First Run of the Year!

Today the weather got up over 50 degrees! I hope it stays this way. I think it will and spring should be well on its way. I even got to sit out on the deck a little bit!

Jenny and I enjoying some deck time

Anyways it was a good day of working out for me. I started the morning with a a little Kenpo. Its like a kickboxing workout. Even though I feel kinda silly when I do it, it is a purdy good workout. I then biked the three miles into school. After school I biked home and got ready to do a little run.

Jenny laced up here brand new Nike Free's. This brand of Nike shoe has kind of a similar concept to the Five Finger shoes that I talked about a few posts ago. The sole is thinner and much more flexible than a regular shoe. There isn't a large heel pad like a regular running shoe as well. This is basically the exact opposite of a running shoe that I was told to wear in high school. Her shoes are purdy cool though. She customized all the colors using the NikeID website. You can customize any shoe that Nike makes. Check it out.

Jenny's Custom Nike Free's

I strapped on my Five Fingers shoes. Not only was this the first run of the year but also the first run in my new shoes! The run actually went really good. I had heard that it takes a while to get used to having little to nothing between you and the road and running using a toe-strike method instead of a heel first approach. The first thing I noticed was that my feet were incredibly light. It felt like there was nothing there! I wasn't even too winded after our 3 mile jaunt but I have been biking a lot lately so that is probably part of it. The only thing that I really noticed was that my calves were a little tight afterward. Tight like I was using some muscles that I didn't know were there. Kind of the same sensation as when you roller blade or something like that.

Nike Free and Five Fingers

I'm really interested to see how this foot shoe thing plays out. I've read some of the research that says that running toe first is more a more natural way to run and that modern running shoes with their heel first approach isn't they things should be. Some of the research says that even some running injuries can be prevented by using either the Nike Free or the Five Fingers Shoes. I think that even Saucony has a shoe that works the same way. These shoes just simulate a barefoot type of running. Kinda cool. Agree or don't. I'm kinda skeptical. I have been running in traditional shoes for a very long time. You know like forever so we'll see. If you want to read more there is a Harvard Study about barefoot running that you can check out.

I'll let you know how it works out