i have been running off and on in my five fingers for about 3 months now. i find myself mostly on concrete and grass paths beside hike and bike trails. it's been too cold and wet for true trails.
my most nagging injury was a calf pull that is now healed. they said go slow and stretch to overcome 50+ years of wearing and running in 2-inch heels off the ground. i didn't listen to them. go slow and ease into the distance. they know what they are talking about.
yesterday, i came home and decided to run in shoes since i had been experiencing pain in the ball of my foot and hip. i set out on an 8-mile run, which is a normal distance for me, and i was walking by the middle of mile 7. the pain slowed me to a walk, and i really wondered if i had ruined myself for running any length farther than a mile.
this afternoon at my daughter's encouragement to join her on a 4-mile run, i put on my five fingers thinking, "what could it hurt?" by the middle of mile 3 i was cruising at a 10k pace and by the end i was moving pain-free and smoothly. i finished very strong, and after stretching, i felt better than i have in a long time. it's like the run in my five fingers re-aligned everything.
as an act of commitment and a bit of excitement, i took both pairs of my running shoes and put them in the garage with my other retired shoes. i'll go shoeless for the next while and see if things continue to go well.
running is an art that we continually paint with different canvases and brushes. i'm looking forward to the next chance to paint again on another canvas. the results are seldom the same
Runner's World has a dialogue on barefoot running online. Check it out for another perspective.
my most nagging injury was a calf pull that is now healed. they said go slow and stretch to overcome 50+ years of wearing and running in 2-inch heels off the ground. i didn't listen to them. go slow and ease into the distance. they know what they are talking about.
yesterday, i came home and decided to run in shoes since i had been experiencing pain in the ball of my foot and hip. i set out on an 8-mile run, which is a normal distance for me, and i was walking by the middle of mile 7. the pain slowed me to a walk, and i really wondered if i had ruined myself for running any length farther than a mile.
this afternoon at my daughter's encouragement to join her on a 4-mile run, i put on my five fingers thinking, "what could it hurt?" by the middle of mile 3 i was cruising at a 10k pace and by the end i was moving pain-free and smoothly. i finished very strong, and after stretching, i felt better than i have in a long time. it's like the run in my five fingers re-aligned everything.
as an act of commitment and a bit of excitement, i took both pairs of my running shoes and put them in the garage with my other retired shoes. i'll go shoeless for the next while and see if things continue to go well.
running is an art that we continually paint with different canvases and brushes. i'm looking forward to the next chance to paint again on another canvas. the results are seldom the same
Runner's World has a dialogue on barefoot running online. Check it out for another perspective.