Weekly Mileage Ending 8/11/13

8/6- 3 miles in Vibram Fivefinger Bikilas
8/7- 5 miles in VFF Bikilas
8/8- 4 miles in VFF Bikilas
8/10-3 miles barefoot
8/11- 10 miles barefoot

Total: 25 miles (12 in Bikilas, 13 barefoot)

I guess this week was a little bit of an experiment to see if I could easily switch between minimalist shoes and barefoot.  My arches were still tender and bruised in the beginning of the week from the Sibley Volcanic Preserve trail run so I used the Bikilas until they were mostly healed.  The collar of the shoes are a little tight, I'm not sure if that will stretch out and be more comfortable because I've put less than 50 miles on those shoes in the year or so I've had them.  Going back to a cushioned shoe, even a minimally cushioned one like the Bikila, allows me to run faster, easier and fly down hills.  It also makes my ankles hurt a little more than barefoot running and I've been having twinges in my right knee this week.  I think I'll definitely still use the Bikilas on technical trails and when I want to keep my mileage up but my soles are bruise or injured.  However, running 10 miles barefoot this week in Golden Gate Park felt a lot better than the short runs I've been doing in shoes.  Next week is Week 1 of my Half-Marathon Training plan.  I'm shooting for at least the ZombieRunner Halloween Half on November 2, but also probably the San Jose Rock N Roll Half (that will be a "training run" for ZombieRunner) and possibly the Berkeley Half before I start my training for Big Sur.