My passion for running began
after finishing my first 5k in December 2009, and the runner’s high and strong
sense of accomplishment left me yearning for the next distance milestone. As a quickly recovered “gym rat,” I regretted
the hours spent among the bulked up meat heads and GroupX divas, knowing that I
could’ve been running those years instead of starting from scratch in my 30s. The deep satisfaction and confidence that I
received by setting out on a run and not stopping until complete, could not be
emulated in the weight room, kickboxing class, or on the elliptical, and
cross-training became a chore.
As a flat-footed, over-pronating
aspiring runner, I was quickly directed into stability shoes with the
recommendation of custom orthotics. As I
lugged the heavy trainers-mile after mile-and the pricey inserts shifted, my
battle with plantar fasciitis began and I often questioned how people found
this activity enjoyable, but usually had the answer by the end of the run. By
May 2010, I had worked my way up to my first half-marathon, a distance I never
thought possible, and started to think about the next distance, a 26.1...
On my
35th birthday I took the plunge and registered for the 2011 MarineCorps Marathon, so there was no turning back. At that time, the running world was abuzz with
the benefits of “natural running,” so I purchased a pair of Newton’s to assist me with my minimalist running
journey. As a child I was a “toe walker”
due to short Achilles tendons, and I found the forward strike position to be
intuitive and the light shoes to be liberating. I quickly shaved close to a
minute off my average pace and the runner’s knee symptoms were gone, but I
still suffered with foot pain. Figuring it was the shifting orthotics, there
was about a half-size difference in my new trainers, I made another call to my
podiatrist for another pair of custom orthotics and ultrasound therapy.
As my training mileage increased,
so did my foot pain and I figured it was something I was going to have to live
with if I wanted to continue running, plus I was too close to race day to turn
back. The big day arrived and set out to reach my goal of a sub five-hour (4:45
was the magic number) marathon, but my foot pain began at mile 10 so I knew I
had a long road ahead. The mile 20 Wall came hard and it was made of bricks, I
barely drug myself over the 14th Street Bridge, but dug deep and was
able to pick myself up and run (really just a shuffle) to the finish line.
Other than my feet, I felt great for running (shuffling) for 5 hours and 15
minutes, and knew I had to resolve this issue if I was going to continue with
this sport.
My answer came in the form of the
book, ‘Born to Run’ and I immediately related to McDougall’s struggles and quest
to find the secret to natural running. I replaced my custom orthotics with the
trainers’ original inserts and never looked back. As my confidence and belief
grew in the theory that the feet need to be in contact with the ground to
adjust to proper form and get stronger,
I decided to take the plunge and got a pair of New Balance Minimus Zero
featuring the Vibram outsole. I’ve been running in them for a year (even bought a spare) and took on
Mill Mountain in the Blue Ridge Half-Marathon and Hospital Hill during the
Historic Half this year and happy to report there’s been no signs of plantar fasciitis.
My next running goal is the Richmond Marathon in November so I may be running
that barefoot…