I finished my second 5k race a few weeks ago at Steven’s Creek Trail. I ran with my roommate Michael (who’s doing his own startup OYO Glasses) and completed it in 25:58, finishing 72nd out of 232 people (7th out of the 16 guys in my age group). It was slower than my first 5k by about 90 seconds which is kind of a bummer, but my training was also a bit off (you’ll see why in a minute). Also, this time I had shorts on. =)
I don’t want to turn this blog into a training / race log so I’ll focus on some useful things I’ve learned before and after the race.
Avoiding Feet / Ankle Pain
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I ran my first 5k in Vibrams and it was great. But after running in Vibrams all the time on pavement, I found my feet and ankles really starting to bother me. I took some time off to see if I just needed some rest but even after not running for most of August, it still hurt when I started running. I knew I wasn’t running hard to enough to have that serious of an injury, so I needed to try new tactics:
The solution ended up being three-fold: Hardcore icing, new shoes and treadmills.
Ice is the big one – everyone knows they’re supposed to do it, no one does it. [1] Icing your feet with ice packs is hard because your foot is awkwardly shaped. You gotta go with ice baths.
Get something resembling a bucket, fill it with some water and as many ice cubes as possible (I bought a 2nd set of trays for this purpose) and sticking your feet in there right after your run for about 20 minutes. Yes it’s really cold. But your feet and ankles will thank you later. I do this after every run and now my foot/ankle back is basically nil. [2]
Minimal Running Shoes
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Another part of my quest to rid myself of foot pain was to try a different pair of shoes. I love my Vibrams but I’m not 100% sold on the barefoot Kool-Aid – perhaps a little support would help. So I took a look at the Merrell Trail Glove, the Vivobarefoots and the New Balance Minimus. There are tons of good reviews on each shoe but ultimately I chose the New Balance for their nice shoe/foot feel (no socks ma!) and the way they squeezed the sides of my foot a little.
The key here is to order from Zappos for their free shipping both ways. I ended buying all 3 types of shoes in different sizes until I found the combination that worked for me. You’re not supposed to take them outside your house but I ended up doing 10 minutes on the treadmill with one of pair before deciding to go with a bigger size. My refund has come through so I guess I kept the shoe in a nice enough condition to qualify.
I still wear my Vibrams – especially when I’m lifting, but also on shorter runs. For longer runs and races, I’ll be wearing the New Balance shoes.
Dealing with Blisters
One thing that was unfortunate about the race and running in my new Minimus’es was that my foot got a little hotter than usual and I sweat in the shoe. When you aren’t wearing socks, sweating in your shoes is a big deal because it creates irritation and friction which can result in blisters.
I ended up with 2 big blisters on both feet. Even a month later, you can see the damage wrought by these blisters
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So the key here is eliminating the friction. I searched on Google and found Body Glide, or something like it, is what I need. This stuff is basically a moisturizer / lubricant that can be applied anywhere that chafes or gets blisters: thighs, nipples, armpits and feet. I haven’t had an issues with blisters since getting my stick.
Running with Music
Music and running are like seed capital and scrappy founders — they are great on their own and even better together. I love listening to music when I run. Three things make this work: good earbuds, a container for your music and great running tracks.
Earbuds: I love bass and have enjoyed the Skullcandy’s Ink’d line which is cheap ($12.99 on Amazon) and has a TON of bass. Problem is that they seem flimsy and I have to buy new pairs frequently. I have recently switched to Ultimate Ears because they have great ratings, are also cheap ($13.95 on Amazon) and have an L-shaped plug which I think will prevent the issues I’ve been getting with the Ink’d earbuds.
iPod holder: I don’t understand how people run in those armbands. I tried one once and had to pull it really tight in order to keep it secure, which ended up cutting off blood circulation. Now I use the SPIbelt – which is a tiny, fanny-pack like running belt – there are a couple different models out there and this one works for me.
Several people have asked about what I listen to when I run. It’s a lot of electronic dance music (house/techno/dubstep). Here are some of the my favorites from playlist I listened to during the race (all youtube links):
- Blackout (Wideboys Club Mix) – Breathe Carolina (really gets you pumped!)
- Jupiter – DallasK
- Till Sunshine (Pixel Cheese Bootleg) – Davide Guetta & Avicii vs Laidback Luke
- Little Bad Girl – David Guetta
- Give Me Beautiful Moves – DJ Rudy Mashup
- Maximal Crazy – Tiesto
- One – Swedish House Mafia
Ok, a few more photos from the race…
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FOOTNOTES
[1] Seriously – no one does it. I remember one time back when I was gymnast and seeing our team trainer hobbling around. He said he had rolled his ankle playing basketball but hated icing so he didn’t do it, and now his ankles hurt. *facepalm*
[2] If you want to know why icing reduces pain, the basics is that your body generally overreacts to pressure and the inflammatory response ends up doing more damage than help. Icing constricts your blood vessels and prevents the damaging factors in your blood from reaching the area in question, so you feel better.
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