Still Running

Yep!  Still doing it.  Getting some good miles in.  Pepper and I ran a normal 8.15 today at 10:55 m/min.  We were passed by a thirty something, very slender young runner.  Nothing like a better runner floating by to make me feel slow.  Oh well.  I'm really not too worried about it.  She did have the typical shod heel strike, so I'll likely outlast her inevitable injuries.  So take that!

Speaking of injuries: Spring couldn't have come soon enough.  I'm running completely bare again and I'm much more conscious of my form.  When running in aquas, my foot-strike was somewhat muted and I think this led to additional hip pain.  Despite having over a year of barefoot experience before this past winter began,  I slipped into a more destructive foot-strike.  The sound of my heel pounding became noticeable, I was still landing on my forefoot, but I was coming down too hard on the heel.  The snow and the cold seemed to disguise the pounding and my hip has been sore as a result.  I'm sure I have arthritis in my hip as do my Father and Sister, but running hasn't bothered it until this past winter.  I am running more miles too.  But shedding the shoes has refocused my attention on my heels.  I am trying to catch the ground with my feet as if catching a hard ball with no glove.  It seems to be helping.  I've also noticed a "hitch" in my gait - probably due to arthritis or a short leg or something.  The hitch is harder to identify and control.  A slow-mo camera would be interesting to watch.

No More Snow