Yeah, but I've yet to see stores carry stuff in my size. Usually it's like "okay, we have 1 or 2 that'll fit you." They're already too expensive for me to buy new ones (which I need), and special ordering isn't going to help! I could try online, but I really do like being able to fit them on before I buy. I want to try some five fingers and Nike free runner shoes. I want to know how it feels to just wear and use them.
I finally am pushing myself to improve now. My running form is getting better and more natural. I still have to be cognizant (a lot) while running, but I'm not falling out of form as much. I'm feeling the difference. I'm not as sore in a bad way, but I am more sore in a good way! I'm not getting the impact pain I would as a "thumper" and my feet and calves are burning from the new demand I'm putting on them. I'm also doing heel and toe raises everyday to build up my feet, calves, and shin muscles. I used to do that a lot when I was training for the marathon. I would get shin splints back then. That took care of it, forever! I would do sets of heel raises by 100 upwards of 2000+ (started about 500). Now I'm doing them in sets of 25. I've got a lot of room to grow.
I decided I'm also going to mix up my training. I'll try and go to the gym everyday, except now I'll do less. Not less qualitatively, mind you. Right now I do 20+ min of cardio, then weights, then HIIT, then abs, then stretch, and finish in the sauna. The problem is my HIIT suffers from how hard I work in my cardio and how much I lift or what body areas I work. If I do a good HIIT routine, I'm pretty much dead for core. HIIT often includes a lot of core, so it's not a significant loss. Instead, I'll try and mix things up. I'll do weights every other day and HIIT on the off days. I can also try mixing those up with classes to mix up the timing of when I workout (because I usually workout later than the classes are available). I'd enjoy throwing in some spinning, cardio kickboxing, or even just yoga. I think this will let me be more focused and make better use of the time. I'll just go more often, which I want to anyway.
In this regard, today I was way too tired to do any HIIT. My shoulder press and arm curl super set were exhausting, especially after my run and very hard bike ride. I also notice I'm able to do the elliptical much faster than I used to (174 strides per minute today vs the 130-150 spm I used to do). I need to do more stairs again, hill walking/running, and get back into swimming eventually. Anyway, the score.
301 + 1 = 302 miles
PT: 24 miles