running and injury again

October 2011 was a milestone month for me. I ran farther, more often, and faster than ever before and I did it without pain or injury. In the past I advocated less shoe and more ice, but I was only half right. In late April of this year I hurt myself again. I overtrained and I fractured my fibula. It was unpleasant.

I've been back to running since August and I've avoided pain and injury completely. I have not iced nor have I started taking yoga. Static stretching has been banished from my routine. My unscientific advice for running happier follows:

1. Go barefoot. It is nearly impossible to overtrain without shoes. You'll probably get blisters before you get tired. Slowly ramp up and your feet will get stronger. Mix barefoot runs and shod runs together.
2. Lift more weight. Instead of avoiding leg days at the gym I've embraced them. Do heavy dead lifts and squats. Do heel lifts until your calves burn. Lift more and lift more often.
3. Warm up more. Don't race out the door. Take time to do some walking lunges or jog a few blocks before you sprint.
4. Know yourself. Pay attention to yourself. I can't explain it, but eventually you'll know when to take a short easy run and when to try some intervals.

I'm sorry this reads like an eHow article. There isn't a trick to running happily. I know now that icing pain and running through discomfort is not right. It's a shame it took two years of trial and error to get here.

steve jobs (cont.)

image from http://williamwilkinson.com/

steve jobs

What and why is our superficial grief? Who knew the man? ...who went to soccer practice? ...who changed lightbulbs?
If someone so strong and swift and smart can be broken

I sobbed when Columbia exploded across the sky.
When an explorer is lost
A martyr. A sacrifice to progress. Someone great is gone.
But, we can only grasp products and presentations in our domain. We grieve within YouTube and hashtags.
This is our superficial grief.
No. This. This is my superficial grief.

There is ultimately entropy.
So we should remember
"... avoid the trap of thinking you have something to lose. You are already naked. There is no reason not to follow your heart."