Trial run Thursday

The plan was to go out and run different paces and try to maintain a cadence of at least 85 foot strikes per minute (170 total for both feet) in the Vibram Five Fingers.

The first mile was a 7:10 pace. That is my quickest pace so far with the Vibram Five Fingers. My average cadence was 88. I felt good through the first mile. I ran the first mile on the pavement with no foot problems.

I then ran 1.76 miles at a 7:57 pace. My average cadence was 83. I definitely slowed up some on the cadence. Trying to maintain 85 or above takes some thought while you run. As I mentioned in a previous post, it seems that as I tire I tend to take longer strides and slow my cadence. Running in the Vibrams with a higher cadence and shorter strides seems to be gentler on my feet than running at the same pace but with a lower cadence and longer strides. I ran on both grass and pavement for this portion of the run.

I then ran a fast ¼ mile on the track. My time was 1:18 which is a 5:12 pace when averaged over one mile. That is also a personal record for me. My average cadence was 85. I have always read that you have to run fast in order to run fast. I believe that is true. I am going to incorporate more speed training into my work outs. I have found out that I really can’t sprint now. I am 46 years old and have never really been that quick of a sprinter. However, I definitely was faster back in my twenties than I am now. I need to also add some sprinting to my work out. I just want to make sure I don’t wipe out a hamstring. Typically the faster I run the more things hurt.

I was pooped out after my one time around the track, (that is pathetic when I think about it). So I did a slow jog back to work. The run was about .86 miles and I averaged a 9:15 pace and 77 cadence.

Conclusions:
1. I believe that increasing my cadence will help me to increase my running speed.
2. Running at the higher cadence at the 7:10 pace seemed easier than running at the slower cadence at the same pace but with longer strides. This thought still needs some testing.
3. Higher cadence and shorter strides is easier on my feet when running in the Vibrams.
4. The Vibrams feel good to run in now that I am used to them. I believe my feet are toughening up. I hope the good trends continue!

So far my transition to the Vibrams has gone well. Let’s see how my race in them on Saturday goes. I would like to set a PR for that 5K. I ran it in a little over 23 minutes last year. I would like to be less than 22 minutes this year. I hope I don’t break something!

Have a great day!

Gary