5.2 miles in the heat (only time to run today)
I probably stopped every .3 miles to rest in the shade for a couple minutes because it's so hot. We're getting a treadmill this weekend (2nd attempt), so I can't wait to have that for these hot days when I can only run in the afternoon. I took off my shoes at mile 3 and ran one mile in socks. It felt really good to get the heavy, hot things off and have some ventilation and just run barefoot. Then I walked 1 mile barefoot (not included in the 5 miles) and then put my shoes back on. By then it felt good to get the cushiony comfortable shoes back on my feet. :0) I ran the last mile home.
While I'm running barefoot on the sidewalks, my eyes are on the ground constantly. I do somewhat of a winding motion to avoid the obvious holes in the sidewalk, but otherwise it doesn't really hurt to land on twings and small rocks, etc. You can usually see the bigger rocks and you automatically avoid those. It really doesn't hurt at all, especially after giving your feet time to get used to it by walking barefoot first for awhile. Every now and again I step on something that sticks to my foot or socks and it hurts to land on it again, so I just stop and brush it off and move forward. The track is my favorite because of the texture (it feels like a massage on my feet) and it's clear of holes and big rocks. It's just more convenient to pull of my shoes and include the barefoot running during my normal run. I'm eventually planning on running in very minimal shoes (like Vibrams or Hattori's) for the entire run someday. The barefeet running (in socks) is just to slowly transition and teach my feet how to land correctly and to strengthen my feet, heel cords and legs. It's definitely working for me.
http://connect.garmin.com/activity/105517915 | 