Thursday

Distance 7km [total: minimalist 44km: Barefoot 243km]

Well, I've signed up for my first fun run, a 4km 'beach bash' on March 5th held at Henley Beach.
This will be my first paid for race in 10 years.

The last race I ran in as I recall was the Sterling 10km which is a race held in Autumn in the Adelaide hills village of Sterling.
A tough little race with a long hill climb about halfway around.
It was around there that I pulled a hamstring and after that I could never get into running races again due to constant injuries which then lead to the podiatrist office and the recommendation that if I didn't give up running my knees would be stuffed unless I bought super stable cushioned shoes and orthotics.

I had a 7km run along the beach tonight, it was warm and there was a moderate southerly wind blowing.
The tide was on it's way in so the sand was soft, dry and well trodden which makes for tough running as there is no stable surface.
I was feeling a bit of strain on the Achilles tendons by the end so I spent 15 minutes standing in the sea to let the cool water take away any pains.

It seems like the barefoot running revolution is starting to gain some traction with some articles appearing from different studies.

http://www.barefootrunning.fas.harvard.edu
The tide may be starting to turn against the ridiculous designs that are now filling the sports stores that are more for fashion than any practical use.

Neil