Recent Training: 6 K Barefoot Jog

I hadn't run since 17th. The reason is, as I might have mentioned in one of my previous posts, a slight discomfort in my right foot. It somehow seemed to have eased, but not completely gone. I had a choice. One is of course avoiding running for another week or so. The other is going for a short run to see how it goes. I took the latter.

Aug. 25, 2020

I ran slowly and carefully not to injure the foot. It was good for realigning my running for as a matter of fact. What's painful in one K can be almost unrecoverably destructive. As I ran, I came to learn that the best running form for the foot is taking short strides a little quickly, but without kicking too much. I think former World Athletics Champion Hiromi Taniguchi's form is a good example. His running form is somewhat unique because of his head slightly tilted to one side and one of his arms shaken as if he was arm-wrestling. But his cadence is a whopping 210 or thereabout per minute, and his up-and-down movement is almost non-existent. His locomotion is ideal for long-distance running. I kind of mimic Eliud Kipchoge in terms of his upper body movement, because it's so beautiful, but as far as his lower half is concerned, his strides are too wide, and his entire movement seems a little too bouncy. Only he can run like that because of this talent and effort. I'm an average citizen runner. Maybe I should use someone more down-to-earth as a role model. Hence, lower body movement wise Hiromi Taniguchi is my role mode for the time being, with Kipchoge still being the role model for upper body movement. The question is, "Can they mix?"

<Midnight>

6 K: 37:47.08

Aug 26, 2020

It's been a while since I ran in the morning. I hit the road between 8:30 and 9 am. The sun was already strong, but the road wasn't too hot to run on. Many cars on their way to work passed me from behind, with some drivers giving me a puzzled glance because I had no shoes on. "Did he lose his job because of the corona pandemic and go insane?" I say in my mind, "You don't know what you are missing."

<Morning>

6 K: 35:05.96

After having two short runs very slowly, I have concluded that I can run if slowly. At the moment my hunch says keep on running at this pace for a while without increasing pace nor distance all of a sudden, and other than that, follow your instinct.