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!

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!

Why Am I Running Barefoot?

In the last three weeks following my decision to bare my feet I've had a lot of people ask me "Why aren't you wearing shoes anymore?" and "What's with the barefoot thing?” In as few words as possible I try to explain to them my reasoning while not sounding completely crazy… and I'm pretty sure I fail at the latter part. Honestly, that's fine with me! Let me explain why...

The siren song of fresh asphalt...

Today after a solid morning of studying, taking an exam and writing a three-page paper I decided to head out of the house to get some fresh air and a bite to eat. I stuffed my huarache sandals in my back pocket for backup and hit the sidewalks barefoot. Right out of the gate I got a little surprise when I crossed the road due to some paving that's taking place. As I waited for a break in traffic I admired the smooth, fresh, black asphalt, imagining what it would be like to run barefoot on it (yes, my mind is becoming corrupted...). When my opportunity came I started to mosey across the two lanes of traffic that they paved yesterday and became fixated by the third and fourth lanes that hadn't seen a single car tire on them. As I set my foot on the virgin pavement

Slowly Progressing

It's been another week and things are progressing nicely, I can feel steady improvement in my evolving pancakes. I didn't touch the orthotics this week and went barefoot as much as possible, only wearing my invisible shoes when I had to have something on. The upside? I experienced little-to-no ankle pain this week like I did when wearing orthotics. One difference though is that my ankles, feet and calves do get tired faster when I'm standing around, I'm sure that this will slowly get better as my muscles strengthen. Usually in the mornings I experience soreness across the top of my foot and a little in the calves but it only sticks around for about 30 minutes.

Tonight we had another softball game and just like last week, my feet feel the best they ever have after that kind of physical activity. One cool thing I noticed tonight when I took my cleats off was that my socks weren't dirty over the whole bottom of my foot (from dust getting in my shoes). Only on the balls of my feet, around the outside edges and my heels were brown, imagine a normal wet footprint... In the past the entire bottom of my foot would be brown because they were so flat. That's pretty exciting for me since I'm only two weeks into the barefoot thing! It seems that I might actually be beginning to form arches! Even if my feet don't change any more than they have in two weeks I can't ever imagine going back to orthotics and motion control shoes. Sure I can stand around longer in them but I'd much rather play and have fun with no painful aftermath...

Oh, I also wanted to note that I did throw on a pair of Converse Chuck Taylor's to ride my motorcycle and had to walk in them for about an hour. My little pinky toe has never been so vocal!!! It didn't take long to rub a layer of skin off the outside of that poor little guy. Now I'm starting to see why some of the barefoot runners refer to shoes as foot coffins. ;)

Pain-Free Sports?

Last week I reported that I wore my orthotics in my cleats for a softball game and my ankles just killed for the following 24 hours after having been barefoot for a couple days prior. Well, tonight I had another game and decided to try my cleats without the orthotics seeing as how I've been barefoot for over a week now. Just so you know this is a HUGE step for me. I've wore orthotics in my shoes for about 20 years (I'm 32 now), and I was especially diligent to do so when playing sports. We played our game (and won!) and and the verdict is in . . . I'm pain free! My ankles feel no worse than they do at the end of any other day! It may not seem like much but I am ecstatic, this is potentially a life altering step for me!