Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness

Yep, we head back to Idyllwild area on the 27th or 28th. I will call you in the AM on Tuesday. See you then Amy! And I sure will. <3

Had to read this as a fellow beardo. Encouraging stuff! Good luck in your pursuit of 100 miles. It sounds like you are off to a very good start.

-Dylan

So today after a discouraging 4 days or so of my freaking knee hurting, and a sore foot, I took, Amy's AKA divamom's, advice and went and bought some modern running shoes. I went to REI but was ignored and lied to by some low life turd. I was thourougly pissed so I took off without a word to numbnuts.

I headed to Road Runner Running Institute down the street and was greeted by a friendly man named Chris who is a runner! Go figure. He analyzed my gait, my foot posture, my running form, and assessed my injury. After a long talk he transferred me over to Little John who picked me out a shit ton of shoes to try out. They directed me toward light weight minimalist shoes with a moderate 4mm heel to toe drop and shoes that focused on more forefoot striking posture than heel or mid-foot strikes.

We discovered I have flat feet, and a flat foot slapping gait over stresses and eventually injures my weak left knee and foot, where I had a stroke as a kid, which cannot compensate for the stress like my right leg. Barefoot shoes are not for me, and I was advised to readjust my foot strike to a strike just more forward of the ball of my foot and keep my heel from hitting the ground. If I tried to run in Vibrams say, I'd jack my feet up, especially putting on the mileage I do, on the surfaces I do.

Perhaps barefoot running works for some, but it does not take into account the un natural concrete I tend to run on, nor my damaged left leg.

I ended up liking the Saucony Kinvara 3 after trying a bunch our on the treadmill there and got a great deal on them, plus I was upgraded to VIP and can go back in 90 days if they do not work out, I also got 10 bucks off anything in the store! Woo! My 2nd choice was the Saucony Fast Twitch which I will try if these fail to work. I am super psyched to try em out I ended up getting the ugliest color possible. (;

Despite this injury I am up to 20 miles per week.

-Kyle

Accidently ran 7 miles in 55min on the running trail here at my sister's house with my new Saucony shoes with just slight soreness in my left knee during the run, and none afterward. These shoes are incredible, but it required a tremendous amount of focus to make sure my running form stayed proper during the run because I am not used to everything about them.

I think I can improve my tempo, posture, and foot strike slightly to negate some of the impact.

I hope my form becomes more natural as I get stronger.

THANKS DIVAMOM!

No more Kenyan Kyle?
I told you, RoadRunner Sports is the bomb; and that location is THE ORIGINAL( well, kind of- the first was a teeny tiny warehouse off of Activity Rd in Miramar area)...Runner at the heart...I got this city and that sport dialed in on where to get the bomb shoes and vegan grubs ( I know a LOT of other good vegan cities, tho)
I will text your guys TH or FR...
Glad you love the shoes!!!!
xo

Weightlifted at my sister's gym today.

Back/Shoulders/Abs 1hr
Rotator Cuff Circles 2x10lbs x10x10x10x10
Unweighted Pullups x8, Weighted Pullups +15lbs x8x8x6
DB Rows 2x70lbs x8x8x8x8
EZ Bar Shoulder Press 90lbs x8x8x7x5
Side Raises 2x25lbs x10x10x10x8
Hanging Ab Raisew x10x10
Seated Stability Abs +10lbs x10x10
Oblique Crunches +10lbs x10x10x10x10

137lbs. I need to eat a bit more. Running is taking it's caloric toll.

‎10 miles, 1 hr 35 minutes 6.13 MPH average, 10 min mile. How the hell did I go from 5.25mph and a 12.5 min mile to that?

Anyway, it's nice, and I burned 900kcal, so snack time.

You inspire me, Yeti. Glad you see you're still kicking ass and taking numbers.

Baby Herc

the shoes and mountains to flat lands and you are building that base I was referring to. You are inspiring!

After some hardcore crack research, and experimentation I have discovered I have a deformed left leg. When I run my left foot pronates too much and causes my left kneecap to grind against the V shaped wedge it sits in. Most likely because of the stroke I had as a child. (Runners knee) My right knee is totally fine and has no issues whatsoever.

I am going to go back to Road Runner and get a custom orthodic insole to control the pronation.

I am dragging my heels in my Kinvara 3s so I think I might go and try and find a zero drop with a removable insole. Preferably with forefoot padding.

Getting closer to my final solution!!

In the mean time, I need to let this knee heal for a couple days. So no run tomorrow!

Thanks for the support!

I can't help it. I'm visualizing you doing something....

I hope you find a solution, CY, but beware custom running stores that claim to be able to "fix" any "running problem." They have an expensive solution to all your woes and they are just soooo excited to sell it to you. Right NOW! In fact, buy TWO! And tell your FRIENDS! Do you belong to our BUYER'S CLUB?

Let me tell you a little story. For fun, I went into Runner's Roost once to see if they were able to figure out what I already knew: I was born with anterior illiosacral rotation on the right side (slightly torqued pelvis) that causes one leg to be a tiny bit shorter, outward tracking knee caps due to crazy-strong quads, and a resulting gate that causes my flat feet to supinate, a very rare foot strike. None of this has caused me any more annoyance than having to pay attention when walking a straight line and wearing out my shoes on the outsides faster. All of this is plainly visible to the naked eye if you just know where and when to look. I just wanted to see if these "experts" were as good as they claimed to be in their flashy ads.

I walked in and told them nothing more than that I have flat feet that supinate. They began by telling me that there was no such thing. I countered by saying that actually, it's a reality for many and there are specific shoes designed just for it, just go online. They argued with me until I mentioned the shoe brands in question at which point they perked right up and launched into Sales Mode, pushing me hard to lay down $210 dollars for a pair of hideous florescent orange things that could blind a New York taxi driver. (Same shoes were only $130 online.)

I changed the subject back to their self-avowed ability to diagnose any runner's gait and I ran their little 50' strip for them, asking what they saw. I stepped on their weight distribution scale and waited for them to record the numbers. I let them take a video of me and play it back in slow motion. They measured my foot, my toes, my ankle, and my stride length. Conclusion? They were so far off, I had a hard time keeping a straight face!

First of all, they said I should only run in a low drop, uncushioned shoe that forced my feet to roll outward to control my flat feet. I said my feet already roll outwards due to my supination and if I slipped into a pair of shoes like that, I'd tip over. They argued with me, so I took off my own worn running shoes and showed them the lack of tread all around the outside. They got quiet.

Then I mentioned that a well-cushioned shoe always felt best and lasted longest for me. They told me that was the worst thing for me to wear due to my supination because it wouldn't control the outward roll of my feet. I filled them in on my long history of horribly painful plantar fasciitus that set in whenever I wore uncushioned shoes. More dead air. Finally, I hit them with the fact that my whole posture and hip roll balanced itself automatically with a very high drop, high enough to almost be ladies' heels. They shook their head at me and said I was ruining my body.

I decided to give them one last chance and asked if they had ever heard of strengthening and correcting the gait through targeted bodybuilding. They actually laughed in my face and began to talk down to me, asking what quack sold me that idea. I looked them straight in the eye and said, "Every chiropractor, physical therapist, and personal trainer I've ever met." They snorted and declared, "Those aren't doctors." I smiled and said, "Neither are you," and then I left.

For the last 20 years, whenever I walk, run, or just amble around the house, I wear well-cushioned, high drop tennis shoes that feel so amazing, I don't even know they're on. I pay $40 for them. Stick that in your running shorts, Runner's Roost.

Moral of the story: if it feels good, it's right for you. You've been in your body for longer than the "experts."

Baby Herc

Yeah I need to be careful because you cannot return them. I need to try a few things before I go back to Road Runner.

Crack is whack kids, stick with Tofu. (;

You smoke tofu?!

Baby Herc

Wait, you're not supposed to smoke tofu?

This explains a lot.