I put the insole back in my Evo's and I'm still not sure if I prefer to have it in or out. With the insole in, I have a much snugger feel, and without the insole, I have a bit more ground feel. The Evo is a true minimalist running shoe with out 4mm of sole and a 2.5mm insole.
I'm very pleased with the new focus on middle distances, 5k to 10k. I'm really starting to learn how to run. I think we continue to approach running the wrong way. We should encourage folks to spend years concentrating on 5k/10k, then move to the half, then the full marathon if they so desire instead of buying shoes, adopting some 3-4 day running program and trying to run a marathon. Of course, that requires patience.
HHH
Hi Harry, I just wanted to say that you talk a lot of sense and I've really taken on board some of the things you have said on the huaraches group, especially the need to concentrate on learning how to run well on the short distances before even thinking of running longer distances - and I'm taking this on as a beginner. Also I really liked the advice about standing on one leg. I do this whenever possible. I've thought a lot about your statement about the importance of foot strength. I can't say that I fully understand this at the moment, but when everything else you say makes so much sense it must be worth thinking about! Happy running. RobT
ReplyDeleteHi Rob, great to hear things are going well. The idea behind strong feet is that, for example, the Kenyans generate power from the feet while we generate power from our legs which can't match the performance and efficiency of the feet. We have weak feet using our the over designed and supportive shoes which is the root of the problem. It's like a tree with a weak trunk . . . weak trunk equals weak tree. Strong feet also remove tension and pressure from parts of the body like the leg/knee that were not designed to handle that type of stress. The arch in the foot is one of the strongest stabilization devices created. If you have strong feet that will include a strong plantar muscle attaching to the heel, then with no heel buildup, the achilles can properly function and strength like a rubberband and return considerable energy upon picking the foot off the ground. By the time, all this happens, there's not a lot of stress left for the leg and knee to account for.
ReplyDeleteHarry
Harry,
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking the time to reply so quickly. This helps to clarify what you meant. The other question
I meant to ask, are you racing? How are your results?
See you in huaraches.
Rob
Rob, I actually start my racing season on May 15th (5k). I'm going to only run 5k and 10k distances this year and try to PR in each. My training times in the 5k are in the low/mid 19's but now I need to hit those times in race. Then, I'll move to hit my goal of 39 min. 10k. I'm not running any longer distances at this point as I want to have very good control of the shorter distances, then move to the 10 miler and half marathon, maybe next year. I'm having too much fun running without injury. If I never do another marathon, I'm fine with that.
ReplyDeleteHarry