pain again but less severe in fourth mile which was walked.

The pain in mile 2 which is a walked mile was not as bad as yesterday but significant. The pain in mile 4 the second walked mile was similar to the pain level in mile 4 yesterday.

The idea behind not changing the footwear despite the pain is that the feet will get used to the padding increase under the ball of the foot with the passage of time. Today was better than yesterday in that there was no pain during the miles that were run.

I congratulate myself for (like yesterday), putting up a good effort in the pain filled 2nd mile which was walked. I walked the mile in only 13:22 despite the pain, which set in after the first third of the mile was walked.

Sunday March 22:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked), using for the first 5 miles, style B, featuring emphasis on: speed & long length of stride, combined with a de-emphasis with regards to achieving a high rate of paces per minute & not stopping specifically to record split-times.

Time after 5th mile: 72:16 (85:54 - 13:38 subtracted for delays = 72:16).

Break-time reasons: in allowance for pain, tying shoelaces, discarding excess layers clothes.

Chants used:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky
Far is our distance per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I;

'Maxed are our strides as we streamline the sky
Far is our distance per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

Again, I walked half a mile around the block before starting the run.

Mile split times recorded March 22:

1st, run: 15:15
2nd, walked: 13:22 IN PAIN
3rd, run: 15:05
4th, walked: 13:40 pain
5th, run: 14:54

The footwear during the run was:

Left shoe:
SAME AS YESTERDAY

lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Right shoe:
SAME AS YESTERDAY

Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 38 degrees with wind at avg 0 mph during the run (5th mile completed at 7:43 PM):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=22&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ).

Run as the sun set, sunlight heat not a significant factor.

The lightweight gray sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, gloves, sweatpants, shorts, wool-type hat, & headband were after the beginning, too warm.

After the 1st mile, I removed the wool hat & gloves. Midway through the 2nd mile I removed the sweatshirt. Most of the run I wore only a long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material, a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility vest, headband, shorts, & sweatpants, which were about right for the 38 degree night-time run.

Regarding the 6th mile walked at a leisurely pace with the temp at 38 degrees: I would have been too cold if I had not put the sweatshirt & wool-type hat back on.

Advice to myself for the next run:

Left foot: maybe reduce padding under big toe by 4 m-wrap layers; maybe reduce padding under ball of foot by 4 m-wrap layers.

Right foot: maybe reduce padding under big toe by 4 m-wrap layers; maybe reduce padding under ball of foot by 4 m-wrap layers.

(Principle of podiatry: increaseD vertical top-to-bottom or bottom-to-top directional pressure in a shoe, results in increased sidweays pressure and increased heel-to-toe directional pressure).

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run using style "C Double-emphasis on long-length-paces AND paces-per-minute, pauses to note split-times".

Chant to use:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Many are our steps per unit of time
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

Running tactics/strategy

The second mile was walked in only 13:22 despite significant pain in the arches of the feet for two-thirds of the mile.

March 19 when I set the new personal record of 71:35 using the similar style E (E is long-paces, with pauses to record split-times, B used today March 22 is also long-paced, but without pauses to record split-times), the time for the 2nd mile which is walked was 13:15 only 7 seconds slower.

I estimate I am improving in terms of pain-tolerance and/or improving in terms of walking speed. Overall there were more minutes of break-time March 19, compared to today March 22.

I estimate that pain inhibits performance because: performance level is consciously reduced to avoid pain; areas of the body not effected by pain are worked harder to relieve pressure on areas of the body effected by pain, resulting in exhaustion and inefficiency.

75 minute 5-mile quick-paced run using changed footwear

Saturday March 21:

Prior to the run footwear-wise I put into effect optional recommendations I made to myself after the March 20 run.

In the left foot: I increased the padding under the ball of the foot by 8 m-wrap layers; increased the padding under the big toe by 8 m-wrap layers; increased the padding under the middle and index toes by 8 m-wrap layers; removed the 16 m-wrap layer pad behind the heel at base of heel.

In the right foot: I increased the padding under the ball of the foot by 8 m-wrap layers; increased the padding under the big toe by 8 m-wrap layers.

I wanted to be ready for the pounding my feet were going to take in the run; I knew that since I was going to be using style A, featuring short choppy paces, a new kind of pounding that would cause pain would be inflicted on my feet.

Before the run, at first in the left foot I combined the padding increases with keeping the 16 m-wrap layer pad at the base of the heel behind the heel, inside the shoe. Then I walked the half-mile warmup that has recently become customary. After walking the warmup, I felt as if the toes were very cramped and tight in the left shoe, I felt pain in the middle, index and big toes of the left foot just from walking around the block at a leisurely pace.

At this point I removed the 16 m-wrap layer pad at the rear bottom area of the left heel, which immediately resulted in the left foot feeling much better.

Principles of podiatry: increasing the left-to-right/right-to-left directional pressure in the shoe results in increased heel-to-toe directional tightness; increasing the heel-to-toe directional pressure results in increased left-to-right/right-to-left directional tightness.

The recommendations I made to myself after the March 20 run were:

"Left foot: possibly increase padding to rear of lower heel by 8 m-wrap layers again, making sure the padding is vertically low enough to have heel-tightening effect; possibly increase padding under middle and index toes by 8 m-wrap layers; possibly increase padding under big toe by 8 m-wrap layers; possibly increase padding under ball of foot by 8 m-wrap layers...Right foot: possibly add 8 m-wrap layer pad behind heel at base of heel; possibly add 8 m-wrap layer pad under big toe.
change.(http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/75-minute-5-mile-run-using-long-quick.html )".

Results foot-comfort wise:

(feet subjected to new unusual pounding of style A run/walking)

Left foot: best ever, almost perfect first 4 miles in terms of numbness/tingliness and pain in areas of foot that strike the ground. Pain in arch of foot in 2nd and to lesser extent in 3rd mile. Slight numbness/tingliness in 5th mile. Pain in muscles of lower leg in 3rd mile.

Right foot: Some pain in ball of foot and big toe a minority of the time. Pain in arch of foot in 2nd mile. Pain in muscles of lower leg in 3rd mile.

The pain the arches of both feet in the 2nd mile was relatively severe. Towards the end of the 2nd mile I switched from the usual heel-first walking style to heel&ball-of-foot hitting ground simultaneously, due to the pain. The time in this mile was 14:50, 45 seconds slower than the time in the 4th mile which was also walked.

I congratulate myself on putting up a good effort in the pain filled 2nd mile which was walked. The fact that for a majority of the mile I felt an above-average level of pain in the arches of both feet, resulted in only a 5% reduction in speed.

Saturday March 21:

I ran the round the block course again (1st 3rd 5th miles run, 2nd 4th 6th miles walked), using for the first 5 miles, style A, featuring emphasis on: speed & a high number of paces per minute; and, de-emphasis of length of stride.

Time after 5th mile: 74:48 (90:42 - 15:54 subtracted for delays = 74:48). The time would have been 74:03 if the pain filled 2nd mile had been fast as the painless 4th mile.

Previous run using the A/D type style, March 18:
time after 5th mile: 75:10 (84:40 - 9:30 subtracted for delays = 75:10)

Pauses: extra-long breaks of approx 5 minutes were taken after the 2nd & 3rd miles due to pain in the arches of the feet; also, removing layer of clothing, tying shoes, recording split-times.

For the first 5 miles, I used the following chant (chanted in my mind not with my mouth/tongue):

'Great is our speed as we streamline the sky
Many are our steps per unit of time
Lord of Roads of Magnificence am I
Lord of Roads of Painlessness am I'

Mile split times recorded March 21 (March 18 splits using similar method D in parentheses):

1st, run: 15:15 (15:05)
2nd, walked: 14:50 (14:15) IN PAIN
3rd, run: 15:26 (15:47) some pain
4th, walked: 14:05 (14:23)
5th, run: 15:12 (15:40)

The footwear during the run was:

Left shoe:

lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
NEW 8->16 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
NEW 8->16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
12 layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes & ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
NEW REMOVED 16 m-wrap layer pad behind heel at base of heel+
NEW 8 layers m-wrap pad under middle & index toes +
40 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
Adhesives: tape, not glue.
'Pretaping' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: medium tight on top shoelace, loose on other shoelaces

Right shoe:

Lightweight removable sole that came with shoe +
foam/gel heel-to-toe insole +
'toe bed' (forefoot gel pad for ball of foot and toes) +
NEW 8-16 layers m-wrap under ball of foot +
NEW 8 layers m-wrap pad under big toe +
12-layers m-wrap pad under ball-of-foot & line between toes and ball of foot +
20 layers m-wrap pad attached to toe area of gel forefoot pad beneath big, index and middle toes +
16 layers m-wrap pad around sides and rear of heel
'Multipurpose' type m-wrap used.
SHOELACES: tight on top shoelaces, loose on others

The temp was on average 36 degrees with wind at avg 1 mph during the run (5th mile completed at 8:57 PM):
(http://www.wunderground.com/cgi-bin/wxStationGraphAll?day=21&year=2009&month=3&ID=KMAWESTO6&type=3&width=500&showsolarradiation=1&showtemp=1&showpressure=1&showwind=1&showwinddir=1&showrain=1 ).

'Twas a night-time run.

The lightweight gray sweatshirt, long-sleeved collar-less sportshirt made of t-shirt type material, t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility-vest, gloves, sweatpants, shorts, and headband were too warm.

After the 2nd mile, I removed the sweatshirt & gloves. Most of the run I wore only a long-sleeved shirt made of t-shirt type material, a t-shirt, sleeveless t-shirt, visibility vest, shorts, & sweatpants, which were about right for the 36 degree night-time run.

However regarding the 6th mile walked at a leisurely pace with the temp at 35 degrees: I would have been too cold if I had not put the sweatshirt back on; things would have been just right if I had put a warm sweater-material type winter hat on my head. The leisurely 18-19 minute per mile walk, produces a cooler body than the faster walks and jogs.

As I finished up the 6th mile around 9:20 PM, I saw some smiling young white adults & kids taking leave of the folks at the house next door after visiting them; it looked like the photos of attractive white folks getting together that they used to use for cigarette ads. I never knew the folks next door led such photogenic lives.

The social cheerfulness, the children and women, reminded me of Indians in India. Indians from India in the US seem gloomily busy with work or shopping all the time.

Advice to myself for the next run:

Left foot: Leave things the same.

Right foot: Leave things the same.

I estimate that: the pain in the arches of the feet was due to changes in the elevation of the forefeet relative to the heels, caused by the increased padding under the balls of the feet and the big toes; this change of elevation can be gotten used to as the shoe stretches, the padding compresses, and the feet get used to the new conditions; the change in elevation caused a change in the angle of the foot left foot relative to the top shoelace which reduced the numbness/tingliness problem.

In accordance with the rotation entered into the blog-record March 15 (http://davidvirgil.blogspot.com/2009/03/76-minute-5-mile-long-length-paced-run.html ), run using style "B Long-length-paced, emphasis on long paces, no pauses to note split-times".

Chant to use:

'Long are our strides as we streamline the sky,
Far is our distance per unit of time
Lord of roads of magnificence am I
Lord of roads of painlessness am I'

This chant emphasizes speed combined with long strides, and de-emphasizes number of paces per minute.

Running tactics/strategy

During the walking of the second mile, it seemed as if the speed was reduced much more than 5%, as a result of the pain in the arches of both feet. But actually as it turned out, the speed was down just 5%.

Lesson of story: One can tend to err by exaggerating the extent to which pain is impairing performance, and using such exaggerations as excuses to not make an effort, slouch through, or give up.


@2009 David Virgil Hobbs