20.2.09
11.2.09
A Peak District Beasting
Me and my Dad went for a final training session before the (now 200km) Libyan Challenge whixh takes place in about 10 days.
We decided to go for a trek through the Peak District starting at 9:20pm doing a loop back to my house in Sheffield.
Some Stats and things:
Total Distance: 54 miles
Total Time: 22 hours
Total time awake: 37 hours
Temperature: Below freezing (our liquids all froze to blocks of ice)
Total time not walking: 2 hours altogether for eating
Highlight: Perhaps seeing sheep being herded by a sheep dog and its owner
Low point: Realising the final push was another 6 hours when we thought it would be 3.
Physical effects: Blisters, nausea, unstable knee joints, a few hallucinations, untold joy ;)
2:00am zub zero temp steez.I hope everyone is good, keep in touch
Big Loves,
25.1.09
Audio Truth
Trying to make a little more effort to keep this updated more regularly I think now, but on the flipside don't won't to post just for the sake of it.
Well I get quite a few questions as to what music I used on my Nanjing video, so I thought I would post a bunch of Christian hip hop up for people to hear. The Christian hip hop scene is growing fast, and refreshingly positive and constructive for the most part.
Just a few artists to check out:
Shai Linne
Evangel
muzeONE
Stephen The Levite
Japhia Life
BraillePoems
Some Good websites to dig further:
Holy Culture Download - Online store
Rapzilla - Online Christian Hip Hop Magazine
Sphere of Hip Hop - LOTS of free MP3's, store, podcast.
Wade-O Radio - Podcast with lots of really good interviews of artists
The Syncast - Podcast with a lot of very good music
Peace and blessings,
20.1.09
Libyan Challenge
Ok, me and my dad are booked on this Libyan Challenge now, and in order to make it truly worthwhile we need some donations. Its on the 22nd of February (a month from now).
Short blurb:
190km foot race in 75hrs, everything carried on the back except water which is stationed about every 25km. Sleeping in the desert, temperatures very low at night and up to 40c in the day.
Half proceeds to New Foundations, half to Juvenile Diabetes.
SHORT VIDEO:
SPONSOR ONLINE HERE (Its very secure and takes 2 minutes)
On a side note, am pursuing the possibility of returning to China after summer to finish my degree out there, but thats a side story.
Slap bang in exams right now, so training has taken a serious back seat, as has most things. Last exam on the 27th, then can train properly for the Libya run.
Ankles were feeling shot after a 23km run in december, so have stopped running until the actual event. Instead just going to do long endurance sessions with general movement using simple things like climbups and jogs etc.
Hope everyone is well, dunno if anyone is really reading this anymore haha, all good!
much love,
j
3.12.08
Vibram Fivefinger KSO's Review
I got sent a pair of Vibram KSO's from Fitness Footwear to help me train running in.
I was running regularly during October and most of November, perhaps 30 miles or so a week so nothing crazy. Basically just been trying to prep for the Libyan Challenge still. Been only running in a ball to heel fashion, in some fairly thin soled trainers because I have just gotten more used to it and prefer the technique to the 'normal' heel to ball action, which now feels very heavy and stressful in terms of impact upon my legs.
However, I have managed to pick up an ankle injury which has stopped me from running at the moment. Its right at the point of the tendon insertion at the inner ankle bone, so tendonitis or sprain is what I am thinking, so currently rehab-ing that.
I did get to do about 10k or so in the KSO's though, and got a good feeling from them in general. Basically, they are very, very similar to running barefoot, except your skin is protected. I know it kind of defeats the point in terms of developing the sensitivity of the sole of the foot, but the shoes enable you to keep running beyond when your soles are torn to shreds, which I have experienced already on some of the nastier pavements here in Sheffield.
The ball to heel technique is a serious challenge for the calfs in the beginning of training it, but after experiencing no muscle soreness after 25k runs using this way of running, it was suprising and refreshing to get some soreness the day after running 10k in the KSO's. Obviously they really enable you to work the entire foot and leg. About a year ago, about 1 mile would have been fairly punishing on my calfs and legs in these, but I feel a lot stronger in that area now.
The shoes themselves are pretty simple, with some very resistant rubber on the bottom, and stretchy synthetic on top. This means you have to get the sizing pretty much exact. I have pretty small feet and squeeze into size 7 kalenjis snuggly, and the size 40 (6.5) KSO's are a decent fit for me. Too much room will mean blisters are likely to develop when moving in them. The velcro strap enables a tight fit, and once on they really feel very comfortable and almost part of your body.
In terms of parkour and that kind of thing, I havent actually tested them for that. I think they would get shredded apart fairly fast, especially around the top of the toe where the rubber meets the upper mesh material, so basically I am not going to use them for movement like that. Plus I don't think they offer much above barefoot training in parkour, and the high price tag (around 80 quid) means that they aren't the kind of shoes you can wreck and replace cheaply.
For running, chilling, climbing and other things, I think they are pretty appropriate. I do however, think that running in them could seriously ruin somebody's legs if they are not prepared for it. I would thoroughly recommend looking at barefoot running techniques and easing into it very slowly, because as I have found out, ankle injuries and the such are pretty easy to pick up from this kind of running.
Check out Barefoot Ted for an ultramarathoner who uses Vibrams frequently for long distance events.
The official Vibram Finger website.
For UK suppliers, Fitness Footwear.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)