(This is my 300th post! Whoa!)

I went for a run on Wednesday in my new pair of Merrell Pace Gloves. They're minimalist running shoes. I've been flirting with the idea of switching to minimalist shoes for a while. I mean, my running shoes have the highest heel of anything I put on my feet. This seems silly. There's also the fact that I got my old pair of running shoes out of commie at Twin Oaks, so their cushioning was probably shot to hell anyway, and I hear you're not supposed to run in really beat up shoes.

I actually bought the Merrells to serve as super comfy shoes for wearing to work, but it seemed a waste. (Got 'em off the clearance rack for, like, $40. What?! I guess they're last season's colors or something.) I wore them to work once or twice to break them in, but I couldn't stand the thought of just walking in these. As I was suiting up for my run on Wednesday, I grabbed the Merrells instead of my beat up old ones. And then I was out the door.

I was a bit sore from dance the day before, but that melted away soon enough. I though I would go for a shorter run than usual, but I was feeling so good after I'd warmed up that I decided to cut into a cute little neighborhood and toodle around. By the end of the run, my feet were a little ouchy (new shoes), my calves were feeling tired, and I had covered just as much distance as I usually do.

The thing about running in minimalist shoes is that you run differently. Rather than having your heel make the first contact with the ground, you should be striking with your forefoot or maybe midfoot. I was being very mindful of practicing my forefoot strike; I think I did a good job.

My legs were not used to moving this way.

By the time evening set in, my calves were screaming at me. All the stretching in the world would not make them calm down. I had to go down the stairs in my house backwards. No joke.

Evidently, you're supposed to ease into barefoot/minimalist running. Cut your distance then build back up. Whoops.

I haven't been for a run since Wednesday because my legs have continued to be angry with me. Sorry legs. I appreciate all the hard work you do. Really. Thanks a bunch. (And hooray! It's my muscles that hurt, not my bones or tendons. All that stretching is paying off. Remember when I couldn't run because of  my ankles? Take THAT, world!)

Random things not worth their own paragraphs:
-I've decided to work towards being able to do the splits. I'm not very close at the moment.
-I found out that my walk to work is 0.3 miles longer each way than I had thought. 1.5 miles each way means I'm walking at least 3 miles/day. I am actually the coolest person you know.
-I like my coworkers. We've had a couple "meetings" on Fridays at the local drive bar, and they're great. The world is full of kind, interesting, hilarious people.
-I had an impromptu guitar lesson from the guy at school who teaches guitar to the kiddos. It was all about music theory and chord theory, and my brain felt very full at the end of it. He was excited. I was excited. Hopefully this will happen again.
-Things are good.