Training Log - Thursday, July 29, 2010 (Part 2)

It was 11:15 AM and I met up with Richard, again. This time we met up at Indian Creek Greenway for a nice barefoot jog along the grassy section of the asphalt trail. Richard finally got on board the "barefoot train", well, sort of. We both feel it will be a nice additional training tool to complement our training plan and Vibram FiveFingers allow us to try that without risking injuries from glass, rocks, etc. while still getting the benefits of adjusting our running form to the stride required for barefoot running. As it turns out, Richard is already a forefoot striker. I, on the other hand, seem to be more of a midfoot striker. At least I think so. I might still heel strike a little and I definitely want to move away from heel striking, if at all possible. We decided to run an easy 2 miles on the grassy dirt section next to the asphalt trail, followed by a 2 mile walk. Focussing on midfoot striking rather than forefoot striking and opting to run on grass really kept me from shredding my calves this time around. I vividly remember my last VFF endeavor and it ended with me seriously hurting for almost 4 weeks after going out for 4 miles on asphalt forefoot striking all the way on my first VFF run. This time, I focussed on relaxing while running and not landing on my heels. I think I will make the barefoot running a regular part of my training  at least once a week. That might be a run or a walk, but I see this as an opportunity to improve my stride. We shall see. Richard used the Vibram FiveFinger KSO TREK with leather upper while I used the Vibram FiveFinger KSO with polyamide upper. His soles also have tread while mine are smooth, which should make his more suitable for trail running than mine. That's ok with me, I'd rather keep using my Inov-8 on trails anyway. Overall, the run was quite enjoyable, but I wouldn't mind a little less midday heat.