Easy Week

Saturday, last week, I set out on a 10 mile run,


 Invigorating and enjoyable, but I am getting tired, and I can tell. Both my calves are feeling worn down, I am sore, achy, tired. That's where the easy week comes in, and good thing it came in when it did.

Every fourth week, I set out on 3, 4, or even 5 mile runs at an easy pace. It's one of the most important parts of the regimen. It's a lot like anything in life, you can go and go and go, but at some point you need to scale back and relax. That doesn't mean quit, just trim your workload and take it slow. It gives your body, and sometimes more importantly your mind, a much needed break. Your muscles have a chance to rebuild. You have a chance to once again focus on fundamentals. Your not worried about pace or efficiency, just enjoying a little run.

I have been doing a lot of these runs completely barefoot. That is helpful in a few ways. First of all, contrary to popular belief, it feels great. After running barefoot a few times and building some tougher skin on the bottom of your feet (which sounds a lot more unattractive than it actually is) the runs become like a massage. You work the muscles in your feet against the ground and it really loosens them up. Second, being able to feel the ground is a unique and truly enjoyable experience. It involves you in the run in a way that wearing a shoe will always prevent. Third, which is kind of a spin off of the second point, your form auto corrects. The ability to be so in tune with the ground and your feet puts you naturally into the correct alignment. Your feet will not allow you to run incorrectly on them. Even with the Vibram's, you still lose some connectivity to the ground, and your form can suffer. I do the bulk of my road running in Vibram's and I see that my form will diminish, but, no matter what, when I set out barefoot, it's perfect and I can't change it. Bare feet are the Cadillac of running shoes. Try it! You just might like it.

Sometimes we just need to slow down and recenter ourselves. That's the key to keeping the running a positive experience. I'm not doing this because I want to lose weight, or because I have this unbelievable drive to be the best runner ever, I just like it. But, if I spend all my time working so hard, it won't be fun anymore, it'll be work. This isn't work, it isn't even a workout, it's just something I like to do. I'm going to keep it that way by going out and having fun, without trying to kill myself.
Till next time, keep running.