Ok, so I'm at week 13 of my running quest and a fair bit has happened since the last time I recorded something here (for one, I've had a bucketload of final professional exams to study for, taking up a fair bit of my time).
I think last time I wrote a post, I'd just picked up my FiveFingers (if I didn't put that last time: I picked up some FiveFingers) and I've been gradually pushing up my distance in them. I think I've already written about my experience running completely barefoot - which felt great and free and all, but destroyed the soles of my feet for a few days - the FiveFingers have done what I guess they're supposed to do in letting me experience that feeling without all the cutting-up-and-blisters from before.
I think my technique has improved a load over the last few weeks - forefoot striking is natural enough for me now that I don't have to think about it consciously and whereas before this was making the tops of my feet ache for a couple of days after most runs, that's now less and less common. I only tend to get aching feet after a longer or harder time out, or if I run a lot over a few consecutive days.
That in itself is becoming more common for me and it's probably the change that I'm happiest with so far - I'm wanting to run more than I ever did before. I've started actually integrating running into my life a lot more naturally - on the trip to some of my theory exams, I got on the train in my running gear and ran through the city to where I was staying; I also spent a few days staying with my brother in his home city and saw more of it than I ever have before through pre-breakfast runs.
So that's kind of where I am right now - I'm still not too concerned about times yet (although I know I've just now brought my be-FiveFingered-10k time back up to around where I last was in trainers, about 47 minutes), for the moment I'm still just concentrating on working on my technique and getting 'easy' right; the goal after that is to enter a half marathon in my brother's city at the end of September.
- Ben
Comments