VFF: Spring is Here!!!

The VFF/BF Adventures are back! Now that the weather has warmed up and the gravel isn't muddy anymore it is time to take the Vibrams out for a run!

And it isn't just me anymore....

Yes, that's right. I've officially converted my husband to the barefoot side :)

He's actually been running in them for a few weeks now and has reported no knee pain! woo hoo

before when he'd be running his knees would hurt so badly... thanks to the vibrams he's pain free.

and before I sound too much like an infomerical we'll move along..

His first run outside :) Doesn't he look excited!?

It's alright, I was pumped for the both of us.

I have to say, I really thought my legs would kill after just a little bit of running in the Vibrams, but we made it 2 miles and while my calves are a little sore... that's the worst of the damage.

I'm thinking I'll definitely be ready to run some races in the Vibrams come May.

If this weather keeps up, you can expect some more Vibram Adventrures comin' your way!

Finlandia

Our first day in Finland was GREAT! It started off foggy and cool, but ended up with blue skies and sun. It was a gorgeous fall day, and I'm so pumped we aren't missing out on fall just because we aren't in MN. I started the day at 3:20... lovely jet lag decided that waking up bright and early would be fantastic. And I actually made it through the majority of the day unscathed! It was a great day.

We took off for the town of Poorvo.

looking at an old church, I would've LOVED to get married at this church, so picturesque.

the random wooden ship hanging from the ceiling...

Nothing like a fall walk on cobblestone streets in the vibrams :)

After an amazing lunch of meatballs and mashed potatoes we checked out some cute shops and the chocolate shop :)

We then made our way to Helsinki!

The home of the President. Yes... the Conan O'Brien look-a-like.

orange mushrooms... how freaking sweet.

Oh farmers market how I love thee.

The Church of Doom (Judgement) yes... so very welcoming.

From the top of the church steps looking onto Senate Square.

Getting ready for Russia next week :)

Overall, an absolutely wonderful way to start our Euro Vacation! Can't wait to see what Finland brings us the next 2 weeks!

BF/VFF Adventures!

I have officially had my VFF's for a week now, and I've worn them at least every single day since that blessed package got to my school :)

ahhh no holes. just perfectness.

Of course, immediately after getting them I decided to bash my toe (while wearing sandals) into the side of a wooden shelf at the movie store, giving my big toe a lovely blood blister.

But that didn't stop me at all! I was ready to conquer the world~ or ya know Jeju.

But I definitely learned a few lessons while testing out my pretty little friends.

1. You will want to wear them at all times. But because of the blood blister you previously got, the compacted blood created while you wear them will not make for a fun time.

2. Pay attention.... pay attention... pay attention.   When you decide to run in them for the first time you will feel free, light, and full of energy. Then you will stop paying attention to what is on the ground ahead of you and you will successfully smash above mentioned toe into the concrete. You will then get a  piggy back ride from your husband hobble the mile home.

Then, you will wear them ... every chance you get!!!!

You will wear them for running, hiking, yoga, and walking.

On some sweet volcanic rocks at a waterfall... next to the ocean

I LOVE that these are the footprints made... so much fun!

Hiking through a lava tube!

Becoming one with the sculptures at the art park

Hiking up to a volcanic crater

3. After wearing them every chance you get and not stretching properly your calves will proceed to yell at you and insist that you take a break... so you will. But you'll regret it, and just wait for the next chance to put them on!!!


As you can see, me and my vibrams went on quite the adventure this week and we had  A LOT of fun :) I can't wait to put some more miles on them in Europe!

Have I mentioned I love these things???

BF/VFF Adventures!

My running shoes are trying to kill me. Or at least cause me a lot of pain.

I'm not sure whether or not they were feeling vindictive for my lack of running in them or what, but today was a rough run.

I haven't run in my shoes for about 3 months. Wow... sometimes I can't believe that I've actually gone that long without running (at least in shoes).

Now, I have been barefoot running about 2 times a week for the last couple weeks and it's been glorious, but today since I'm done with Insanity (finally! woo hoo!) and because I've been aching to go on a run I decided to head out in the shoes since my Vibrams are still not here!!! (hopefully this week).

So I went from this...

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(I actually did get an AWESOME barefoot run on the beach in on Saturday. It was rainy and perfect :) )

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To These...

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Look at all that padding!!! My feet had NO clue what to do. In Born to Run it talks about how the more padding we have the more our body strives to find balance and stability. And my feet were really struggling to stabilize. I felt like I was teetering all over the place! My feet could NOT figure out how to function and were thrown off by the fact that they were basically in a cast. My shoes also decided within the first 1/2 mile that I needed a blister and for my knee to go out on me... sweet.

I truly couldn't believe how much heavier my feet felt and how cooped up they felt. Thankfully I've kept my old running shoes that are completely worn down and hopefully my feet won't be quite so confused by all the padding next time.

But truly I'm just hoping to get my vibrams this week and then start building my running base with those. The goal is to run a half and then a full marathon next spring/summer in the Vibrams. We'll see how it goes, but if I can base anything off of today, it's that

1. my feet do not enjoy shoes

2. my heel and new blister didn't appreciate them either.

3. my knee and shoes are not on speaking terms

4. I think my running life is better off without shoes

Soooooo, so long running shoes! Hello, barefoot running....

VFF Adventures: Barefoot Baby!

Lately I've been desk warming... which means I've had loads of downtime.

And with this lovely time I've been researching, reading, and searching for as much info as possible about barefoot or minimal footwear running!

I wrote a post before about the Vibram Five Fingers, and I'm happy to say I'll be receiving mine on Friday!!! After ordering them a month ago and waiting impatiently patiently for them to get here... they will be making their appearance along with my Mom!!!!

Ahhh I can't wait until I have a pair of my own!!!!

So throughout all of this research I found an AWESOME website with all sorts of info about VFF's and barefoot running... and instantly I was hooked.

I've been wondering how to adapt and transition into the VFF's and have REALLY wanted to just be gutsy and go all out with the barefoot running and I came across this encouraging article.

How to Transition to Running in Vibram Five Fingers- Let your skin be the guide!

The actually suggested starting with barefoot first and VFF second. Because with the VFF's you really have to work on your running form they suggest that to get the correct form you really need to start barefoot to get it down right!

So I took these babies for a spin

(here they are lovely and dirty in cambodia)

Now as much as I love being barefoot... in Korea it's a terrifying thing. There literally glass on every surface and I'm not really up for completely slicing off a toe. But there is a track nearby and I dragged Jon along with me and we gave our little toes a spin around the track.

We alternated running one lap (about .12) and walking one lap. Jon's smooth and supple feet were "feeling" the track after 2 run arounds and he called it quits, my callousy, rugged feet made it a few more times and it ended up being a mile. My feet are feeling a little sore, but otherwise good.

Throughout all of the reading and researching the one piece of advice I've seen over and over is to start SLOW! And so I am... I think every other day for two weeks I'll try doing the mile alternating the walking and running and then I'll move up the mileage depending on how my feet feel.

As "rough" as my feet feel apparently after a few weeks of barefooting it, my brain will start to recognize that the nerves in the balls of my feet are getting a lot more stimulation. Because of this my brain will start sending signals down to the soles of my feet and fat will start being deposited there. Voila! Instant padding :) Truthfully half the fun of this is, is just finding out how absolutely incredible our bodies are. We are truly created in a unique way and our bodies and feet in general were created so capably and they can do so much! We just have to be willing to put them to use! And I fully plan on it :)

I'm hoping in the future to put up some more of the scientific reasoning behind barefoot/minimal footwear. In the meantime... go get the book Born to Run... now!

As for me I'm going to go soak my sore toes and remember the bliss they felt in all of this glorious Mexican sand :)

If you have anymore questions about barefoot/minimal footwear walking and running send 'em my way! I'm happy to research things and have found a lot of information on the subject :)

Five Fingers

About two weeks ago I wrote about my break-up with running.  The break-up had occurred a few weeks before I wrote that post, so it's definitely been awhile since I had gone on a jog. But I broke the streak this past wednesday with a 5k... and it was FUN!! I just focused on the scenery around me, enjoyed the feeling of running, and started to pay attention to my form.

In the book Born to Run it really talked a lot about how our form as runner's isn't all that great. We tend to strike on our heels, which is good for walking... but not so much for running. So I was really paying attention to striking the ground on the balls of my feet and kicking my heels up... and low and behold I picked up the pace... by about 45 seconds for the last 1.5 miles, and it didn't wind me as much as it would've before! I was PUMPED! And honestly it did feel good to run, but I'm still going to give it some time before I go full fledged.

Another idea that was presented in the book and seemingly everywhere in the running world is the concept of barefoot running, or minimal footwear running. Because I enjoy running, and I enjoy testing out theories I thought it be a fun little experiment to try.

Now I've actually been wanting to try this since last summer, but 1) running barefoot in korea would not be good. There is glass EVERYWHERE and I know I would slice up my feet real fast. 2) I was going to grab some vibram five fingers, but just decided not too. And I regret that decision every day.

However, Amanda and Ian's mom bought them some last year and Amanda has been gracious enough to let me try hers out.

The Verdict: I LOVE them. I enjoy being barefoot, quite frankly shoes and socks are the bane of my existence...but these actually felt like my bare feet.. with just a little padding.

I've borrowed them a few times for some walks and even tried out a little run in them.

Everyone says to start slow, and I'm happy I did. I didn't have any soreness the next day, but I could still feel that I'd worked the muscles in my feet.  New theories are showing that by putting our feet in shoes it's like putting them in a cast. The muscles atrophy, and they aren't as strong. Which is why a lot of times people have so many issues with their feet! To me it makes sense. Shoes do all the work for us and our feet aren't "worked". The Vibrams... work your feet.

Plus they're fun :) And it's a way for me to spice up running and working some more muscles that haven't been worked in a long time!

What do you think? Would you give "barefoot" running/walking a try?