Thursday, May 31, 2012

Day #2

Remember how I said that I was going to take it really slow so I don't get hurt?... Well I went out this morning to run just a little bit further than I went yesterday, but I ended up running almost a mile and a half! I was having so much fun. There is nothing quite like running barefoot. The feeling of your feet to the earth makes you feel way more hardcore than you have ever felt before while running. You are no longer the typical heel-slappin thick-soled legs-achin runner, you are a barefoot monster!!

So anyway, "they" say you should take it slower than I took it, but they also say to listen to your body and it will tell you when you are taking it too far and working too hard, and when you can take it to the next level. I am so excited for what is to come!

Also, last night I picked up some Chia Seeds, I decided to make the classic Tarahumara Pinole with some Chia seeds... Check back later today for pictures of what I made with more info on what it is and why I am eating it!


Wednesday, May 30, 2012

Day #1

First off, Check out the new pair of running sandals I just ordered. Click here and order them now, they are on sale!!

So today was day one of my transition to barefoot running. Everything that I have read so far has said that if I don't take my time and try to "jump" right in to it that I will get hurt. If any of you know me, you know that I am not a very patient person. I want to have everything NOW. But I have decided that I better just stick to the program and take it easy.

So I have been watching a lot of videos about barefoot running and reading a lot about the different reasons why people decide to take this path. Here are some of the thoughts that I have had through it all that have motivated me to try this out:

1. If God gave me feet with an arch, the arch in my foot must serve a purpose. The fact that it flexes seems like our bodies natural shock absorbing device. Why do we NEED to have something that lifts it and holds it up if it is meant to flex? Wouldn't that defeat its purpose? Check out the quote at the bottom of this post to see what Christopher McDougall has to say about this in "Born to Run"

2. I have flat feet, my feet always hurt in my shoes, I can never find a running shoe that seems to work for me.

3. When I run, like many of you, my heel plays a huge part in my running form and style. That does not seem right, why do I run like that? Why would I run slamming my heel down in to the ground when it is the boniest part of my whole foot? I try to stop, but my stupid thick-soled running monsters don't make that very easy for me.

4. I want to be hardcore. I have always wanted to do something that others would be like, " woah look at that dude, he is hardcore." This is my opportunity. Look out world, here I come.

So anyway, today I started the process. Almost anywhere I have read or watched, they tell you to start out just walking around barefoot outside for a while, and practice good form (I will touch on what "good form" should be later). So i did. I walked down the street, walked around the block a little, jogged in the grass some and just started to get my feet used to the idea of being nakie. So far so good.

"Just look at the architecture," Dr Hartmann explained. Blueprint your feet, and you'll find a marvel that engineers have been trying to match for centuries. Your foot's centerpiece is the arch, the greatest weight-bearing design ever created. The beauty of any arch is the way is gets stronger under stress. The harder you push down, the tighter its parts mesh. No stonemason worth his trowel would ever stick a support under an arch; push up from underneath and you weaken the whole structure. Buttressing the foot's arch from all sides is a high-tensile web of twenty-six bones, thirty-three joints, twelve rubbery tendons, and eighteen muscles, all stretching and flexing like an earthquake resistant suspension bridge."



Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Inspiration

I have always wanted to have something I am passionate about. Now, I am passionate about drumming, but I mean I want to be passionate about something natural, something I can do at any time of the day, no matter where I am. I have always wanted to be a runner. I love the feeling of walking out my door and running off on an adventure through the great outdoors. A number of months ago, after I was married and put on the I just got married therefore I will now get fat pounds like many of us have done, I decided it was time that I get off of my bum and start realizing my dream of being a runner. So I did. I ran and I trained and I ran some more. But I realized I was not having fun. I was not enjoying the thrill of running and I found myself just waiting for the run to be over each time I started. On top of that, I started to have a lot of problems with my feet and legs. My shins hurt like crazy any time I run too much, my feet require a huge wide shoe because of how flat they are, I don't have an arch at all in my foot, my knees hurt and give out after I do a long run, I'm a mess. Nevertheless, a couple of weeks ago, I ran Ragnar Relay in Cape Cod despite all of my feet and leg problems. It was amazing, I had so much fun. For the first time in my life, I experienced the thrill of running. The feeling of joy that I felt was unlike anything I had ever felt before, I loved every minute of it. I especially loved running at night in the dark, there is something to be said about running in complete darkness with only a head lamp to light your way. Now, although I did love running Ragnar so much, it did not fix my problems with my legs and feet. But it gave me the fire I needed to help me move forward with my dream and finding my passion.

Over the last couple weeks I have been reading the book "Born to Run" by Christopher McDougall. It has gotten me to start thinking about barefoot running. I read about all of the stories of those that started in the same place as me, but were hindered by their injuries and problems, who took up barefoot running and became ultra runners who set world records and ran hundred mile races. Now, I don't care about setting any world records, but I thought that this idea of barefoot running seemed like something that I wanted to try. I want to get rid of my huge, expensive, super cushy mushy shoes that aren't allowing my feet to build muscle and strength and move towards a more natural way of running that will help my body to get stronger rather than hurt me weaken me and my feet. Here, I am going to share my experience of becoming a barefoot runner. I will post all the training and things that I do and learn during this whole process. I will share this story so that hopefully, if it works out for me, I can inspire others to do the same and to take this first step in to being passionate about running/barefoot running.

So check back for more in the coming days.

-Tyson