Over the last several days I have been researching barefoot, or minimalist, running. I was pretty sure I was a heel striker but not sure how "ingrained" this was in me. I decided that during my mile run tonight I would make a focused effort to land mid-foot rather than heel striking. I felt a difference before the end of the mile. I am apparently a heel striker, and a heavy one at that. I noticed that my ball of my foot is more fatigued and my shin muscles have been "activated" (not sure how to describe it) when they have never felt "tight" after a run before. My calves were definitely more involved as well. I made sure to take smaller strides and maintain a faster cadence to reduce chance of injury.
The Jingle Bell run is this Saturday at 6pm. The location is downtown Tallahassee Florida. I thought it was a 5k but was informed today its a 1.7 mile run. I didn't receive a number in my packet that I received after I signed up so its not a competitive race to my understanding. However, I am setting a personal goal of 24 minutes as it is a hilly course that I have not ran before. It will also be posted via Endomondo.com.
Tomorrow night will most likely be a light mile or two, around 16 minute mile pace just to stay loose for the Jingle Bell Run. Yea its for fun, but I want to set a good time for it so I can compare next year and see how much faster I've become!
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