Yoga, Tai Chi, and...Accupuncture?!

Hello Barefooters,
Finishing up my 7th week off...wow! I haven't taken this much time off from running in over 10 years.  On the one hand I've been enjoying my time off, but on the other hand I feel like a caged animal.  I really miss my normal stress relief and will enjoy getting back to running soon.  The injury to my right foot has given me lots of time to think.  Time to think about running, about injury, about form, about landing, about recovery...you name it.  But, I'll be glad to get back to ACTUAL running instead of THINKING about running.  And yes, before you ask, I am going to start back up barefoot, although I will be starting back very slowly.  I even passed on my opportunity to join Barefoot Tellman Knudson's elite barefoot training program because I didn't feel like I could do it justice from the sidelines.

So what can you do with all your extra time when you aren't running?  Well, you can read books.  Since I got injured back on Feb. 13, I've read "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood, "Atlas Shrugged" by Ayn Rand and I'm now reading "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Bronte.  And these are BIG books!  I also took up painting by numbers along with my 11 year old twins, Sarah and Megan.  In about 3 weeks, I finished my "Tuscan Scene" which I think came out pretty good.  Here it is, take a peek.  We're all pretty pround of our work, and we've actually framed our paintings and have them hanging in the living room (at least temporarily!)

I bought a Groupon from an Indianapolis chiropractor for two sessions of Accupuncture.  In the first session he noted a slightly "dropped 2nd metatarsal" and did a minor "manipulation" on the 2nd and 3rd toes.  He stuck me with 7 needles and I did feel some pain relief.  In the second session, he said the manipulation "held" and stuck me with 4 more needles.  Each session lasted about 20 minutes, and I did have a good endorphin release during each accupunture session, which made for a very relaxing experience.  I did have some additional pain relief int the foot, but I'm not sure I am fully on board with the whole accupunture thing.  Don't get me wrong, I totally believe in the Mind-Body connection but I also feel that my pain was diminishing prior to these sessions.  I won't rule it out for the future, but it's not something I'm relying on for now.

I've also rediscovered both Tai Chi and Yoga during my down time.  I began doing Tai Chi four years ago and picked up Yoga about two and a half years ago.  Then, for whatever reason, I stopped both about 10 months ago.  Not sure why I stopped, but these activities were both pretty time consuming and my running was going haywire with injuries, etc.  Shortly thereafter, I started barefoot running and just never got back into Tai Chi or Yoga, both of which I really enjoy.  So, I've started again this past couple weeks and I'm alternating one day of Tai Chi and one day of Yoga, and trying to get in 5-6 days a week.  It's no substitute for the aerobic workout of a good barefoot run, but both can make me work up a sweat, so I feel it's better than doing nothing.  I've also realized how my flexibility has deteriorated since I stopped.  Like any exercise, it takes a while to get into shape, but almost no time at all to get out of shape!

Now, just so you know, I have given up both running and alcohol for Lent, so I still have another week off before I run my next step.  I'm glad I went ahead and took this time off, since I probably would have run the Westfield Underground Railroad 5K last weekend and would have ended up hurt myself with no training.  I'll be heading to FL with the family for Spring Break next week and would have been doing my series of 11 mile runs around Lake Jackson in Sebring, and again, probably would have overdone it.  It will be good to wait until after Easter and then start up slow back in Indiana.  Although, I am thinking of maybe doing a WALK around Lake Jackson in barefeet...maybe.  I may be too tired just from walking around Harry Potter Land at Universal Studios the first couple of days, we'll see.

And lastly, I have the mental challenge of knowing the Boston Marathon is coming soon (April 16) and I won't be particiapating for the first time in 17 years.  Oh well, as they say, streaks are made to be broken and 16 in a row was a pretty good streak.  Still, that will be a rough Monday.

Happy Barefooting,
BF Dan

March mileage = ZERO !!

PS...here's a couple of funny barefoot links:  Steven and Rory Coatsworth  (hit the "play" button on the pic to see videos)