Milestones

We all have them. In my mind, my milestones are points in time which are usually “firsts” and often, experiences that may not be duplicated. And usually, it’s somewhere on a journey, that has a definite beginning, middle, and end.

In this case, I have no idea where the end is, but I clearly remember the beginning. While I should have hit this particular milestone a while ago, I am finally to it.

Yep. That’s right. I’ve got 1,000 miles on my Vibram Five Finger Bikilas. (ok, you can throw confetti as long as you promise to clean it up later  )

Do you remember? I first wrote about them June 16, 2011. My very first VFF run, I went a stunning 1.5 miles.   After 34 days of transitioning from my Asics to my VFFs, I was finally in them for the full 5 miles.

As you can imagine, I’m pretty anal with my documenting (as if you didn’t know already!  ). I’ve always kept track of the mileage on my shoes, just because it’s good to know how many miles they’ve seen, so if you starting getting some issues, you’ll know whether or not it’s time to change them out.

I can’t tell you how thrilled I am not to really have to worry about that! Anymore, I just keep track of total mileage, and because I really have no idea how long they’ll last, it’s just interesting to keep track of the miles. I’ve heard VFFs last a really long time, so I’m going to put them to the test!

So, here are some stats:

• 1,000 miles run
• 3 races to date (2 10ks and 1 Half Marathon)
• 34 days to transition to full-time at then current mileage
• 156 days of running which =s
  • 6.41 miles each run, on average
• No idea how many times they’ve been washed, but it’s a lot. 

Where am I am these days?  Let me tell you, the heat is kicking my butt, big time. The hotter it is, the more I swell. The more I swell, the worse I feel, and the more NEED to run to help flush out the swelling. But, the worse I feel, the less inclined I am to run. Blah.

My initial goal for the yearly mileage game is 1,200 miles. This means I need to run 100 miles a month. My normal average is between 30 and 50 miles a week. You’d think, then, that it would be no problem and I’d be over the goal at the end of the year. And if I was a normal person, you’d be right.

Instead, spring hit, and brought 90 degree temps. We’ve already been over 100, and most recent weeks, we’ve been in the mid to upper 90s. Blessed be, we’re getting a cold front and some supposed rain blowing in. This could not have better timing, and I’ll tell you why in a minute.

December was a rockin’ month, with 205 miles.

I took a break in January and logged 118 miles.

Mileage for February was 115.1, with my half marathon giving me that leftover tenth. (Have I mentioned that I generally like nice, neat, round numbers?  )

And then I hit a flare and it got hot. March totally tanked, and I only managed 44 miles. That put me 56 miles behind that month.

April was marginally better, but I had a few weeks where I didn’t run at all, which also killed my mileage. I ended the month at 81 miles, which left me still 42 miles behind.

At this point, I’ve only got 21 miles this month, and this should be a taper week since I have a 10k on Saturday. Can you see the struggle?  My Wednesdays are now free, but this is a week I need to cut back and try to save my legs for Saturday. We’ll see.

Since the cold front is moving in, it’s supposed to be signifincantly cooler. The high on Saturday should only be 82, which means it shouldn’t be too hot for me. In theory.

A few weeks ago, I did change my mileage for the game down to 950. I don’t need the pressure of feeling like I’m so far behind that I’ll never get caught up, because it’s too easy to let that become a self-defeating thought pattern. I am, however, still running with the original goal in mind, and we’ll see how it goes.

Are you wondering what these 1,000 miles shoes look like? Don’t mind the post run sweaty wetness……. 

1,000 miles! Reflectors are still reflecty!

 

Look! No holes yet!

Because my life has been a soundtrack lately, this one will take you to the commercial break. (Sorry about the ad, though!) 

 

 

 

Read Full Post »

In The Rearview Mirror

Have you looked?  Do you usually look? 

~~WARNING!!!! LONG POST AHEAD!!!~~~~ 

Every year around this time, I end up laughing sardonically to myself.

“I just love a clean slate!”

“New year= new beginnings!”

<gag> I mean, really? Do people really believe this? Like, nothing from the past year is going to follow them into this year because it’s a “new calendar?” Or that because it’s the new year, things are just magically going to be “better” because the time meter has been reset?? The short answer is yes, apparently they must because every year, they say the same thing.

Ooooooookkkk- back to reality! I love history. I just don’t live there.

Sir Winston Churchill said, “Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” Yep. It’s true. The key here is learning.

So many times, people do the same things over and over, each time expecting a different result. Doesn’t work that way. Never has; never will.

Learn something from the past, get over it, and move on already. Play the hand life has dealt you instead of moaning and groaning about better days (like when you were in high school). Don’t let the past keep you trapped, because you can’t escape from self-imposed imprisonment. It’s just not happening.

Get rid of your grudges- they keep you enmeshed, even if you don’t think they do. Why are you continuing to let that/them/him/her/it continue to have that kind of power over you? They don’t care about your grudge, and it’s going to damage you far more than it will them. Let it go……. but learn from the experience- don’t forget it; protect yourself from something similar happening again.

This is why we need to periodically look back. For me, it’s a measure of taking stock- where have I been? What went right? What needs work? Were any of those things things I actually had control over? 

Let’s take a walk down memory lane for a minute so we can see what my frame of reference is:  2010.

~~~~~~~~~~Intermission music~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Oh hey. I see you’re back. 

The big rant there, about the medical billing? Yep. It’s still broken. The one bit of information I redently learned from my insurance company was “All emergency room doctors are contractors. None of them work for the hospital.” <gasp!> 

That was news to me! I thought only smaller community hospitals were cursed with that! I have no real way of confirming this information, so if you have some kind of concrete evidence, would you point me at it, please? Thanks.

Why, you might ask, is that even on my radar? Well, in August, dd #2 (my now 10-year-old) ended up in the ER with a concussion. I kid you not when I say that the hand of God was on that situation from the get-go, because financially, it could have been a WHOLE lot worse than it turned out to be. (I mean, of course the hand of God is in everything all the time- this was one situation, though, where a person could see it really clearly and know it for what it was.)

Explanation: We here, in our rural community where a larger city is 200 plus miles away in ANY direction, have 2 hospitals. One is relatively new; a private, physician owned venture that is really, really nice. Thanks to the cuts in Medicare and Obamacare, it can’t expand nor can it sustain itself, so it’s being bought out by the other hospital. I’m not sure that’s happened yet, and it’s besides the point.

So, when J started vomiting after goofing around with siblings (something I did not witness), I knew it was time to take her to the emergency room. I’m pretty well convinced that the other hospital will kill you unless you are mostly dead anyhow (ya, this is the one where the head of ER services told me “Everyone has pitting edema in the morning- you are just fine besides the connective tissue disease issue. Get off the internet and stop trying to find something wrong.” Yes, really. Nevermind those pesky chronic illness that other COMPETENT medical professionals have diagnosed.    ), so my thinking was to take her to the other ER because surely, it had to be better.

Indeed, it was. We were in and out in 2 hours; the CT confirmed a concussion but no bleed (which was a huge relief, because that’s an airlift out). In reality, we were the only ones there.

That was early August. It is now January. A few weeks ago, I got another bill from the emergency doctor’s contracting service, which turned into nearly 2 hours (yes, really) of time waiting on the phone. First, I had to call the service to find out why they hadn’t billed insurance again. (We had already had this conversation in October.) They said they had, and insurance said it needed more information from me.

??? I hadn’t gotten anything from insurance, so I called. Insurance said they couldn’t find a record of a claim. Interestingly, the hospital bill and the labs had been completely paid for by the end of September- apparently, the hospital, which took my information- was able to properly bill insurance with no problem. Somehow, the ER doctor service wasn’t able to take that same information and do anything with it. That bill was for nearly $750.

When I called insurance, it showed that it hadn’t been billed at all. The next logical step was for the insurance company to call the ER doctor service to try to straighten it out- all with ME still on the line……..Granted, most of the time spent was just being on hold, but still…. 2 hours later, it was finally determined that the ER doctors hadn’t actually billed the right place, but now it should be on the right track.

How does this stuff happen?!!! You give your information a single time; to a single person. This person enters that data into the computer, for goodness sakes. And every one but the one gets the billing right? Maddening!

But wait- there’s more!   As it turns out, the new hospital doesn’t actually HAVE pediatric services.  Yep. You read that right. They can deliver the bulk of the babies for the community, and they treat adults, BUT, they cannot admit pediatrics because they are not equipped to do so.

AND NOWHERE WAS THIS INFORMATION POSTED OR OTHERWISE SHARED WITH ME. 

You’d have thought that when we showed up, there would have been a note or something posted- or the person taking our information would have said, “Please be aware that if she needs to be admitted, we are going to call an ambulance to transport her to the other hospital.” Had I known that, I would have taken her there to begin with (where a dear friend actually works in the ER).  It was a given that if she had had a bleed, it would have been a chopper ride out- but first, they would have transported her to the other hospital by ambulance, too, because they are not equipped to do that there for peds.

WTH?!!! Pardon my french, but really? You don’t think you should tell someone that kind of information when they come in with a child that clearly needs medical attention? But see, fortunately, this is where God was clearly *overtly* in charge, because there was no bleed and things went well, all things being considered (we didn’t come home with something like MRSA….).  But when my friend called and let me know what was more likely to have  happened- wow. Just wow. Do people not have consciences?

I think we can conclusively say that medical billing is broken. And while our medical system is broken, I’m still inclined to think it’s considerably better than other countries with socialized healthcare, where people have to wait for eons to get surgeries and other services. At least here, I, the consumer, have the option to shop for doctors, even if I have to fight the payment ring-around-the-rosey later.

I think we can check that off the rants for 2011. 

Let’s see- the Stuff issue remains, more or less. Getting a Kindle has been hugely helpful in not adding to the pile of books, so that is good. The other stuff- *sigh*.  Work in progress.

I will say, though, that unlike 2010 which I was glad was dead and buried, 2011 actually DID have some really good points.

I missed not doing our usual travels. I think we all missed not taking out usual vacations. This was due completely to the addition of CHICKENS! If you’ve been reading along, you have no doubt figured out by now that I am totally crazy chicken lady. 

Not a *single* regret here for getting chickens! Santa even brought Mama some chicken lanterns for Christmas, which add to the chicken calendar, magnets, and ornaments for her birthday. 

We’re hoping to get the chicken arrangement more automated so when we do hit the road again, we’ll have it set to where our chicken sitter only really has to come once or twice a day to collect eggs and make sure they all put themselves to bed.

Of course, all of our girls are grown up now and they are all laying eggs. One of these days, I’ll actually get around to taking pictures of the chicken condo, the girls, and their gift of eggs!! 

The other “big” thing for me this year came in the form of running shoes. The change to Vibram Five Fingers has been absolutely monumental for me. Because I’m not running with as much pain, I’ve been able to increase my mileage and enter races. 2011 brought me 2 10k races. 

Year end totals for running: 935.76 miles. At the beginning of the year, my goal was 500 miles. At some point, that changed, and I was looking at 800 miles. When that goal got close, it changed to 900. The last few weeks, I had changed the goal again, to 950 miles.

The last week bit me in the rear, though, as I hit a pretty major flare on Christmas Day followed by a tummy bug. I only logged 43.5 miles for last week; my monthly total for December was 205.

How does that break down with the shoes? 308.56 miles were run in my Asics, which leaves 627.2 in my VFFs. I’ll continue to update periodically on my VFFs, as a measure of keeping track of the longevity of these treds. The Holiday Challenge finishes today, so stay tuned for the update coming soon!

Overall, 2011 wasn’t as bad as I had anticipated. In fact, it was considerably better than I had hoped! That being said, I can’t confess to having unbridled enthusiasm for 2012.  While I’m cautiously optimistic, I’m probably just too cynical. 

2012- looking forward to good things and firsts- like going and collecting eggs, because we haven’t collected eggs at all this year.    And then a run, since I haven’t run at all this year……………….

What are your goals for the coming year?  Do you set any?  Have you looked in your rearview mirror yet? 

 

Read Full Post »

Vibram Five Fingers #6

When I got near 100 miles, I ended up going a bit over.  And then I got to thinking, maybe y’all are tired of getting updates every 100 miles, so I thought I would wait until 150 miles.

Total VFF/miles record #6: 153.45

Total yearly miles to date: 706.01

Total VFF miles to date: 397.45

Miles before shoes: 309.56

Lowest mileage (less the race at 6.21 miles)- 3.50: I did this twice- once was the day before the race and then the other when was I was having hip issues.

Normal mileage- 6.75/7 ish.  There were a few times I got a late start and only managed 5; less those two times, everything else was 6.5ish +. (for example, today I did 8.25)

This is around the time when I’d be paying really close attention to my shoes if I hadn’t changed them out already.  I don’t see any end in sight for my VFFs. I’m really pleased that I can increase my mileage without issue, which is huge for me.  There is nothing like setting goals only to be thwarted by pain and/or injury.

This month, I’ll have fewer miles, due to time away and the holidays.  October mileage was 118.5; I’ve only got 84.45 for November.  I hope to hit at least 100, and that should not be a problem, barring something unforseen (knock on wood)

So there you have it. My plan is to do a final update at the end of the year, which would put me around the 150 mark for the next record, give or take.

And, lest you think I’m totally insane for keeping track of this all, I have come to learn that I am in no way unusual in that regard in the running world….. 

Read Full Post »

100

SQUEEE!!!!!!!!!!  Can you believe it? 100!

Um, what? 100 what?

Ya, posts. Hard to believe I’ve had nothing to say 100 times, especially this time. 

In other news, I have admitted defeat.  I don’t think the house gremlin is going to respond to my letter.  And I can’t say that I blame him.  Heck, those toe socks are S–E–X–Y!!!

I did order my new shoes (and freebie toe socks!) today. They come with some pretty serious stipulations, though. Even though these are going to replace my regular tennis shoes, Hunny has expressed his desire not to be seen in public with me wearing them.

Yes, he thinks they are that ugly. Initially, I am bothered by his response.

Since when does he care about what I’m wearing, particularly on my feet? Really? There’s never been a single item of anything he’s been unwilling to be seen with me wearing in the last 20 years. Why start now? 

In this case, I am convinced that my ethereal beauty is so overwhelming that people will fail to notice the hobbit feet.

He wouldn’t have had an issue with Z-Coil shoes. 

 

 

 

 

 

He wouldn’t have had an issue with the rolly shape-up shoes. 

 

 

 

 

 

He even laughed and told me to go for it when I said I wanted to find the flipper heel shoes.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

But he has a problem being seen in public with me while I’m wearing Vibram Five Fingers Komodosport LSes?

 

 

 

Ppffffffffffffffftttttttttttttttt !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have to say, I am surprised. Shocked, even. But daunted? Intimidated? Chicken? Thwarted?

Not on your life!    I think he’d better get used to it!  I supposed, if it’s really a hit to his perception of respectability, I will cave and wear heels with my jeans as I have done for the last several years.  But the thought of no foot pain while on vacation?!  Comfort?  No foot pain? Did I mention consistently not having foot pain?

Ya.  I think that trumps his reaction and “need” for fashion. (Like, when did he even start caring about that anyhow?!)   

Now, if I can just figure out how to combine my fashion love of VFFs with chickens………

Read Full Post »

Give Them Back!

Dear House Gremlin,

You know what I’m talking about. Please, give them back.

I have been hunting high and low the last several days, to no avail. I have nearly torn my house apart.  And you know I find mess overwhelming, particularly when I have to put stuff back.

Eventually, the devil is going to want his hot weather back. At some point, he’ll take his mid-90s back, and I am going to need them. In theory.

You’ve had them for several weeks. Give me my toe socks back. Please. Particularly if we have a wicked frigid cold snap like we had last year, I am going to need them. I think my feet will be cold in -14 degree weather.

I’d hate to think that I will have to order another pair of shoes (although I already have them picked out and sitting in my shopping cart ) just to get another pair of freebie toe socks.

Please. I am begging you (which is not a pretty sight)- please please PLEASE give me my socks back. In case you’ve stashed them with the other missing socks and have forgotten what they look like, here is a picture to remind you. Except mine are black.  (They didn’t give me the choice of the snappy rainbow colors, and seeing as they were free, I wasn’t complaining.)

You know my schedule, and it’s ok to return them when I’m sleeping, so long as you don’t wake any of us up. Given your penchant for stealth, this should be right up your alley.

Scratch that- I just want them back, so you can wake us up if you need to. Please, don’t delay. I don’t want to have to hit the “check out” button, if I don’t have to.

Sincerely,

Tikki

P.S. Thanks again for bringing back those two work shirts after several weeks.  I was beginning to give up hope that you would ever return them, and seriously, you know how I am with having broken matched sets of things. So, thanks for that.

Please, leave my socks somewhere I can find them easily.  I have that drawer full of mismatched socks- I’m happy to trade anything in that drawer for the safe return (no questions asked!) of my toe socks.

Read Full Post »

Vibram Five Fingers #3

Took me long enough, eh?   Last month was busy, which meant not much actual time for running.  I am a morning runner.  Come afternoon, I cannot promise I’ll be out of bed, unless, of course, I am working. So, I *have* to run in the morning when I am sure I have enough go-go juice to do it.

Summary 

Mileage for this record: 50 miles

VFF miles: 39.5

Total miles since getting VFFs: 152.5

Total VFF miles- 88.75

Total days running in shoes: 31

Pain summary:  As of this moment; right now; today, most of the tendon issues seemed to have resolved (knock on wood).  The hip pain has started to creep back in, so I am back to doing more exercises targeted to strengthen them. I have found doing the yoga stretches (that gave my L foot fits )*before* and after running has really been a very good thing. I have not had any additional extensor tendon pain.  

My chief complaint this record is as usual, the heat (rolling eyes), since overall, the foot pain has been tolerable. I’m still sick of pain, but am getting periods of reprieve, so that is encouraging.

Conclusion: Seriously- take it slow in adding mileage and make those resting days count.  One of the best things I’ve done, I think, is to add extra distance in VFFs the day before a rest day (the weekends, for me).  I also usually take Wednesday off as well, although I am pretty sure at this point, it’s not as much of a necessity as it used to be. I only add 1/2 a mile at a time, which I think is the most I would want to add (now that I have my head screwed on right ).

The log is below.  Leave me your comments if you are interested!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Day 22; Monday – ran 3 1/2 in VFFs; didn’t push; first day back after a week off

Day 23; Tuesday – ran 3 1/2 in VFFs; could not push; some L Achilles tendon soreness; cramping pain R heel; will do a lot of stretching today and tonight.

Day 24; Friday - ran 4 in VFFs, did a lot of stretching; glad I took 2 days off (company); R foot sore this am; very hot still, and feeling tired, so my pace was surprising today.

Day 25; Tuesday – ran 4 in VFFs; some Achilles tendon soreness; could feel R calf tighten, so will keep an eye on that; R foot continues to be pretty sore overall.

Day 26; Thursday – ran 4 in VFFs, some Achilles tendon soreness and some top of foot soreness; could feel R calf tighten a little bit, not as sore as Tuesday, but still needed to take yesterday off due to extreme soreness.

Day 27; Monday - ran 4 in VFFs; some Achilles tendon soreness along with sore R foot; R calf sort of tight; stitch in R side not feel real good; still wishing feet were not so sore, even when stretching.

Day 28; Tuesday – ran 4 in VFFs; more Achilles tendon pain; R foot moderately sore; could feel the tightness in R calf; didn’t push a lot today and was surprised speed was the same as yesterday.

Day 29; Thursday - ran 4 in VFFs; some Achilles tendon pain but not too bad; feet feel better today overall; R calf not as tight.

Day 30; Friday -  added ½ mile in  VFFs; ran 4.5; not much Achilles tendon tenderness; can still feel it, but thought it would be ok to increase another 1/2 mile; R calf pretty normal except when stretching and then I can feel it.

Day 31; Monday - ran 4.5 in VFFs; things feel ok today, but pretty hot; didn’t want to try to push

Read Full Post »

Vibram Five Fingers- #2

Ya, I know, took me long enough!    Last week, my (human) girls decided to spend the week with grandparents around the corner, and I found myself lacking motivation to push.  I did a lot of reading and a lot of napping.  I didn’t get done anything I had planned on doing, but that’s the way it goes.

Click to read why I am going down the path of wearing Hobbit Feet, aka Vibram Five Finger Bikilas. 

Summary

Total mileage for this record: 52.5

VFF miles: 30

Total mileage since getting VFFs: 102.5

Total days in shoes: 21

Pain summary: Taking it slower due to the extensor tendonitis/top of foot pain.  Have also had arch pain in that foot. Doing more stretching (supta virasana) of feet before run has seemed to help.  Plantar fasciitis pain in R heel moderate over all, but there are times (like this morning, for example) when initial contact with the floor was extremely unpleasant.  I have not had to crawl at all since getting the VFFs, so this is marked improvement overall. The blister I developed on the ball of my one foot from the shoe was not bothersome to begin with, and that area has *zero* discomfort and is totally fine.

Conclusion:  Continue to take it slower, adding no more than 1/2 mile in VFFs per week.  I’m almost there, but willing to slow pace of increased mileage to avoid pain.

In my log below, I’ve noted when I’ve taken anything that might affect my interpretation of pain.

Feel free to stop here if the details make you fall asleep. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monday- Day 11- ran all 2 ¼miles; L foot starting to get soreish around mile 1; not too bad, but didn’t try to push real hard; took some Tylenol sinus for headache, which started yesterday pm. 

Tuesday- Day 12- ran all 2 ½miles; foot was sore since waking; will stretch and probably ice again later; no knee pain at all today; went a lot slower due to discomfort; some archish type pain in L foot; that one is kind of a mess; Tylenol sinus and ibuprofen since yesterday for headache, so bearing that in mind with pain gauge. 

Wednesday- Day 13- ran all 2 ¾miles; foot has been pretty sore today, including area near the arch; did not ice yesterday, but probably will today.  Went slower and didn’t push at all in VFFs; Ibuprofen in pm for sinus headache yesterday, but no headache since waking; don’t know that I will add anything to the mileage tomorrow, but we’ll see how foot feels. Some R heel pain, but not prohibitive. 

Thursday- Day 14- ran 3 in VFFs; foot a bit sore; took ibuprofen this morning for sore foot; didn’t ice yesterday but probably will today if pain persists; better with meds while running; still some arch pain???

Monday- Day 15- ran 3 in VFFs; foot relatively sore, ibuprofen overnight for sore outer ankles??? Cracked a single time while running, but need more relief; don’t think I’m going to add any distance this week in VFFs; having pain while stretching in supta virasana; much more L arch pain today; also noticed some soreness on the top of R foot over the weekend while wearing flip flops.  

Tuesday- Day 16- 1mile in total VFFs; only ran 1/4; did not feel I could push through the intense pain in arch; R heel pretty sore, too; cannot get this foot to crack and so it’s pretty painful; iced a bit yesterday; I haven’t had this level of pain in quite a while, and I’m not eager to try to work through it- plan on taking it slower this week.  Will try to do a mile tomorrow in VFFs and then walk the rest of the 5, depending on how my feet feel.  Feeling *very* disappointed at this juncture.  I am *extremely* tired of pain.

Thursday - Day 17- ran 3 in VFFs; foot somewhat sore so I went slower, cracked a single time while running, glad I took yesterday off even though I hadn’t planned on it; didn’t go as fast today and didn’t have as much pain.  We’ll see how it stretches out; had to do my supta virasana with warm up. 

Friday - Day 18- ran 3 in VFFs; foot not as sore as yesterday, but still uncomfortable; did not crack at all; pain was not bad today, but I was *so* hot even before running that I didn’t feel like I could push it and not have a heat stroke. 

Tuesday - Day 19- ran 3 in VFFs; foot not feeling flexible this morning, some mid-level pain; didn’t push real hard; plan to add ¼ mile this week if all goes well; upper foot feeling sore at this point.   

Tuesday- Day 20- ran 3 in VFFs, foot not real sore; did my stretching first; some low-level hip pain, more L than R; R heel/foot sore this morning; only ran one day last week because I was tired and needed to take a break. 

Thursday- Day 21- ran 3 1/2 in VFFs; R heel pretty sore this am; R calf still feeling run on Tuesday; feeling the top of L foot a bit. Overall much better.

Share your experience with me, and leave a comment!

Read Full Post »

Hobbit Feet

I’ve long been an Asics girl when it came to running shoes.  I appreciate shoes that are lightweight and breathable. That being said, I wanted to keep an open mind and see what I could find to help my foot pain issues.

What I found surprised me. After significant research and despite not having a local store to go to and try on a pair, I took the plunge and ordered my next pair of running shoes online.

Vibram Five Fingers Bikila.  Hobbit Feet. 

A big selling point was getting back to a natural running strike pattern, which changes the way your feet land when you run.  Why is this a big deal? If you have plantar fasciitis like I have (in both feet, although one is worse than the other) and get tired of literally crawling on your hands and knees at times, getting relief is A Very Big Deal.

Another big selling point is that unlike traditional shoes, you don’t need to replace them after 300 miles.  These you can literally wear out.  And, you can throw them in the washing machine (air dry), which is another huge perk.

Not running has not been an acceptable solution, nor does it actually do anything for the problem.  I’ve taken extended breaks from running; I’ve had RICE (rest, ice, compression, elevation) up to my ears with no relief.  In fact, when the symptoms first appeared, I wasn’t doing any running (this was the onset debilitating illness symptoms) and assumed it was all disease related.  And it still may be.

I have moved on to treating symptoms, so finding a good running shoe for heel and foot pain was part of that natural progression. Throwing caution to the wind (it can’t get worse!), and discovering I don’t actually have a ruler in my house to measure my feet (using other methods to determine length), I ordered online, hoping that my feet and toes wouldn’t be too swollen to actually get into the shoes.

One of the things I noticed while researching was a lack of good (detailed) chronicling the transition to these shoes. I wanted to know what to expect, given the disclaimers that calf muscles would need time to adjust, and to take the transition slow.  Everyone said so, but there was scant information as to what someone could expect- really expect- when starting. If you’re still reading, feel free to check out here unless you want details.  I’m going to periodically post updates on progress.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Distance Summary: 10 days wearing shoes; 50 total miles. Total daily distance (changing shoes) : 5 miles

VFF miles: 19.25

Heel pain level: low- HUGE improvement

Other pain:  might have some extensor tendonitis; likely caused by pressure from the top of the shoe- read log to see when/how this cropped up. If this is extensor tendonitis, it’s not in the traditional place, but this is more likely something caused by where the shoe rests, even though I have not had a tight velcro strap.

Pain Summary: Shoe blister (ball of one foot) has resolved; heel pain minimal (best it’s been in years); watching top of foot pain which is relieved when foot cracks; stretching before, after, and throughout the day is hugely helpful; is marginally tender when pressing on that spot. Still need to do a lot of stretching before supta virasana is not painful; really have to ease into it with the one foot.

Conclusion: Go slow.  Really.   Slower speeds are better when getting used to these. Pay attention to the recommendations.  I did significantly more than the recommeded 10%.  I also run more than one day in a row, but feel that compensating with slower speeds and shorter distances are adequate, given my propensity for being barefoot much of the time anyhow long in advance of getting these shoes.  Honor the way you feel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Tuesday; Day 1- total 1.5 miles; walked ¼ to warm-up- felt good overall; could feel the pull in R calf around 1.25; although I’ve had knots in that calf off and on for thelast two weeks.  Felt strange changing back to shoes mid-stream. (Tuesday after Memorial Day; hoping for 4 days this week depending on how I feel after using these shoes.  Sensation getting on the treadmill was pretty bizarre, but then the weirdest was going back into the other shoes and finishing the workout.

Wednesday; Day 2- total 2 miles; walked ¼ and slower on additional ½ mile; R calf a bit sore as usual; L calf had the relatively normal shooting pain a little bit towards the end of the run; not prohibitive; both heels were pretty sore last night, but not as bad as they have been in the past; took Tylenol (for headache) but nothing else for pain.

Blister on bottom of right foot after run- think I may have had a sock wedged in there. Legs are getting sore when not moving around. Will probably take something at bedtime just to be safe.

Some archish/top foot pain while doing supta virasana.  

Thursday; Day 3- total 3 miles; walked ¼; speed better today.  Could feel blister on the bottom of foot, but not too bad; was MUCH worse in the regular shoe.  Dreaded putting regular shoes back on, and the R heel pain was noticeably worse in Asics.  REALLY looking forward to not having to change shoe.

When putting VFFs on this morning, outer toes were feeling a bit numb, particular toes 4 and 5 each foot- feet are a bit more swollen today, so that might be partly why.

Monday; Day 4- total 5 miles; walked 1; slower times.  Determined blister on ball of R foot was from the shoes; no issue with it today during run.  Top of L foot; however, is pretty sore; somewhere after mile 3.  Too much too soon? Will have to wait and see how it feels as the day progresses, and tomorrow.  Plan for tomorrow is to change shoes during if there is discomfort. 

From what I have read, the TOFP is a result of either doing too much too  soon OR from a ball strike only and not having contact with the heel.  I’m going to see if I can’t change to a mid strike tomorrow or at least try flat footed and see what happens.  I will say that I have not had this little heel pain in years, so that is encouraging.  Zero calf pain since Friday; some tightness on Thursday.

Afternoon- pain remains.  Seems to be a bruised /very sore spot on the top of my foot, more at the base of my leg.  I don’t know that this is a toe thing, since they feel fine.  Definitely taking it easy.  At this point, walking at all is painful, so I don’t know if I can do anything tomorrow.  Boo.  Ice; stretch foot; ankle brace overnight; hurts even to wiggle my toes; extremely painful; have a really hard time walking in afternoon; completely unable to crack foot. Tuesday was better but still pretty painful. Also took Wednesday off due to pain. Foot was starting to crack again on Tuesday; more so on Wed. Stayed on ibuprofen for anti-inflammatory.

Thursday; Day 5- total only ½ in VFFs due to top of foot injury L foot; moderate pain throughout; wondering now if it could be where the top of the shoe ends on foot; pain was less intense in regular shoe, but R heel was starting to hurt since I was putting more pressure on R side. 

Friday; Day 6- total 1 mile in VFFs; still moderate pain in top of  L foot; taking it slower in the feet; R heel was more painful. I have to think this is some sort of muscle thing in the top of the foot, or where the shoe edge is putting pressure. Have been doing a lot of stretching on the top of foot, and it is sore and painful initially until it stretches. 

Monday; Day 7- total ran 1.5 miles in VFFs; still moderate pain in top of  L foot, although the top of foot was able to crack a few times during run; went slower so as not to delay recovery; still needing to stretch foot quite a bit all throughout the day; continue trying to go barefoot as much as possible.

Tuesday; Day 8 – total ran all 1.25 in VFFs very slowly; stopped short because of the pain in foot and transferred to other shoes; ended up with quite a considerable bit of pain and spent a good bit of time in the evening icing; R heel was also quite sore today. Ibuprofen at bedtime to help with the throbbing.

Wednesday; Day 9 – total 1.5 in VFFs; walked first ¼; had decided yesterday not to use them today, so I started slowly to see how my foot was feeling. LOTS and lots of foot cracking while running; and boy, does that feel good!  My foot has not been cracking when getting up in morning and after long periods of time off of it as it usually does, so this always feel sooooo much better when it cracks and settles. 

Thursday; Day 10- total 2 in VFFs, pushed a wee little bit more today, so we’ll see how I end up feeling- 50 miles total since I got the VFFs; 19.25 miles in them; foot did a bit of cracking during run, which always feels so much better; working on my stride so I can build on time and distance; still doing *a lot* of stretching the top of the L foot; also calf stretches; more hip pain after run yesterday, so back to doing more hip exercises before running; feeling encouraged and can’t wait to cut loose in VFFs without having pain; having to hold back and concentrate on each strike bites and I am *really* looking forward to just running and not constantly having to think about it the entire time. Both feet felt good enough to get back to a 4 day running week; contemplated a fifth, but don’t want my quads to revolt.

I will give updates every 50 miles or so. Please share your experience with me, and stay tuned!

Read Full Post »