Big mistake! I went for a run today in my runners because I thought I should check them out to see if they are a possibility for me to use when the snow starts to fly. It wasn't good. Right away I felt twinges and weird things in my feet and ankles; I couldn't stop heel planting and my feet were being rolled inward compared to how I run barefoot. Then I noticed how unstable my hip joints were; the force from the ground didn't smoothly transition through them. Instead it seemed to come out to the side. It wouldn't take long for that to have me in at the orthopedics office asking for a hip replacement!
Yikes; what is a canadian girl to do with snow not far off in the future! Moccasins? Anybody have suggestions?

day after race

Well I did it; I completed my first half marathon before I turned 55! And I did it under 2 hours. And I never saw another barefoot runner but there must have been at least one out of 3500 people!
I am very sore today and am walking around like an old cowboy so I'm thinking about what I can do differently next time. The biggest thing is to keep doing walk/run intervals. Yesterday I was feeling so good and passing people and pounding along on the pavement happily and I didn't do walk intervals. Not until the last 3 km when I felt like my body was going to completely seize up. My muscles must have been full of lactic acid! I have never been stiff after my training runs but then I always do walk/run intervals. So what I learned is that I should keep the walk/run intervals and plan a strategy for time goals that includes walking times. I also want to train at a faster pace or do more speed play so my muscles are accustomed to faster movement.
I have 9 weeks to my next half marathon so there is time to change my training and to work on being more specific with my time goals!
But for now I'm going to enjoy long walks and slow feldenkrais lessons; on my way to regain easy flowing movement!

day before race

Well here it is; I am one day from my first half marathon. I am confident that I can do the entire run. What I'm focusing on is my comfort and ease so I'm thinking about what I eat and drink and I am setting my intention. I am visualizing myself finishing and by that I mean that I'm imagining how I am going to feel as I go through the race and finish the race. Using my sensing and feeling in imagining is more effective than just seeing myself go over the finish line. I am going to feel strong and vibrant the entire way!

Maybe you have heard me go on about how great my new Vibram Bikilas are; I mean I have to stop myself from expounding their greatness! They really are amazing and here is a link to a very well written review of Vibram Five Finger Bikilas!
http://www.runningandrambling.com/2010/09/vibram-fivefingers-bikila-running-shoe.html

Well I have reached my goal of running 21K; last Sunday in run club we ran 21.1K. And it was easy and comfortable. But I am so glad that I do Feldenkrais. I have had days after a run where my legs are stiff and my feet ache. And I get on the floor and do some Feldenkrais lessons and all the tension in my body melts away and my next run is even easier than before. I think that the best 'boot camp' for any long distance runner would be to do two Feldenkrais lessons a week (they are called Awareness Through Movement). Performance improves and injuries are eliminated. I hope any body reading this blog and who is a long distance runner will find a Feldenkrais practitioner in your community and sign up for a series of classes. Check out www.feldenkrais.com for a listing of all practitioners in North America.

I am back from my trip to Calgary where I picked up my new Vibram five finger Bekilas. They are Vibram five-finger's newest model of shoe made specifically for runners. They are great. There is more padding on the bottom, specifically where the bones in the foot press into the ground. The result is that I didn't feel every pebble on the road and was able to relax more. I love these shoes and love running in them!!
My only concern is that these will not be warm enough in -20C weather or colder! I am looking for an alternative so I can run outside all winter.

I am just back from a 15k run with RunClub. We ran the trails on the range outside kamloops; lots of hills, fields, and some forests. It was a beautiful day and I felt strong in my Vibram sprints. The only downside was that a short part of the run was on a gravel road and my feet were very sensitive. I'm looking forward to getting the Bekilas because the base is a little thicker and will hopefully be better on gravel, not that I run much on rock but I do fall behind the group when we hit rock or shale!
And as always I am so thankful that I have a Feldenkrais background; my running is effortless and painless while most people appear to be so uncomfortable and working so hard to just run a slow pace!
If you have ever wondered what Feldenkrais is about check out this short youtube video that highlights some of the important points of a Feldenkrais class (called Awareness Through Movement or ATM); imagine applying this to running and how effortless and easy running really can be!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9Ko7U1pLlg

I discovered one problem with barefoot running, even with VibramFive fingers. That is bee stings! Last week I stepped on a wasp or bee and discovered a sting on the bottom of my foot. Maybe my new bekilas will help that. They are Vibrams new model of five fingers, made specifically for running, and they have a slightly thicker sole. They are in the mail so next week I can try them out!

harvard professor on barefoot running

Check out this you tube video on barefoot running; I don't think I could run totally barefoot on the streets like he does, I like to have my vibram five fingers on my feet! But barefoot is good and I'm so thankful for the feldenkrais method; it has helped me organize myself so going to barefoot is so natural and easy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7jrnj-7YKZE&feature=player_embedded

hill running barefoot

Nice long barefoot run this morning in the hills and they are hills here in Kamloops; lots of up and down. After last weeks long run my right heel and ankle were sore. I attribute it to poor foot strike on the uphill and today focused on getting on my forefoot as I climbed hills. I also focused on my downhill running and kept Sandra Bradshaw's atm in mind as I went down (see www.sandrabradshaw.com and check out her blog). I kept my butt wiggling right/left and my knees bent as I went downhill! That really helped me run downhill without any discomfort! And after today's run I did hydro therapy; soaked my feet in cold water, as cold and as long as I could tolerate. My feet feel good and stiffness in my ankle is gone!

I ran with run club yesterday, a nice long run in Kenna Cartwright park. I love running the trails in my vibrams! I feel the ground and my feet moving every which way over the terrain! And I feel so strong, like I can sprint up the hills. Still, I am the only barefoot runner in a very large run club. Yesterday the owner of Kamloop's only running store gave a presentation on running shoes after our run; there were a couple of hundred people in run club yesterday. I didn't stay for the presentation.
When I loped into his store last week in my vibrams and asked if they could start to carry VFF the response I got from the clerk, who at the time was fitting a pair of shoes, was "not many people can run barefoot, I could never barefoot run!" And this guy was in his 20s!! I just turned and skipped out in my nice blue vibram five fingers! I'm sure the owner would never say something like that but he wasn't around!
Thank goodness for online shopping and the nice guys at fasttrax in edmonton who sent me my shoes likketysplit!

wow, 6 months, and I haven't posted but I've been barefoot running all winter. In the cold months I ran barefoot (with my Vibram Five fingers) in doors and used runners for my outdoor runs. But now that spring is here I am only running in my Vibrams and today went for a 1.5 hour hike in the hills in my Vibrams - sooo great. My feet feel like they are working, the bones all moving, and my legs and body feel so connected to the earth.
I am now up to one hour runs but will start to gain time and distance with a half marathon in view this fall! I joined Run Club and am the only barefoot runner; people are aware of it but nobody has seen it yet. YET. It will be big because it is so great.