Thursday, February 14, 2013

Happy Valentine's Day!

Today was a Run Day, so I did.  I tried this on Sunday and have now decided to work my barefoot running into my regular running days.  There is no longer any doubt (in my mind) that different muscle groups are engaged.  My shins started getting tight during my run today, so I switched to a forefoot strike and could immediately tell the difference.  My shins and quads relaxed and I could feel the heat in my calves move higher.

Not wanting to overdo my calves and arches, I ran my normal Barefoot Conditioning distance of .75 mile and switched back to a regular stride for the rest of today's run.  I do remember reading somewhere that changing your gait is a strategy for longer races, which makes sense.  Giving your muscles a break, without walking, helps to maintain the pace and keeps the momentum going!

Image Source:  My Dirt Road Anthem blog

I also signed up for a race next month...my first one in years.  It's a 4-miler that just happens to coincide (mostly) with my training plan.  Very excited, because this will be my first gauge of the effectiveness, or not, of my training plan.  And even more excited that my Valentine will be running the race too!

Half Marathon Progress Report (From Monday) -
  • .25 mile walk
  • 2 mile run (10'00" pace)
  • .25 mile walk
Total Distance - 2.5 miles
Total Time - 29'18"

Half Marathon Progress Report (Today) -
  • .25 mile walk
  • 2.5 mile run (10'00" pace)
    • .75 mile barefoot run
  • .25 mile walk
Total Distance - 3 miles
Total Time - 34'14"

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