May Update - Appreciating New Strength

There is no better way to appreciate new strength than to be forced to rely on it.

We were on our way to the gym to do a little running and swimming, when the truck broke down on the highway.  As I was on the phone with Triple A, I realized that my stomach might not be able to wait until a friend came to get me; I needed a bathroom ASAP.  So I handed the phone off to hubby and started walking to a fast food resturant I knew was about 3/4 mile away.  I did accept a ride to speed things up, but I declined her offer for a ride back, as it would be easier for my husband to find me if I was on the side of the road where he expected me to be. 

I started walking back, and my hip predictably started bothering me, as I was wearing shoes more friendly to keeping my feet dry in the wet than keeping my body in alignment.  It was warm enough that when I reached the nice flat shoulder of the highway I took off my shoes and walked sockfoot.  As I was walking sockfoot down the highway, with no husband in sight, no wallet, no phone, I contemplated that if I had to walk the five miles home I could.  I was filled with gratitude for my new strength, and happily moved up to a run for a few paces a minute.

I walked the 3/4 mile back to find hubby planning to ride to the garage in the truck, and had arranged a ride for me back at the resturant.  So I got my phone from him and turned around and went back.  My friends met me half way, and drove us up to the garage to pick up hubby, and then off to us treating them to dinner at an old haunt. 

On the way to the garage, we passed the Lilac Festival, where in a prior year I had struggled to get from parking to the festival, and then just found a place to sit and rest and recover, missing most of what I had gone to see.  I have come so far.

Thankfully, in the truck were my proper running shoes, so I put them on, leaving my others in my friend's car.  No point in staying in stay-dry shoes when your feet are already wet!

Our old haunt had moved from it's prior location into the middle of the entertainment district downtown.  One friend was a bit put off by the idea of the long walk from available parking to the resturant, but even after my little jaunt I was jogging ahead and doing much better than my former mode of just barely keeping up. 

Despite a bit of trouble, I had a wonderful evening.  I'm so greatful for my new strength and the likelyhood that it will continue to grow over time.  My feet unleashed from ill-fitting and restrictive shoes are learning just what they were designed to do and adding to my strength instead of draining it away.

Psalm 139:14
I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
   your works are wonderful,
   I know that full well.

P.S.  In case you're wondering, the mechanic called.  The truck is not too badly off and I should have her back today.  Praise God!

April Update

In my first post, I laid out some criteria for the results of this test, and I think I should systematically address them.

• Will I still be wearing these or other minimalist shoes? -Yes, I'm still wearing minimalist shoes.  They are not a cure-all, but I feel worse in regular shoes, and I have much better balance and coordination in minimalist shoes.
• Will I have hip, knee, arch, or heel pain? - Some.  Hip pain is still there, but is less intense and I have exercises to combat it.  The pain is immediately relieved when I do these exercises.  I also do these before I run, as they loosen up the hip and knee joints.  I have no knee pain.  Arch pain occurs when I overdo it and don't take the next few days off.  Heel pain is still there, but is decreasing in duration and intensity after rising.  Sometimes I can get up in the night and not have any pain.
• Tai Chi Stances, my version is slower, higher, and focused on control, a balance and weight bearing exercise: 
• One Leg Balance and Squat:
• A humorous look on the Asian Squat: 
• Will I be able to increase my activity level without putting on arch supports? - Yes.  I'm still non-athletic, but I'm no longer toeing the line of disability.  I wear no arch support unless I've had a sudden increase in activity and need a few days to recover.  It usually takes overdoing it a few days in a row to cause issues.
• Will my other fibromyalgia symptoms decline when I reduce this alignment stress on my body? - Yes.  Fibromyalgia is treated with mild exercise, which I am now getting regularly.  The introduction of a puppy to the bedroom makes it hard to test if it's now easier or harder to get up in the morning, I haven't much of a choice once Erin starts sniffing me.  I do sometimes go to bed really early to catch up on my sleep, but it's effective, I'm not still tired after getting a 10-12 hour night.  I only take my muscle relaxants when I've overdone it and can't work out the kinks in a day or two.
• Will I be able and willing to walk the dog all the way around the block at least once a week instead of just walking him in the yard all the time? - Yes.  My dailymile records show I've done at least two miles a week for the last seven weeks.  I did four last week and regretted it, but I'm slowly improving.  I started with multiple 1/4 mile walks a week, and I can do a mile at a time when fully rested now.  If I incorporate running into the walk, I can go about a half mile.

Overall, the experiment is going well.  The benefits are not just from the shoes, but the shoe change got me to the point where I could do the exercise that brought about the other changes.  I can feel the difference if I put my old shoes back on: I am more clumsy, have less balance, and after an hour of wearing develop more hip pain than usual.  The experiment officially runs for two more months, but if things continue as they are, I will be able to declare success with minor modifications of the theory at the end.

Android DailyMile Apps

I was recently given an Android phone for my birthday, so i'm playing with the available apps.  I've found two that are useful for updating DailyMile.

DailyMiler @ Android Market

DailyMiler is a simple app that lets me log into DailyMile, and provides a nice little interface for entering workouts. It doesn't do the title field, or the advanced features like equiptment, but handles basic run data well.

RunFree @ Android Market

Run Free integrates GPS and a timer to help you log the run.  While running you can cycle the screen to see lots of useful data about your run. It does not seem to have a lap feature, but it does allow repeats of previous tracks, with comparison to your last or best run on that track. You can upload your run data to Facebook, Twitter, or DailyMile. The upload is automated, but it only accepts the "How did it go?" field, autopopulating time and distance.  It doesn't upload the GPS track or any other optional dailymile fields.  The look/feel of the app is so professional, it's dissapointing that it is not fully featured, and the paid version doesn't list any more features than the free one.

Overall, both apps are nice, but neither one replaces the functionality I get entering or editing my dailymile entries on the PC.

There are lots more training apps not related to DailyMile, you might look into them.  I'm looking at some of them and wishing I had waited on buying my HRM, as there are bluetooth HRMs available that integrate with these apps.  The bluetooth HRM is a little more than the one I bought, but together with your android can run all the super-fancy GPS & data logging stuff the really high end ones have.

Crazy Busy

Barefoot runners talk a lot about Too Much Too Soon (TMTS).  But sometimes in life "soon" isn't the factor, sometimes we just do too much.  Hopefully I can balance all the priorities I have this spring.

Erin
The new puppy needs lots of training and exercise, and has had enough housebreaking issues that I need to get home every 5 hours to take her outside.

Victory Gardens
I'm starting a new community garden at church.  I've got a bunch of seedlings started, that will need attention over the next couple months, then they will go into the garden and need attention further away from the house.

Scrapbooking
I've commited to making a wedding scrapbook for my sister.  I will be seeing her in July, so I should at least have major progress made before then.

Leatherworking/Shoemaking
I've recently picked up this art and some new tools, and would like time to play with it.  The things I've learned so far have been useful in shoe making, and I'd like to make some more fashionable custom shoes, maybe a purse, maybe a fancy cover for that scrapbook of Darlene's.

Bushwacking
I have recieved an agricultural billhook for my birthday, and would like to aquire some skill with it.  At current I'm only skilled enough to maul bushes and saplings, but that's a start.  The end goal is to learn how to make pleachers, for hedgelaying.

Reading
I've found some nice sales on books, and have accumulated a significant reading pile.  (Search by subject on amazon, then sort by price.  I found one vendor just trying to get rid of old books that wouldn't sell.  One went for $0.01, another for $0.03, shipping was the only significant cost.)  I also still have some balance left on my Amazon gift card, and a bunch of Kindle samples to sift through and pick which I wish to buy.  Some of the books relate to the previous subjects, and will be first to be read.

Running
I'm trying to slowly increase my capabilities for running and walking.  Luckily this goal lines up with the exercising Erin one, so it's less likely to be neglected.

I've knocked minimalist running discussion groups off the list of things to do.  I think I have the basics, I just need time to implement them.  I have my Kindle if I need a break moment to read and learn.