As she mentioned, I started training again after a long and much needed hiatus. Having taken such a long break, I feel completely refreshed and ready to set some unrealistic goals...which brings me to the Disney Marathon. I'm signed up for the Goofy Challenge but may drop out of the half to focus on the full marathon- it all depends on the next couple months of training. If I'm capable of getting near a Boston-qualifying time (3:10:59) its marathon only- otherwise I'll be trying to set PR's in the half and full back to back. So I guess I'll have lots to blog about in the coming weeks. Now I'll cover the shoes...
After some post-season discussions with Liz and Jon Hirsch (our coach) about our future goals- long term and short- I started thinking about what I want to accomplish in triathlon/endurance sports. For a variety of reasons, I know I will never be a top age grouper or have a true chance of qualifying for Kona. I'd love these things to happen but there's a limit to the sacrifices I'm willing to make for sport so these probably aren't in the cards for me- Liz on the other hand has a definite shot at these goals. So my "goals" are to continually improve my times and find new ways to push myself. We've signed up for a bunch of half iron distance races next summer so I'll definitely have my shots at getting faster.
As for finding new ways to push my limits, I have a lot ideas for the next few years but want to start with a 50 mile ultra marathon next fall. I'm never content with just finishing and know that I'm prone to running injuries (every season so far I've had to take some time off) so I evaluated my training. The idea for barefoot running started by reading "Born to Run" (seems like it affected a lot of people the same way) but then I started doing a lot of research and reading argument from both sides. Without going on a whole rant on the pros/cons, I decided to give them a try. Worst case, I still get hurt and toss the shoes in the trash. Best case, I run with better form, strengthen my legs, and prevent common injuries. I've only worn them appr. 5-6 times and just jumped from a previous long run of 15 mins to 30 mins and felt really good but extremely sore and tired- after some more time I'll give another post of my reviews.
So would I wear these if I was still in high school...hell no. I'd be too self-conscious. But in a big city this is one of the more normal things you see. I have no idea what line I'll draw in the sand between running minimalistic and wearing running shoes but I know I'll be keeping them solely in the sports usage category...no fashion statement for me.
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