Got my Nike Free’s in the mail yesterday, compliments of Roadrunnersports.com. First of all, they are pretty cool looking, if I do say so myself. My initial impression after taking them out of the box was how light they are. They feel like you are holding nothing. They are also incredibly flexible. You can rotate, twist, turn, torque in every direction. I was looking forward to taking them out for a spin. I put the shoes on and wore them for a bit last night and was impressed. They really do feel somewhat like walking around barefoot, aside from the obvious fact that there is limited protection with the sole of the shoe. However, it is easy to “feel” in these shoes unlike my traditional stability shoes. They actually almost feel like putting on socks as they have no detached tongue and are very form fitting (not tight, but comfortably snug). The laces are offset as well adding to the high level of comfort. Now to run in them…..
Woke up this fine morning with Speedwork on my mind. Plan for the day was to run a half mile warm up, 4 x 800 meter intervals at 3:45 (with 2:00 rest/walking in between) and a half mile cooldown jog. Got ready and laced up my new Nike Frees and hit the ground running (literally). I absolutely love the shoes….I have to say. They feel like nothing is on your feet since they are so light. I did notice that my stride and gait were different though. I ran more on the forefoot, which is the purpose, I know, but I could feel my feet getting more fatigued by the end of the run. Trust me, this is a good thing. I think if I start incorporating the shoes in on my runs with increasing frequency that my feet and leg muscles will improve and hopefully I will one day not need the stability shoes. My plan is to use them always for speed work and then gradually add them to other runs through the week. Not going to use them on long runs just yet. Not until I develop a tolerance for the workout it is putting on the new muscles. Very impressed though overall with my first time out. Only about 3 miles total, but very nice.
Today I am getting (also from Roadrunnersports.com) compression sleeves for my calves that I plan to try on this weekend’s long run (14 miles). I have read so much hype and review over these products mostly pointing to the quick recovery and lack of soreness. I will report back this weekend how they work.
Mileage today = 3 miles (.5 WU; 4 x 800; .5 CD)
Mileage this week = 9 miles
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