C25K W7D3, Vibram’s Day 18

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Hooray to another week down!  I can’t believe that in two more weeks I’ll have completed C25K; where do I go from there?  No, that’s not rhetorical, I’m really looking for suggestions!

Yesterday’s run was a little more stressful than I would have liked.  I took Toby and Owen out with me on the Mad River Path and about a mile into the run I saw that one of the fields we run around was being tilled.  Large tractor pulling sharp blades + dogs off-leash does not equal good times.  I kept a close watch on Toby and Owen and they did a great job staying on the trail for the first half of the run.  However, when we turned around to head back, Owen, who was exhausted (he’s not in the best shape) got distracted and started heading for the field.  I yelled to him; Toby came but he didn’t want to listen.  Then I admittedly panicked and started yelling.  While it’s not my usual course of action, it got Owen back and it even got the farmer to stop tilling for a moment as he assessed the situation.  Owen was then sternly led by the collar past the field, so I don’t get credit for running non-stop in this workout.

Besides the stress of potentially having to tell my co-worker that his pup was chopped to bits in the cornfield, the run went pretty well.  At over 82º, this was the hottest day I had run so far and that definitely made some parts of the run laborious.  However, I also noticed that my pace was faster as we ended up getting much further down the path this time.  Due to the heavy heat and humidity, I opted not to use my knee braces.  So far I’m not feeling any repercussions, but I’m going to be paying close attention to my knees.

I couldn’t have been more grateful for my Vibram Fivefingers.  After the run, Toby, Owen and I ran right into the river and the three of us swam together.  Well, really, Toby and Owen dug up rocks and swam after sticks while I doused myself in the river and did some underwater stretches.  Regardless, it was heavenly.  I had so much fun playing with pebbles between my toes and seeing how stable I could get in yoga poses in the heavy current.

Next run is on Monday.  I really can’t believe I’ve made it this far.  I know it’s cliché, but, seriously, if I can do this you can too.  Try it, I bet you’ll surprise yourself!

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Comments

  1. Jacqueline  May 22, 2010

    Hi there. I mentioned an article on barefoot running that I saw yesterday [ http://zenhabits.net/barefoot-running/ ] and my friend Ryan mentioned your blog. So here I am.

    Now that I see what the shoes look like, I’m curious: they don’t look that different from river shoes I own, which are designed for kind of the same thing: to cross creeks, give you the traction that comes from your feet being in contact with the earth but with the added benefit of some rubber and protection from sharp rocks. Is there some other thing those shoes do, or do you think I could just try running in these creek shoes? I’ve hiked in them before on really wet trails, and they seem to work okay for that.

    I’m planning on try to run on our beach. Nice and smooth, very few pebbles. Flat and easy running at low tide.

    • BarefootInVermont  May 22, 2010

      Awesome, glad he referred you over here!

      Vibram Fivefingers come in several varieties based on activity. The KSOs (the ones I used) are designed for running, light trekking and swimming. They have others that are designed for different specific uses and I know some are not OK for running; specifically their hiking shoes. I’d check with the manufacturer of the shoes you have just to make sure they’re OK to run in, otherwise you’d risk injury.

      Check out the Vibram Fivefingers website (http://www.vibramfivefingers.com/). They have in-depth information about each shoe and maybe comparing that with what you have would help you figure out if they’re safe to run in.

      I think the biggest danger would be running in a “barefoot” shoe with too heavy a sole. That would make it easier for you to heel-strike and/or use poor form because the sole would absorb some of the shock. From reading real purist barefoot running guides, they poo-poo using even thin shoes like Vibrams in the beginning because it’s easy to slack on your form. I just check in with my body and have been doing A-OK.

      • Jacqueline  May 22, 2010

        Well, what I may do is start out completely barefoot (very doable on our beach). Have you tried running in shoes since starting this? The reason I ask is that every once in awhile for work I have to run a timed mile and a half, and it’ll be on a track or something, and I’m not sure I’ll spring for the shoes. I do nearly all my outdoor running at the beach, so it seems unnecessary… except when I’d have to run somewhere else, like for this test.

    • BarefootInVermont  May 22, 2010

      Weird, WordPress won’t let me reply directly to your last comment.

      Anyway…It’s not recommended to switch between barefoot and running shoes (unless by shoes you meant Vibrams or other “barefoot” running shoes, that’s OK). The ergonomics are very different and it’s a good way to cause injury. That said, there’s no reason why you can’t run barefoot on the treadmill. Train your feet slowly with the sand and I’m sure once you’re comfortable running barefoot on sand you’ll do just fine on a treadmill.

  2. Jacqueline  May 22, 2010

    Also, please pretend I proofread that last comment fully before I submitted it. : )

  3. Benjohn  May 24, 2010

    Wow! Your running location sounds like heaven! 🙂 Superb stuff on getting to where you are – and just keep on going!

    • BarefootInVermont  May 24, 2010

      Thanks! I am totally lucky to have so many gorgeous trails to run on. Thanks for reading!