A Dose of Health

Why bother with the expense of a gym membership when for the same amount of money I can invest it in a home project. I get to do the heavy lifting and have something more to show for my investment than a gym T-Shirt bearing the gym’s logo.

Think about it for a minute. You go to the gym, you run, bike, lift weights, sweat and when you’re done, what do you have to show for it. You feel better because you got a workout, but when you get home, what do you see?

Now, take that month’s membership fee and start working on a home project. My home project of the month involves sand, rocks and brick. The sand and rock are sold in 50 pound bags. Those bags don’t mysteriously end up on the lawn. You’ve got to get the bag from the store’s shelf into the cart, from the cart into the car and from the car to the lawn.

Once on the lawn, you’ve got to dump, spread and go back for more. No matter how small the project, you always underestimate the amount of work involved; it will take longer and you must work harder. The good thing about a project is that when you get through with a day’s work, not only do you feel the benefits of the workout; there is a visual reminder of your hard work.

Take it Slow

Just like going to the gym, you’ve got to take it slow. Don’t get carried away. You will, however, notice quick improvement. Unlike a 45 minute spinning class or a few reps with weights, manual labor usually requires hours of work. The goal with manual labor is to get the job done, getting in shape is a perk.

Getting to the gym, on the other hand, is often times the goal. Once you’re done, you have sweaty clothes and a feeling of “whew, I’m glad that’s over with.”

Gaining Muscle Tone

Since starting this project, I feel energized. The first day of lifting 50 pound bags was pretty interesting. After my body got over the initial shock, I began to look forward to working on my project and lifting heavy items. I make sure that I use proper form when lifting to prevent injury.

This project has been coming along so well, that I started project number 2 which involves 12” x 12” heavy paving stones. The first time I put two stones into the wheel barrel I almost tipped over. I’m now able to trot across the yard with 4 paving stones in the wheel barrel. Who knows, maybe next week I’ll get up to 5 stones.

Nothing like the Great Outdoors

Except for a few weird looking bugs and several large spiders (some spiders are so large that they look like hermit crabs), I’m having a great time getting in shape and improving my landscaping. The only downside is that even with using protective gloves; my hands are turning into sandpaper. Oh well, time to use my homemade Rough-Hands-B-Gone recipe.

Admittedly I’m early in the running barefoot game, but I’ve got to say that running in my water shoes is a pleasure.

After the initial shock to the system of using foot and lower leg muscles that have been dormant for quite some time, my body seems to be adapting nicely to the change; no shin splints, no knee pain, no hip pain. I’m enjoying it so much that I’ve decided to take running a wee bit more seriously and train for a 5K.

I know that a 5K is just a trot to the bathroom for experienced runners, but for beginners like me, making a statement about running a 5K is a big thing. To top it off, I’m going to do it barefoot (well, not really barefoot, but in my water shoes).

Why the Decision to Run a 5K

There are two reasons why I decided to do run a 5K.

1. My knees don’t hurt when I run
2. To promote barefoot running

A Small Digression

The other day I was talking to an experienced runner about running style and speed. He mentioned that after a recent race, a runner who finished quite a distance in front of him offered a bit of advice. His advice was “get off of your heels.” Well, he didn’t really say get off of your heels. What he did say is you spend too much time on your heels when you run and it slows you down.

That story, in my opinion, gave credence to barefoot running. When running barefoot or in minimal support, the body naturally switches up from the heel toe running stride to a forefoot toe running stride. The heel is bypassed. The body does this instinctively. After all, it only takes a couple of yards of slamming your unsupported heel into the pavement before you realize the forefoot is a much softer more cushioned landing.

The soft landing on the forefoot takes the heel out of the equation and speeds up the run.

End of Digression

Because I’m no spring chicken, I’m taking this 5K training thing slowly (not to give away my age, but I remember when you could get on the subway without a MetroCard and the token was 20 cents). My mature bones, muscles and tendons don’t like shocks, so I’m adding mileage slowly.

At the rate that I’m going, I should be ready for my barefoot 5K by the end of July or beginning of August. Just to play it safe, I’ll wait until September when the weather is cooler. In the meanwhile, I’ll keep running in my water shoes and walking in my running shoes (the extra heel cushion in the running sneakers come in hand with the heel toe action of walking).

Okay, I didn’t listen to the experts and start ‘real’ slow with this barefoot running stuff. I thought I was going slow with running/walking two miles. While I felt great the day I ran/walked I realized the next day that I had nudged a few muscles that I had not used in a while. It wasn’t until two days later that I realized how much of a nudge I had given those sleeping muscles.

Muscle Discovery

Being awaken at 1:00 am by the low battery sound on my cell phone, I got out of bed only to wonder, “What the heck have I done to my lower leg muscles?” Not an expert in anatomy let me see if I can describe the muscles that were annoyed with me. I think I annoyed my peroneus longus and peroneus brevis. I also think I annoyed my soleous a bit too.

Wow, what a jolt at 1:00 am. I shut off my phone and went back to bed. I’ll deal with the pain when I wake up later.

Not too Bad

The pain isn’t really too bad. I realize that by running without the support of traditional running sneakers, I engaged muscles that have been long dormant. Rather than aggravate them any further, I decided to stretch them and rest them until they weren’t angry with me anymore (at my age it took about 4 days before they stopped hissing at me).

I love the fact of knowing that I’m actually developing different muscles that will help me in the long run with my new running habits. It’s just that its a little painful at first. Oh well, a small price to pay.

It’s been a few days and now I’m back at it again; so far so good.