I decided to try a little experiment today. For the most part when I have been running barefoot I wait until the end of the run to do it so that my feet are not sore for most of the run. Today I did the opposite, running barefoot first, followed by running with shoes on. My reasoning for doing so was that I feel fluid when running barefoot, but awkward when running minimally shod (without inserts in my shoes). My theory was that if I ran barefoot first and then put on my minimalist shoes I would feel more fluid while wearing shoes. My theory seemed to hold true for most of the days run. I forgot for a little while that I did not have the inserts in my shoes (until I started running on a gravel road... you can still feel big rocks through minimal shoes). This makes me think that there might be a learning component involved with minimalist running that requires you to run barefoot until you learn the technique correctly. Once the technique is learned you can put on shoes and hopefully the technique will remain unchanged. Another thing I have noticed running barefoot is that I naturally direct force more vertically when I sprint with no shoes on. Maybe it is to avoid generating too much friction and developing blisters? I also feel like I have more of a forward/upward drive with my thighs during the swing phase. I am not quite sure what to make of this as it is difficult to focus on ones form without consciously changing it. I am going to continue monitoring things and sprinting barefoot occasionally. At some point I may pop into the lab to test myself running over a force platform. In the afternoon we took the kids down to Des Moines for the USATF championships. It was the first professional track meet that I have ever attended, and the first track meet of any kind that the kids have gone to. The kids really enjoyed themselves (although Shayon pooped his pants just before the womens 10,000 started). Anita really liked cheering for Rapunzel (Jordan Hasay) and during the race she was cheering and she yells out "I like your hair" as Jordan ran by. After the race Anita was in heaven when she was able to take her picture with Jordan and Tara Erdmann during their victory lap, although she did get momentarily upset later on when she realized that she didn't get a chance to touch Jordan's hair. Here is one of the pictures that we took of Anita, Jordan, and Tara after the race 
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