It's All In The Shoes

Training Session

 A few little lightbulb moments for me this week, just small moments where I have found myself thinking about my training and feeling more like I can really do this, I can call myself a runner. I may never be the fastest & I may well stick to 5k but there is nothing wrong with that. I can still achieve that and work towards getting better at that distance, and not get hung up on needing to do marathons etc. 

I am doing the Race For Life at the weekend with my Sister and my Daughter. My Daughter will run, but we will walk with my wonderful dog Alfie. But there is that small bubble of excitement in me knowing that next year I will be able to run the complete distance, I can almost sense how brilliant that is going to feel.

Training session this week got off to a good start, the weather was a bit cooler and with a nice breeze. For this run I am wearing (this is getting to be a bit like a fashion show) Nike Free 7.0 with my Nike anti-blister socks. Now to be honest I was really hoping that these shoes were going to be The Ones, because lets face it just how many pairs of running shoes will I have to cram into my already over crowded closet. Now don't get me wrong I love my Vivobarefoot, you can really feel like you are connected to the ground you are running on, however this can also be a bit of a disadvantage when you are running on pavements, especially as a beginner like me. I will need to have much better form and lightness in my step to avoid the shin pain I am currently getting from roads and pavements. So back to the Nike, they fit very well in width and have a good size toebox. They didn't feel overly heavy, and more importantly I had a quick run around outside my house and my shins hadn't screamed at me, but even before leaving for our run I was wondering if all this comfy padding and squishy feeling was really going to suit my running style. 

Off we go for our warm up walk then through the woods and out into the fields, we do 30,60 and 90 second repeats with 90 seconds or so walk in between, I can feel that I am quicker tonight, but the ground feels muted, I can still feel larger stones and sticks but with a kind of dull sensation.
 
On our way back home Mark says to me we are now going to have like a play session for the final 10 mins or so before we reach home, the idea is to just run or stop at random times and speeds to suit myself, we have a quick race to the bus stop, then a bit of a walk then a steady but speedy dash across a bridge I actually ended up running for just about a 3 minute stretch without being out of breath.  All in all a really good session. And the verdict on the Nike Free 7.0 the jury is still out. While they are very comfortable and I certainly could run on the harder surfaces without any shin pain, to be honest I am still not convinced that that is such a good thing compared with actually feeling the ground you are on.

I have read a lot on the Runners World forums about one of the most important things when you start to run is to get a pair of the right running shoes for your style of running, I have decided that  I am going to go to a sports shop and get a gait analysis done. Lets hope there will still be some space left in my closet for the right shoes!

Stats for 23rd July 2013

 5k = 55mins 8 seconds my Personal Best (PB)
Gear: Nike Free 7.0 and Nike Anti-Blister toe socks

Ding Ding Round 2

Training Session

Due to the weather finally getting warmer we started out later for our session, which was at least a little cooler.

The plan was to do the same basic route we did last time, but as Mark was also preparing for Race To The Stones (100k Ultramarathon) at the weekend we decided that we would go out a bit further than 5k. So Mark added a wooded trail around a lake before heading back, making a total of 8.8k about 5.5 miles.

Off we go up & over the big hills, strange they feel easier tonight. I am wearing different shoes than last time, I have on my Vivobarefoot with ToeToe socks. Can this be making the difference? When we reach the field Mark again gives me my instructions , he wants me to try again for the 1 minute run then 90 seconds recovery repeats. This time Mark calls out the seconds on his watch......20, 30, 40 hey I'm still running 50 still going, now he is counting down 8,7,6 and finally I've done it, I have run for 1 whole minute. Totally elated, it suddenly occurs to me just how amazing this feels & how in awe I am of my son. There's me grinning because I ran for 1 minute and there's Mark preparing to run 100k non-stop in sandals, which will take him in excess of 15 hours. I was starting to understand the respect marathon and ultra runners show each other........With my 90 seconds recovery up we run again, 1 minute done almost as easily so we up it to 90 seconds running and 2-3 minutes recovery this time it was downhill - done no problem, during this session my longest run was 2 mins. We finished off with a stroll around the lake and then the walk home

I finished tired but feeling fantastic at the same time, I really think the Vivobarefoot made a big difference, I will be using them again.

Stats for 10th July 2013

8.8k 5.5miles = Total 1hrs 50mins
5k = 1hrs 2mins
1 min run 90 seconds - 2 min walk
90 second run - 2-3 min walk
2 min run - 5 min walk
Vivobarefoot shoes with ToeToe socks (very comfy)

To read Mark's review of Race To The Stones Click Here

Till the next time...................................