Rambling, Running, and Toe-Shoes
So, a couple of weeks ago my boyfriend left for an 8 1/2 week stint doing military stuff, and I decided that while he was gone I needed to keep myself busy. Somewhere in the middle of the incredibly long list of Things I've Been Meaning To Do But Keep Putting Off was "start exercising again."
Exercise and I have had a long and largely unsuccessful relationship. As a child, I was very active - little league soccer, ballet, tap, gymnastics, swimming, and sailing, not to mention all that general running around that kids do. Around the age of 12, though, I returned from several years abroad and discovered the wonders of cable TV. From then until the age of 18, I spent the majority of my hours outside of school either at the TV or the computer. Not to say that I didn't do anything else - I did hang out with friends, and for about four years I was deeply involved in karate, and even earned shodan (first-degree black belt). I just didn't do enough, and by the time I graduated high school I was sporting a decent sized gut and had a hatred of clothes shopping.
When I got to college, I joined the sailing team. That was definitely a workout, but not exactly a fat-burning cardio workout. I got much stronger and slimmed down a bit, but never got to my "ideal" weight. Even when I started going to the gym religiously and doing at least 30 minutes daily on the elliptical, I never saw the results that I wanted to see, and eventually I got busy and gave up. I hated going to the gym, and since it didn't seem to be making a difference, what was the point? I never understood people like my boyfriend, who seem to relish the opportunity to run six miles on the beach, or swim three miles in the lap pool, or do a million push-ups.
So when I wrote "start exercising again" on my To Do list, I didn't really expect much to come from it. I figured that I'd give it the old college try again, give up when I got bored, and go back to merely pretending that I cared about being physically fit. Some folks from work were talking about wanting to try the Couch-To-5k running plan, so I threw my lot in with them, and we made plans to start running (or trying to run) as a group in the hopes that it would make us all more likely to stick to it. Of all forms of exercise, I probably hated running the most, but the temptation of group exercise with a people whose company I enjoy was too much, so I figured I would just grit my teeth and bear it until things inevitably fell apart.
And then about a week before we were supposed to start running, I stumbled across an article summarizing this Harvard study about the benefits of barefoot running. I thought it sounded a little crazy at first - running without expensive supportive shoes, better for you? - but the more I read about it, the more I became convinced of the sense of what they were saying. After all, I used run everywhere when I was a kid, and I never wore shoes. And it wasn't until I started trying to run for fitness reasons (in running shoes) that I started having knee problems. Could the shoes be the reason why I hated running now?
I decided that it was worth exploring. Of course, the thought of running barefoot anywhere in industrialized America ranks anywhere between foolhardy to downright insane. Almost no path is free of broken glass, rusty nails, or the myriad of other dangers to bare feet that "civilization" presents - not to mention the ordinary hazards of sharp rocks, sticks, etc.
Luckily, a recent craze for barefoot running has opened a market for minimalist running shoes, designed to protect feet while simulating the mechanics of barefoot running. After a little looking around, I decided to buy a pair of Vibrams. It was an expensive gamble, but thankfully I had a $50 gift card to REI that helped to cut down the out-of-pocket expense.
Amazingly, my gamble seems to be paying off. We have been run-walking on the C25K program for two weeks now, and so far no joint pain. I've had muscle aches in unusual places (the front of my ankles, the balls of my feet, and my calves), but they are just minor aches that are usually gone by the next run. When I run on the balls of my feet, I feel like they are connected directly to my calves, and my calves are just giant shock-absorbing springs of awesome. I am running faster and easier than I ever have in the past 15 years. And the biggest surprise of all?
I've found out that I actually like running. ♥
p.s. If you have any interest in entertaining nonfiction books, Born To Run by Christopher McDougall is a great read and has a lot of information about running in general, barefoot running in particular, and an awesome culture of Indians in Mexico who run ultramarathons for funsies.
Exercise and I have had a long and largely unsuccessful relationship. As a child, I was very active - little league soccer, ballet, tap, gymnastics, swimming, and sailing, not to mention all that general running around that kids do. Around the age of 12, though, I returned from several years abroad and discovered the wonders of cable TV. From then until the age of 18, I spent the majority of my hours outside of school either at the TV or the computer. Not to say that I didn't do anything else - I did hang out with friends, and for about four years I was deeply involved in karate, and even earned shodan (first-degree black belt). I just didn't do enough, and by the time I graduated high school I was sporting a decent sized gut and had a hatred of clothes shopping.
When I got to college, I joined the sailing team. That was definitely a workout, but not exactly a fat-burning cardio workout. I got much stronger and slimmed down a bit, but never got to my "ideal" weight. Even when I started going to the gym religiously and doing at least 30 minutes daily on the elliptical, I never saw the results that I wanted to see, and eventually I got busy and gave up. I hated going to the gym, and since it didn't seem to be making a difference, what was the point? I never understood people like my boyfriend, who seem to relish the opportunity to run six miles on the beach, or swim three miles in the lap pool, or do a million push-ups.
So when I wrote "start exercising again" on my To Do list, I didn't really expect much to come from it. I figured that I'd give it the old college try again, give up when I got bored, and go back to merely pretending that I cared about being physically fit. Some folks from work were talking about wanting to try the Couch-To-5k running plan, so I threw my lot in with them, and we made plans to start running (or trying to run) as a group in the hopes that it would make us all more likely to stick to it. Of all forms of exercise, I probably hated running the most, but the temptation of group exercise with a people whose company I enjoy was too much, so I figured I would just grit my teeth and bear it until things inevitably fell apart.
And then about a week before we were supposed to start running, I stumbled across an article summarizing this Harvard study about the benefits of barefoot running. I thought it sounded a little crazy at first - running without expensive supportive shoes, better for you? - but the more I read about it, the more I became convinced of the sense of what they were saying. After all, I used run everywhere when I was a kid, and I never wore shoes. And it wasn't until I started trying to run for fitness reasons (in running shoes) that I started having knee problems. Could the shoes be the reason why I hated running now?
I decided that it was worth exploring. Of course, the thought of running barefoot anywhere in industrialized America ranks anywhere between foolhardy to downright insane. Almost no path is free of broken glass, rusty nails, or the myriad of other dangers to bare feet that "civilization" presents - not to mention the ordinary hazards of sharp rocks, sticks, etc.
Luckily, a recent craze for barefoot running has opened a market for minimalist running shoes, designed to protect feet while simulating the mechanics of barefoot running. After a little looking around, I decided to buy a pair of Vibrams. It was an expensive gamble, but thankfully I had a $50 gift card to REI that helped to cut down the out-of-pocket expense.
Amazingly, my gamble seems to be paying off. We have been run-walking on the C25K program for two weeks now, and so far no joint pain. I've had muscle aches in unusual places (the front of my ankles, the balls of my feet, and my calves), but they are just minor aches that are usually gone by the next run. When I run on the balls of my feet, I feel like they are connected directly to my calves, and my calves are just giant shock-absorbing springs of awesome. I am running faster and easier than I ever have in the past 15 years. And the biggest surprise of all?
I've found out that I actually like running. ♥
p.s. If you have any interest in entertaining nonfiction books, Born To Run by Christopher McDougall is a great read and has a lot of information about running in general, barefoot running in particular, and an awesome culture of Indians in Mexico who run ultramarathons for funsies.