glidergirl

• 1.5 miles pure barefoot around Research Park (and Matt thought I had thrown in the towel...NEVER!!  I can serve two masters...)
• Went home, got my Nike Frees on, ran 5 miles of the East High loop

To my surprise, things feel good, even after City Creek on Sat!  When I'm running in just my barefeet, I stop when the bottoms of my feet start to feel sensitive and when I feel possible hot spots/blisters.  At first it's fun to feel all the sensations (my favorite is running through puddles) and then after a little while it becomes too much and that's when I know I need to stop.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103352080

6.5 easy miles on the east high loop :)

Gave the barefeet a rest today and wore regular shoes (but no orthodics).  My legs/feet feel stronger and they land different now, so it just may be working.  It's also as if they know that school is almost done (uhhh....like TOMORROW). 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103587186

• 5.1 very slow miles of east high loop (started in Frees, turned back to put on regular shoes)
• stopped at east high track and did 1.5 miles of barefoot (feet felt great, could have run longer if I had more time)

When you are rebuilding your conditioning or you're on a recovery day (today I was suffering from both) and someone whizzes by you light as a feather, do you ever feel like saying "yah, well I can run a 1:40 half and a 44:48 10K." ?

I have finished 1 of 4 finals and have about an hour break before the 2nd starts. :)  I'm already getting sad that it will be over today.  How does something so hard and life-draining do that? (or am I the only one that gets that way?)

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103798902

• 6.25 miles with regular shoes on east high loop
• stopped at east high track and did 1.25 miles barefoot (this may be cheating, but I've started wearing thin socks so I don't get blisters...I know they say you should run in your skin so that you don't over do it, but my muscles and tendons are way tougher than my skin is so it was holding me back =0) )

Thoughts on barefoot running so far... 

I feel like it has definitely made a huge difference, even just the little bit I've incorporated.  My heel cords are much MUCH healthier.  My footstrike is so much more even throughout my midfoot, I no longer land on the outsides of my foot.  I utilize my big toes more and that side of my foot in general as well as all my toes.  My heel barely touches the ground, which never was a problem for me - my heel never touched at all so I loaded my calves way too much.  Now I have a good balance of landing on my midfoot and letting my heel barely touch as well. 

The barefoot sessions help me to feel what my natural footstrike should feel like and now (it took awhile) I've been able to transfer that to whatever shoes I'm wearing, although my regular shoes muffle it quite a bit, at least I'm not getting injured anymore!  And it also seems to really stretch out and strengthen my heel cords and my other tendons and ligaments.  As far as shoes go, by far my favorite "shoes" have been the Vibrams.  I may try them again to see if I get that same pain where my toes bend.  If that doesn't work, I think I'll order the Vibram Classics since they don't go as high up on the foot.  I don't like to run in my Merrells (I love them for daily use though) and I sent the Evo's back....both of them have soles that are hard (they make a click clack on hard surfaces) and the Vibrams are super soft so it's almost the same as barefoot, just like wearing a thick sock.  I really love those things.  As far as more padded minimal shoes, I'm not sure how I feel about the Nike Frees, I honestly would prefer to go barefoot than run in these. I like to wear them for everyday uses, but for some reason I don't like them running.  But I want to transition out of my regular shoes with the heel drop completely and at least have some minimal shoes if I don't want to run in Vibrams or go barefoot on a particular day or for a race.  Maybe I'll try Allie's Hattori's to see what they are like.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/103989497

• 1 mile up to the trail in Vibrams, stashed them in the bushes, put on my Nike Frees
• 4 miles on Bonneville Shoreline and back home (really liked running the trail in the Frees)

Nothing like this view to remind me that I am indeed free... I keep forgetting that I am, in fact, done with homework, done with tests (except NCLEX), and I do not have clinicals!  What a beautiful, liberating view. :) 

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/104304230