HD/2: Second training run

Done, was good, enjoyed it. I did it barefoot. Have run the 16 km, in 1h15', up and down hills, partly in the woods, including the famous Phylosophenweg opposite the Heidelberg castle. First time the complete path 5Fs, so I didn't push it. Next time, I will try to push it a bit to lower the time in preparation for the 5 extra kms on the complete one. Seems possible to do the complete HD half-marathon below 1h30 this time.

The day after, Monday, just did the Monday run, 13 km, on a normal 58', not best time, but satisfying one. I felt really good all along. That is probably one of the biggest discovery for me running barefoot. I clearly enjoy more the running and the post-running. It feels good all along and even after.
Clearly because there is more less shocks or much more absorption of them. I could feel my calves being tired. Calves are clearly more important barefoot than shod. And to answer one recent comment I received, one of the reasons I am probably not too injury prone is that I have pretty good calves. I used to play a lot of ice hockey when I was young. For skating, you need good abdominal and calves. My early skating might be associated to a smooth transition to barefoot running.

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I feel good (HD/2 - 5 weeks)

Feeling very good. I just completed another Wednesday run with 5Fs, 15 km in just 67'. That was good and feet are feeling really well. I still have to learn to relax and worry less on the downhill parts. It is looking good, I am already much faster than initially, but I am still careful with stones, and not relaxed. I also feel that I am pulling on my back to slow down, thing that I clearly shouldn't do. I need a couple more practice run and I should be OK. The problem is that the HD half marathon has lots of hills, including the last one, from the castle to the old town, really step and fast. I need to learn to speed it up if I don't want to loose much time there. Anyway, my feet and legs are feeling good. One point that I feel important to mention is that previously, with shoes, I always felt completely worn out. My joints ached, my legs and back felt bad ... I was happy, feeling good about running, but could felt the impact on my body. Definitively NOT what I am feeling with barefoot. On the contrary, it feels good all over my body. The feet, which have receive directly plenty of impacts are just feeling wonderful. I feel like an animal that was hold in a cage and could only move in a limited space to which you suddenly open the door and can now run without limit on huge space. I know that's a little excessive but that is the image I use to represent what I feel. In short, I feel really good after running barefoot, unlike what I use to feel with shoes. Until the race, in five weeks, I will try to run only barefoot, including two practice run, one this weekend, one two weeks before it, and including 24 km in Belgium one week before HD. Should be nice. Let's see how it goes.
But definitively, for the new comers, the sole of 7mm makes a big difference. The Bikila LS are very very nice, very comfortable and just enough protection below the feet. See a new beginning post I also think that starting to run barefoot in the woods, with lots of branches, small stones, irregular path is not ideal, but well, too late, I have done it. New barefoot runners should definitively start with enough sole, 7 mm and ideally on concrete.
Here is my practice log.

As I said, the following bars should all be green.


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Wednesday run PB

Today was a good day, I just did my own personal best on the difficult Wednesday run. 64'34, a time to remember, to run a difficult course, 15 km up- and downhill in the woods. The conditions were ideal, not too warm, not too cold. I was running by myself. The two monsters in our group were recovering from running injuries, I started to go ahead of the pack after around 15' when we reach the real start of the uphill part. And I just kept ahead all along. I just wanted to say that I felt really good all along the run. Don't know why.
I did not run it barefoot though. I still have some very slight inflammation feeling below the left foot and want to be sure before slipping into my 5Fs once again. However, as you can see, it hasn't been a problem with the shoes on. It is slowly disappearing so that I know next week, I will do all the runs barefoot.
Anyway, that is looking good for the half-M in a bit more than 6 weeks.

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HD half registration

HD1/2 practice run

Did the first practice run for the HD half marathon last weekend. We go the full path, apart for the first 5 km, in the aldstat and Neuerheimsfields. Total of 16km. Did it in 1h10. With shoes. Will do the next one without shoes.

The day after, Monday, I did the classical monday run at an easy pace, 1h for 13km. I did that one without shoes. Early on, I steeped on a small pointy stone and my feet hurt. It still does now, the day after. Nothing important, but just once again be careful even 7mm of plastic won't protect from everything. (hurt scale of 2, then down to 1)

And wednesday, I ran our classical 15km in 66'33 with shoes. I can still feel the small patch where I hurt myself on Monday, but with the shoes it is OK, no problem, but I don't think I could have done it 5Fsed.

That is it, this Satruday morning, at 08h00, I registered for the Heidelberg half marathon. The event fills up quite quickly so registering is always a race before the race. On Sunday, I did a small 50', 9 k, with some speed tracking on tracks. And Monday, I did the classical Monday run, in the woods, with a personal best of 56' for 13k.

It is now less than two months 'till the race. Here is the training log so far.

There will be two other training runs in HD before the half, one of the 25th or March, one on the 15th of April. Anyone wants to join? We leave at 8h30 from below the Bismarck platz bridge. See you there?

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