It was a wild idea: wearing my VFFs again. I must admit, a part of me was wondering if I was pushing my luck by running at all. My ankle was far from fully healed. The few runs that I have done felt less than normal. Yet, in the back of my mind, I considered the fact that I was now running in shoes: hard, stiff, foreign-to-my-feet shoes. Running with these things on my feet made running so HARD that I wondered if I would ever love running again.
I can’t explain exactly why it hasn’t gone well; it just hasn’t. Maybe it was just because I could not relax and therefore never fell into my happy pace. Maybe it was because I felt removed from the earth rather than at one with it – which is how I’ve felt over the past year running in VFFs. More than likely it was all of these reasons in addition to the fact that I was not totally without discomfort during these runs. I had a hunch that returning to my VFFs would not only be okay but possibly
I realized that the Ortho/Sports Medicine MD advised for me to avoid my minimalist footwear until I was back to my regular running pattern but, at this rate, I might never see that day. The shoe thing was just not happening for me.
So I made my way out to my favorite open space preserve with both my Treks and running shoes at my disposal. I vowed that I would not fight with my VFFs. If my feet refused to go in easily, I’d drop the plan and go with my shoes instead. Well, wouldn’t you know, my feet slid in easily – confirming that it was the right thing to do.
And the run? Well, it was not completely without discomfort either but I could somewhat manage it by either splaying my toes to give a more secure base or shorten my stride. The big difference was in the effort. I was not wishing the run would be over as I have been doing. Instead, I was talking myself out of extending the run beyond the original plan.
Tonight, running in my VFFs feels like a good thing but the real measure of success will come tomorrow. Please cross your fivefingers and tentoes for me.
I’ve been thinking about my VFF’s lately too. I had stopped using them when I had the first stress fracture, secretly thinking that I had been wrong about ultra-minimalist marathon training. But now that I had a second fracture while wearing shoes, I wonder if I should go back to the VFF’s. I have to admit that I still could not run a 5K as fast as could in conventional flats. But maybe for distance, its ok again to use the VFF’s. Hmmmm.
our ancestors got around barefoot, and many today all over the world still do. i recently asked a doctor for perspective on VFFs. He thinks they’re a great way to keep our feet “alive”. running in them? Sure, but keep this in mind: our ancestors walked and ran primarily on dirt and sand. pavement and cement came many years later. food for thought. #sticktotrails
:-) I think you know what you are doing, and listening to your body.