Oops.

Disappeared on you yesterday, didn’t I?

Let me break it down:

• 10 miles
• Serious nap
• Harry Potter
• Qdoba
• Old School N-64 face-off
• Very late bedtime

But enough about me, I’m handing it over to my very good friend Ashley who is the blogger at The Edible Perspective. Not only is Ashley one of the best food photographers on the world wide web (she has even been working as the photographer for Mama Pea’s cookbook this past week), but she was also a very key influence in my decision to start the barefoot transition.

I never thought of myself as a runner.  All through elementary, middle + high school, I hated running.  I could just never find a comfortable flow.  It never EVER seemed fun to me.  I enjoyed working out and played volleyball and softball all throughout high school, but running just wasn’t my cup o’ tea.

In college, I had a steady workout routine.  I would hit the gym about 4-5 days per week, always doing some form of cardio and weight lifting.  One thing I never did was run.  Out of the blue I ran a 5k in college and thought I was going to die.  I remember being completely miserable.  Never would I be a runner!

Years later, after finishing grad school, something gave me an itch to start running.  It might have been our boxer dog, Dakota.  Walking just wasn’t enough for her.  She needed to run!  I gave in to her cute little face and started pounding my feet on the pavement.

At the beginning, I couldn’t even run for 5min at a time.  I did the walk/run method and slowly increased the time I was running.  After the first few weeks of hating it, suddenly I found myself enjoying my runs.  I slowly built up to running 3 miles at a time and signed up for another 5k.  After the 5k I continued on and ran regularly, slowly increasing my mileage.  I remember the day I ran 4 miles and could not believe it.  A few months later I decided to push myself to do something I never imagined possible.  Running a half marathon!

I created a training plan, based off a few online, and stuck to it almost exactly.  I looked forward to long run days, and couldn’t wait to set a new distance record for myself, each week.  The half marathon came + went before I knew it.  I remember having a smile on my face almost the entire race.

The one part of running I never enjoyed was the constant stress on my body.  My knees would ache, and I always had mild shin splints.  There weren’t any serious injuries I had to deal with but I could just tell how much of a toll running had on my body.  Despite this, I kept pounding away.

Two summers ago, a really good friend, showed up to our apartment with some crazy looking “shoes” on.  They looked like slippers with individual divisions for each toe.  I freaked out.  “WHAT are those??????  They are HIDEOUS!!”  I teased our friend every time he wore them.  He claimed they were supposed to strengthen your feet but I did not buy it.  They just looked ridiculous.

A few months later, my husband read the book Born To Run.   He said it was one of the best books he’s ever read.  Soon after, I picked it up and could not put it down.  Christopher McDougall’s writing was captivating.  I loved how he intertwined a story with research and personal experiences.  Everything about barefoot running and the barefoot lifestyle now made sense.  I realized WHY my friend bought those hideous shoes and now I wanted them too.

After doing hours of research on barefoot running and Vibram 5 Fingers, I finally bought my first pair of Sprints in Fall of ’09.  I tried to slowly ease myself, keeping my mileage low, but I was just so excited.  I felt great at first, but after 3 weeks started to have some pain on the top of my foot just below my toes.  I rested for a few weeks, until the pain went away and also took the time to do a LOT more research.  There is definitely a huge learning process that goes along with this new style of running.  I started up again after Christmas and kept things nice and slow.  I slowly worked up to 3 miles and was starting to go a little further.  When I pushed it to 4 miles, I found my foot hurting again.  I didn’t push it any further.  I walked home and had to rest for weeks.  There was no stress fracture, but I’m sure it was close.

I do not blame Vibram 5 Fingers, or barefoot running, for my foot pain.  I blame this on my OLD shoes that have held my feet captive for so long, not allowing my muscles to properly develop.  After this 2^nd injury, I spent months walking in my VFF’s with some sporadic running thrown in.  In the past 6-8 months, I haven’t run further than ¾ of a mile during any walk.  I’ve also incorporated REAL barefoot runs a few times a week, going only a few hundred yards.

It may sound crazy, but real barefoot running is the best way to start.  Our feet are so conditioned to having something soft to land on that we are landing WAY too hard.  Even the thin sole on the Vibrams, causes more impact than our body needs to take.  My reasoning for incorporating some barefoot runs is to train my feet to land softly.  When you land on your barefoot your body immediately tells you if you’re landing too hard.  It’s pretty amazing that it doesn’t hurt…at all!  

So basically I’m just taking things one day at a time.  I supplement my workouts with swimming and cycling and walk/run when I can.  I haven’t experienced foot pain since my 2^nd injury, but am scared to start running more seriously again.  I will very slowly increase until hopefully one day, I can run as much as I want to in the Vibrams.  You will not see me pounding pavement with running shoes ever again!  If I am not able to successfully run in Vibrams without experiencing foot pain, I will focus solely on swimming + cycling.

Barefoot running has made me truly enjoy the act of running. I feel free and much more connected to the earth.  That may sound cheesy, but you’ll understand once you try it!  There is a sense of lightness with each step that I just love.  Despite my foot setback, all of my other running ailments completely disappeared with this new style.  My shin splints were the first thing to go, then my knee pain, and back pain.  My stride has completely changed.  If you want to see how, check out this little video I made a few months back.

In May, my husband and I attended a barefoot clinic hosted by Michael Sandler, author of Barefoot Running.  If you’re interested in what he had to say, check out my recap from the clinic in this post.

To say I feel strongly about the barefoot movement is an understatement. 

It just makes sense!

A big thank you to Abby for letting me a part of her Barefoot Essential Series.  I’ve kind of fallen off the wagon with posting about barefoot running.  Maybe this will motivate me to start back up again!

Thanks, Ash!! I suggest all of you to head over to her blog now! It’s beautiful, informative, and has an immense collection of original and delicious recipes!

If you would like to submit your own barefoot running story, send me an email at abby.normally.blog(at)gmail.com.

Would you consider yourself a runner? If so, how did you get started?

Miss the other stories? Read them now:

Melyssa’s Story
Tom’s Story
Sara’s Story
Matt’s Story

The Bare{foot} Essentials Series:

The Bare{foot} Essentials I
The Bare{foot} Essentials II
The Bare{foot} Essentials III
The Bare{foot} Essentials IV
The Bare{foot} Essentials V
The Bare{foot} Essentials VI
The Bare{foot} Essentials VII
The Bare{foot} Essentials IX
The Bare{foot} Essentials X
The Bare{foot} Essentials XI
The Bare{foot} Essentials XII
The Bare{foot} Essentials XIII