Training Log Archive: mjulius

Easy run; low intensity. Right foot feels okay but I noticed some stress on my ankles. Even after a week off my runs, the strain was there. No imminent injury but it's at least worth my attention.

Long afternoon of walking with Hannah through the city. We eventually found ourselves in the other Taiwan town, just south of Tienanmen. The neighborhoods of the old R.O.C. refurbished with malls, Taiwan food and entertainments of the island [even a bank of 'arcade basketball' machines]. Hannah called it, "pre-takeover street".

I'm some kind of bag of problems. By the end of the day I was feeling awful. Exhausted and lethargic. After we got home I passed out on the couch. When I got up, my throat was swollen, sore and gritty. 10 hours of sleep last night and I am feeling a little better but still not 100%.

Holy crap. Sometime Tuesday evening I started getting some pretty serious swelling deep in the ball of my right foot. I am walking around lopsided. Interesting that I felt so fine during the run [save that ankle business] but hours later...

It's better today [i.e. I can put weight on it] but I've got to go easy.

Short run. Right ankle pain resolved about 5 minutes into it reminding me that I am increasing my mileage a little too soon [to say nothing of yesterday's wonky stride]. It's making me a little crazy to go so easy.

C • Brooner 2

Longest barefoot run to date. Looped Laoshan East Road, Shangzhuan St and home via Fuxing [or Shijingshan] Rd. Realized, too late unfortunately, that the weird tiled sidewalk on Fuxing is kind of awful on my feet. The little raised designs twist my foot strike enough and the surface unforgiving enough to road burn the ball of my foot. This enough [enough already!] to favor my left leg which caused a little soreness along the medial side of my knee. Strange that the strike can make all these little adjustments fall out of whack and begin to effect me.

Despite the pretty obvious argument that had I been wearing shoes this would be a non-issue it kind of begs the question that with so much padding in a running shoe, I can't maintain enough of an awareness to when a problem exists. The tolerance is too low, or maybe it's too high. I am not clear on tolerances.

Anyhow, I think the bouncing around on all these space age technologies [does anyone call it that anymore?] gives me less knowledge. Until an injury happens. I may be wrong but I have never felt so connected with how I run. It's interesting to be so aware.

Afternoon ride with Hannah to the Haidian District for Yunnan ethnic food: Shredded Salad, Mint Leaves with Chili and Er Kuai [oddly called "ZhanXi Volume Powder" on the menu]. We also had grilled fish, deep fried onions and a sago palm juice drink. The highlight, for me, was the mint leaves and Er Kuai. Mint salad! Delicious.



Then to Royal Bamboo Park to watch community entertainments. Wow, does this city ever play together. Public folk singing, ballroom dancing, group dancing and Tai Chi along every open space. The public folk singing was amazing. Old folks ambling in, dressed like my grandfather, unrolling little paper song lists and belting out sonorous old songs from another time in another China. The elderly folks sitting on railings clapping and singing along to this collective memory.

Another loop around the Laoshan South [closed portion] Road.

Only mildly tight, these calves. A good run and I think that I can pick up the mileage soon.

I got the old Chinese lady thumbs up regarding the barefeet. She walked by me while I stretched at my halfway point after I passed her on the street. Hat pulled down low over her forehead, commie pants and flat black shoes. She big grimaced/smiled and shook her thumbs-up at me.

Now, that's support.

C • gotta love 1

My calves are feeling better and healing. Still tight but I feel that I am on the downside of this transition.

Calves sore but feeling better. I'm definitely building muscle. It's still slow going, however. I mean, look at that time.

I had to stretch every fifty to hundred yards. The right calf a little tighter than the left. I can really feel it during stretches.

All my previous logs are at bikejournal. Happy to be here. I like this site.

Oi. My calves are TIGHT. It just plain hurts to lay down one foot in front of another. Strangely though, it 's not an injury kind of hurt but a wrenching kind of...I don't know...they are just tight. It let up a little after I put in some time but holy crap.

Now that I have stopped they are fine so at least there is that.

Shijinshan meander with Hannah. It's a small pleasure, relief frankly, to be able to move myself around with my own power. Just a few days of hobbling along on strained calves and I have had enough. It felt good to glide...even if the exercise benefits are negligible.

I forgot to photograph it but we stopped at an outdoor shoe shop [basically an old lady, a flatbed trike, and some rubber out-soles] to purchase material for sandals. I wasn't interested in haggling the nice lady [Egad, I hate doing that to the delight of everyone here] and so I just handed over the 20RMB [$3]. I'm, of course, all about 'invisible shoes' but typically too impatient to send off for the little kit. Besides, there are these shoe shops on every corner and between and that's way more fun. Now I need some cord and I am ready to plough forward.

After the ride, we had dinner at the local Dongbei [Northeast] restaurant. Fatty ribs and salad. Delicious. Then to markets for veggies, various female sundries and a bottle of beer for you know who.

C • saddle 2

Run with Hannah w/ ~10 min barefoot on smooth roads near the MTB track and a short hike up the track hill that overlooks the city. Calves are still tight and may be a little worse still.

First day in flat shoes [a $7 pair of Ked's knockoffs]. Random upper body circuits in area outdoor exercise parks. Calves are tight following the forefoot strike necessary with the flat shoes.

Neighborhood ride and to the noodle window.

Hannah and I rode west then north today. West past Gucheng as far as the old Shogun factory then north along the factory neighborhoods that were very beautiful in an "I thought all of China would look like this" kind of way. Lots of red brick and traditional roofs, small KTVs with over-zealous "Haellooo!" teenagers in cheap suits and dyed bouffants. We found a small gate with a bored young guard who let us onto the grounds and into another semi dormant factory. Broad lanes and big buildings, the occasional man slowly looping around on an old Chinese bike near an old cantina slowly going to rubble. In the big doorways we could see that they are still making some kind of sheeting that they roll up onto spindles. I like the occasional sound of big boiler like machines sound like they are winding up the spindles and the hollow echoed thud of big metal on big floor in big building.

Passed under an expressway that doesn't exist according to my map but it was there, high up in the air. I didn't look too much however as it's a full time job avoiding the "HOLY S&$%, left turning car!". Don't believe anything anyone tells you about Communism with Chinese Characteristics. It's dog eat dog on the road here.

We made our way finally up to the Badachu Park monasteries. Full of lazy May Day tourists and thoughtfully inscribed as "..always the first choice for Beijingers to enjoy a splendid view from a mountain top", we meandered up to the foothills and watched people pay respects to spiritual figures, play cards with their families, take pictures by flower displays and generally soak up the rare non-working day in this very working city.