I was considering trying another run with just one day rest, but reminders from people to “take it easy” echoed in my head and I made it two days in between. My feet and lower calves were still a little stiff from the first run, but after stretching pre-run, I felt good to go.
I started out pretty quick, and there was noticeably less “spring” in my step this time, probably due to the stiffness, especially in my forefoot. Then, after a couple blocks, my right knee threatened to turn on the pain. I think I adjusted my stride, tried to relax a little, and eased up on the pace, and the knee turned out to be fine. There was also some discomfort in my left arch, but that didn’t start to the end of my half-mile and didn’t seem like anything more than “adjustment” pain.
Overall, it felt good. I did do some cross-training yesterday in the Vibrams with a lot of jumping, so it’s hard to tell if my stiffness and fatigue today was due to that or the run on Tuesday (or probably both). Either way, my knee, feet, and calves are bit more stiff tonight with just the hint of pain in my right knee. Definitely going to take the weekend off and see what next week holds. I think I’ll maintain the .5 mi. distance for now until it feels easy and discomfort-free, and will wear “normal” shoes for my next cross-training session.