So, this is the second weekend in a row that we didn’t have a race to go to. It’s always nice to have no where in particular to have to be but I must admit – I do miss getting up and heading out on race days. There’s just something about those mornings that I really enjoy. I can’t wait to have another to look forward to!
In my last blog, I told you about my troubles of running loudly and how I’ve had a difficult time trying to correct this “problem”. I decided to throw my Vibrams on Thursday night and take them for a spin at the track. I knew it couldn’t be a very long run at all because it had been a really long time since I’d done anything but walk in them and I certainly didn’t want to overdo it and injure myself.
It was warm that evening but not as hot as some nights and there was a good breeze blowing. I had a slight panic attack when I first got to the track because I remembered my trusty Nike+ chip was in my other shoes but suddenly realized the convenience of having a GPS in my watch – no chip needed. :) Whew! Disaster averted! As I waited for my watch to link with the satellite, which tends to take a few minutes, (One feature that I wish could be improved on the watch. You definitely don’t want to wait to link it up at the last second if you’re about to race.) I trotted around to just get the feel of my shoes and was excited to try them. I wasn’t trying for record speed. It was more of an experiment. I needed to see how much my body would self-correct if given the opportunity. When my watch finally beeped to let me know it had synced with the satellite, I stuck my ear bud (yes, only one!!) in my ear and began my run. As I ran, I was listening: pat, pat, pat, pat. I smiled. I was hearing a much different sound as I ran around the track. I could tell right away that I was running differently. My mind kept going back to when I was a little girl running barefoot through the field, chasing my brother or running with my dogs. Back then, I didn’t think about form or breathing or if I was running lightly. I just ran because it was fun and because my little brother needed to be chased. :) That’s the feelings that kept coming over me when I ran that night….like I was a little girl again. It felt good to run and I was having fun! Don’t get me wrong, most of the time that I’m out for a run, I’m having fun but there was an enjoyment that was different that night. I’m not usually a fan of change but I liked this “different” feeling. It felt natural and I felt faster. Was this what Chris McDougall was talking about? I think it was. :)
I only ran 3k, which isn’t even 2 miles but I felt like I didn’t need to overdo it since my feet and legs weren’t used to wearing those shoes. I will say that I felt that I could have gone the whole 5k distance but I’m glad I didn’t. I was so sore Friday, Saturday and Sunday!!! (The good kind of sore!) The one thing I definitely know is that I will need to do my Vibram work at the end of the week strictly because of soreness issues. I really think that this may have been what I needed to get me on track with toning down my noisy feet.
Last night, I went to the track to run and wore my normal shoes (Nike+ Lunar Eclipse) and tried to mimic the way I had run on Thursday. It wasn’t as quiet as the time before but better than I had been doing. I tried to be aware of how my feet were landing and from the tingling my feet were doing when I finished, I think I was hitting right where I needed to! I really think that by alternating between my regular shoes and my barefoot shoes, I will be able to improve greatly on the way I run and I’m very excited about it!
Maybe I’ll have less of these too:
My husband thinks that these are more than likely caused from how I step instead of the distances I was running.
Quick reminder, I’m going to be doing a Bondi Band giveaway and review on my blog soon so be sure and check back here, on Twitter or on my Facebook page (Slow is the New Fast) so you won’t miss out on it!! I’m very excited to be doing this and really appreciate Rebecca from Bondi Band for making it possible!
I hope you’re all having a wonderful week, so far!
Filed under: Running
