Just over a week away

So, it's just over a week till the Pasadena 1/2 Marathon. I've still not run 13 miles in my life. I've been able to transition from riding my bike at work to running again. My knee feels pretty good and I've found that I can adjust my step/stride pretty well when I start to feel the slightest sensation in the knee. So the feedback from running in the five fingers is good and I'm generally running 4 to 5 miles. Overall I think I'll do OK in the 1/2 marathon, well, I'll finish. It won't be fast but I'll finish.

Barefoot Running

Went for a little run around the Lot at lunch today. It's the first time in quite a while since my left knee has been bothering me a bit. As I've been reading about running in the Vibram Five Fingers (VFF) and barefoot running I thought I'd give it a try. I figure since I'm pretty sure it was my shoes that contributed to the sore knee and there seems to be a fairly good argument for running barefoot I would see for my self.

My initial reaction is, WOW! Following advice I kept it to a short run of about 1 mile, then a 1 mile walk back to the front of the Lot. My feet and knees felt great through the whole run but both calfs are pretty tight now. Every one said it would use different muscles and they were right so that's the point of easing into things. Based on my recent knee history it's probably good to ease into things for that too.

It felt good to get out and run again.

So, that's day one. Wednesday I'll give it another go.

Some freaky new shoes

Well, I like going barefoot and have been wearing flip flops to work for the past month or so. It's pretty well known (maybe not accepted) that I will wear sandals to work in the summer time. Keith tends to mock my dry cracked heels. The other day I kicked off the flip flops and was wandering around the office that way (though not to the restroom, that place requires a hazmat suit) and the only comment I got was, "Where are your shoes?" So then I started thinking, why not go barefoot? The big thing I came up with is that it hurts to walk on gravel and asphalt and I'm not a big fan of pain.

I have read a little about the benefits of going barefoot and even a bit about how some people have made the argument that the athletic shoe industry is really just a marketing engine that has created it's own market based on the notion that the human foot needs cushion and support. They make a compelling argument that I'm not sure I fully agree with... yet.

So the same day I was walking around barefoot my friend Stew sends me an e-mail with a link to an article on sneaker free running. I read it and that started me on a trail of articles where I found the Vibram Five Fingers barefoot shoes.

I was intrigued. They look funny but a ton of people say they are extremely comfortable.... with that combination I thought, "I need to give those a try." Well there's plenty of places to order them on the internet but I wanted to see these freaky things and try them on so there began my search. Turns out one of the local Sport Chalet stores carries them (though only in limited quantities and colors). Yesterday I went and tried them out.... people were right they are amazingly comfortable. Like wearing gloves on your feet. I dropped the cash and wore them back to work.

I got the Five Fingers KSO version in black hoping they would just kinda slip by unnoticed.


Not really unnoticed. I noticed one person in the elevator looking at them and trying not to but they never said a word. Another guy said, "do they sell men's shoes at that store too?" Then there was the discussion in one office where I really got the feeling that some were thinking "there goes Fred again."

So, my initial response after wearing them for a day and a half: they are really comfortable. As I said, like wearing gloves on your feet. They breathe well and protect the bottoms of my feet. I can feel the ground. I'm curious if as some research suggests, my posture will improve and my feet will get stronger and less prone to injury but I'm not sure I'm ready to wear them running. For now though, I've got happy feet.