Tuesday, February 2, 2010

It's coming together

Distance 8km [total: minimalist 44km: Barefoot 267.5km]


I put in a 7km beach run yesterday.
As usual it was blowy at the beach, I had intended to run from Grange to Semaphore and back which was about 10km but that meant the wind would be behind me on the way out and towards me on the way back, so I opted for my usual direction.
The run into the wind felt good, I can still remember how tiring I used to find it when my feet were locked away in heavy trainers.

I might have pushed it a bit hard as I approached the jetty as I felt a slight pain in the tendon so slowed down on the way down to the river estuary.
It was fine in the end, I think I just get a little jumpy if ever I feel anything that originates near the Achilles.

A few weeks ago I picked up some of the cheapest minimalist shoes ever I would say.
They are beach/rock shoes, made for walking around on slippery surfaces. I picked a pair up in the New Year sales for $7.50, reduced from about $12.50.
They are a slip on shoe made up of a rubber sole and a neoprene upper.
They are very flexible and of course no heel of any kind.
While not as roomy or as comfortable as the Vivo Barefoot shoes they also are less than 1/20 the price.
I photo of them is below:


Tuesday.
I have been making steady progress through the book on Pose running and it is like a light suddenly coming on. I just want to get out there and try it and get it working.
I feel like a child on Christmas morning just waiting to get the presents opened.
I wasn't going to run today but instead have a rest but the excitement got the better of me.
It had been a hot day today but humid as well, a change was on its way in the form of thunder and rain. The rain came down at about 7pm, it was brief but heavy and had stopped about 15 minutes later.

At 8.30pm I was just itching to get out before the light completely faded to see if I could implement any of the techniques described in the book.
Well, what can I say. I think I did it. It felt significantly different from the running I have done so far, even barefoot.
I started from the relaxed, knees bent stance then leaned forward and concentrated on just using the hamstrings to pull the foot off the floor.
It felt like I was going like a rocket, more significantly it felt light and almost effortless.
I ran about 7 100m sprints before it got too dark. I then ran back on the concrete footpath, and, I sprinted along there. Once again it felt light, I could hardly hear my feet making contact with the ground. There was no jarring or shock up the legs.
It was incredible.
For the first time in my life I think I have learned to run properly.

Neil

2 comments:

  1. Great story. I used to play tennis in a similar shoe made by adidas. Do you find that your foot gets shunted up against the front of the shoe? That was a problem for me, but maybe in running it's less of an issue.

    Tim Brennan

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  2. Hello Tim,
    I mainly use these shoes for walking. I use my Vibrams for the running, but, only if I have to because it is too hot or else my feet are too soft because I've had my shoes on all day.
    I prefer no shoes at all as even the Vibrams tend to make me run differently.

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