As I'm sure you all know, week four of my minimal-footwear running starts today !
Last week, I hurt: ankles, knees and hips. This week, only my hip hurts a little, and that's an old injury that is irritated when I do anything more than sit quietly at a desk. So, I don't blame the (lack-of) shoes for that.
I've eliminated the walking periods and am running the full distance now - though it isn't very much a distance (maybe a mile and a half). But, there is no more walking, no more trying different things to get the stride correct. I'm Just Doing It. It feels almost natural. It doesn't seem very efficient yet, and I still have to nudge myself back into proper form every now and then, but my legs pretty much know how to do it. Now I guess it's time to start upping the distance.
Today I was tempted to try it with no shoes at all... but I talked myself out of it, because I remembered all the stories about what running on pavement does to soft, un-calloused, bare feet the first time out ("bloody flaps of skin"?) No thanks.
Anyway, that's pretty amazing to me. Three weeks of running every other day was enough to learn how to run nearly barefoot.
Now if I could get people to stop whispering and pointing at my shoes when I wear them around town...
Cleek, a couple of items that might interest you, if you haven’t heard of them already.
Chirunning
http://www.chirunning.com
Born to Run (about the Tarahumara tribe who are said to be the fastest, longest endurance runners in the world. They run in sandals.)
http://www.amazon.ca/Born-Run-Hidden-Superathletes-Greatest/dp/0307266303
Those shoes are hilarious looking and I’m intrigued to try them, though I don’t know if I would do well in them since my feet are as flat as pancakes. I fear even walking they’d land like slabs of meat on pavement. I admire you for trying this.
thanks for the tips. that Born To Run book is what got me interested in trying this… well, the author’s Daily Show interview anyway – i’ve never read the book.
walking in them is strange, for me. i can’t seem to decide if i’m wearing shoes or not, so i do this kind of strange in-between thing that’s not my barefoot walking style (mostly on my toes) or my shoe-wearing style (heel-first).
if you can find them in a store, try them. it’s a pretty neat feeling just walking around in them.