Warm Sidewalks

I managed to get out for a 1.3 mile jog with the wife and kids this evening, man did it feel good! Even though it snowed a couple inches two days ago it was 65º today! I started out in my invisible shoes and after about 300ft I figured I'd take them off to see how cold the sidewalks were. I was pleasantly surprised! I've been trying to go as minimal as possible all winter, although no running has taken place, and it didn't feel half bad to get back on my feet so-to-speak... I'm hoping the weather will cooperate and I can get back into the swing of things!

It's really worth it!

I am happy to report that my flat feet are continuing to feel better and better each week! I've been going barefoot everywhere I can and wearing my huarache sandals everywhere I need shoes and my feet are thanking me! It has created a lot of strange looks and interesting conversations but my ankles haven't felt this good in 20 years!!! I can be on them for a whole day and have very minimal discomfort vs being in mediocre pain in the past. It's so crazy for me to think that what the doctors were telling me to do my entire life is the exact opposite of what I really needed! As I've alluded to in the past, as long as I can remember I've had a callus right in the middle of my arch on each foot from my orthotics. That callus is totally gone. It's so weird having the bottom of my foot be all soft now. Everybody jokes with me that I must have big thick calluses on my feet but it's actually the opposite, my feet almost feel softer now. Sidewalk exfoliation? :) The skin is thicker though. I was digging a small sliver out of the bottom of my foot the other day and couldn't believe how deep the needle was before I could even begin to feel it. So all of that to say, IT'S REALLY WORTH IT!!! I'm so happy to have been turned toward barefoot running by the people at the RW Barefoot Forum.

I'm also discovering how hard it can be to stay faithful to a running schedule... life has been so crazy that I have only run a couple times in the last three weeks. It seems that life just starts happening and running is one of the first things I let go. When do you go running, or how do you manage to make it a consistent part of your life?

Also, after dealing with lacing issues on my huarache sandals I'm happy to report that I've come up with a new way to tie them that is super comfortable, extremely easy to adjust, and really easy to put on! Seems too good to be true right? I've been using the new laces for about two weeks and gone running in them a couple times and honestly couldn't be happier! I still need to take pictures and get a tutorial together, hopefully this week. TTFN!

I'm Back!

I'm officially unofficially back in action! It seems that my Achilles Bursitis is healed up and I'm able to get back out there. I think I probably could have gotten out a little bit sooner but I wanted to make sure that things were healed up well and also life has been quite busy so the injury was a nice excuse to slow down...

The primary means of healing for me was ice with elevation and NO SHOES! Every time I wore a pair of shoes with a heel my bursa would become aggravated and inflamed. a couple days ago I went on a 3/4 mile run and it felt good. I'm happy that I was able to continue walking barefoot through the injury because I didn't seem to loose any of the progress I've made in strengthening my feet and calves. I'm sure that my cardio is down but I wasn't really in running shape to start with!

Hopefully I'll be able to learn from this little experience and resist the urge to push too far too fast...

My First Bad Run

OK, so today after two days off I went out and practiced some of the drills posted yesterday. I was surprised at how little you have to lean forward to begin forward motion when bouncing on your toes. Otherwise I'm not really sure what I'm supposed to gain from doing the drills, I'm not seeing a direct connection to actual running or form...

After drills I tried running a bit while keeping my knees bent slightly more and not reaching my foot out as far, keeping it totally relaxed. It felt . . . wait for it . . .

My Aching Achilles

I've managed to get in three real runs now and they felt pretty good. On each of them I started getting a hot spot on the outside edge of the ball of my left foot but no other issues at all. On Monday I ran one mile BF then later that evening played a two hour long softball game that pushed me to my limit. The great news is that by not using my orthotics in my cleats I didn't experience any of the "normal" pain that I used to while playing! The bad news is that I strained my Achilles tendon in my right leg. I didn't know it at the time but I woke on Tuesday morning STIFF. I took the last two days off, trying to stretch things back out and I think I'm going to be ready to get back to a little run tomorrow.

First Barefoot Mile!

I couldn't help myself!  Two days ago I went on my first "real" barefoot run, 1/2 mile at the local high school track, and it felt really good. It felt so good that even though I know that I'm not supposed to increase my mileage more than 1/8th mile every run and there should be a rest day between each run I went for it anyways and hit the mile mark! I know that one measly mile isn't that far in the traditional running world but for me to be able to do it barefoot and pain free felt wonderful! I could tell that the last 1/4 mile my muscles were starting to get fatigued and my form probably started to suffer a little but I'm no worse for the wear. I was actually pretty worried that I was going to be crippled up today after consecutive barefoot runs but I feel pretty good. I have one achilles tendon that was a little tight this morning but I don't have any pain and not even any significant soreness. I'm ready for my run tomorrow!

I did have a justification for the run though. I had to get my girls to the beach in 10 minutes to watch the three armed librarian read for story time on the beach! So, not only was it my first mile but I was pushing a two seat jogging stroller and I got to see a three armed librarian! Totally worth it!

Feet Pictures - Day 19

I took these pictures back on day 19. Not a lot of visible change, when I put the Day 0 pictures next to them I think I can see some slight changes in my arches but nothing drastic. I know that I'm feeling great though! I just ran my first .5 miles BF and finished pain and blister free!

Foot Length: 29.4mm, no change