Day 26 - Freaking Awesome

Alright. Sorry that my post was brief and sort of curt last night. I was really tired after opening at work, running in the afternoon, and then having to do a lot of building and such for a church in the area that was being remodeled. Needless to say, I was pretty pooped. But I wanted to at least let you guys know that I had gotten out there on the new shoes, and that I was enjoying them.

Now, to really give them the post they deserve.

These shoes I bought, I consider to be one of my greatest purchases. They are amazing in nearly every way, shape, and form. The first time I went running in them, I trekked out two miles like it was nothing. Yeah it made me feel it in muscles I wasn't used to because of a completely different type of stride when running, but it was a good burn in the muscles, not a pain indicating something was wrong.

I woke up the next day, and my legs weren't nearly as sore as they have been after some of my other runs. So I hopped  back out there and ran 2 more miles in them. It was a little tougher, cause once I got going I could really start to feel it in the calves. But still, virtually no knee pain, my ankles weren't rolling weird anymore, and my run was infinitely more enjoyable.

I have also been wearing them when I go out walking with my aunt, and when I am doing my P90X workouts. I have taken to doing 1 of the lifts every other day, as well as my normal running. For one, I feel actually better doing it, cause its making me feel really buff and leaner looking, as well as making me really feel some good results. So I have done the Shoulders and Arms day, and the Back and Biceps this week, as well as the X Stretch routine. Its pretty killer.

For those wanting some info on the shoes. They are from the "Fila" brand. The model is called "Skele-toes" and they are designed for barefoot/minimalism lifestyles. They aren't marketed specifically as a running shoe. Which actually is apparent when I am using them for running. They are built to accommodate a walking and running stride, which are two different things. But for the most part they are fantastic to run in.

Heres a few pictures of them to give you guys a visual.

The shoes themselves.

Top down view.

Side view.

Bottom view

They are pretty nifty looking, and draw a lot of attention from people out on the paths. That makes running in them a lot more fun, cause peoples reactions are generally pretty funny, making the workouts more light hearted and easier to get through.

So today. I slipped these bad boys on, and headed out to the path for the first longer distance on them. 4 miles. I warmed up my first mile pretty easily, just easing my way into the workout. Then as I neared the turn about at the end of the mile, I was like. Lets really open up, and give these babies a whirl. So I set myself up, and started out mile two, while timing myself. I raced down that path faster than I had ever run in a long distance training before. I reached the end of the path at the mile marker in 7 minutes and 3 seconds. That my friends is a personal best. Three days in these shoes, on top of my half of a month of training, and I shave nearly a full minute off of my fastest mile time previously.

My stopwatch time at the end of my mile.

The progress and results I am seeing from my training are really encouraging me, and I am starting to finally feel really good about this half marathon in just a little more than a month. Its on September 24th, so I have a month and 11 days to get in the best shape that I can.

As for the last two miles of my run today, I took it pretty easy after racing out that mile. But I finished 4 today, which was my training schedule. Tomorrow is a rest day, so maybe some light walking. I also plan on doing the Yoga X routine in P90X. Its a lot of stretching and core work. Looking forward to it. Sunday is my long run, but also my day off work. I will give an educational update on the logistics and science behind barefoot/minimalism running and lifestyle. Looking forward to sharing what I've learned and how I'm applying it!