Decided to break out the Nike Frees and try an easy 6 using more neutral form. Legs and feet felt fine, but I didn't get out until after 10 am (Brooke ran 18 this morning and I was hanging out with the kids), so it was hot and miserable. I felt pretty lousy start to finish. Just one of those days, I suppose. Didn't take Garmin along, but I'm sure HR didn't exceed 160.
On a more positive note, I am nearing the end of Christopher McDougall's Born to Run, and I've loved every page of it. It's made me want to experiment with barefoot running (or at least to try out the Vibram Five Fingers) after St. George and to see if some barefoot exercises could help my wife and two of my kids, all of whom have either completely flat feet or bad arches. I was fascinated to read about Alan Webb starting as a freshman with a size 12 foot and, after a few years of barefoot exercises, being down to between a 9 and a 10, then later setting the American Record in the mile. The studies about, among other things, the direct relationship between rate of injury and cost of shoe, have also been provocative. The stories themselves (about the Tarahumara Indians, Caballo Blanco, Barefoot Ted, Scott Jurek, Joe Vigil, Bill Bowerman, Nike, and a host of others) have been absolutely fascinating. If you haven't read it yet, you should. It's a quick and highly enjoyable read. | 