Week 1: Pain

When I started running again I was most afraid of back pain. Well I've finished about a week of running and I'm happy to report that I do not have any back pain to speak of, just a little soreness. However, I do have plenty of other pain to talk about. I thought that if I started slowly, running just a little at the beginning, I could trick my legs into thinking they've been running all along. Unfortunately, my legs are smarter than I thought. They were perfectly happy sitting on the couch curled up under my *snuggie doing as little as possible. When I started them running again they gave a day or two of just mild soreness as if to say, "Running? Is he serious? I'll show that bastard!" And show me they have. I went for what seemed like a gentle run yesterday only to wake up today with my left ankle scolding me for going against doctor's orders. "Didn't you hear the doctor? No more running!" That's okay though. I've sprained my left ankle countless times (that's not an exaggeration either, I've lost count) and I'm hoping that thte barefoot running will eventually strengthen it back to health. But until then I have to deal with the growing pains. That's what I used to tell my personal training clients when they complained of soreness, "Don't worry, your body's not used to exercize yet. Those are just growing pains." My clients loved me. Oh yeah, and I'm running barefoot.

According to the latest science, barefoot running is the way we were meant to run and I'm giving it a try. When you think about it, how can 30 years of running shoe technology replace millions of years of evolution? Don't worry, I'm not running the entire run barefoot...yet. I'm starting off with short half-mile jogs in my bare feet around the track at my local park. I have to say, it feels weird. Weird and great. If you haven't walked around in bare feet for a while, I highly recommend it. Feet are very sensative. If you watched Love Story with your feet they would cry their eyes out. As a result you feel every inch of ground beneath you. The looks you get are also fun. I was jogging barefoot by this guy who was talking on his bluetooth and as I passed I heard him say "Holy Crap! This guy's not wearing any shoes." Of course he might have reacted differently if it wasn't freezing outside, like, "Holy Crap! What an idiot!", but I was so warmed-up by then the cold didn't bother me.

Even with my ankle pain and leg soreness I'm very happy with where this is going. For the first time in life I'm actually looking forward to running in the winter (I used to dread winter runs) and my back is good so far. I'm going on vacation this week in LA with a two-day side trip to Vegas. I'm going to try put a few miles in in the warm weather.

*I don't really own a snuggie, but my girlfriend's parents did buy one for our dog, Fred, and as far as I can tell, he really likes it. He can wear his snuggie and use the TV remote at the same time. It's great.