The Tree

Years ago one of the first paintings I felt good enough to give away as a gift, and I mean a real gift wrapped and presented at a birthday party, was this Cypress tree I painted for A's birthday.  If you are from Santa Barbara you would instantly recognize it as the tree at the end of the bluff of the Wilcox Property (Douglas Family Preserve) which is an open space and off leash dog walking area not far from my house.

 

Like most people around here, especially if you live in this part of town, I have a relationship with this tree.  I have sat under it.  I have run past it as I turn around and head for home.  Sometimes I even tag it because it's just the half way point of a 5 mile run from my front door.  Lots of people have climbed it, but not me...as I find climbing a tree at the edge of a cliff a little too scary. 

Mostly I've just admired it and painted it and stood next to it.

 

This past week we had some fierce winds.  They lasted a few days but one night was so windy that I was woken up several times during the night hearing wind and the crashes of pots falling over and gates banging.  I knew we'd lose some trees around town but I was hoping it might be one of the trees on my street that blocks my ocean view!

 

I was so sad to hear the Cypress fell.

 

The dog and I went to visit and say goodbye.  Poor tree.

 

A very different view without that tree.

 

 

 

Barefoot Running and a view from the Douglas Preserve

The Douglas Preserve, aka the Wilcox Property. 
This is an open space overlooking the ocean where I like to run. 
It's about 2 1/2 miles from my house. 
Acrylic on canvas.

I recently bought these barefoot style running shoes from Merrell. Over the last year as I have tried to heal from Achilles Tendinitis I have tried 3 or 4 pairs of running shoes (and you know how this can add up!) all with disappointing results. Before injuries I was an Asics Gel Kayano girl, then I ran in Brooks and although there was some improvement with the less technical Brooks, the heal pain kept coming back.

A friend kept insisting I should try barefoot (or nearly barefoot) running but it just sounds terrifying. No support? No cushion? Yes, I read Born to Run but I wasn't convinced.

I ended up with the Merrells more as a walking shoe. I walk my children to school often and like a fun, bright shoe that is more cute then a clunky running shoe. I was surprised by how instantly comfortable they were. After walking in them for a week or so I decided to try a short run.

It was...uncomfortable. I felt like a duck trying to run on floppy, flat feet. There was an audible slapping sound with each stride as I lumbered along. My calves hurt and the shin pain wasn't far behind. After the run was even worse, I felt sore and stiff as if I was totally new to running. I mentioned this to my barefoot running friend who suggested I needed to adjust my gait to barefoot running.

There are lots of videos out there to refer to, including some on the Merrrell website. I ended up on You Tube watching this video that was actually made by the Terra Plana company (who boast the first barefoot running shoe.) The basic changes I am trying to make when I run are:

1. Better posture

I'm a "head chaser," I tend to lean forward. I am trying to run as if I had a book on top of my head and an orange between my shoulder blades.

2. Shorter, faster stride

This one is hard for me but if I can master it I'm hoping it will make me faster, too.

3. Lighter, springier step

I tend to plod along like a tired horse, so I'm trying to add a bit more bounce to my step.

Yesterday was my first longer run in my barefoot shoes, just about 5 miles. So far, so good. If you've read my older running posts you'll know that I'm always afraid of over doing it so I'll give me legs a few days to recover before trying again but I am really excited by the prospect of creating a regular running schedule again.