Monday, November 24, 2008

8mi in 45degrees dry conditions at 10min/mi

Weather finally improved and was about 45 degrees today so I ventured a run in the evening. Its been a week since my last run which was the PR 4mi race. Without marathon training it is hard to be motivated to get out in the cold but once I am out it was a lot of fun. Tavern on the Green has set up fantastic lighting on its tree which feels like illuminated gigantic snowflakes dropping. Quite fascinating. Once the Christmas season starts, I should try few runs through the city to see all the christmas decorations. If not running, at least I have to choice to pick my route on my bike ride back.

On barefoot front, the first couple of miles were a bit uncomfortable then the run felt pretty nice. I shouldn't really complain about 45 degrees as that will feel like a walk on a sunny beach after it gets cold. I am considering running in vibrams for couple of miles before taking them off as the feet warm up. I could probably do this whenever its dry. Not sure how to deal with wet or snow conditions yet. I just hope that the feet somehow adapt. 

While the cold issue continues to be top priority, I did discover a somewhat new technique for running downhill. I ran down the Harlem hills at about 7:30 pace. The trick is not to push forward while reducing impact by bending knees and also keeping the stride smaller than usual. The result was  a noticeably smooth run down. Calfs are hurting bit but I am convinced that that is the most efficient way to run downhill. None of the old injuries are showing any signs and legs still feel fresh which is nice. 

Another interesting observation which I cant really explain is that the legs are very clean when I scrub them after a run in cold. Also the soles seem to getting thinner. Perhaps the cold runs are causing abrasion to the sole but with nice smooth soles after shower, its hard to believe that there was any abrasion. 

BF in NY for 787mi

2 comments:

barefootrunner said...

Hi there fellow barefooter! Wanted to see if you'd be ok with having my repost your entertaining "Top 10 reasons why one shouldn't run barefoot" on my blog http://www.barefootrunner.com ?
Thank! David. barefootrunner [at] gmail.com

Caveman said...

Sure np...