Its been a week since I started my daily running routine and I have only taken one day off so far. While I didn't necessarily want to take one day off, I also couldn't find it in me to go on my daily run. Friday was my day off from running, and walking, due to the fact that I only got about 4 hours of sleep Thursday into Friday and I was completely exhausted. Since I felt the way I did, no energy and in desperate need of an afternoon nap (which I took), I don't really feel that bad about taking the one day off. All in all, the running has been going well. I was obviously a little sore for a few days after starting, but that soon diminished, at least until today. While I had been running before, I had never really been taught how to run. Since the last time I had gone running, maybe 2-3 years prior, I had read a few articles on running and had an idea on what I was doing wrong before and how I could change it to hopefully eliminate some of the pain I used to feel. While most runners will know what I am about to say, most people probably have no clue about the difference that a running style can make. Previously, I used to run as most people walk, my heel hitting the ground before the rest of my foot. This style of running can actually cause more injury to a person than the style I started last week. The reason more injuries occur when your heel hits the ground first is because there is no absorption of the shock from landing. This puts undue amounts of stress on the knee and ankle and if it doesn't cause problems immediately, can definitely cause problems in the long run. Instead, the proper way to run (despite many runners not running this way), is to hit the ground with your toes first, then your heel. By landing on your toes you create a natural shock absorber and take stress off of your ankles and knees. So far, despite my not-so-great knees from soccer, I have had no joint pain. This is perhaps the biggest benefit for me. In previous attempts at running, I used to stop due to pain in my knees and ankles. Now, the only discomfort I have is from utilizing different muscles to land on my toes instead of my heels.
I guess I had always known that I should land on my toes when running, it just never seemed natural when I tried it as a younger man. It didn't even seem natural when I tried walking with my toes landing first. However, this time around, while a little weird at first, the benefits far outstripped any weirdness that I experienced and I now feel more natural landing on my toes while running than my heels. I made another big change over the weekend in my running sneakers as well. When I started running last week, I had only a beat up old pair of sneakers that were on their last legs. They served the purpose for a few days, but I knew that if I was going to keep up with the running, I would need something different in which to run. So I bought some new sneakers over the weekend. Now, I didn't just buy any pair of sneakers, I bought the Vibram Five Fingers. They are essentially a foot glove, the sneakers (if you can call them that) that look like a glove, have a little sleeve for each toe, and allow far more mobility for your toes and whole foot than an actual sneaker does. They are different from the Skele Toes in that all five toes have distinct mobility while the Skele Toes put the smallest two toes in a little pocket together. In any case, I absolutely love them now. They are super light, super flexible, and allow me to feel the ground more distinctly than I could with regular sneakers. The biggest difference that I have found while running is that they change how my foot hits the ground. With sneakers, you can land on almost any part of the front and it wouldn't make a difference. With the Five Fingers, however, you are more conscious of how your foot lands as your toes have more flexibility and the sneakers have less rigidity. I find that I am landing in the front center of my foot versus the outside of the foot as I used to with sneakers. This distributes the weight better and puts less stress on the foot as a whole. My muscles are a little more sore after two days of running with foot gloves on, but I feel that it is because of how I am landing.
I am sure that a few more days will see my muscles improve and the running get easier. I have not increase the distance that I am running yet. Currently my run lasts maybe 20 minutes. It is not that long overall, maybe a mile or two, but it is enough to get my heart pumping faster and my muscles burning a little. What I have been doing, as I always used to do, is run the majority of my route at a slow, easy pace and then once I have about a quarter mile left, I pick up the pace to a fast run and then I sprint the last 50 yards or so. My older dog Princess still doesn't really like to run so the sprinting and fast running don't always go so well. My wife, however, will be starting to get up earlier so I can take my younger dog Aspen on a run alone and she can take Princess on a walk. I know that Aspen can take whatever I dish out and keep on going which is a great help to allow me to focus on running. I found this morning with Princess that when she started falling behind to much, I would start landing on my heels. The concentration, while not that much is needed, was just not there. In any case, I have been feeling much better since I have been running every day. I have more energy overall and I have even shed a few pounds in the process. One week down, 2 to go before it becomes a habit. I seriously hope that I can keep it up stay in better shape with running. For now, however, I need another cup of coffee and a huge glass of water to begin my day.
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