I have had a few foot injuries and setbacks, but overall I am pleased with my training progress. I'm now capable of doing around 20 miles per week. I'm actually amazed at how quickly I've been able to increase my mileage. I think that switching from a heel-strike to a fore- or mid-foot strike has made a big difference. I've had no shin splints, no knee pain, and no hamstring issues.

My longest run so far (this decade?) was today where I ran 8.6 miles on the trails of San Felasco Hammock Preserve State Park.

Here is a pretty graph of my training, courtesy of dailymile:

I'm really excited about my new position as a Database Analyst / Programmer with the Shimberg Center for Housing Studies . This was a lateral move within the University of Florida.

I have been wanting to shift into a web and database development role for a while now. I was lucky to find an organization that supports this kind of career transition (my previous positions included system administration and help desk components).

My first big project is to build a Data Warehouse, so I'm reading books and learning all kinds of new terminology. My mentor at the Shimberg Center is a believer in Agile programming and test-driven development, so I'm getting some superb on-the-job training.

Our web stack is FreeBSD, Apache, Perl, and PostgreSQL (FAPP anyone?). I will definitely have new challenges in this position.

Here is a picture of my new office, my new work computer (a Dell Optiplex 780 running Ubuntu Linux), and my nice windows that are pleasant even on a rainy day:

I'm still having running soreness and pains (including a new pain in my ankle) so I decided not to run the Melon Run on this humid 4th of July morning. This 3-mile race is apparently a Gainesville tradition. The Melon Run is sponsored by the Florida Track Club.

While spectating the race, I took a bunch of photos which I am sharing on Flickr:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stonerfa...296302985/

Hope my running friends enjoy the pictures!

I did get a little running in today, moving around the course to try to catch the runners at various points. I used this chance to test running with my new Deuter backpack. I enjoyed wearing my Vibram FiveFingers (I seem to be drawn to wearing these when it is dank and soggy outside). I saw at least three race participants wearing VFF.

Now that I have been running barefoot and in minimalist shoes for a few weeks, I no longer get soreness or pain in my calves. However, I am discouraged because I developed pain in the top of my right foot. Research ensued. This condition is aptly nicknamed TOFP (Top of Foot Pain) and is apparently common among new barefoot runners such as myself. Although this kind of pain may be caused by stress fractures, the more likely candidate is an injury called Extensor Tendinitis (aka Tendonitis).

When the pain first came on, it felt like it was more inside the foot and behind and in front of the ball... but no amount of touching on the bottom of my foot could pinpoint a problem. I was worried it was something serious. Eventually I found that the top of my foot just behind my toes was tender to the touch, and this was the source of all the pain.

Here is an almost magical treatment for top of foot pain caused by this kind of tendonitis:

The other day I was running in my Huarache Sandals. Another runner caught up with me and started to chat since he had never seen anyone running in huaraches before. He was wearing Newton running shoes and told me that he owned some Vibram FiveFingers. It seems like FiveFingers (VFF) are everywhere these days (even my parents have heard of them).

I've fixed most of the discomfort with the huaraches, but the lacing is still tricky to get "just right" and comfortable. I'm not sure I want to deal with that on race day. As I mentioned in RunAmoc running moccasins from Soft Star Shoes, I'm still looking for the perfect minimalist running shoe.

I had a rare weekend day of freedom (thanks honey!), so I drove down to Lloyd Clarke Sports here in Gainesville to try on some Newtons. I discovered that Lloyd Clarke has Newtons AND Vibram FiveFingers in stock, so I got to try them both.

Here is what I bought:

I really wanted to love the RunAmoc, and not just because of the awesome name. The Huarache Sandals that I made a few weeks ago had some discomfort around the toe knot. I didn't want to jump on the Vibram FiveFingers bandwagon just yet. Minimalist shoes such as the Vivobarefoot seemed way to expensive. The Feelmax shoes have not appealed to me very much, although I'm not sure why.

After watching Last of the Mohicans I was primed and ready to run in my new moccasins.

I ordered the "RunAmoc - LITE red" with street sole (2 mm).

Here are pics and what I think of the RunAmoc: