Happy Feet! (Read 627 times)

Tonight I had a great run. First of all, I didn't start until after midnight. Because I had some serious caffeine around 9pm, which left me way too wired to sleep. Secondly, I took the last four days off running, because I felt like I needed some down time and I was feeling some aches in my knee. Tonight I really concentrated on staying loose (I stopped to stretch several times in the first couple miles) and on good form. I read the ChiRunning book many months ago, and it really helped me get rid of pain. But I hadn't thought about it in a while, and I think my achy knee was really telling me to stop being sloppy and go back to basics. So tonight I concentrated on my form and it felt great. So great that I decided, out of the blue, to see if I could run comfortably without my shoes at all. To my surprise, it felt wonderful, and I did 2.7 miles barefoot on a relatively smooth running path, carrying my shoes. Then, to cap it all off, the bridge that I planned to take home was blocked to pedestrians due to construction, so I got to add an unexpected extra mile at the end. Total distance 8.4 miles, at a slow 10 minute mile pace. But my heart rate average was way down at 139 (my MAF is about 154), and it was super comfy. What's crazier than running at 1am with a light on your head? Running barefoot at 1am with a light on your head. Man, I love this sport.

How was running without shoes?? I couldn't imagine ...

It was nice. No pain or soreness. But like I said, I've been working on form for awhile -- I don't think I could have done it a year ago. You can't be a heel-striker barefoot. Once I put my shoes back on it felt like I was running with big goofy pillows on my feet.