I started trying to become a runner about 4 years ago. I haven't been one to exercise too intensely throughout my life, so this was going to be a life changing event that would propel me into a new era of who I am. I was 26 years old, overweight and overworked. I'm going to skip a little here and fast forward through the next few years by saying that I wasn't successful ( you can skip the details and see the solution by going directly to the last 2 paragraphs).
I started out slow my first year, I strapped on my new high tech running shoes and hit the pavement at a very slow jog for distances that ranged from 1.5 - 4 miles over the summer. It was painful at first, I have flat feet, so the insides of my knees would hurt with each step and by the end of the run my arch would start to blister as it rubbed on the super high tech support built into the soles of my injury preventing, reflective, gel filled runners. I chalked it up to my inexperience and kept at it. My heart rate monitor was my guide, it told me when I could speed up and when I needed to slow down or even stop along the beaten path. As I said, this didn't end well, a few months past and I had developed runners knee, the experienced trainer at my local running store told me that my quads were weaker than my hamstring so my knee was suffering, he sold me some really expensive pills, 2 knee bands, and sent me on my way. I spent the rest of the year in recovery.
Here is another fast forward, a few more years of the same (can skip to the last 2 paragraphs). Summer would come I would start running, each step hurt and each summer ended with knee issues. Last year was the last straw. I was bound and determined to be ready for the summer so that my knees and feet could enjoy running as much as the rest of me did. So in December 2007 I started a total body make over. I jumped on the P90X wave, changed my eating habits, and worked my tail off. By summer I was 20 pounds lighter, had lost 30 pounds of fat, and felt better than I had ever felt in my life! I was convinced that this was it, I would top off my physical achievements by starting down the road to becoming a successful runner. Ha, that was my knees, not me, they had the last laugh. I trained for a the fourth of July 5K, though my feet and knees still hurt with each step, it wasn't the same I felt stronger and healthier--I could bare the pain. I was able to build up my mileage to 8 miles on my long runs. I ran the 5k and continued my training after. Around the beginning of August is when it happened. I started to feel a sharp pain on the side of my knees, a new sensation that wasn't good at all! The days after my runs were agony especially walking down stairs. I decided to do a little research and found that I had IT Band issues and that I needed to fix it now!!!
So that is how last year ended, the same as each and every year before, my physical fitness had no affect on my ability to run injury free. I was really upset at this point and hated to come to the conclusion that, though everyone else I knew was, I wasn't made for running.
WRONG!!!!
This brings us up to date. I had a very busy year and have gained back some of the lbs lost and my heart isn't as strong has it had been. So I jumped back on my work out and diet regimen a few weeks ago and am feeling great, though sluggish still. As I looked to this summer I had a nagging to get running again, though I knew it would hurt and end in failure, I figured that I would give it a try in a few weeks after giving my body time to get stronger and more agile. During these first few weeks before I started running again, I started thinking a bit about my technique and form. These thoughts lead me to do some research online and I came across a lot of good information that I looked forward to implementing (stretches, training schedules, etc). One of my friends is a chiropractor who has recently become certified in building custom orthopedics, so I figured I'd give him a call and get some built to help support my arches (kind of a funny thought when you consider the implications of supporting a structure used for its effectiveness as a supporting structure). The real answer came one morning when I was listening to the radio on my way to work, a local radio show was going to interview an author of a new book called Born To Run and the quick description spoke about these Indians in Mexico that run with sandals, wait, they don't just run in sandals they run over 100 miles in sandals and well into their 50s. I was hooked, I didn't have time to listen to the podcast for a few days, so I researched the author and related information and came across this revolutionary idea, we aren't meant to run comfortably in high tech shoes (maybe I am normal after all), we were built to run barefoot. This information was incredible and simply made sense to me, I have a few kids and love to wear flip flops, well, each time I have to run after one of the kids I have to slip off the thongs and take off barefoot and it has always felt good to do so.
So, this blog exists to give me a place to log my journey to becoming a runner for the first time. And, in the end, I hope it gives good empirical evidence for the benefits of running barefoot, not as a converted experienced runner, but as a beginner.
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