Being There

Again, it's been a while since my last post but it has more to do with the fact that I am happily running regularly instead of having nothing to say.
Only midway through September and I am about to surpass my highest monthly mileage total in minimalist shoes.
This Sunday, I'm preparing to run for 80 minutes having completed 70 minutes for the last 2 Sundays. I have also consistently trained 4 times a week for the last few weeks and feel as though my fitness is improving.
The best thing about the last few weeks is that my running has now become more about my running rather than about my transition to minimalism. Now I just cannot imagine running in anything other than my Vibram KSO's (I've given up on the Trail Gloves. Still feels like too much shoe on my foot.). Everyday I wake up and feel like running, not like I shouldn't because my calves are to sore. I'm beginning to think about races I'd like to do next year, introducing some speed sessions and generally taking my running to the next level.
I have now convinced myself that I can be as fast as I used to be when I was shod. I'm already nearly there.

Where art thou KSOs

After a couple of days off due to some general soreness and time constraints, I set out for a lunch time run.
The plan was for 30 minutes at a relaxed pace. I did try someting different today in that I wore my Merrell Trail Gloves instead of my Vibram KSOs. Fail. I did this partly because I was getting a bit self conscious about some of the looks i was getting walking out of my work building. After today I've decided that I don't care about that anymore. I think the problem with the Trail Gloves are the aggressive lugs on the outsole. When I run in my fivefingers I am very quiet, but in the Trail Gloves there is a distinctive slapping sound and they just feel a little stiifer to run in. Based on this I sometimes think that it's never going to be easy to surpass Vibram's designs as a minimalist shoe. Vibram, please don't mess with the KSO. Having said all that I still had a good run of 5.23 km in 30 minutes but would've been better if I wasn't so conscious of my shoes.
On a separate running related matter, I have started reading "Run - The Mind Body Method of Running by Feel" by Matt Fitzgerald. I'll post some kind of review when I'm finished, but the first few pages have got my attention.

No news = good news...maybe

I've been having a good week running-wise and really have been enjoying my running more than thinking about it. A bit of this has to do with the fact that my body has finally adapted to some extent and am running up to an hour at a time comfortably. I am choosing to limit my running to a maximum of four times a week to still allow me 3 full days for recovery and so far this has worked fine.
I ran on today and on Sunday and plan on running tomorrow and Thursday before having Friday and Saturday off....hang on a minute that sounded suspiciously like a Rebecca Black song.

On Sunday it rained alot in Melbourne and found myself with saturated fivefingers at the end of the run. This resulted in some painful blisters on the knuckles of my big toes from the wet fabric rubbing on the skin. I ran again today using band-aids to cover the sores but I may have to use my Trail Gloves for tomorrow's run as they have a bit more room in them and no rubbing on the area. Hopefully this will let the blisters heal.
I have been noticing that my overall pace is beginning to come down which makes me happy.

I decided to change things up today and wear my Merrell Trail Gloves today instead of the Five Fingers.
In keeping with the spirit of mixing it up, I ran a completely different route and at a different time of day than my regular time. It was thirty minutes, 5.13 km and one of my first minimalist runs where i relaxed enough that I didn't think my calves would snap at any moment. It's definitely the strongest I've felt during my transition and also the first week where I have been able to string 3 consecutive runs together with only one day between. Despite the good run today, I still prefer the Vibrams overall due to their superior ground feel.
Feeling good.
This Sunday marks 16 weeks until the 5k race on Melbourne Marathon day. I'm using the Run Coach Pro app for i-phone to generate a program and I would highly recommend this to anyone. Anyway, what this means is that next week (my first official training week), I will have my first attempt at consecutive day runs. I am excited at my current progress. My calves seem to be recovering a lot better after runs now.