Well, except for the scars, but that’s what makes it “mine” right?

Update: Just ran across this interesting post from Smoking Apples. A great quote:

To do great work you need great determination, not tools. You don’t need a high end Mac Pro to develop applications.

I know, there are a ton of apps out there that handle project management – but I can’t find one the works for what I want it to do. Do I start settling or start hacking something together!? It’s almost like I want a project managing/journaling/note taking type thing that I can email ANYTHING to and it would just take care of keeping stuff around for me. I’m pretty sure evernote does something like that but still, not exactly what I’m looking for…sigh.

I thinking to hack something up but what’s going to prevent it from winding up in the graveyard of half finished apps sitting in my documents folder?

BTW – ran across this awesome little note-taking app today – very nice stuff! Go Paprika!

Ok, I’m not wanting to bore anyone (of my 3 readers including my Mom (Hi Mom!)) with too much more talk of the Vibram FiveFinger KSO’s so until I really do something spectacular or buy a new pair so this should be the last post on the topic for a little while…

So onto the burning question; How are they for running? Well, frankly, pretty awesome! I was pretty skeptical if I’d even be able to run at all in them at first. From what I’ve been reading some people can hop right into them and go crazy while some people can take months before they fully adjust to them. Fortunetley, I’ve got a couple things going for me – first, I’ve only gone on one run so I can make a conjecture and not suffer any consequences and second…I don’t remember what the second thing was. Moving right along…yesterday I slipped on my VFF’s (which are still really fun to put on. I know – it’s hard to describe but it’s just cool to put some gloves on your feet) and I headed on out the door to run…here’s what I think about running around the neighborhood in ninja shoes that look like they were made by Eddie Bauer…

1.) I am much more mindful of how I run with these shoes on than any others. It’s not that I couldn’t think about my form in other shoes but I just don’t have to. In my big pillowy running shoes I can plod along without much thought to anything and I really don’t feel pain until much later in the run – and by then the way to resolve it is to just push through until the run is over. The pain usually goes away until I run again and I’m just nervous that I would have eventually reached a spot where it just wouldn’t have gone away. Since I’m now running in shoes with no support at all I am forced to be mindful of how I’m actually getting around because it’s hurts right away if I’m doing it wrong. No heel strikes, no stepping on big pointy rocks, no jolting or bouncing – just smooth, meaningful steps. Most of all, if I feel pain I stop (but haven’t yet.)

2.) My calves are getting such a ridiculous workout. I’m expecting by the end of summer to have calves that look like they were carved out of granite and then sharpened to a dangerous point. Seriously, right now they feel like they are ready to explode and pour lactic acid and unicorn dust all over the carpet. I know that’s caused from my striking on the front part of my foot now and not the heel but it does make me wonder, is that what’s absorbing the impact from my back and knees? I don’t know, I do know that my calves are really the only muscle group that is sore today from running yesterday. Of course I did blitz them last week with the stair run…

3.) Hot spots – yeah, I was getting them on the soles of my feet. This would probably be the one benefit of buying these shoes in store with someone who could tell you how they are suppossed to fit. I’m not sure if mine are too big but I do know that ill fitting shoes seem to cause blisters for me and since I also know how to add one plus one I was able to put the two together. Also, the pavement was freakishly hot so that may have had something to do with it as well. One cool thing I found was that it was no problem to run through puddles. My feet dried so quickly each time and it was kinda fun to hit a puddle like one of my sons would have!

4.) Again with the speed, I feel faster. I’m kinda excited to the get the nike+ hooked up so I can start tracking how fast this whole process is going. I may still look like a gypsy packed mule waddling down the side of the road but I certainly didn’t feel that way.

So overall, I’m still pretty excited about changing the way I run. I like not having socks, I like trying something new, but most of all, I just like that I’m running again. If anything these shoes have made running more interactive and engaging than just the “grinding through the miles” kind of routine that I’ve been on the last few years. I don’t know if they are the magic bullet to all running problems yet but the science makes sense and I’m enjoying easing my way into the community. These shoes (and style of running) continue to be a lot of fun and I can’t wait to go out tomorrow on another run.

That’s it for now! I’m waiving bye to you with my freakishly fingered shoes!

Read Part 1 here.
Read Part 2 here.

Ok, now that we’re all warm and fuzzy from Part One – here’s Part Two…it’s a little something I like to call “A Lesson in Over-doing it.”

First, ouch and second, OUCH! The pain isn’t so much about me overdoing it in the vibrams as much as it is just overdoing it in general.

I have a thing with stairs. See, there’s something about running (climbing) an obscene amount of stairs that has always appealed to me. For instance, I’ve run every stair in the Vines Center and every time I go there I can have my own personal sense of self satisfaction to know that I have run every stair in the building. It’s about as close to being a professional athlete as I’m going to get. Or a ninja. Or a gladiator! The part I like about the stairs though is that they make for a really great workout when you’re short on time – you can still get a crazy awesome workout and also have some feeling of accomplishment as well. Anyway, as far as stairs go, me likey!

Since I have this “thing” with stairs I thought my first trip out with my new vibrams should be on a set of stairs – so I hit one of my favorite spots – Monument Terrace. This structure is a 139 step commemoration to all of the Lynchburg soldiers who have died throughout various wars. It’s beautiful and thoughtful and touching and (if you’re running it) very painful. I ran up and down it five times which isn’t crazy except for the niggling fact that a.) I’m over 30 years old so I can’t do the same dumb things I could when I was twenty and b.) I haven’t been exercising for the last year. Mind, you I didn’t say running, I haven’t been doing anything that would resemble some sort of formalized exercise for a year. The only thing I have going for me on health front as that I at least haven’t picked up any new self destructive habits (like smoking or bingeing on ho-ho’s and chocolate marshmallow fluff) and even that was only a matter of time. Anyway, I ran this thing. I felt great. I sprinted like a gazelle up the stairs. I felt like a machine as a I ran back to my car. People stopped their cars to admire my perfect form and amazing ability to parkour through downtown Lynchburg in my own personal samurai shoes. Then, by the time I got home, I could no longer walk. Turns out, if you walk in shoes for most of your life (oh, and not exercise for a loooooong time) the parts of your body that haven’t gotten that much work (like the whole group of muscles and tendons below your calf (no I’m can’t spell them out, I’m no doctor for crying out loud (and yes, it’s totally ridiculous how many parenthesis you can cram into one sentence when you write something that doesn’t need to be turned into an english teacher))) can end up being kinda upset when you blitz them like that. And by “kinda upset” I mean “AAAAGH, I can’t walk!?”

Ok, it wasn’t that dramatic but you catch my drift, I should be taking it slow and instead I’m just jumping into it. How were they vibrams on the stairs? Well, pretty awesome actually. Since the stairs kind of force you to stay on your toes the FiveFingers work really really well. One of their greatest strengths is in how lite they are. I haven’t weighed them but I know when I pick my old running shoes they feel like they sole is made out of lead and they just fill the rest with whale blubber. Plus, the sole was nice and grippy – no slipping at all and I felt much more stable than I have with regular shoes (although I have heard that when things get wet all bets are off.)

Here were my thoughts as I was running around downtown lynchburg with these things on:

Like bow ties, these things take some serious self esteem to wear. I literally had to psyche myself out to get these things on and go on my run. Generally I’m not an “in your face” kind of guy and I’m usually not trying to attract attention to myself – but you can’t help it in these things. Everybody I ran by, everybody I said hi to – they were looking at my feet. Nobody stopped me per se but I could definitely tell people were looking. Here I thought I was just buying some shoes!

Again with the quickness – I just felt fast. When I needed to move BOOM I was able to just go. I look forward to when my feet are used to the longer distances because it’s just so much fun to not only run but to run fast is just a whole new wonderful experience.

Running is general is a lot more…gosh, I don’t know…interesting? I was looking for things to run on. Instead of just cranking out some mileage I was looking for new experiences. “Oh look there’s a bench…why wouldn’t I run over it!? I’m going to jump over this rail. Is that….GRASS! YAAAAAAY!” It sounds weird but it’s almost like I want to find new experiences for my feet?

So still, I’m not regretting getting these shoes (I am regretting that my other running shoes are only going for $20 on eBay) and I can’t wait to wear them more. It’s as close to free running as a 33 year old father of two is going to get. I can definitely see why people start wearing them exclusively, they do feel really empowering.

Part 3 will be interesting as I want to see what happens when I wear them to work. Woohoo!

Read Part 1 here.

Do not leave a toddler unsupervised with 10lbs of dog food…

I know, this isn’t the best angle but it shows you were the shop is. Navigate around to see the actual doorway…

So, I’ll leave it unnamed but there’s a coffee shop downtown that I frequent quite a bit. The coffee is great and they have really good scones. Well, they used to. As of late, they switched their coffee to some unnamed brand, they haven’t had scones (or any pastries) in weeks or probably months, and the place is started to become more and more and more unclean. The final straw was that they stopped using a creamer dispenser and started putting out the little creamer cup things – the one’s with the “shelf stable” milk in them that are probably made out of oil and sugar for all I know. Like Seth says, “if I want something cheap and average I can find a place that sells it cheaper and averager.” In this case, I’m now better off going to Sheetz than to continue buying coffee from this still unnamed coffee shop.

On a whim, I headed over to Taste Selects to see what they had to offer (I had previously only been over for cupcakes which are pretty awesome btw) and was totally and completely and utterly and *insert some other descriptive adjective here* happy with my experience. Fresh pastries (I had possibly the best cherry danish I’ve ever had) and good coffee and the place could not have been more inviting and pleasant. So, for the 3 people that read this blog, if you’re in lynchburg any time soon I HIGHLY recommend you go check them out – they are awesome!

audiotool.com

I have no idea how to use this yet but man that is some nice flash!

Wow – when you throw out all the rules about interior design, something amazing happens.

Ever seen the weapons prisoners make out of soap or a spoon? They make do with what they’ve got. Now we’re not saying you should go out and shank somebody – but get creative and you’ll be amazed at what you can make with just a little.

From Seth