Barefoot Running

Last week Christian Peterson (also known as The Maple Grove Barefoot Guy) did a presentation at my work.  It was pretty interesting to learn a little about barefoot running and proper running form.  I know I typically have a heel-strike when I run, but I have no interest in actually running barefoot like this guy.  However, I am interested in improving my running form, if for no other reason than to save some wear and tear on my knees and other joints, so I decided to try some minimal shoes.  I got a pair of these babies:

So far I have just run a couple of 5k's in them, but they are pretty nice!  I can definitely tell they force me to avoid striking with my heel.  I also wore them for weight training last night and they were very comfortable for that too!

Unfortunately, I can not write a race recap of the Torchlight because I was sick this year.  This was the second year in a row that I signed up for that race and was not able to run it for one reason or another.  I was actually so sick that I didn't run for 5 days in a row.  The last time I did that was in February!

But there was some good news this week...my friends and I will be running this on October 6:

Nike+ Running App

A few weeks ago when I was doing my 9 mile (!) long run, the battery on my Garmin watch died.  I was dumb for not charging it, and I knew it wasn't going to make it the whole time, so I decided to use the Nike+ Running App on my phone.  I was surprised at how accurate the GPS was on that thing!  It was showing the exact time/mileage as my watch (well, until my watch died anyway).  Since then I have used the app on the treadmill as well, and it was really accurate (I'm not sure how)?  Anyway, I really love using it now, and I have added a few friends too so we can compete to see who has been running the most.  So fun!

My 9 mile run went great, my plan of being careful with my nutrition and hydration before my run really paid off.  I bought a few different flavors of GU to try during my next long run, to see how that works for me.  After 8-9 miles I really need a little energy to keep me going!

This past week was a "step back" week as far as my long run.  Only 6 miles.  At first I was thinking maybe I would just go for 10 this week because I am so excited to get to say I ran 10 miles.  But the weather turned really hot and humid this past week, so I ended up being glad I only had to do 6 miles for my long run.  I made it into an "even" 10k and check out my pace, it was awesome!

This weekend I have 8 miles on the schedule before I ramp it up to double digits next weekend!  Maybe I will go for 10 this weekend, you never know!  Next Wednesday is the Torchlight 5k, which I am looking forward to.  Last year I signed up and got my shirt and everything, then I couldn't go due to a last minute switcheroo with my husband's work schedule.

This week I entered the lottery for the TC 10 mile race in October!  I really hope I get in!