So, GREAT run on Wednesday! First some background. I watched video on You-Tube the night before of Abebe Bikila winning the 1960 Rome marathon barefoot for inspiration. I've been trying to figure out if running in minimalist shoes will limit me to running slowly, because if so then it might not be worth the hard work for me. So I watched Bikila run because he was running sub-5 minute miles barefoot, so it must be possible to go fast with barefeet. I noticed that he looked super smooth, and not at all like he was shuffling or running with form that was dramatically different than the other runners. I headed out during lunch at work to do 5 miles. I tried to relax and run at a more natural pace for me. I felt like I was able to maintain the key points of my good form, fast cadence and engaging the whole foot, while loosening up my form and running a little more naturally at the same time. It felt really good and I ended up doing the 5 miles at 7:38 pace. My feet felt great, in fact I think better than any previous run. To add to the fun it was raining and windy on the way back, and me and my friends were drafting off each other to break the wind. That added a fun element of excitement to it. I was on a high the rest of the day, and couldn't believe that my feet felt so good!
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