The Aftermath

It's all fun and games when you feel good and you're high off of the surging endorphins. But the aftermath of running semi-barefoot can be pretty ugly.

Take Exhbit A:



That is the bottom of my foot. And yes, that is a huge bruise/callus/blister on my poor big toe. I have one on the other foot as well (I figured you didn't need to see both of my ugly feet and instead could use your imagination).

Now, I had been getting these types of blisters in that exact same spot since I started running in the Vibrams. Most of the time, they would heal in a day or two and then, inevitably, would reappear the next time I ran. They normally aren't painful either. But after the 10K this weekend, these puppies were screaming for relief. They basically felt like a huge bruise on the bottom of your foot that yelps every time you take a step. I took a few days off to let them heal and they are actually back to normal again.

I think I am getting them because I am landing hard on that area. At the race, there were a couple of downhill parts (which I'm not used to) so that definitely contributed. I am going to be making a conscious effort to try not to land on that part of my foot and instead land more flat-footed and distribute the force.

Exhibit B:

No, this is not part of my body, but it has become my new best friend. It is The Stick, which is a do-it-yourself massage tool. And let me tell you, my calves sing its praises.

Let's just say that my calves are so tight that they cringe every time they see a staircase. I went out for a run this morning and only made it about 10 minutes out before they were crying out in agony. They were so tight that I thought they were going to pull my foot all the way up my leg. They were balled up and didn't want to let any tension out. When I got home, I massaged them out and while they did feel better, they are definitely still tight.

Here's a close up of The Stick cuz I just like it so much:

I need to make a conscious effort to stretch and massage my calves every single day, several times a day. What do I do when I sit in front of the TV after sitting in front of a computer all day? Nothing. What should I be doing? Massaging my calves. I'm sure they'll thank me for it later.

Getting From There to Here

After the mile three water stop, I was in the groove. I was striding well, hit a cadence and was breathing consistently and smoothly. Soon after that, I'm pretty sure I toyed with the line of "the zone," that magic place that runners love to go (besides the local running shop).

I ran the Manhattan Beach 10K this morning and I felt awesome! I finished in a time of 47:41 and after a cruise through the race results, found out that I was 4th in my age group and 419 out of 3555 runners - wow! The coursed meandered through parts of Manhattan Beach and then we hit The Strand for the last mile (after a nice little hill). It was an absolutely perfect day to run -- probably mid-60s at the start, overcast and there were even some raindrops at the end!

This was a big race for me for a lot of reasons:

1. I had never run a 10K before. I've done my fair share of 5K's, but never the 6.2 mile distance. Since I started running barefoot, I've only done three training runs that were over 6 miles, so that is one of the reasons that I feel like I can pat myself on the back.
2. On those long runs, I had been accompanied by a friend of a lot of runners -- Mr. iPod. There's no denying that music while running can be very helpful, and that is why I had been using it on my long runs. But today at the race, I decided to forgo the iPod. I was a little worried that I wouldn't have that same pep in my step without Carrie Underwood and Alicia Keys. But I put mind over the Black Eyed Peas, which was really awesome. Once your thoughts go blank during a race, and all you are doing is checking for vital signs (what hurts, what doesn't), you don't need any bass to back you up.
3. I ran in my Vibram FiveFingers! That in itself, I think, is a huge accomplishment. I saw a few people in Vibrams, so that was comforting that I'm not the only crazy person out there.

Let me back up and say that this race, this point in my running career, the feelings that I had during the race and the high that I felt aftewards, is a long time coming. It was only a few years ago that I was in the most cushioned running shoes I could get my hands on. I had gone through three different custom-made orthotics. Doctors and running specialists said I would never be a real runner, would never be able to run and train normally. My feet were swollen all the time, my knees ached with each step forward, my mind was turning on itself and made me believe, truly, that I wasn't cut out to do what I had been doing since I was young.

Where I am now is a miraculous transformation. I am running on a regular basis, have very little pain (every runner gets aches -- mine are tight calves) and am feeling good about my abilities. My mind believes that I can go that extra 1/2 mile, can push it in at the end of a long run. The change is unbelievable.