Very busy weekend

The calf is feeling much better. My friends and I did the Saint Frances Mud Run on Saturday. That was a blast! If you have not done that before you need to give it a try. We did it in 46 minutes which is respectable for first timers. I have to admit I was beat up and worn out by the end of the run but I felt great. I like having the obstacles to break up the run. It was really fun and challenging. If you get a chance go on You Tube and type in Saint Frances Mud Run and there is a good video of some guys running it last year. The video gives you an idea of what you are in for. I am glad I have some trail running experience as most of the running was in the woods. Don’t wear any clothes that you want to keep. I trashed everything that I wore.
I was a little tired out on Sunday but I went ahead and ran 5 miles in the morning. I ran with the Nikes and at a nice slow pace. My calf gave a few “twinges” but it did not hurt. Later in the day I played some racquetball with a friend. I also did some bouncing on the trampoline for about an hour with my daughter. Needless to say I was very tired by the end of the day.
I managed to go out Tuesday for a run in the Vibrams. The run felt great and invigorating. Maybe the sun shining and the breeze blowing helped out. I ran about 2 miles then stretched the calves some and ran 2 more. I felt really good and no pain. I still had energy near the end of the run and pushed it a little hard. I ran the last mile in under 8 minute miles, maybe around 7:30 with no problems. The fact that it was downhill most of the way helped too! Later in the day I could feel the calf tightening up from overuse. I stretched it some and it feels ok again. I better tone it down on Thursday. Plus I want to try some of the High Intensity Training next time out. I don’t want to re-injure my calf but I hate not being able to train for 1-1/2 months! I need to get back into the groove.
I have noticed that my foot turnover rate is consistently higher with the Vibrams. I believe I naturally take shorter strides to reduce the impact on my feet but I also speed up my cadence. I tend to run about 75 cadence with my Nikes and 81 with my Vibrams. I also tend to run a little faster in the Vibrams. I ran about 2/3 of the time in the grass. I have to really concentrate while running in the grass to miss all the land mines the friendly dog walkers leave behind.

Have a great day.

Gary