High 40sF, mostly clear and starry. Easy run, plus minimalist-footwear trials on the TM (last 3 miles). Extra warm up early (see below) and 10 min. core work after.
Super pretty morning. Venus was so large and bright, I could have sworn I saw the crescent. Then, when the sky got lighter, I could see all the fields and parks were covered with a layer of mist. I love that. I had some new experiences today. First, before running I warmed up with 50 calf pumps (barefoot) and 20 step-up/one-leg-squats for each leg on a 10 inch step. These are exercises I often do after my run, but I'm feeling more and more like I need extra warm up time. It seemed to work well and I hope to incorporate it into my routine. After I had to come home, I did 3 more miles on the TM and tried 3 new minimalist footwear options, a mile each. First was the Mizuno Wave Universe. I found out about these shoes from a guy in my running club. His description of the shoes struck me as quite odd and equivocal: "They are a Lifestyle shoe." Huh? Anyway, I would say this is a great shoe for anyone who wants to be barefoot but not attract any attention or comments. There is just very little shoe at all. They remind me of the leather slipper-like footwear of pre-WWII runners. They are extremely comfortable, but no support or "stability" and no bounce. Interestingly, the shoes came with a bunch of tags with dire warnings all over them. "Experts only.... A performance shoe... Very slippery... low traction..." The Mizuno legal department is terrified of this shoe.
Second was the Softstar moccasin. These are like barefoot only warmer and slightlty padded. My foot tended to move too far forward in them, leaving me with the urge to stop and scoot my heel back into place. Not sure about that. They will be fine for a minimalist training run when the weather gets colder, if I can solve the heel thing. Lastly was the Sockwa Aqua-sock. Someone on a barefoot forum recommended these. They come in a bunch of cool patterns, and honestly just look adorable. That's about as useful as they are. I kind of doubt I'll run in them much. I wore them all day a few weeks ago just for kicking around and I noticed they have no water resistance whatsoever. They also do not protect against little rocks. They are not particularly warm. So... why not just go barefoot? I guess if it was cool out -- but not cold -- I might pair them with Smartwool socks in lieu of going barefoot, but only if the streets were dry.
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