I had racked up about five or six weeks on my Couch to 5K program before the end of the school year and then, somehow, all my effort seemed for naught. I tried to run the week four interval set the other day, thinking that it would be a nice way to warm back up to the program, and, let's just say, I was struggling. It's amazing how quickly my stamina regresses.
I've been using the Android RunDouble App for several months now because it follows the interval program, allows you to use your own music playlist, keeps statistics for you including a map of your run, and prompts you between intervals. It's been a great help, but there is no app that makes me want to walk out the door and get started. (If they invent that, let me know.)
So, today, I started over again with Week 1, Day 1. This consists of a warm-up, eight 60 second intervals interspersed with eight 90 second intervals, and a cool-down. I decided not to have any expectations and to just go out and...well...go. I did pay attention to one thing, though: my gait. A couple years ago, my friend, Kacy, wrote about her experience and research on barefoot running. This intrigued me. The concept is that, basically, because humans have become used to padded shoes, we don't use our feet like we should. Instead of walking or running on the balls of our feet or our midsoles, we tend to rock from the back to the front. This can cause heel injuries, put us out of alignment, and, generally, doesn't allow the nerves in our feet or the feet themselves to work properly.
Now, though this idea intrigued me, I never thought I would be able to wear the minimalist shoes that are so popular since I have back issues. I was sure I needed the cushioning. However, a couple weeks ago, I needed new sneakers. I went to DSW to get my go-to Saucony sneakers because I have to wear men's sneakers a lot of the time; Saucony sneakers run narrow so they fit my feet better. ( I should mention that I've been too cheap to ever get fitted for sneakers, though I do plan to do it the next time I need a pair.) Billy, bored with the mall crowd, wandered off to find a pair of sneakers and attempt to make the pain of the shopping experience end quickly. He found a pair of minimalist sneakers on sale so I tried them on and walked around. They were quite comfortable, extremely light, and fit much better than the other ones I had been trying on. So I decided to buy them. I found that, when running, I was able to push off the front of my foot instead of landing on my heel and having to gain the momentum to move forward. This made it much easier to run and much easier to believe my eyes when I see people running down the street, making this form of exercise seem effortless (though I'm clearly not there yet.)
Starting over with the program today, I made sure to land towards the front of my foot rather than the back. I felt like I was flying. The closest thing I can compare it to is when I took ballet classes as a kid and you had to stay on the ball of your foot. It even helped to align the rest of me a bit more so, though breathing was still difficult, it was much easier than I was used to. And, apparently, it made a difference since, with walking, I brought my pace down from an 11 minute mile to a 10 minute mile. My average running intervals were also in between 8 and 9 minutes rather than 10 and 11. I know it's going to be difficult to keep moving, but it's encouraging to know that, with a few tweaks, I might be able to be more successful this time around than I have been in the past.
Stats, Week 1, Day 1:
Overall Pace: 10:59
Overall Distance: 1.68 miles
Time: 18:30
Fastest Interval: 8:07
Longest Interval: 0.12 miles
(Including Warm Up/Cool Down):
Overall Pace: 12:07
Overall Distance: 2.35 miles
Time: 28:30
To see the map of my run, click here.
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