Barefoot Colin

I have been bit by the running bug as of late. I don't know what it is, but the last couple of months I started running again. I had sworn off running last year as I decided that it was too harmful to my knees and legs. I even went to the point to buying a gym quality elliptical machine for the house so that I could still do cardio and not have the same wear and tear that running causes. I actually use the elliptical too. I think I have about 400 miles on it so far. That comes out to using it about 3-4 times a week.

About 4 months ago I read an article on wired.com about Barefoot running shoes Vibram Five Fingers (VFF). It seemed to make sense to me. So I did a little more research and found that Luke's Locker was the only local store that sold them. I talked Lisa into going to the Woodlands to try a pair on. I ended up getting a pair (even though Lisa thought I was crazy) and my bug for running began. At the store, another patron asked if I had read "Born to Run" by Chris McDougall. I hadn't, but after some more research online, I decided I should check it out. Thanks to walmart's price war with Amazon I was able to get a copy on the cheap. The book really sold me on barefoot or near barefoot running and that running is not that harmful to you if you don't heel strike.

This isn't an endorsement of VFF's or Born to Run (although I think people should check them out and make their own conclusions), but they have helped me get back into running and enjoying running. I don't know what it is, but I look forward to going for a run and I don't even need my iPod anymore for entertainment.

I occasionally run completely barefoot. It sounds crazy, but it is actually quite comfortable. I have had a couple of mishaps when I have run barefoot in the cold or if it has been raining, so I avoid bad conditions now.

Back on 10/3/2009 I ran the Komen Race for the Cure 5K. My official time was 24:49 (7:59 min/mile). This was my first run in 6 months and I considered myself in decent shape because I did the elliptical. This past weekend (12/12/09) I ran my first 5k in VFFs. My unofficial time was 21:54 (7:03 min/mile). This was a PR for me. I might be biting off more than I can chew, but I am signed up to run a Half Marathon (13.1 mi) on Jan. 10th.

My shoes look something like this.



Link to see pictures from a race on Thanksgiving. GE Run through the Woods

UPDATE: I have been reading up on Barefoot running and minimalist running, and since I am not the most eloquent at times, I would recommend going to the following sites to check out more on Barefoot running and instructions on getting started.

Barefoot Blog and Barefoot Website