Hello, Again!

As the case has been with the last several posts, there has been a good amount of time since I last posted. Before I actually write about what has been on my mind, I'll update on what has happened since I last updated.

During the spring semester, I took 4 classes while working full time. That was NUTSO!! I will never do THAT again!! My word. I am not saying that I can't handle it (I got 2 As and 2 Bs), but I wasn't present as mom and wife, my exercise fell to the wayside, and I feel like no part of my life got 100% from me.

As soon as school let out (a benefit of working at the school is I get to vaca with the kids) my mom came for a 10 day visit. She arrived the night school let out. We had a great time, taking advantage of the *very* warm Texas weather, the water recreation, and the generous supply of cool things to do in my sweet little town. When Mom left, we vegged out for a day or two then resumed our summer schedule, which really isn't much of a schedule! We got some library books, visited friends, and have been making numerous visits to the local waterpark. I have been walking with my sweet friend 3-4 days a week, which leaves me feeling renewed and refreshed. Somehow I don't know where the last month and a half has gone, because the time since school let out has been a blur. :)

As I mentioned in a previous blog, I took up running last May. Since I did the Couch to 5K program, I have been able to pick up and run a few miles at a shot. It isn't always easy but it is always fun, rewarding, and refreshing. I love the feeling of solitude that I get while I am running. My neighborhood is BO-RING, there aren't many options as to routes, so I usually run the same route or at least reverse the direction or zig zag through the cross streets till I reach my desired mileage.

When I began running, I wore traditional running shoes. They felt nice and cushy and stable, but my back started hurting after I wore them out. I had shin splints pretty much the whole time but I wrote that off to being a novice runner and figured they would go away sooner or later. When it was time to get new running shoes, I bought another pair by the same company that ended up aggravating my shin splints, making them worse. I decided to go to a local running specialty shop where the specialist said that I have a normal gait and I was wearing shoes for over-pronation. Um...OK. I tried on a couple of pairs of shoes and found a nice, lightweight pair that I liked but that were out of my price range. Later when I got a few bucks together, I ordered a pair of Saucony Kinvaras. All the time I spent in between gave my shin splint a chance to heal.

All I knew at the time was that these shoes weighed a LOT less than my previous ones, my shin splints went away,my running form transformed, and I started reading up on why that may be. Research led me to discover that the Kinvaras are known to be a go between from traditional running shoes and minimalist shoes. Hm...minimalist shoes? Wow - that sounds like something that interests me! I searched for more knowledge and heard about the book "Born to Run" from a friend. I got the book at the library and hungrily devoured every page. I learned about barefoot running and minimalist running and WHY people are doing it.

Fast forward a bit. In the last month or so, I have discovered that listening to music on my runs wasn't cutting the mustard. My mind kept wandering and my playlist got boring. I decided to search for some running podcasts and came across Caity McCardell's Run Barefoot Girl.. Listening to Caity has been incredibly entertaining, motivational, and inspiring. I listened to pocast #7  today and she was interviewing a woman who took up barefoot running despite her skepticism. This got me to thinking.....I tend to be more skeptical about mainstream, common things, about government and corporations, the medical community, the media, and just about anything that people tend to put their faith into. Just give me any grassroots movement, any group of people trying to go against the grain, and you have my attention.

This all leads to why I have decided to take the plunge into minimalist running. I think that it makes perfect sense that minimalist and barefoot running strengthen our feet, improve our posture, and reduce injuries. Perfect sense! I ordered a pair of Merrell Barefoot Pace Gloves (Amazon.com is the BOMB - they bought back my textbooks and gave me credit, woohoo!) and I am DYING to receive them and put them to the test. I don't think that I will wear them for the 4.5 mile HILLY race that I am running in a week, but I definitely plan to step up my training and aim to run the 10K in September and the half marathon in October wearing them.

I have tried running barefoot on a few occasions, and I did better on a smoother surface. The roads here by my home are rough and I think I need to toughen up my soles a little before going all the way. For now, I am satisfied and excited to take on minimalist running.

As you might be able to see, I have so much to say, and it is late on a Saturday night, and it's time for me to say good night, but I have more to say, so I will be back soon. For tonight, peace out, good night, God bless.....see you soon. XO