Yeah! This run was awesome! We headed out to the lake with the awesome gravel trail. Once again, a 1/4 walk, 1/4 run, 1/4 walk, 1/4 run, walk the rest of the trail (approx 2 mi). All was excellent during this session. I decided not to up the mileage because I wanted to start the stride-out routine, and I figured more mileage might put me over the top. I believe I made the correct decision!
For the stride-outs, I picked a nice stretch of grass and changed from the stability shoes with prescription orthotics to the Vibram Five Fingersâ„¢. As described by Travis, I ran on my toes starting slow and ending the 100 (or maybe less) yards as fast as I could.
I did 6. It felt so good to run that fast in essentially bare feet. I could feel my legs and feet working in ways I had not known was possible. I also noticed that I was hesitant to go faster as I knew that I would have to call on back and ab muscles to help hold me up. However, they were strong enough to do their job with no problem! I was able to hold good form and enjoy going faster than I thought I could.
Of course, my husband totally kicked my butt, but, hey, he just ran a marathon. Not to mention, he’s also got perfect feet.
Today, I can still feel the sciatic nerve, but it is not worse than Friday. My quads are happily sore, and my posterior tibial tendon is sore, but in that I-got-a-workout way, not the I’m-inflamed way.
So, overall, very successful training! Hooray!!!
Tags: barefoot, running, stability shoes, stride outs, success