The Stank

The first semi-long run post marathon is in the books. With the weather crisp, I thought a run through the woods would be more enjoyable than the blacktop. I was hoping the trees would stop any wind and keep me somewhat warmer. Stanky Creek was calling my name.

I started into the wood line a little before 4pm and came out 1 hour and 45 minutes later feeling vibrant and refreshed. Around mile 5, I remembered the recent time change...especially since it was getting dark in the woods...and fast. By mile 7, I could barely make out the trail in front of me. Since I wore my VFF's, I was afraid of kicking a stump or stepping wrong on a stick. But, my legs felt great and I was not winded, so I flew through the woods with what I thought was a very quick pace.

The VFF's are very light, making it much easier for a quicker leg turnover. They also force me to correct my footstrike...now landing on the balls of my feet, instead of a heelstrike. This required me to pay close attention to where my foot was landing and also made sure that I did not overstride. They VFF's protect my feet from getting cut, but I can still feel everything I may step on...whether painful or not. At mile 4, I kicked a small stump in the trail with the outside three toes on my right foot. I cursed my bad luck and thought I had broken at least a toe, if not completely ripped them off! Of course, all was well and I continued running once I verified that I still had five digits on that foot.

All in all, it was a very good run and I felt as if I could run a lot longer without any problems. I think the stride change and new footstrike help propel me forward with less restriction as my old style. I just have to remember this when running in shoes!