I’m back! 🙂  I wasn’t really gone-just insanely busy at work, as it goes as an accountant in the first quarter of a year.

Even though I didn’t have time to write and blog the past few months, I was still running.  To date, I have almost 150 miles logged in my barefoot running shoes. I run some days without them, if it’s too cold, or snowy.

Running this way has exceeded my expectations, as it’s been over 6 months, and I’ve had no injuries.

My reoccurring hip pain from before, still flares up from time to time, for a day or two, but nothing like where I could barely walk for days, or unable to run for weeks. I had a massage a few weeks ago and the therapist worked on that area and I could feel the tension melting.  It has stayed very lose since. The massage therapist recommended yoga or pilates to keep it loose and strengthen the muscles.  That is next up on my list to try to make time for.

The other constant reoccurring injury I could never avoid running the traditional way, no matter what stretches I did, shoes I bought, surfaces I ran on, were shin splints.  I probably had a new bout with them once every two months- sometimes minor, sometimes severe, where I’d be forced to stop running while they healed.  Sometimes I’d even get weird ones along my ankles- where it felt like a shin splint, but the pain was in the ankle.  Nothing worked to stop these, except to stop running.

Since I started running the barefoot method, I’ve not had one even hint of shin pain, splint, or ankle or any other type of pain.  I’ve run on all surfaces too.  Trail, cement, road, snow, grass, and I never have any pain no matter what surface I run on.

I can run longer distances too, where before, I’d feel it the next day.  Now it feels after these distances, I hadn’t even been running the day before.  Not to say I don’t have an occasional ache or pain, but nothing that is in constant pain, debilitating, or causing me to stop running.  The biggest factor in preventing me from running these past few months has been my job- not injuries, which is something I thought I’d never say!  I would have never have believed it.

With the longer daylight now (I love it when daylight savings starts) more and warmer days here in Colorado, and my job slowing down, I’m excited I’ll have more time to run and blog.

Another benefit I’m seeing from running this way, is I’m running faster.  I use my Garmin and look at it afterwards. Many times during the run, I feel like I’m running slow and easy, but when I download the time and compare- I’m actually running faster.

I have seen my calf muscles define and be built up, over the months from this running method. I had a pair of “skinny jeans” with narrow leg openings, and before they slid right on. Now my muscles are too big for them, which is another benefit.  One, because I never had defined leg muscles, and two, for the real reason, running this way builds your calf muscles to take much of the impact on running, instead of your shins. The calves are much stronger muscles than your shins. So it’s why I think, I’ve not had any shin pain at all.

Traditional running with traditional shoes, usually forces your foot to land on a mid or heel strike. You may not even realize you are running this way. As a result your shins have to take the brunt of impact, instead of your calves.  But when you land on your forefoot, the stress is taken by your calves and your foot, as it was designed to do. The shins were never desired to be able to withstand the constant pressure on them for running. Your forefoot is, with help from the calves.

I’ve learned a lot in the past 6 months and keep learning too. I love it.  It’s like I’m able to combine the love of running and improve my running, instead of holding back, and being worried about overdoing it and getting hurt, or being hurt, and having to stop while I heal and lose the momentum.

I am still aiming for a marathon. I am confident I’ll be able to do it this year, but don’t want to say when yet.  But that is still my goal.

I’ve been thinking about running a 5K race too, just for fun. I’m within 3 minutes right now, of my fastest ever 5K time from several years ago. I’m not running anymore for fast speeds, but I love the 5K distance and have been thinking it would be fun to see how I’d run in a 5K with the barefoot method.

I have lots of blog posts I’ve been thinking about over the months, so there will definitely be new content coming more regularly about running, motivation, and achieving your goals. I’ll be updating the Facebook page more too, so stay tuned!