And speaking of the treadmill

Some time ago, I wrote about barefoot running, after I had happened upon an article in the Parade magazine. I never could bring myself to try it until yesterday, when I decided to jump on the treadmill for a quick run.

So how was it? After having run about a mile barefoot, I feel pretty confident in saying I won't be doing that any time soon. Or maybe ever. My feet really hurt by the time I had finished. But almost as important, I am not sure I did it "right." It seemed as if I was slamming my feet pretty hard on the treadmill, but maybe I normally do that and just don't notice. I recently read an article that stated barefoot runners come down on the front or balls of their feet, which I definitely did (and the balls of my feet are what hurt). But I have never really paid attention to how I usually run for comparison. I just know it did not feel "normal," whatever that is.

I also read an article about how a young woman got her toe caught in the treadmill and flew backwards off it, resulting in some stitches. Eek! Of course, you could get your shoelace caught as well.

I just hope it warms up soon so I can get back outside to run. It has been in the low 20s the past few days (was only 20 degrees today), with a windchill much lower. There is no way I am going to run in those conditions when I struggled with my run in 37-degree temps two weeks ago. In the meantime, I am going to try to run on the treadmill at least once a week and/or run in the pool.

 It is good to mix it up!

Finally hit three miles

Or at least I came close, anyway.

I had a lot of time to kill yesterday, and time is often my biggest enemy when it comes to running. I tend to have about 30 minutes or so to get my run in, including a couple of minutes of walking (cooling down) and stretching, so I usually have to settle for about two miles. Yesterday I had about 1.5 hours, so I figured I should try for three miles.

I skipped most of the big hill at the beginning, but I pretty much made up for it by running up and down four other, smaller side streets. I passed some guy on the way up and back, a guy who "looked" like a runner. He had the shiny running shorts and matching shirt (or maybe it was a body suit). His form, like most runners, was better than mine. But I was just happy I was able to keep going, to run as long as I did. After I cooled down and stretched for a few minutes, I also took a brisk walk to a coffee shop, for another 15 minutes.

Last week I tweaked my knee. I was walking in the woods and my foot hit a tree root kind of funny. The pain was intense, though it fortunately subsided after a few minutes. However, I was very uncomfortable sleeping that night. I did not run the next four days, just to be safe. I was really worried that I might have to give up running and my goal of a 5k this year, but assuming I can keep going and keep my pain to a minimum, I am still hoping to run that 5k at some point.

Time will tell.